IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING POINTS AND SWITCHES ON TRAMWAYS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Frederick Edbrooke of 39 Great Mersey Street,
in the City of Liverpool. Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
SELF-ACTING POINTS AND SWITCHES ON TRAMWAYS."
+
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Frederick Edbrooke
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th May 1883.
ROBERT FREDERICK EDBROOKE of 39 Gt Mersey Street Liverpool, Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF ACTING POINTS AND SWITCHES ON TRAMWAYS,"
The object of this invention is to provide means by which tramcars, carriages
and the rolling stock generally used on street and other tramways can be easily
transferred from one line to another or on to sidings in connexion therewith,
without the aid or assistance of any one appointed specially and solely for that
purpose, or in fact by any other than the conductor, driver or person riding upon
the car itself and in charge of same.
The means by which this this object is to be carried into effect is by having on the
rails at the point where one line is joined by the other, a short tapered rail or point
swivelling on a joint or pin near to one end of the same, this point or moveable rail
to be actuated by a bar shaped at its lower end to fit or pass easily in the grooves
of the rails of tramways, and a system of levers, these being all attached to the car,
and to be actuated at will by the person on the car pressing the said lever when
requiring to transfer the car on to the branch or other line of rails.
The lever and apparatus attached to the car would be provided with means of
raising, lowering, and keeping the same clear of the rails when not required in
action, the point or moveable rail already referred to would would also be held in
a central or normal position, by means of springs or other suitable arrangement
placed below the rails, so that the car could pass over the points at the junction of
the lines, without changing or being transferred from one line to the other,
providing it was not required, and in which case the lever and apparatus attached
to the car as already described and referred to would not be operated or moved by
the person in charge upon the Car.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Frederick Edbrooke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd November 1883.
ROBERT FREDERICK EDBROOKE of 39 G Mersey Street Liverpool Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF ACTING POINTS AND SWITCHES ON TRAMWAYS."
The object of this invention is to provide means by which tramcars, carriages
and the rolling stock generally used on street and other tramways can be easily
transferred from one line to another or on to sidings in connexion therewith,
without the aid or assistance of any one appointed specially or solely for that
purpose, or in fact by any other than the conductor driver or person riding upon
the car itself and in charge of same.
The means by which this object is to be carried into effect is by having on the
rails at the point where one line is joined by the other, a short tapered rail or point
swivelling on a joint or pin near to one end of the same, this point or moveable rail
to be actuated by a bar shaped at its lower end to fit or pass easily in the grooves of
the rails of tramways, and a system of levers, these being all attached to the car,
and to be actuated at will by the person on the car pressing the said said lever
when requiring to transfer the car on to the branch or other line of rails.
The lever and apparatus attached to the car would be provided with means of
raising, lowering, and keeping the same clear of the rails when not required in
action, the point or moveable rail already referred to would also be held in a
central or normal position, by means of springs or other suitable arrangement
placed below the rails, so that the car could pass over the points at the junction of
the lines, without changing or being transferred from one line to the other providing
it was not required, and in which case the lever and apparatus attached to the car
as already described and referred to would not be operated or moved by the person
in charge upon the car.
Having now described the nature and purpose of my invention I proceed to more
particularly describe the same by aid of the drawings annexod.
Fig. 1 is a side or longitudinal elevation of part of the body of a tramcar fitted
with my car attachment apparatus as shewn. Fig. 2. is a plan of the Car with the
body removed in order to shew the Car attachment apparatus and its application
to the moveable point also shewn in Fig. 2. Fig. 3. is a full sized figure in plan of
a tramrail and part of the point, also the shippers or feet and the shape or formation
of same, it being by these feet that the point is moved to one side or the other
according to the requirements of the traffic.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the moveable point A lies in and is secured to a cast iron box
or chamber B the upper side of which is level with the surface of the tramrails, the
point A having its normal position in the centre of the rail maintained by means
of the adjustable spiral springs C C' placed on each side of the rail as in Fig. 2, the
point having at its fixed end.a boss or enlargement, D, a pin passing through the
same and forming the centre upon which the point moves.
A modification of this
is obtained for the purpose of "a siding point" for passing places by simply
having a spring on one side only, thus causing the point to always lie on one side
of the groove.
In some cases or under certain circumstances I would make use of a vertical
hanging weight pivotted and centered on the underside of the point, the lever with
its hanging weight keeping the rail in the centre position instead of making use of
two springs for that purpose as already explained.
The car attachment apparatus Figs. 1 and 2 consists of two loyers E, E¹ worked
.

page_text: when necessary to actuate the points, the two said levers operating upon two
vertical spindles or bars F F, this operation being performed by the foot of the
conductor on the car, when in switching the car it goes to the right or to the left
as the case may be according to which lever E or El be operated, as the feet or
shippers H H at the bottom of the vertical bars F F are formed right and left
handed as seen in Fig. 3, H, H; a portion of the moveable point being drawn at A.
When not in use it is necessary that that the feet HH¹ Fig. 1 should be kept up
or well clear of the line or track, to effect this I make use of spiral springs as at
F F', and in order to prevent or minimize the stiffness or rigidity of the upright
bars with their feet H H when meeting with any obstruction such as in passing
a joint in the tramrails, fish plates, bolts, &c., &c., I form a joint with a square
shoulder as at G G₁ the flat bar springs I I assisting to keep the feet in their
vertical position at the same time yielding or giving without difficulty or danger
of breakage when any such obstructions as those mentioned above are met with.
The whole of the parts of my apparatus would be made of iron excepting such
parts as the point A and the feet H H' which being exposed to considerable wear
from rubbing against the points, these I would make of steel by preference.
An important feature in my invention is that the point A is is made of such
length that in the act of the tramcar passing over the same it is held in position by
the leading wheels which do not clear the point until the following wheels have
also taken the point.
In order now to make my invention more intelligible and clear let it be clearly
understood that for my Improvements in Self Acting Points and Switches on
Tramways, the subject matter of this Invention, I claim the following advantages.
1st The use and construction of "a point" which is far simpler and more efficient
than those of ordinary design.
2nd The arrangement of the adjustable springs by which the point is retained in
its central position after the car has passed over same.
3rd The combination or arrangement of parts constituting the "Car attach-
ment," by which the points are moved to the right or left at will by the driver or
conductor of the Car
4th The particular shape or form given to the feet or shippers (right and left
hand) as shewn in the drawing, and to rendering the same pliable when encoun-
tering any obstructions.
5th The means used for lowering the shippers or feet at will by the conductor
pressing the lever with his foot, or by hand by means of levers.
6th The mode adopted for lifting the shippers clear of the Rails when not in
action, by means of spiral springs.
7th The foot or shipper when lowered, or any attachment thereto to act as and
be used for a rail cleaner.
In Witness whereof I the said Robert Frederick Edbrooke have hereunto set
my hand and seal this 31st day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
ROBERT FREDERICK EDBROUKE. (LS.)