Improvements in or connected with Points for Tramways.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left; 30th Jan., 1900-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Points for Tramways.
1, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birming
ham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in or addi-
tions to an invention for which Letters Patent were granted to me No. 8633
of 1887.
In the specification of the said Patent I have described represented and claimed
certain improvements in tramway points the movable tongues of the said points
being in some cases restored to their normal positions by a springing action and
in other cases by the travelling of the tramcar.
In either case on the change of position of the movable tongue of the point the
striking of the free or pointed end of the tongue against the side of the casting
or case in which the said tongue works produces a noise which is a source of
annoyance and the object of my invention to prevent or reduce to a minimum
the noise in question.
In order to effect this object I fix at or near the free end of the movable
tongue of the point and at both sides thereof, a cushion or pad of vulcanized
india rubber, leather or other like material which on the motion of the tongue
in either direction strikes upon the casting or case in which the tongue works
thereby preventing the metallic part of the tongue from striking against the
metal of the case or casting and preventing or greatly diminishing the noise
ordinarily produced in the working of the point.
The cushion or pad may consist of a single block of india rubber or the like
fixed in the undercut hole in the movable tongue, the said cushion or pad being
of such a thickness that its acting surface on each side of the tongue projects
a sufficient distance from the plane of the tongue to wholly receive the blow
occasioned by the tongue striking against the case or casting.
Or a separate pad or cushion may be fixed on each side of the tongue and secured
in its place in any convenient manner. Or instead of fixing the said pads or
cushions to the movable tongue they may be attached to or inserted in recesses
in the inner faces of the box at the places against which in the working of the
points the free end of the tongue strikes. Or both the movable tongue and the
inner faces of the box in which it works may be provided with the elastic pads
or cushions described.
Or the pad in the recess in the inner face of the box in which the moveable
tongue works, may consist of a solid or hollow sphere of vulcanised india rubber,
and a projection on the movable tongue engaging in the mouth of the said recess,
the said elastic sphere receives the blow of the said projection on the movable

page_text: tongue when the movable tongue is moved towards the said recess. Or the said
projection on the tongue may be made to work approximately airtight in the
said recess, in which case the india rubber sphere may be dispensed with the sudden
compression of the air by the advance in the recess of the projection on the tongue
forming an air cushion which prevents the striking of the said projection against
the base of the recess.
By the use of my invention the noise ordinarily produced by the working of
points is so effectually prevented that passengers in the tramcar and persons in
the neighbourhood of the points are nuconscious of the passage of the said car
over the points.
Dated this Savanth day of T1000
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in or connected with Points for Tramways..
I, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birming
ham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in or addi-
tions to an invention for which Letters l'atent were granted to me No. 8633
of 1887.
In the specification of the said Patent I have described represented and claimed
certain improvements in tramway points the movable tongues of the said points
being in some cases restored to their normal positions by a springing action and
in other cases by the travelling of the tramcar.
In either case on the change of position of the movable tongue of the point the
striking of the free or pointed end of the tongue against the side of the casting
or case in which the said tongue works produces a noise which is a source of
annoyance and the object of my invention is to prevent or reduce to a minimum
the noise in question.
In order to effect this object I fix at or near the free end of the movable tongue
of the point and at one or both sides thereof, a cushion or pad of vulcanized
india rubber, leather or other like material which on the motion of the tongue
in either direction strikes upon the casting or case in which the tongue works
thereby preventing the metallic part of the tongue from striking against the
metal of the case or casting and preventing or greatly diminishing the noise
ordinarily produced in the working of the point.
The cushion or pad may consist of a single block of india rubber or the like
fixed in the undercut hole in the movable tongue the said cushion or pad being
of such a thickness that its acting surface on each side of the tongue projects
a sufficient distance from the plane of the tongue to wholly receive the blow
occasioned by the tongue striking against the case or casting.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in cross section a tramway
point containing this arrangement of my invention. Figure 2 represents in
section the cushion or pad of india rubber, leather or the like constituting a
buffer for the movable tongue by which the said movable tongue is made to work
noiselessly.
is the case or casting of the point hereinafter called the "box" and b is the mov-
able tongue of the point which tongue bis operated or moved to the other side of the

page_text: box by the wheels of the tram-car in passing the point; is the spring bolt by which
the movable tongue is brought back into its normal position after the car has.
passed the point. The said bolt c passes through a hole in the movable tongue b.
In order to prevent the movable tongue b from coming into actual contact with the
sides of the box when operated, a cushion or pad d, in the form of a short hollow
cylinder of india rubber, leather or the like, (shown separately in Figure 2) is
pressed into and made to occupy the hole in the movable tongue 6 the flanges at
the two ends of the short hollow cylinder & projecting on either side of the movable
tongue and constituting buffers for the said movable tongue & when the said tongue
is moved from side to side of the box. In this way the noise attending the motion
of the movable tongues of ordinary tramway points is prevented.
Or instead of the arrangement described and represented a separate pad or cushion
may be fixed on one or both sides of the tongue & the said pad or pads being secured
in place in any convenient manner.
Or instead of fixing the pad or pads or cushions to the movable tongue they
may be attached to or inserted in recesses in the inner faces of the box at the places
against which in the working of the points the free end of the tongue strikes.
This modification of my invention is represented in plan in Figure 3 and cross
section in Figure 4, one pad or cushion only being represented.
is the box and the movable tongue operated in the manner described with
reference to the arrangement Figure 1. In the side of the box a against which
the movable tongue is pressed by the spring of the spring bolt c, I make a
dovetail recess and insert therein by pressure a pad or cushion e of india rubber,
leather or the like which pad or cushion projects slightly from the inner face of the
box and receives the impact of the movable tongue when pressed back by the
spring bolt after a car has passed the point. In this way the noise ordinarily
produced is prevented.
When a pad or cushion is employed at each side of the box the recessed side is
duplicated to receive the second pad.
Or the pad in the recess in the inner face of the box in which the movable
tongue works, may consist of a solid or hollow sphere of vulcanised india rubber,
al projection on the movable tongue engaging in the mouth of the said recess; the
said elastic sphere receives the blow of the said projection on the movable tongue
when the movable tongue is moved towards the said recess.
Or the said projection on the tongue may be made to work approximately air-
tight in the said recess, in which case, the india rubber sphere may be dispensed
with, the sudden compression of the air by the advance in the recess of the pro-
jection on the tongue forming an air cushion which prevents the striking of the
said projection against the base of the recess.
A tramway point containing the last described modification is represented in
plan in Figure 5, side elevation in Figure 6 and cross section in Figure 7.
The projection on the movable tongue consists of a bolt c fixed to the movable
tongue by screw nuts e, the sides of the screw nuts e, el bearing on the tongue
being rounded so as to permit of slight play between the bolt c and tongue b. The
head of the bolt e fits nearly air tight a chamber f fixed on and constituting the
recess at the side of the box a. A coiled spring g on the stem of the bolt c and
within the recess or chamber f keeps the movable tongue b in its normal position
at one side of the box. When a car passes over the point, the tongue is moved
to the other side of the box and an air space is produced between the end
of the chamber f and the head of the bolt c which air space constitutes a cushion
for ensuring the slow movement of the tongue & into its normal position under the
action of the springy and the consequent prevention of noise on the tongue b
coming in contact with the side of the box a
By the use of my invention the noise ordinarily produced by the working of
points is so effectually prevented that passengers in the tramcar and persons in
the neighbourhood of the points are unconscious of the passage of the said car
over the points.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention:-
The improvements in or connected with points for tramways herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing the said improvements
consisting in fitting to the movable tongue or to one or both sides of the case,
casting or box of the point or to both the movable tongue and side or sides of
the case, casting or box of the point a cushion or pad of india rubber, leather or
the like; in fitting to one side of the point an air cushion for the movable
tongue substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
Dated the Twenty-ninth day of January 1900.
WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY.