Improved Means of Operating Tramway and Railway Switch Points.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1899-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Operating Tramway and Railway Switch Points.
WC, THOMAS HOLMES, Inventor, of 312, Kensington, Liverpool, and GEORGE
SOCKETT HOLMES, Mine and Mineral Bioker, also of 312, Kensington, Liverpool,
and JOIN HEATLEY BARNES, Engineer, of 70, Victoria Street, Liverpool, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
According to this invention we cause the switch points of tramways and rail-
ways to be operated by an arm or lever carried by the tramcar or other canlage,
which engages with a pivotted lover disposed under or near to the rail and con-
nected to the switch points by a pin and slot connection.
Applying the invention to the ordinary facing point of a tramway, we dispose
under the rail, in front of the point, a lover which lies horizontally and parallel
with the 181] Such lever 18 pivotted in a box below the rail, said box having
by preference an outlet to the street drain, and a door for cleaning purposes.
One end of the lever is slotted, so as to grasp a pin fixed in the underside of the
switch, whilst the other end has inclined projections against which the arm or
lever before referred to as being caned on the tramcar strikes The travel of the
level 18 such that its inclined projections alternately project on each side of the
1 ail, as the point is thrown over to one and the other side consequently if the arm
or level of the tramcar is caused to depend upon one side of the rail the point will
be thrown over accordingly, whilst if the arm depends upon the other side of
the rail, the point will be changed to the other side, that is to say, the position
of the point is determined by the side of the rail upon which the car arm depends
The car arm or lever above referred to may be mounted on an axle under the
car and be operated by a pedal which is despressed by the driver's foot, or by a
hand lover In most cases a car will possess two arms and pedals, one for each
side of the rail. The point should be mounted upon a guid communicating with
the street drain
Dotod the 20th dox of Day 1808
Improved means of Operating Tramway and Kallway Switen Points.
We, THOMAS HOLMES, Inventor, of 312, Kensington, Liverpool, and GEORGE
SOCKETT HOLMES, Mine and Mineral Broker, also of 312, Kensington, Liverpool,
5 and JOHN HEATLEY BARNES, Engineer, of 70, Victoria Street, Liverpool, do hereby
[Price 8d]

page_text: declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
According to this invention we cause the switch points of tramways and rail-
ways to be operated by an arm or lever caued by the tiamear or other carnage,
which arm engages with a pivotted lever disposed under or near to the 1ail and
connected to the switch-points by a pin and slot connection
In the diawings hereto annexed Figure 1 18 a plan of a tramway switch point
operated according to our invention, Figure 2 being a side view thereof and
Figure 3 a view shewing the means employed on the tiamcar for operating the
switch.
We dispose under the rail a and in front of the point b a lever c which lies
horizontally and parallel with the rail. The lever is pivotted at d in a box s
below the rail, said box having, by preference, an outlet to the street drain and a
door for cleaning purposes. The slotted end f of this lever grasps a pin g on
the under side of the switch 6 whilst the other end of the level c possesses inclined
surfaces against which the arms or levers 1, which are carried by the tramcar,
strike. The travel of the lever is such that its inclined surfaces h project on
each side of the hail a, alternately, as the point b is thrown over to one or the other
side The arms or levers are mounted on the shaft k and sleeve and are
operated by the levers m and pedals n, the latter being depressed by the driver's
foot One arm is arranged to be depressed on either side of the rail a, a
channel o being provided on each side of such rail. The position of the point b
36 determined by the side of the rail a upon which an arm a 18 dopressed, and such
arm engages an inclined surface of the lever c and so throws over the switch b
to the required position.
Hand rods or levers may be substituted for the pedals n if desired.
The point b is supported upon the bar p, and should be mounted over a gulley
communicating with the street drain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim 18:-
The combination with a switch-point adapted to be operated by a passing
vehicle, of a lever such as c, one end of which grasps the point whilst the other
end possesses inclined surfaces h which project on either aide of the rail and are
engaged (and the lever and point thereby moved) by arms depending from such
vehicle, substantially as described.
Dated the 20th
1000