IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry William Huckvale, of Over Norton, in the
County of Oxford, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY SWITCHES."
Sealed the 16th January 1874, and dated the 11th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry William Huck-
vale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th November 1873.
I, HARRY WILLIAM HUCKVALE, of Over Norton, in the County of
Oxford, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES," to be as follows :—
My Invention is designed to obviate the danger attending the use-
of the ordinary facing points on railways.
The said Invention consists, first, in the novel construction of the
switches; and secondly, to improved mechanism for locking or securing
the said switches, and indicating their position when locked. This part.
of my Invention is applicable to the ordinary switches.

page_text: In practising my Invention I construct the adjustable or switch
rails either of the same sectional form as the other rails of the railway,
or of any other suitable sectional form. And I fit these switch rails
to turn upon joints or pivots at the end facing the direction of the
traffic.
The joints may consist of cast-iron pieces bolted or rivetted to the
switch rails, and fitted to turn on strong pins or bolts working in
cast iron or other boxes firmly secured upon the sleepers. Or the
ends of the said switch rails may be forged to form the joints. The
adjustment of this improved switch is effected by turning the switch
rails upon these joints to bring the free end of the said switch rails
into line with either of the lines of rails at the junction; that is to
say, there are no adjustable points at the end of the switch facing
the traffic; and the joints are so formed that in whatever position
the switch is adjusted the switch rails present the same or nearly
the same
surface at the joints to the wheels passing over them.
Therefore there is no possibility of a train being thrown from the
line by any imperfection or shifting of the points, as with the ordinary
facing points. Furthermore, I use fixed guard plates inside the rails
extending beyond the aforesaid joints, and beyond the free ends of
the switch, thereby affording great additional protection to this part
of the line.
My improved locking apparatus is constructed as follows:-At or
near the free end of the switch rails I arrange metal plates with two
or three notches in them corresponding with the number of lines in 1
connection with the switch. Under the rails of all these lines I
pass a rod or shaft fitted to turn in suitable bearings, and on which
I fix latches or pawls formed to drop into either of the notches of
the said plates. This shaft is also provided with a counterbalanced
lever connected with the ordinary apparatus for shifting or adjusting a
the switch, the said apparatus being operated by a lever in a signal
box, or otherwise. By means of this lever the signalman or pointsman
can adjust the switch to either of the lines, and by the same movement
lock the said switch firmly and immovably by means of the aforesaid
latches, so that it cannot be accidentally forced out of its proper a
position.
The aforesaid locking apparatus is so arranged that the weight on
the counterbalanced laxen tands alwan to watain
.
11

page_text: notches into which they are set, thereby preventing any possibility
of the accidental shifting of the switch, but they are readily withdrawn
from the said notches to permit the adjustment of the switch. The
sides of these notches should be bevelled or inclined outwardly so that
the latches will have a tendency to enter the notches and force the
switches home if they are not brought nearly but not quite in line with
the rails in adjusting them.
In combination with the aforesaid locking apparatus I employ an
indicator which consists of an index or pointer working on a fulcrum
or pivot in front of a plate marked to shew the various positions of
the switch. A lever fitted on the same centre or fulcrum as the index
is connected with the adjusting apparatus, and follows the movements
of the switch, thereby indicating the position of the same, so that the
signalman or pointsman any time after adjusting the switch can sec its
position, and will not be liable to make mistakes.
I prefer that the rails of my improved switches should be supported
in chairs provided with antifriction rollers, which run on iron plates
secured on the sleepers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harry William Huckvale in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
WILLIAM HUCKVALE, of Over Norton, in the County of Oxford, Farmer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Harry William Huckvale,
Her special licence that I, the said Harry William Huckvale, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Harry William Huckvale, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a railway showing the junction
of a main line and two branch lines, and illustrating the application
of my Invention to the same; Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a section on the line x, x, and Figure 4, a section on the
lino y, y, Figure 1; Figure 5 is an elevation of part of the apparatus
in Figure 1; Figure 6 shews a portion of the apparatus in Figure 2
detached.
Figure 7 is a plan of a portion of a railway illustrating the application
of my Invention to a main line and one siding; Figure 8 is a side
elevation of Figure 7; Figures 9 and 10 are sections on the line x¹, x³,
y', y', Figure 7.

page_text: plan a mounication of my
Python as
applied to a main line and one siding or branch line; Figures 16 and 17
are sections on the lines x², x³, y², y³, Figure 15.
Figure 18 is a plan illustrating the adaptation of my improved locking
apparatus to an ordinary switch; Figure 19 is a section on the line
³,³, Figure 18.
Similar letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings. The
arrows indicate the direction of the traffic.
In carrying my Invention into effect in the manner shewn in Figures
1 and 2, I construct the adjustable or switch rails a either of the same
sectional form as the other rails of the railway, or of any other suitable
sectional form, and I fit these switch rails a to turn upon joints or
pivots 6 at the end facing the direction of the traffic..
These joints may consist of cast-iron pieces bolted or riveted to the
switch rails, and fitted to turn on strong pins or bolts working in
cast iron or other boxes firmly secured upon the sleepers; but I prefer
that the ends of the said switch rails should be forged to form the
joints, and the said joints or pivots must be outside of the rails, as
shewn. The adjustment of this improved switch is effected by turning
the switch rails a upon the joints 6 to bring the free end of the
said switch rails into line with either of the lines of rails c, d, e,
at the junction, that is to say, there are no adjustable points at the
end of the switch facing the traffic, and the joints 6 are so formed
that in whatever position the switch is adjusted the switch rails a
present the same surface at the joints to the wheels passing over
them; therefore there is no possibility of a train being thrown from
the line by any imperfection or shifting of the points, as with the
ordinary facing points. Furthermore, I use fixed guard plates or rails f
inside the rails extending beyond the aforesaid joints, and beyond the
free ends of the switch, thereby affording great additional protection
to this part of the line.
My improved locking apparatus is constructed as follows:- -On the
free end of the switch rails a I form projecting plates g with three

page_text: nection with the switch. Under or through the rails of all of these
lines I pass a rod or shaft h fitted to turn in suitable bearings, and
on which I fix latches or pawls i formed to drop into either pair
of the notches 91, 92, 9³, of the said plates 9 when the same are
brought under the said latches. This shaft is also provided with a
counterbalanced lever ¹ connected with the ordinary apparatus for
shifting or adjusting the switch, the said apparatus being operated
by a lever m in a signal box or otherwise. By means of this lever
and the connections herein-after described, the pointsman or signal-
man can adjust the switch to either of the lines, and by the same
movement lock the said switch firmly and immovably by means of
the aforesaid latches, so that it cannot be accidently forced out of its
proper position.
The aforesaid locking apparatus is so arranged that the weight on
the counterbalanced lever tends always to retain the latches in the
notches into which they are set, thereby preventing any possibility
of the accidental shifting of the switch, but they are readily withdrawn
from the said notches to permit the adjustment of the switch. The
sides of these notches should be bevilled or inclined outwardly so that
the latches will have a tendency to enter the notches and force the
switches home if they are nearly but not quite brought in line with
the rails in adjusting them.
In combination with the aforesaid locking apparatus I employ the
indicator illustrated in Figures 11, 12, and 13, and which consists of an
index plate working on a fulcrum or pivot k in front of a plate 1
which has a curved slot with notches in its lower side. The lever m
fitted on the centre or fulcrum k is connected with the adjusting
apparatus by the rod p; n, n, are pawls arranged to drop into the
notches o, and thereby hold the said index plate when adjusted. The
rod P is passed through a tube q which is fitted to slide upon a bed r.
The rod p is connected by the lever to the shaft h. The tube q is
connected by the rod s, lever 8¹, and rod t to the switch. When
the lever m is moved in either direction the rod p moves without
moving the tube q till one of the collars p¹ fixed on the said rod comes
in contact with the end of the tube, and by this movement of the
rod the pawls are turned out of the notches. The further movement
of the rod moves the tube q on its bed, and by this movement the
switch is adjusted and the pawls i enter the proper notches in the

page_text: The part of the apparatus shewn in Figure 5 is designed for the
connection of the switch with mechanism whereby the notch is adjusted
by locomotives passing over the same.
In the modification of my Invention illustrated in Figures 15, 16, 11,
and 17, the locking of the switch is effected by providing it with
wedge-shaped blocks which slide between the switch and the chairs v,
thus securely bolting or fixing the switch at each chair. The whole
of the said blocks are fixed on and move with bars u¹ which extend
longitudinally the whole length of the switch, and work in the hollow
of the switch rails to withdraw or insert the said blocks, as the case
may be.

page_text: When the switch is required to be moved from siding to main line
it will be seen that the blocks will be partially withdrawn before
the stud wo acts upon the crank w¹, which then moves the switch
over from siding to main line, and by the further movement of the
rod p the blocks u are inserted on one side between the chairs and rail, t
as before described, and the blocks on the other side are withdrawn.
The chairs are bolted to the switch and slide on a bed plate, and
keep the switch rails from twisting, and also act as a support for the
bar ¹. In this arrangement it is not absolutely necessary that the
switch should work on a pivot; it may be joined to the main line with 1
an ordinary fish-plate joint.
In combining my improved locking apparatus with the ordinary
switch or facing points, as shewn in Figures 18 and 19, it will be
seen that the said locking apparatus is constructed substantially the
same as in the railway shewn in Figure 1, and it is adjusted and operates :
in precisely the same manner and with the same effect upon the switch
or adjustable rails.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shewn how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I
wish it understood that I claim,―
First. A railway switch with its rails fitted to turn and turning
upon joints or pivots at the sides of the said rails, and at the end
of the switch facing or meeting the direction of the traffic, as herein
set forth.
Second. In combination with switches jointed or pivotted as above
described, the guard rails or bars arranged as herein set forth and for
the purpose specified.
Third. In combination with the said jointed or pivotted switches the
locking apparatus, consisting of the notched plates on the end of the
rails, and the pawls or catches fixed on a shaft provided with a weight,
and constructed and operating as herein set forth.
Fourth. The combination of parts whereby the aforesaid switch and
locking apparatus are operated simultaneously and by one lever, as
herein set forth.
Fifth. The combination of the said locking apparatus and its operating
mechanism with an indicator, as herein set forth and for the purpose
anssified

page_text: Sixth. The adaptation of my improved locking apparatus to the
ordinary facing points of a railway, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof I, the said Harry William Huckvale, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
WH. ROBT. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
H. W. HUCKVALE. (L.S.)