Improvements in Railway Switches.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
JUMI DELL
Improvements in Railway Switches.
I, HUGH KAYS, of Keelerville, in the County of Van Buren, and State of
Michigan, U.S.A., Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES, 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 new and useful improvements in railway switches;
and consists in a certain construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter
fully set forth, the essential features of which being pointed out particularly in the
claims.
The object of the invention is to do away with the use of the ordinary switch-
frog, and to afford a tight joint between the meeting ends of the rail-sections
when the switch is set, thus obviating the pounding and jar, incident to the open
joints of switches in common use. This object is attained by the mechanism
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which ;-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a railway track provided with my
improved switch.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of same.
Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the two-rail section, the free end of which is
adapted to swing in a transverse direction of the track, and to which one of the
switch-rods is attached.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section on dotted line of Fig. 2.
Referring to the letters of reference, A indicates an crdinary switch-stand, to the
lower end of the vertical-rod A' of which, is eccentrically secured the oblong base-
plate B. To the extreme outer end of the base-plate B, is pivotally coupled one
end of the connecting-bar B³, the opposite end of said bar being pivoted to one end
of the elbow-lever B" mounted on one of the ties of the switch. D¹¹ indicates a
connecting-bar, one end of which is pivoted to the base-plate B between the point
of attachment of the connecting-bar B₁ thereto, and the vertical rod A¹. The
opposite end of said bar D" being pivotally coupled to one end of the link A",
whose opposite end is rigidly coupled to one end of the elbow-lever C", also
mounted on the ties of the switch.
C, and C¹ indicate switch-rods. The inner end of the rod C is pivoted to the
free ends of the two-rail section composed of the rails D, D¹, as shown at s in
Figs. 1 and 3, the opposite ends of said rails being secured to the fixed rails G, H,
respectively, by means of fish-plates u, in such manner that the free ends of the
rails D, D, may swing or oscillate transversely. Said rails being connected by
the cross-bars v pivoted to the under face thereof, as shown in Fig. 3.
The inner end of the switch-rod C₁ is pivotally attached to the rail E' of the
two-rail section composed of the rails E, E', said rails being mounted on a swivel-
head K set into the upper face of the tie I and secured by the center-bolt h, as
clearly shown in Fig. 4. The ends of the rails E, E', being coupled by the cross-
bars t, t, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This form of construction permits said
section to swing on the pivot h, as the switch is operated.
Located between the adjacent ends of the rails D, D', and the rails E, E', of the
two moving sections, is a fixed section composed of the two diverging rails F, F1;
said rails are permanently secured to the ties of the track, and are so set that the
ends thereof will alternately register with the ends of the rails of the two moving
sections, as said sections are swung in setting the switch. G and G¹ indicate the

page_text: rails of the main track, and H, H', the rails of the side track, the rail H¹ of the
side track merging into the rail of the main track at H".
The operation of the device is as follows; When the switch-lever Z is thrown
to the right as shown in Fig. 1, the movement of the base-plate B will actuate the
bar B¹ and draw upon the rod C, swinging the free ends of the rails D, D', of the
oscillating section, so that the rail D₁ thereof will register with the rail F of
the fixed section as shown at e; at the same time the movement of the plate B will
shove upon the bar D", actuating the lever C" and rod C¹, to swing the pivoted
section so as to bring the square end of the rail E thereof, to also register with the
rail F, as shown at c, and the acuminated end a of said rail against the inner face
of the rail H". In which position of parts the switch is set for the main track,
which consists of the rail G¹, and the rail G continued through the rail-sections D', F
and E, to the rail H". The stop-blocks d and m secured to the ties, arrest the
throw of the rails D, D¹, and form a brace therefor when shifted to the position
shown in Fig. 1.
To set the switch for the side track, the switch-lever Z is thrown in the opposite
direction, or to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus reversing the action of the
rods C, C, whereby the rod C will swing the free ends of the rails D, D¹, of the
oscillating section, until said rails are arrested by the stop-blocks n and f, when
the rail D thereof will register with the rail F' of the fixed-section, as shown at c,
at the same time the rod C¹ will draw upon the pivoted track-section causing it to
swing upon the pivot h, and to bring the square end of the rail E' thereof, to
register with the fixed rail section F1, as shown at e¹, and the acuminated
end a¹ of said rail to swing against the inner face of the rail G¹, and the end a of
the rail E to swing away from the rail H". In which position of parts the switch
is set for the side track, formed of the rail H', and the rail H continued through
the rail sections D, F¹ and E¹, to the rail G¹.
It will now be apparent, that, when this improved switch is set, a tight joint is
formed between the meeting ends of the rail-sections, thus obviating the pounding
and jar incident to the open joints of switches in common use; and by means of the
connecting-bars and elbow-levers, that actuate the switch-rods C, C', the swinging
sections of the track are moved simultaneously, enabling the switch to be quickly
and perfectly operated.
It will be seen on looking at Fig. 2, that the outer end of the elbow-lever C" is
provided with a slot i, through which passes the bolt o that couples the link A"
thereto;
and that the surface of said lever is serrated, as shown at i¹, to correspond
with the serrated under face of said link, enabling said parts to be rigidly coupled.
By means of the slot in the lever C, the link A" may be adjusted thereon, to
increase or decrease the throw of said lever, so as to regulate the movement of the
moving track-sections, one with the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what [
claim is;
Claim 1. In combination with the fixed rails of a main-track, the fixed rails of
a side-track, the pair of rails coupled together and having a common center on
which said rails swing, the switch-stand, means connecting the swinging set of rails
with said stand, the pair of rails adapted to move transversely of the track at
their joined ends, the opposite end of one of said rails being coupled to a rail of the
main-track, the other rail having connection with a rail of the side-track, means
connecting the oscillating ends of said rails with the switch-stand, a pair of rails
located between the set of swinging-rails and the set of oscillating-rails, one of said
rails forming a part of the main-track, and the other forming a part of the side-
track, substantially as specified.
Claim 2. In combination with the fixed rails of a main and side-track, the
swinging rail-section, the oscillating rail-section, the fixed rail-section located

page_text: between the adjacent ends of said moving rail-sections, the switch-stand, the
connecting-bars, elbow-levers and switch-rods connecting said stand with the
moving rail-sections, the adjustable coupling located between the switch-stand and
the swinging rail-section, substantially as specified.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1891.
HUGH KAYS.