Improvements in Tramway Switches.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1889-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tramway Switches.
I WILLIAM JOSEPH KELLY of Boston in the County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts, one of the United States of America Broker 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 relates to improvements in railway switches for the purpose of
guiding cars from a single track to one of two branches or vice versa, without the
use of the ordinary movable point or tongue, in fact without any movable part of the
track or switch whatsoever.
This my invention I term a "Diverter" and it is constructed as follows, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings where Fig. 1 represents a plan view of the
diverter and rails connected to its ends.
Figs. 2. 3. 4 and 5 represent respectively enlarged cross sections on the lines A A,
B B, C. C and D D shown in Fig. 1.
Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of
the drawings.
E, F and G represent rails of the usual form adapted for horse car traffic, said
rails having respectively the wheel bearings ef g wheel flange grooves gland
continuous side wheel guard lips elf gas is common in rails of this kind.
H is the diverter having in one end, where it is connected to the single rail E a
wheel bearing h³, a wheel flange groove and continuous side wheel guard lip h" of
a size and shape equal with and corresponding to the respective parts e e¹ e¹¹ on said
rail E.
The wheel bearing h of the diverter is curved as shown and forms a continuation of
the wheel bearings e and g on the respective rails E and G as shown in Fig. 1.
The continuous side wheel guard lip h¹¹ of the diverter is also curved and forms a
continuation of the lips ell and f1 on the respective rails E and F as shown in
Fig. 1.
The opposite ends of the diverter are secured in a suitable manner to the abutting
ends of the rails E F and G but I wish to state that I do not confine myself to any
particular device for securing said parts together as this may be done by means of
bolts, screws, spikes, or other well known devices without departing from the essence
of my invention.
h and h* are wheel flange grooves in the forked end of the diverter, which grooves
form in one end continuations respectively of the grooves f¹g', in the rails F and G
and converge toward and run into the groove that forms a continuation of the
groove e in the rail E as shown in Fig. 1.
Between the diverter grooves * and is arranged the stationary tongue or pointed
wheel bearing which is cast or made in one single piece with the diverter H as
shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and has its pointed end located centrally in the single wheel
flange groove h¹.
At the end of the diverter that connects with the rails F and G the end of the
tongue his constructed so as to form a continuous flush edge with the wheel tread f
of the rail F, and with the guard lip g¹¹ of the rail G. This construction enables me
to dispense with the use of the point on one of the rails as the use of one will
accomplish the result equally as well, for the reason that whichever groove the wheel
enters, it will have a continuous flange bearing surface from the moment it passes the
point of the tongue h', either against the guard lip h³ if entering from the rail F or
against the tongue h' if entering from the rail G.
The diverter grooves h³ and h* are both curved the radii of the groove /* being
longer than the radii of the groove ³ on the right hand rail diverter as shown in

page_text: Fig. 1 and similarly on the left hand rail, it being essential that the diverter grooves
shall have different radii one greater than the other, to enable the car when going in
the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 to be properly guided to the right or
eventually straight forward as may be required.
In practice it is always desirable to locate the diverter upon that side of the track
to which the car is to be guided from a straight line.
When the diverter is to be used for the purpose of guiding a car, from a straight
line towards the right, I make it curved towards the right as shown in Fig. 1, and
vice versa, if the diverter is desired for the purpose of guiding a car from a straight
line towards the left.
When the car is driven in the direction shown by arrow in Fig. 1, if it is desired
to run onto the rail G, all that is necessary to do is to guide the horses towards the
right causing the wheels to run on the diverter wheel bearing h and onto the wheel
bearing g of the said rail G.
If it is desired to run onto the rail F it is only necessary for the driver on
approaching the diverter to guide the horses towards the left causing the car wheel
flange to be guided in the diverter groove h³ and causing the wheels to run on to
tongue and thereby to be guided onto the wheel bearing f of the rail F.
The object of having one of the grooves in the diverter sharper than the other is to
permit the wheels of the car to be properly and easily guided in the desired direction
without the use of a movable tongue or switch point.
When driving in a direction opposite to that shown by arrow in Fig. 1 from either
of the rails For G the wheels will be automatically guided. onto the rail E without
any care on the part of the driver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is
1. In a railroad switch, the combination with the main rail E and the branching
rails Fund G, of a diverter interposed between said main and branch rails, and
consisting of a continuous wheel bearing to one branch rail, a continuous side guard
lip to the other branch rail and a central fixed pointed tongue running back and
forming a continuous flush edge for the wheel tread one rail and for the side guard
lip of the other rail substantially as described.
2. A railroad switch, consisting of a wheel tread, side guard lip, and central
pointed tongue, broadened at one end and serving as wheel tread or side guard lip
all cast in one integral piece, and adapted to be interposed between a main rail and
two branch rails substatially as described.
Dated this 18th day of June 1889
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., Agents to Applicant.