Improvements in Electrical Switch Apparatus for the Points and Crossings of Electrical Railways or Tramways with Underground Conductors.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 8th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Switch Apparatus for the Points and
Crossings of Electrical Railways or Tramways with Underground
Conductors.
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & Co., LIMITED, of 12, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster,
S.W., Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as com-
municated to us from abroad by Messrs. Siemens & Halske, of Markgrafen Strasse 94,
Berlin, S.W., Electrical Engineers) to be as follows:
.
Arrangements of the electrical switch apparatus for the points and crossings of
electric railways with underground conductors have already been proposed wherein
a simultaneous shifting of the rail points and of the conductor switches' was
effected, but these have not worked in a reliable manner because the more or less
complicated lever mechanisms that have been employed for this purpose in sub-
terranean positions, were subject to a variety of detremental influences that
interfered more or less with their correct working.
The present invention has for its object to obviate this difficulty by a simple
arrangement of the contact switches and the mechanisms for actuating the same as
we will describe with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shews
an elevation of a rail point and the contact switch of the conductors beneath the
rails; Fig. 2.shews a plan of the electrical switch device, and Fig. 3 shews a diagram
plan of the electrical connections at a crossing.
A is the line of rails, B B are the electrical conductors, C is the point of the rail
crossing pivotted at G, D is the contact switch of the conductors, pivotted at F,
and E is an insulated connecting piece between 0 and D.
The switch D consists of an elastic tongue which is connected with the rear part
by means of an insulated piece H. The pivot F is arranged in advance of the
pivot G and the connecting piece E is placed close in front of the pivot F in order
that the extent of angular motion of the switch D may be made greater than that
of the rail point C, so as to insure a close contact between the switch D and the
conductors B when it is moved over to the one side or the other by the shifting of
the point C, and thus afford a smooth transition of the contact truck from the one
conductor to the other, while at the same time, the detached length of conductor B¹
which is without current, is reduced to a minimum thereby.
The length of the parts B¹ is greater than the length of the insulating piece H,
whereby any sparking on passing over the crossing will always be made to take
place at the conductor rails B, and not at the switch D.
The pivot of the switch D is fixed to the two conductor rails B which are con-
nected together for this purpose, and which must consequently be of the same
polarity.
Fig. 3 shews the arrangement of the electrical connections of the conductors for
the above described construction as applied to a complete crossing from on line of
rails to another.
a b c d and a b¹ care the conducting rails of the two lines; ef are those of

page_text: the crossing; abcd are separated from a¹ b c d¹ by means of insulated lengths
at each switch.
The conducting rails be and dare directly connected together, and in addition
the conductor a is connected to a¹, c to ce', e to b! and d to respectively by con-
ductors ki gand h thus forming closed circuits.
The special feature of this arrangement is that on the passage of a car over the
crossing there will occur a change of polarity on the car.
Dated this 25th day of June 1897.
3.
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***FABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
107
Improvements in Electrical Switch Apparatus for the Points and
Crossings of Electrical Railways or Tramways with Underground
Conductors.
1..
We, SIEMENS BROTHERS & CO., LIMITED, of 12, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster,
S.W., Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, (as com-
municated to us from abroad by Messrs. Siemens & Halske, of Markgrafen Strasse 94,
Berlin, S.W., Germany, Electrical Engineers), and, in what manner the same
is to be performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
"Arrangements of the electrical switch apparatus for the points and crossings of
electric railways with underground conductors have already been proposed' wherein
a simultaneous shifting of the rail points and of the conductor switches was
effected, but these have not worked in a reliable manner because the more or less
complicated lever mechanisms that have been employed for this purpose in sub-
terranean positions, were subject to a variety of detrimental influences that
interfered more or less with their correct working,
The present invention has for its object to obviate this difficulty by a simple
arrangement of the contact switches and the mechanisms for actuating the same as
we will describe with reference to the accompanying drawings and to the drawing
accompanying our Provisional Specification in which Fig. 1 shews.an elevation of
a rail point and the contact switch of the conductors beneath the rails; Fig. 2
shews a plan of the electrical switch device and Fig. 3 shews a diagram plan of the
electrical connections at a crossing, and Figs. 4 and 5, shew a part plan and longi-
tudinal section of the same. A is the line of rails, B B are the electrical conductors,
Cis the point of the rail crossing pivotted at G, D is the contact switch of the con-
ductors, pivotted at F, and E is an insulated connecting piece between C and D.
The switch D consists of an elastic tongue which is connected with the rear part
by means of an insulated piece H. The pivot F is arranged in advance of the
pivot G and the connecting piece, E is placed close in front of the pivot F in order
that the extent of, angular motion of the switch D may be made greater than that
of the rail point C, so as to insure a close contact between the switch D and the
conductors B when it is moved over to, the one side or the other by the shifting of
the point C, and thus afford a smooth transition of the contact, truck from the one
conductor to the other, while at the same time, the detached length of conductor B¹
which is without, current, is reduced to a minimum thereby...
f-
The length of the parts, B is greater than the length of the insulating piece H,
whereby any sparking on passing over the points will always be made to take
place at the conductor rails B, and not at the switch D...
The pivot of the switch D is fixed to the two conductor rails B which are con-

page_text: nected together for this purpose and which must consequently be of the same
polarity.
L
Fig. 3 shews: the arrangement of the electrical connections of the conductors for
the above described construction as applied to a complete crossing from one line of
rails to another.
abcd and a¹ b c d are the conducting rails of the two lines; ef are those of
the crossing; abcd are separated from a b c d by means of insulated lengths
at each switch.
The conducting rails be and d f are directly connected together, and in addition
the conductor a is connected to a, e to c, e to 6" and d to f¹ respectively by con-
ductors kig and h thus forming closed circuits.
The special feature of this arrangement is that on the passage of a car over the
point there will occur a change of polarity on the car.
Having now particularly described' and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
:
1. Electric switch apparatus for the points of electric railways and tramways
with underground conductors wherein the electric conductor switch arranged
underneath the running rails is constructed of two parts insulated from each other
in the direction of their length and has its pivot placed nearer to the end of the
point than that of the point itself; the said switch being connected to the point by
means of an insulated connecting piece so arranged relatively to the respective
pivots that on moving over the point, the conductor switch will be thereby moved
through a greater angle than the former, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the construction of electrical switch apparatus referred
to in the first claim, the arrangement of insulated lengths B' in the electrical con-
ductor. rails B which are longer than the insulated piece H of the electrical switch,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In combination with the electrical switch apparatus for electric railway points
referred to in the first claim, connecting together the two electrical conductors
that converge at the point while the other conductors are connected in such manner
that on the passage of a car over the points a change of polarity is effected on the
car, substantially as described.
1 UOL 1 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.