CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS AND IN THE MANNER OF WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Whitehead, of Bucknall, in the County of Stafford,
Coal Merchant, Ralph Hodgson, of Winsford, in the County of Chester, and
Thomas Dodd, also of Winsford, for an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS AND IN THE MANNER OF WORKING THE SAME."
ng may to your specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Whitehead, Ralph
Hodgson, & Thomas Dodd, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 9th October 1880.
HENRY WHITEHEAD, of Bucknall, in the County of Stafford, Coal Merchant,
RALPJ HODGSON, of Winsford, in the County of Chester, and THOMAS DODD, also
of Winsford. "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY POINTS AND IN THE
MANNER OF WORKING THE SAME."
The object of this Invention is by the means hereinafter described of causing the
points to work vertically to facilitate the working of trains and to prevent these
points from getting out of order, and thus to promote safety and speed in railway
travelling.
Our Invention is substantially carried into effect by providing four special
cast iron chairs, two of which are employed to secure the two short rails,
hereinafter called "the points," and to keep them in close proximity to the main
rails.
The other two cast iron chairs are employed to secure the heel of the points, and
to prevent them from moving in any way other than the required one.
At the same time the four cast iron chairs before named are also so arranged as
to secure the main rails, and thus it is impossible for either main rails or points to
move or be moved out of position other than by a lever provided for the purpose.
According to our Invention the points are arranged to work vertically, and to be
situated in close proximity to the main rails, and they are kept in this position by
[Price 2d.1

page_text: the cast iron chairs before named. These points are secured in position at the
heel by a steel pin or bolt passing through both the points and chairs, and thus
there is no possibility of their being moved or wrenched out of position. The
necessary vertical motion is obtained by a wedge slide-block provided under cach
of the two points, these two wedges being connected by means of a bar, and being
so arranged that when moved one of the points before named moves vertically and
is placed in position, so that any train passing this point would be turned either
on the main or branch lines, as the case may be. At the same time and by the
same motion the other point is caused to descend sufficiently to allow the wheels
of the train to pass over without coming in contact with any of the parts. The
two points before named are connected by means of a cross lever, which is inserted
This cross lever is secured in
into each point a short distance from their ends.
the centre between the two rails in a casting provided for the purpose by means of
a steel bolt or pin on which the cross lever works, so that immediately one point is
lifted into position the other point is depressed, and is thus prevented from being
placed in any but the required position. It will also be seen that by the
employment of the four cast iron chairs previously referred to, the permanent rails
and cross section rails in connection can be keyed up as in ordinary straight road,
thus really keeping the line in a more permanent position at "the points" than in
any other part of the railway. It will be seen that the points being placed in and
out of position vertically they never leave the side of the rail, and consequently it is
impossible either by the expansion or contraction of connecting rods, or by reason
of pieces of material, such as cinders, wood, bricks, iron, coal, clay, sand, and
the like getting in between the points and rails for them to be disarranged in
any way. It will also be seen that when the slide wedge previously referred to is
placed in position under the points it will be impossible for the weight of any train
to cause them to be depressed.
The two first cast iron chairs are also arranged so as to receive and maintain in
position the two wedge slide-blocks before named.