Improved Means for Removing Ice and Snow from the Points and Switches of Railways.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WILHELM SCHWEIZER, of Freiburg, Baden, in
the Empire of Germany.]
Improved Means for Removing Ice and Snow from the Points and
Switches of Railways.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to ensure the effective working, in winter,
of the points and switches of railways, which I accomplish by the means hereinafter
described.
Below the switch-tongues I provide heating-boxes of iron, which have orifices in
the cover and in the side. Within these heating-boxes are arranged burners
supplied constantly with gas. The gas is conducted through a fine longitudinal slot
and draws air through an opening arranged at the side of the heating-box.
The mixture thus formed burns with a moderately strong dark flame. In this
manner, the whole of the air in the aforesaid box is heated, and passing through
the openings in the cover, circulates between the tongues of the points or switches
whilst through the lateral openings in the heating-box fresh air can enter. The
passing current of heat slightly increases also the temperature of the tongues and
rails at their bearing surfaces. Thus, in the most extreme cold, neither snow nor
ice can remain between the tongues of the rails, as it will at once be dissolved.
The water resulting from such a solution will drain away into the gravel which is
also slightly warmed by the heating box. The temperature is regulated by
increasing or decreasing the size of the flame through the medium of a tap fixed in
a convenient position. A temperature of 25-30 degrees will always prevent
snow and ice remaining in the switches and points, thus keeping the latter constantly
in working order.
The length of the heating-box will naturally depend upon the distance between
the sleepers, which are usually nearer together in proximity to the switch than at
the other parts of the line.
Dated this 8th day of September 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Removing Ice and Snow from the Points and
Switches of Railways.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Removing Ice and Snow from the Points and
Switches of Railways.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 means for removing ice and snow from the points and
switches of railways.
It is well known to be a great defect in the working of railways that the points
and switches in winter, often become clogged or filled up with snow or ice so as to
prevent their being properly operated. This defect is especially felt where the
[Price 8d.]

page_text: said points or switches are operated from a central point in which case there are no
longer the large number of servants on the railway who could formerly clean the
points and switches.
The object of the present invention is to obviate this defect by providing the
points or switches with a heating apparatus so that the falling or drifted snow will
melt immediately instead of freezing between the said points.
In the accompanying drawing the several figures of which are hereinafter
referred to I have shown how my said invention may be conveniently and-
advantageously carried into practice.
In carrying the said invention into practice below the switch tongues LL
Figures I, II, III, I provide heating boxes B B of iron and preferably of the form
represented in Figures IV, V, VI. These boxes are provided at the bottom as
shown with apertures a a a, whilst other apertures bbb are formed by the frame M
and the partitions hhh. For points and switches which have no base plate the
boxes are provided at the top with an iron cover D; but in cases where the said
points or switches are provided with base plates the latter may form the cover.
Within the heating boxes are arranged burners F (as represented in Figure VII)
which are supplied with gas by a pipe. Gas passes to the said burner F through
the small opening o in the nipple o¹ screwed into the pipe leading from the source
of supply. The said nipple o' is moreover screwed into a socket piece of which is
provided with openings Z for the admission of air to the burner, the said socket
piece being screw threaded at the opposite end to receive the correspondingly
screw threaded end of the burner tube F. This mixture of gas and air when
ignited at the holes n n n burns with a very hot, dark flame, whereby the quantity
of air in the box is heated. The escaping gases passes through the apertures bbb
into the gravel and through this into the open air. The heat radiating and
conducting from the cover of the boxes. or the base plates of the switch heats the
rails, points, cheeks of the chairs and the like, to such an extent that the
accumulation of snow or ice even during the severest weather is prevented,
inasmuch as all atmospheric deposits vaporize upon the heated iron, and the switch-
remains dry and consequently in an operative condition. The fresh air necessary
for the consumption of the mixture of gas and air passes through the bottom
apertures a a a into the box. The heating device is put in and out of action
by means of a cock R. Figure 2. The lighting of the burners is effected through
the channels C arranged on the box. These channels are provided with a closing
cap, in order to prevent the flames being extinguished by wind or otherwise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
An apparatus for preventing the clogging of points and switches of railways by
snow and ice, comprising a box arranged below the said point or switch and heated
by means of gas jets.
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HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.