AN IMPROVED RAILROAD SWITCH INDICATOR
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAILROAD SWITCH INDICATOR."
-A communication from abroad by Thomas Shepard Hall, of Stamford,
in the State of Connecticut, United States of America.
ealed the 16th July 1867, and dated the 19th February 1867.1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th February 1867.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED RAILROAD SWITCH INDICATOR,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new and improved alarm or indicating attach-
ment for railroad switches, whereby a station master or any employé at a
station house will be at all times cognizant of the position of a switch, so that
in case a switch tender should fail in his duty and not properly adjust a
switch, the station master or other employé will be made aware of the fact,
and have the switch adjusted in proper position before an accident can occur.
The Invention consists in having an electro-magnetic alarm or signal
applied to the switch in such a manner that when the switch is not in line
with the main track a continuous alarm will be sounded in the station house,

page_text: and hence, if a switchman after adjusting the switch in line with a branch
track to accommodate a train should fail after the passing of such train to
readjust the switch in line with the main track, the continuous alarm would
attract the attention of the station master or other employé, who would have
the switch properly adjusted at once. To one of the switch rails near its free
or disengaged end a slotted plate is connected by a pendent pin from the rail,
extending down through an oblong slot in the plate; one end of this plate is
provided with a cylindrical pendent hub which is fitted in the upper end of a
cylindrical tube, the latter extending down into the earth, and its upper end
passing through a sleeper, and also through a metal chair on which the free
end of the switch rail works. The slotted plate is provided with an annular
flange to fit snugly around the upper end of the cylinder and prevent the
entrance of moisture into the same. The cylindrical hub is free to turn in its
tube, and it has a thin plate extending down centrally from it. Within the
cylindrical tube is fitted a wooden cylinder carrying two insulated metal plates
at opposite sides thereof; these plates extend upward a short distance above
the top of the wooden cylinder, and are intended to form metallic contact with
the plate of the cylindrical hub. One of these insulated plates is connected to
a battery, and the other to an electro-magnetic alarm apparatus by insulated
copper wires. When the switch is in line with the main track the circuit will
be broken, but when the switch is adjusted in line with either of the branch
tracks or the ends of the projection, contact will be made between the
moveable and fixed plates through the movement of the switch; the circuit
being completed the alarm will sound so long as the switch is allowed to
remain thus adjusted..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred

page_text: Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter 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
"AN IMPROVED RAILROAD SWITCH INDICATOR," being a communication to me from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates to a new and improved alarm or indicating attach-
ment for railroad switches, whereby a station master or any employee at a
station house will be at all times cognizant of the position of a switch, so that
in case. a switch tender should fail in his duty and. not properly adjust a
switch the station master or other employee will be made aware of the fact,
and may have the switch adjusted in proper position before an accident
can occur.
The Invention consists in having an electro-magnetic alarum or signal
applied to the switch in such a manner that when the switch is not in line
with the main track a continuous alarum will be sounded in the station house,
and hence, if a switchman after adjusting the switch in line with a branch
track to accommodate a train shoul fail after the passing of such train to
readjust the switch in line with the main track, the continuous alarum would
attrack the attention of the station master or other employee who would then
have the switch properly adjusted at once.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the arrangement
forming the subject of this Invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section
of a portion of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical section of Fig. 2 taken in the
line y, y, of that Figure, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section of Fig. 2 taken in the
line, . Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

page_text: the same.
A, A, represent the rails of the main track of a railroad; B, B, C, C, the
rails of the branch tracks; and, D, D¹, the rails of a switch so arranged as to
be capable of being adjusted in line with the main or either of the branch.
tracks.; these parts being arranged in the usual way, and common to all railroads:
do.not require a minute description. The switch is moved by means of a hand
lever E as usual. To one of the rails D¹ of the switch near its free or-disen⚫
gaged end a slotted plate F is connected, a pendent pin a from said rail
extending down through an oblong slot 6 in said plate, see Fig. 4. One end:
of this plate F is provided with a cylindrical pendent hub c, which is fitted in
the upper end of a hollow metal cylinder G, the latter extending down into
the earth, and its upper end passing through the sleeper c¹, and also through
the metal chair e on which the free or disengaged end of the switch rail D¹:
works. The plate Fis provided with an annular flange f to fit snugly around.
the upper end of the cylinder G and prevent the entrance of moisture into
The hub c is allowed to turn freely in the upper end of the
cylinder G, and it has a thin plate g extending down centrally from it, and
having parallel sides, see Figures 2, 3, and 4. Within the cylinder G there is
fitted a wooden cylinder H, to which there are secured two metal plates h, h¹,
at opposite sides, and at its upper part; these metal plates h, h', are let in
the cylinder H, so that they will be free from the cylinder G, and they extend
upward a short distance above the top of the wooden cylinder H, as shown
clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the projection g extending down between the upper
parts of the plates h, h¹.. The lower end of the plate h has a copper wire I
attached to it, and this wire is covered with any suitable insulating material i,
and is enclosed within a tube J of lead or other conducting material, see
Figures 2 and 3. The tube J extends up within the wooden cylinder H, and
is connected by a wire j with the plate h¹. The tube J with its enclosed insu-
lated copper wire I extends under the surface of the ground to the station
house, and the tube J is connected by a wire j* with one of the poles of a
battery K, while the other pole is connected by a wire k with an electro-
magnetic alarum or signal L, with which the copper wire I is also connected,
as shown in Fig. 1. The electro-magnetic alarm or signal L may be con-
structed in any proper manner to give an alarm when the circuit passes
through it. A hammer 1, for instance, may be made to act against a bell.
When the switch is in line with the main track the circuit will be broken as
the plate F which is connected to the rail D¹ of the switch is not in contact
with the plates h, h', the projection 9 of the hub c being parallel with and free
from said plates as shewn in Fig. 3, but when the switch is adjusted in line
with either of the branch tracks B, B, or C, C, the ends of the projection g

page_text: will be in contact with the plates h, h', as shown by red lines in Fig. 4, and
the circuit will be completed. The alarum will then sound so long as the
switch is allowed to remain thus adjusted. Hence it will be seen that in the
event of a switchman adjusting the switch in line with a branch track to
accommodate a train which is to pass thereon, and failing to readjust the
switch in line with the main track after such train has passed, the prolonged
alarum will attract the attention of the station master, who will see that the
switch is properly adjusted in line with the main track.
This Invention it is believed will effectually prevent accidents which now
too frequently occur from the carelessness or negligence of switchmen.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved Rail-
road Switch Indicator as communicated to me from abroad, and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the application to a
railroad switch of an electro-magnetic alarum or signal, constructed and
arranged in such a manner that the circuit will be completed and broken
automatically by the movement of the switch, and the signal operated at the
proper time, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)