IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY SWITCHES."-A communication from abroad by William
Wharton, junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 21st November 1865, and dated the 6th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th July 1865.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES," a communication to me from
abroad by William Wharton, junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements
of railway switches suitable for sidings or branch lines on, to, or along which
the trains are not intended to travel at high speeds, the main object to be
attained being the avoidance of any interruption or break in the main line
at the part where the switch is situated.

page_text: According to one arrangement of switch both the rails constituting the
switch are moveable on pins or fulcra at one end and form continuations of the
rails of the siding or branch line. The inner switch rail of the curve at its
junction with the rail and the main line is parallel with that rail for a short
distance. It lies close against the outer edge of the main line rail where the
switch is closed so as to be within range of the tread of the wheels, but when
the switch is open it is moved outwards from the main line rail sufficiently
far to take it beyond the range of the tread of the wheels. The free end of
this switch rail is level with the surface of the main line rail, but its surface
gradually inclines or rises above the level of the main line rail until a
sufficient elevation is attained to allow of the passage of the wheel flange
over the main rail without being in contact therewith. This switch rail is
connected by a cross bar to the opposite or outer switch rail of the curve so
that they will both move simultaneously when opened or shut. The free end
of this switch rail is tapered so that the flange of the wheel may readily pass
inside it when the switch is closed and the level of this switch rail corresponds
to that of the main line rail. A guard rail is situate on the inner side of the
opposite main line rail to ensure the passage of the wheels along the first-
mentioned switch rail. After the wheels havo passed over the main line
rail the rail of the siding may gradually descend again to the original level.
According to another modification the outer rail of the junction curve is
stationary or permanent, its point being tapered as before, and a sufficient
spaco being left between it and the main line rail to allow of the free passage
of the wheel flanges. The inner switch rail is connected by a horizontal
lever and connecting rod to a moveable guard rail on the opposite side of the
main line, such guard rail being situate outside the rail and made to work on
a fixed fulcrum at one end whilst its free end is curved gently over the
surfaco of the main line rail, so that it will tend to push the wheels laterally,
and thereby cause them to enter upon the switch rails. The line is opened
by 'moving back the guard rail, which has the effect of simultaneously moving
the switch rail clear from the side of the main line rail, or in lieu of the
guard rail being on the opposite side of the main line to the moveable switch
rail it may be on the same side but on the inner side of the rail and be
connected, as above described, by means of a rod.and lever. with the moveable
switch rail. In some cases the guard rails (which when used should stand
slightly above the level of the main rails) may be dispensed with.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN HENRY
JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said Jobn Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY SWITCHES," a communication to me from abroad by William Wharton,
junior, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnsen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being bad to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements
of railway switches suitable for sidings or branch lines along which the trains
are not intended to travel at high speeds the main object to be attained being
the avoidance of any interruption or break in the main line at the part where
the switch is situated.
According to one arrangement of switch both the rails constituting the
switch are moveable on pins or fulcra at one end, and form continuations of
the rails of the siding or branch line. The inner switch rail of the curve at

page_text: its junction with the rail of the main line is parallel with that rail for a short
distance. It lies close against the outer edge of the main line rail when the
switch is closed so as to be within range of the tread of the wheels, but when
the switch is open it is moved outwards from the main line rail sufficiently
far to take it beyond the range of the tread of the wheels. The free end
of this switch rail is level with the surface of the main line rail, but its surface
gradually inclines or rises above the level of the main line rail until a
sufficient elevation is attained to allow of the passage of the wheel flange
over the main rail without being in contact therewith. This switch rail is
connected by a cross bar to the opposite or outer switch rail of the curve so
that they will both move simultaneously when opened or shut. The free end
of this switch rail is tapered so that the flange of the wheel may readily pass
inside it when the switch is closed, and the level of this switch rail corresponds
to that of the main line rail. A guard rail is situate on the inner side of
the opposite main line rail to ensure the passage of the wheels along the
first-mentioned switch rail. After the wheels have passed over the main line
rail the rails of the siding may gradually descend again to the original level.
According to another modification the outer rail of the junction curve is
stationary or permanent, its point being tapered as before, and a sufficient
space being left between it and the main line rail to allow of the free passage
of the wheel flanges. The inner switch rail is connected by a horizontal
lever and connecting rod to a moveable guard rail on the opposite side of
the main line, such guard rail being situate outside the rail and made to
work on a fixed fulcrum at one end whilst its free end is curved gently over
the surface of the main line rail, so that it will tend to push the wheels
laterally, and thereby cause them to enter upon the switch rails. The line
is opened by moving back the guard rail, which has the effect of simultaneously
moving the switch rail clear from the side of the main line rail, or in lieu of
the guard rail living on the opposite side of the main line to the moveable
switch rail it may be on the same side but on the inner side of the rail and
be connected, as above described, by means of a rod and lever with the
moveable switch rail. In some cases the guard rails (which when used
should stand slightly above the level of the main rails) may be dispensed
with.
'
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall
refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings are plan views of the improved railway

page_text: switch; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the track on the line 1, 2, in
Figure 2, drawn to an enlarged scale, and Figures 4 and 5 are modifications
of the said Invention.
On reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, A and A¹, are the two permanent rails of
the main track, that is to say, the rails which the locomotives and carriages
for conducting the main transportation of the line have to traverse, and B
and B', the two rails of the siding or branch which the carriages have
occasionally to traverse for local traffic; D and D¹ are the two rails which form
the switch, the rail D being fastened at the point f, so as to form a continuation
of the rail B, and the rail D' fastened at the point, so as to be a continuation
of the rail B. The two rails D and D', forming the switch, are connected
together by bars E and E' passing under the rails of the main track, and other-
wise so connected that they must move simultaneously. Gis a guard rail situate
at such a distance from the permanent rail A that the flanges of the wheels
can pass freely between the two, this guard rail being bent or inclined at both
ends towards the centre of the track as illustrated in the Drawing. The
rail D is so curved or inclined laterally towards the end that it can be brought
in contact with the rail A in the manner illustrated in Figure 1, and the
rail D' is gradually reduced in width towards the end where it terminates
in a comparatively sharp point. The rails A and A₁ of the main track,
and the rail Di of the switch, are of the same height, but the guard rail G
should be somewhat higher than the last-mentioned rails, and the rail D of
the switch is at its end x. Figure 3, of the same height as the rail A, but
gradually increases in height from the said end to about the point y, from
which point the rail is continued at an uniform level to a suitable distance,
and then, if desired, may be gradually decreased in height until it is of the
same altitude as the rail D'. When the switch is in the position illustrated
in Figure 2 the wheels of the carriages will traverse the permanent rails A
and A' of the main track without coming in contact with the rails of the
switch; when the carriages, however, have to be transferred from the main
track to the turn out the switch is moved to the position illustrated in Figure 1,
in which case the wheels H and H¹ of the carriage backed in the direction
of the arrow will pass from the main track to the turn-out, for as the wheel H
approaches the end of the rail D its flange passes between the guard rail G
and the rail A, thereby so confining the wheel laterally that the outer portion of
its tread must of necessity pass on to the inclined end of the rail D of the
switch, and as the wheel continues to move in the direction of the arrow it
must pass up the inclined plane of the rail D, which is so far. elevated above
the rail A that the flange of the wheel must be raised above and free- from

page_text: +
contact with the rail A, in other words, that the wheel H must escape from the
control of the rail A, as best observed on reference to Figure 3. When the
wheel H has been thus elevated above the rail A the flange of the opposite.
wheel H comes in contact with the inner edge of the tapering portion of the
rail D', which guides the wheel on to the turn-out. It will be evident that
the rails D and D¹ of the switch present no impediment to the free movement
of the carriages in a direction contrary to that pointed out by the arrow, for
the wheels must move the said rails away from the permanent rails of the
main track should the attendants neglect to restore the switch to the position
shewn in Figure 2. Many different switches have been adopted for, causing
railway carriages to pass from the main track to a turn-out, for instance, the
permanent continuity of the main track has been interrupted by converting a
portion of the rails into a moveable switch, and in other cases the switches
are such as to demand the cutting through and consequently the injuring of
one of the main rails for the purpose of permitting the flanges of the wheels to
cross it. The object of this Invention has been to avoid this disturbance of
the integrity of the main rails, the permanency and solidity of which has
always been considered a desideratum by the most experienced engineers. It
will be evident, without further description of the Invention, that its adoption
will insure the attainment of this important end.
In the modification illustrated in Figure 4 the rail D is hinged at h, and
is inclined from the outer end to about the point y, as in the former case the
rail.D (which in this instance is permanent) terminating in a comparatively
sharp point where it is so far from the rail A¹ that the flanges of the car
wheels can pass freely between the two rails. A guide rail G, of the form or
approximating to the form illustrated in the Drawing is hinged at one end to
a pin j, and is arranged to overlap the rail A¹, this guide rail being connected
by a rod E to one arm of the lever F which has its fulcrum on a pin i, the
other arm of the lever being connected by a rod K to the rail D. When the
several parts are in the position illustrated in the Drawing, and the carriage
wheels H and H traverse in the direction of the arrow the outer portion of
the tread of the wheel H will pass on to the inclined portion of the rail D,
so that when it has reached the most elevated portion of the latter its flange
will be above the rail A, in the meantime the edge of the tread of the wheel H¹
will come in contact with the inner edge of the guide rail G, which directs
both wheels laterally, the wheel H, on to the rail D, and the wheel H¹ on to
the rail D¹ of the turn-out or siding. On moving the lever F in the direction
pointed out by the arrows the rail D and guide rail G will be moved
simultaneously, the rail D being moved so far from the rail A that the former

page_text: is free from the range of the tread of the wheel H, and the guide rail G so far
from the rail A¹ that the edge of the tread cannot come in contact with the said
guide rail. When the several rails are in this condition the car wheels must
of necessity avoid the turn-out track and traverse the main permanent track.
The modification illustrated in Figure 5 is somewhat similar to that last
described, the guide rail G, however, is adjacent to the rail A, and not to the
rail A', as in the last instance, the arrangement and operation of the levers and
rods is however substantially the same, so that when they occupy the position
illustrated in the Drawing the car wheels must necessarily pass in the
direction of the arrow from the main track on to the turn-out, but when the
rail D and guide rail G are simultaneously moved outwards from the rail A,
the wheels must continue to traverse the rails of the main track. It should
be understood that the track above alluded to as a turn-out is not intended
to be one repeatedly traversed by locomotives and trains at a high rate of
speed, but such a track as may be necessary for local traffic and for the passage
of cars to manufactories, mines, and similar localties where the transfer of the
carriages may be accomplished at a moderate speed.
It should be understood that although it is advisable to use the guard
rail G, shown in Figures 1 and 2, the latter is not indispensable as regards the
modification shewn in those Figures.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to mo by the
berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination of the
permanent rails A and A¹ of the main track, the permanent rails B and B' of
the turn-out or siding, and the rails D and D¹ composing the switch and
forming continuations of the permanent rails of the said turn-out or siding
when the rail D is so inclined that it will raise the wheels on one side of a
carriage above the permanent rail A of the main track prior to the wheels
being guided laterally, all substantially as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
מדריד-מ.”
NATITIAN