Apparatus for Operating the Switches or Points of Tramways and Light Railways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1897-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Operating the Switches or Points of Tramways and
Light Railways.
We, EDUARD VON HAKEN, of 70 Schlüterstrasse, Charlottenburg, Hon.
Councillor, and MARTIN WALDECK, of 125 Potsdamerstrasse, Berlin, W., Doctor
of Philosophy, 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:-
There are some switch tongues or points, in which an operating triangle engages
directly with the points, so that the movement of the two operating cams is
transmitted directly to the switch tongue without intermediary rods or levers.
This construction is possible only in the case of single tongue switches, whereas
in double-tongue switches, whose tongues are connected together by a coupling:
rod the operating triangle must engage with the latter.
Now the present invention relates to a construction of such kind, which
comprises the further advantage that it allows of locking the switch tongue with
the stock rail, and in this form is also suitable for use with single-tongue switches.
The operating triangle c c c in this arrangement, is so arranged that the two legs c
dip, as before, on both sides into the line, whilst the leg c¹ acts upon the coupling
rod k. For this purpose the latter (Figure 2) is provided with a slotted part / in
which the leg c¹ dips. The coupling rod is formed on its under side with two
notches m and n which are separated from each other by a nose o that is formed
of prism-shape in cross section. Upon the base plate p there is mounted a leaf
spring 9 which carries a locking bolt r. The latter snaps with a spring action into
the notch m or n and thereby locks the switch tongue with the stock rail.
In order to enable the switch to be operated, the bolt r must be unlocked. For
this purpose the leg c¹ is provided with a foot s to which there corresponds a knob t
formed on the spring q. When the leg c¹ moves laterally (as it has a certain:
amount of play in the slot 1), and before it strikes against the side of the slot,.
the foot s will drag over the knob t and thereby force the spring 9 downwards.
The height of the knob must correspond to that of the nose o in order to bring
the locking bolt r entirely out of the path of the notch m or n.
When the said bolt has been depressed to that extent, there can then take place
a lateral movement of the coupling rod which, by means of the nose o forces the
bolt still further down, until the said bolt, rubbing over the lowest point of the
nose, moves towards the other notch and locks itself in the latter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
A switch, adapted to be operated from the vehicle, for tramways and light rail-
ways, characterized by the fact that a leg c¹ of the operating triangle c c engages
in a coupling rod k of a single-tongue or double-tongue switch, which is provided
with two notches, into which a bolt r adapted to be actuated from the leg c¹ of the

page_text: operating triangle, is arranged to snap or catch, for the purpose of locking the
tongue rail with the stock-rail, as set forth,,
Dated this 3rd day of December 1897:
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst., C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70. Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.