Improvements in the Manufacture of the Tongue Rails of Railway Switches.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of the Tongue Rails of Railway
Switches.
I, RICHARD PRICE-WILLIAMS, of 32 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of the tongue
rails of railway switches when such rails are moulded by means of dies and pressure
from lengths of rolled rail of the same section as the rails with which the railway
is laid.
The tongue rails for railways laid with double headed rails I form in the following
manner.
The length of rail from which a tongue rail is to be formed I first bend in such
manner that with the rail canted to the same extent as the cant given to the fixed
or stock rails of the line it could at one end lie parallel with a fixed or stock
rail with the heads of the rails touching one another for about 7 feet in length
at the time when the opposite end is about 2 inches away from the fixed rail.
Afterwards that end of the rail which has been bent to lie against the fixed or
stock rail is placed into a die or mould one side of which is of the form to which
that side of the tongue or switch rail which is to be next the stock rail is to be
brought the other side of the mould is vertical and forms an abutment for the outer
side of the swage or movable die to rest against. At the bottom the mould is formed
to fit to the foot of the rail.
When the rail has been placed into the mould the swage is forced down on to it.
The swage is formed with a cutter projecting downwards from it on its outer side
to cut off from the outer side of the head of the rail at the end which is to be
brought to an edge say about one inch or less in width-the piece cut away may be
a strip of uniform width for some distance from the end and may then taper off
to nothing.
.
The inner side or face of the swage is made of the form to which the outer side
of the tongue rail is to be moulded, the outer side of the swage is vertical and fits
and bears against the vertical side of the mould.
The cutter is made of considerable width or thickness not only to give strength
but also so that there may be at the bottom of the mould space enough to receive
the portion of the head that is cut off by the cutter.
As the swage descends on to the top of that portion of the bead of the rail
which is not cut away it displaces so much of the metal as is necessary and forces
it to that side of the mould which is to mould it to the form required to allow of
the displaced metal lying under the head of the fixed rail. At the extremity of
the tongue or switch rail the whole of the head is for a short length thus displaced
so that none of it will lie against the side of the head of the fixed or stock rail
but will all be forced down below the head-at the same time the outer side of this
part of the tongue or switch rail will be brought to such a shape that at the top it
forms a downward vertical continuation of the side of the head of the stock rail
so as to be well clear of the wheels tyre flanges and then inclines off to the outer
side of the top of the foot. Gradually a narrow width of the head is left.in position
to rest against the side of the head of the fixed rail and then more and more until
at the outer end of the mould none is displaced.

page_text: Wherever the swage displaces metal from the outer side of the head it moulds
the upper part of the tongue or switch rail on its outer side to a vertical face
to some distance below the level of the bottom of the head of the fixed or
stock rail.
By moulding the tongue or switch rails for railway switches, in. this,, way not
only can they be made more accurately and at less cost than heretofore but also
as for a long length the head of the rail is resting against the head of the fixed
rail it is unnecessary to provide the fixed rail with projecting studs for the tongue
rail to bear against as is now usual. Switch rails for lines of railway laid with flat
bottom rails can be made in the same way.
Dated this 7th day of August 1895.
Improvements in the Manufacture of the Tongue Rails of Railway
Switches:
I, RICHARD PRICE-WILLIAMS, of 32 Victoria Street, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-.
This invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of the tongue
rails of railway switches when such rails are moulded by means of dies and pressure
from lengths of rolled rail preferably of the same section as the rails with which the
railway is laid.
The tongue rails for railways laid with double headed rails I form in the following
manner :-
The length of rail from which a tongue rail is to be formed I first bend in such
manner that with the rail canted to the same extent as the cant given to the
fixed or stock rails of the line it could at one end lie parallel with a fixed or stock
rail with the heads of the rails touching one another for about 7 feet in length at
the time when the opposite end is about 2 inches away from the fixed 1ail.
Afterwards that end of the rail which has been bent to lie against the fixed or
stock rail is placed into a die or mould one side of which is of the form to which
that side of the tongue or switch rail which is to be next the stock rail is to be
brought the other side of the mould is vertical and forms an abutment for the
outer side of the snage or movable die to rest against. At the bottom the mould is
formed to fit to the foot of the rail. '
When the rail has been placed into the mould the swage is forced down on to
it. The swage is formed with a cutter projecting downwards from it on its outer
side to cut off from the outer side of the head of the rail at the end which is to
be brought to an edge, say about half an inch in width, the piece cut away may be
a strip of uniform width for some distance from the end and may then taper off to
nothing.
The inner side or face of the swage is made of the form to which the outer sidė
of the tongue rail is to be moulded, the outer side of the swaga is vertical and fits
and bears against the vertical side of the mould.
The cutter is made of considerable width or thickness not only to give strength but
also so that there may be at the bottom of the mould space enough to receive the
portion of the head-that-is cut off by the' cutter.
As the swage descends on to the top of that portion of the head of the rail which
is not cut away it displaces so much of the metal as is necessary and forces it to
that side of the mould which is to mould it to the forin required to allow of the

page_text: displaced metal lying under the head of the fixed rail. At the extremity of the
tongue or switch rail the whole of the head is for a short length thus displaced so
that none of it will lie against the side of the head of the fixed or stock rail but
will all be forced down below the head-at the same time the outer side of this
part of the tongue or switch rail will be brought to such a shape that at the top it
forms a downward vertical continuation of the side of the head of the stock rail so as
to be well clear of the wheels tyre flanges and then inclines off to the outer side of
the top of the foot. Gradually a narrow width of the head is left in position to.
rest against the side of the head of the fixed rail and then more and more until at
the outer end of the mould none is displaced.
Wherever the swage displaces metal from the outer side of the head it moulds
the upper part of the tongue or switch rail on its outer side to a vertical face
to some distance below the level of the bottom of the head of the fixed or
stock rail.
By moulding the tongue or switch rails for railway switches in this way not only
can they be made more accurately and at less cost than heretofore but also as for a.
long length the head of the rail is resting against the head of the fixed rail it is
unnecessary to provide the fixed rail with projecting studs for the tongue rail to
bear against as is now usual. Switch rails for lines of railway laid with flat bottom.
rails can be made in the same way.
In the drawings annexed
Figure 1 is a plan view of the end portion of a rail which is to be moulded to a
taper form to form the tapered end of a tongue rail-the. portion a a is the portion.
of the head of the rail to be cut away-the portion bb is the portion to be displaced
by squeezing aside.
Figure 2 is a cross section taken through the dies where they are shaped to mould
the rail to the form required on the line C D Figure 1.
Figure 3 is another cross section of the dies where they are shaped to mould the
rail to the form required on the line E F.
Figure 4 is another cross section of the dies at G H and Figure 5 another cross
section at IJ.
C
In these figures c is the rail-d the bottom die into which it is placed and e the
swage. The dotted line f indicates what would be the position of the stock or
fixed rail which the tongue rail will have to fit against. The dotted line c' indicates
the form of the tongue rail before it has been moulded to form by the descent of
the swage
It is not necessary that the swage should be in one length it might if desired be
made in sections which could be operated separately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I.
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of the tongue rail of a railway switch by bending a rail so
that the end which is to be tapered may for a distance lie parallel with a stock
or fixed rail of the line whilst the other end is at a short distance from it and by
moulding the part which cau lie parallel with the stock rail by dies and pressure.
so as to bring the upper head of the rail to the required tapered form and to shape
the metal thereby displaced to fit under the head of the stock rail substantially as
described.
2. Moulding that portion of a tongue rail which is to lie against a stock
rail by dies and pressure in such a way that wherever metal is squeezed aside.
from one part to another the metal so displaced is made to fit under the head
of the stock rail along the whole length of the tapering portion substantially as
described.
3. In the manufacture of the tongue rails of
pressure forming the dies in such a way as to
the rail and then squeeze aside so much of the
railway switches by dies and
cut away part of the head of
remainder of the head as may

page_text: be required to bring the head of the rail to the required tapered form substantially
as described.
4. The manufacture of the tongue rails of railway switches with a projection all
along the inner side of the tapering portion of the rail to fit below the head of a
stock or fixed rail substantially as described.
Dated thie 6th day of Mar 1806
R. PRICE-WILLIAMS.