IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD SWITCHES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brown Carey, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk,
and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD SWITCHES."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Brown Carey in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th April 1880.
JOHN BROWN CAREY, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES."
This Invention relates to switches for street or steam railways, and is intended
to provide means of enabling the switch tongue or point to be shifted, and the car
switched to another track without necessitating the employment of a switchman
independent of the car or train; and the Invention consists in the employment in
combination with the pivoted tongue or point of a switch of a lever pivoted to the
bed plate of the switch at a point near to the free end of the tongue, and operating
with the latter to close it against the stress of a suitable spring, which is combined
with the tongue to hold it open, the nose or forward end of the lever being
actuated by pulling the forward wheels of the car laterally of the track, or by a
presser foot attached to the car, and adapted to be lowered against the lever by tho
driver or engineer, as the case may be.
The Drawings accompanying this Specification represent in Figure 1 an isometric
elevation of a railway track, side track, switch tongue, and lever embodying my
Invention; Figure 2 in such Drawings represents a longitudinal section of the
switch tongue and plate; Figure 3 is a section, and Figure + an underside view of a
car showing a device to be operated by the driver; Figure 5 of the Drawings
represents a modification of my Invention. In such Drawings the base plate of
the switch is shown at A, its main track rail at B, and its swinging tongue at C,
the pivot of this tongue being shown at D². D, D', represent the rails of the main
track of a railway, and E, E, those of the siding. The tongue C is channeled or
recessed on its under side, as shown at a, to contain a plate spring b, such spring
being secured at one end to the pivot D³, and exerting its stress against the tongue
to crowd the free end of the latter outward and permit the main track to remain
intact or open. J in the Drawings represents a lever disposed upon the top of the
base plate A, and pivoted at its centre or thereabouts to the base plate by a vertical
Price G1
•

page_text: pivot c, such pivot being situated near the free end of the tongue, but at a point
between such free end of the tongue and the pivot of the latter, the rear end or
tail d of the lever lying alongside of and abuting against the inner edge of the
tongue at about the centre of the latter or approximating thereto. The opposite or
front end or nose of the lever is situated alongside of the rail D of the main track,
and is flaring, as shown at f, to permit of entrance of the front wheel of a car or a
presser foot or other device lowered from the car or locomotive. The operation of
this switch as applied to horse or street railways is as follows:-As a car approaches
a siding or turnout on to which it is to be switched, and as the front wheels of the
car arrive opposite the flaring nose of the lever J, the car is pulled by the draft
animals toward the side of the track opposite the lever, the result being that the
nose of the lever is forced inward toward the centre of the track, at the same time
crowding its tail d and the free end of the switch 'tongue in the opposite direction,
and by so doing closes or isolates the main track and opens the turnout, the tail d
of the lever being of less height than the portion of the switch against which it
abuts, in order that it may present no obstruction to the flanges of the wheels as
the latter leave the lever and take to the tongue. When the lover and tongue are
in their normal positions (that is, when the main track is open) their meeting faces
are parallel, hence the pivot of the lever constitutes a stop to the inward movement
of the tongue, and to determine the extent to which it is moved by the flexure of
the spring. In lieu of operating the lever J by pulling the car to one side, as
stated, it may be operated by a device lowered from the car or locomotive. Such
a device is shown in the accompanying Drawings, and is thus constructed :-A
represents the bottom of a street or horse railway car; B, B, its axles; and C, C, C, C,
its wheels, while represents a presser foot, so called, in the form of a wedge
shaped block secured to the lower end of a vertical slide bar or rod i guided in a
hanger or housing j secured to the under side of the car floor and at one side
thereof, as shown in Figure 4 of the Drawings, the slide bar being elevated by a
spring disposed within the box of the housing, and exerting its stress between
the bottom of such box and a shoulder upon the bar. An anti friction roller may,
if desirable, be added to the lower end of the foot to reduce friction between it
and the lever J. The slide bar and presser foot are lowered by means of a long
bar, which extends centrally and longitudinally beneath the car floor, and is
connected with the slide bar by a cross bar m, while upon each end of the said
bar a rod n is erected, and extends upward through the adjacent platform of the
car floor, and is provided at top with a foot rest o for the reception of the foot of
the driver.
To adapt the device to levers upon both sides the track a presser foot and its
slide bar, as well as the supporting hanger, should be applied to each side of the
car.
•
The operation of this portion of the device is as follows:-As the car approaches
a siding or turnout, to which the car is to be switched, the driver places his foot
upon the top of the adjacent foot rest o and lowers the same, the result being that
the presser foot upon that side of the car strikes against the inside of the tail of
the lever J and crowds the latter inward toward the centre of the track, at the
same time forcing the opposite end of such lever and the free end of the movable
tongue in the opposite direction, and by so doing closes the main track and opens
the siding, the portion of the lever lying against the tongue being of less height
than the latter in order to offer no obstruction to the flange of the wheels. The
flange of the car wheel engages with the inner side of point or tongue C when
the latter is thus thrown outward, and this engagement compels the wheel and
car to diverge upon the side track E, thus practically closing tlie main track.
As the last wheel of the car passes by the tail of the lever the spring b restores
the parts to their primitive positions, and the main track is opened, while the siding
is closed. As the car returns to the main track the flange of the wheel operates
the switch point, while the presser foot being elevated passes over the shipper lever
without actuating the latter.

page_text: As the switch point and the shipper lever are situated upon the top of the base
plate of the point and are readily removable, no obstruction from ice or snow need
be apprehended for the reason that they may be readily cleaned, while by letting
the spring which actuates the tongue into a recess in the under side of the latter it
is in turn protected from injury. In Figure 5 of the Drawings I have shown a
modified construction of the tongue and lever. In this case the pivot c of the
lever is outside or in advance of the free end of the tongue, and the inward move-
ment of the two is determined by a stop g affixed to the switch plate. The
operation of the tongue and lever in this construction is practically the same as the
first.
The herein described construction of switch is applicable especially to horse or
street railway cars. The principle of my switch however is applicable to steam
railways, and with some modifications will be found to operate to great advantage
on the latter.
CLAIMS.
First. In combination with the tracks of the main line of a railway and of a
turnout, and the movable tongue of a switch of a lever pivoted to the switch plate,
and at one end operating the said tongue, while at its other end it is in turn
operated by the car or a device carried by the car.
Second. In combination with tracks D' and E', tongue C, and bed plate A, the
lever J pivoted to said bed plate, said lever being partly parallel to said point, and
arranged to operate in contact therewith and against a spring adapted to keep
the main track open when engaged by a device carried by a car, substantially as
set forth.
Third. In combination with tongue C, plate A, and lever J pivoted to said
plate, the spring b inserted in a recess of said point H, and operating substantially
as set forth.
Fourth. The stop 7 in combination with lever J and point C actuated by a
spring, substantially as set forth, said lever being arranged for engagement with a
device carried on a car.
Fifth. The combination with presser foot h, cross bar m, and long bar / parallel
to the side of the car of treadles or foot rests o, o, at or near the ends of said bar l,
substantially as set forth.
Sixth. In combination with tongue C impelled by a protected spring the lever J
and the sliding presser foot h carried by the car and operated by the driver.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Brown Carey, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of March 1880.
JOHN BROWN CAREY. (L.S.)