AN IMPROVED ARRANGE- MENT OF RAILS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CAUSING A RAILROAD ENGINE, CARRIAGE, OR TRAIN TO PASS FROM ONE LINE OF RAILS TO ANOTHER
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
Fox, of No. 28, Gloucester Place, Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of August, in the second year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Fox, Her especial licence, that I, the said Charles Fox, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Fox, my exors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED ARRANGE-
MENT OF RAILS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CAUSING A RAILROAD ENGINE, CARRIAGE, OR
TRAIN TO PASS FROM ONE LINE OF RAILS TO ANOTHER;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Charles Fox, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Fox, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist in

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Plan, Figure 1, shows six ordinary wooden sleepers.
The rail A, with
its fixed point a, is part of one side of the main line, and the part B of the
rail B, C, is the other part of the same side of the main line, while the part C
of the rail B, C, is one side of a siding. D is what I call a guide rail, and is
entirely new in its particular application here shown; it will be observed, that
the rails A, B, C, and D, are all fixed rails. The rail E, F, forms the opposite
side of the main line, and is also a fixed rail, thus showing that on this plan
of arranging rails for crossings, or for turning out on to sidings, the whole of
the main line is a fixture. G is the opposite side of the siding. H, I, is
what I call the turnout rail, and, like an ordinary switch, turns upon a pivot
in a hinge chair at its end H, while its other end I is cut tapering, in the
manner here shown, so as to lie embedded in the corresponding recess made
for it at J, in the main line E, F. The only action allowed to this turnout
rail is inwards from the said recess to the jaws of the various chairs along
which it extends, as here shown without colour by the dotted lines. Figures
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, show the various chairs on
either side in section.
Having now described the various several Figures of the Drawing, it now
only remains to describe the effect of this arrangement with reference to the
action allowed to the turnout rail.
First, let us suppose a carriage at rest on the main line B, F, and wishing
to proceed on to the siding C, G. If the turnout rail be placed in the
recess J, as shown in Figure 1, and the 'carriage moved towards the siding,
the guide rail D will take the inner side of the flanges of the wheels on that
side of the line, and draw off the wheels on the opposite side. from the recess
and embedded end I of the turnout rail, thus protecting them from injury
until the wheels reach the point K, when the outside of the flanges will
come in contact with the inside of the turnout rail, which then acts as a

page_text: turnout rail, and drives the opposite wheels clear of the fixed point a on to the
siding C, G; and, of course, similar effects would be produced by this arrange-
ment on the return. of the carriage from the siding C, G, to the points B, F,
of the main line.
.
Secondly, let us suppose a carriage at rest on the main line at B, F, and
wishing to proceed on the main line to A, E, and not on to a siding, as before:
The turnout rail, should in that case be drawn over from its recess at I, as
shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 1. The wheels will then move along the
main line, the outer side of the turnout rail about the point L acting against
the inner side of the flanges as a check rail, and thus protecting the fixed
point a.
Thirdly, let us suppose a carriage at rest on the siding at C, G, and wishing
to proceed to B, F, on the main line, and that, accidentally, the turnout rail
has been left open, 'as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1. No accident
can happen, for the flanges of the wheels, as they proceed, will drive the turn-
out rail into its proper position in its recess I; but, supposing the turnout rail
should have been maliciously or otherwise fixed in its open position, so that it
will not yield on its hinge to the pressure of the flange as before described,
in that case the flanges of these wheels will, in consequence of the angle at
which the rail is presented to them, run up on to the rail, while the flanges of
the opposite wheels, running. between the rail B, C, and the guide rail D, will'
prevent the possibility of the wheels on the turnout rail running off, and they.
will (the opposite wheels being guided by the guide rail) 'drop into their
proper position on the rail E, F, of the main line before they get to F. The
same security will also be afforded by the guide rail D in the event of a
carriage proceeding from the main line at E, A, towards B, F, while the turn-
out bar is improperly, by mistake or otherwise, fixed in its recess, for the
flanges will in that case mount on the rails, and run easily on to the point F,
shortly before reaching which they will drop into their proper places again.
If the turnout rail be only, carelessly placed in its recess, and not maliciously
or otherwise fixed there, in the last case the flange will simply open it as it
proceeds, and no difficulty can occur.
I have thus shown how impossible it is for any accidental or maliciously
improper placing of the turnout rail, under my arrangement of rails, to be
productive of mischief, or to throw the wheels off the rails.
And whereas it is evident that my said arrangement is equally applicable to
all cases where it is required to make provision for engines, carriages, or trains
to pass from one line of rails to another, whether on to sidings or otherwise;
and I hereby claim as my Invention the arrangement of rails herein-before

page_text: described, particularly the guide rail and embedded turnout rail, whereby I
am enabled to protect the fixed point a and the point of the turnout bar, as
well as the shoulder of the recess made to receive the same; and to prevent
accidents, as herein-before explained.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or
disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained. Wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain. exclusive right
and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Fox, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
Inrolled the Twelfth day of October, in the year of
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight..
Lord One