Patent ID: 7147189

Claim:
An apparatus for sensing the position of a point rail end of railroad track switching equipment, comprising: an electrical contact having a first electrical contact position in which an associated track circuit is not shunted and a second electrical contact position, different from said first electrical contact position, in which said associated track circuit is shunted, said electrical contact being biased toward said second electrical contact position; an actuator having a first actuator position wherein said actuator is adapted to hold said electrical contact in said first electrical contact position, and a second actuator position wherein said actuator is adapted to allow said electrical contact to reposition to said second electrical contact position; a position stop arranged to stop said actuator at said first actuator position; means for biasing said actuator into engagement with said position stop; a sensor adapted to follow movement of a point rail away from a stock rail, to displace said actuator and said position stop away from each other, against said bias applied by said biasing means; wherein said biasing means bias said actuator toward said second actuator position, after movement of said point rail by a first predetermined distance; and wherein said actuator remains stationary in said second actuator position until said point rail moves by a second predetermined distance in addition to said first predetermined distance.