. The street railway review . fish plate next the track lail and angle bar on inside. In the days of hay motors •• old gray. the • dunmare. or the one-eved nuile. usuallv kept posted onthe condition of the track, and could be relied on topull her over at the proper instant at defective curvesor switches. Unfortunately for the trackman mechan-icalh propelled cars evince anvthing but a desire to helphim shirk his dutw so switches nowadavs must be prop-erh constructed and kept in perfect order. Nearlv allthe manufacturers of special work make lirst-classswitches and frogs, but it is a rare thing
. The street railway review . fish plate next the track lail and angle bar on inside. In the days of hay motors •• old gray. the • dunmare. or the one-eved nuile. usuallv kept posted onthe condition of the track, and could be relied on topull her over at the proper instant at defective curvesor switches. Unfortunately for the trackman mechan-icalh propelled cars evince anvthing but a desire to helphim shirk his dutw so switches nowadavs must be prop-erh constructed and kept in perfect order. Nearlv allthe manufacturers of special work make lirst-classswitches and frogs, but it is a rare thing to tind accom-pan^ing the switches clear and intelligent instructions forsetting them. It is a question open yet to discussion \\ hether a castiron or steel switch or a built-up or a composite switch ismost suitable for electric railwav purposes. There arefewer accidents to vehicle wheels, and the pavements areeasier kept up where cast switches are used. On theother hand, it is almost impossible t(j make a perfect joint. between rail and switch. Switches built up of the samerail section as the track make the most perfect construc-tion from purelv a trackmans point of view, but theclaim agent and the paver both have increased duties toperform, and where these men hustle hardest the treasur}^suffers unavoidably. A composite switch is perhaps bestin the long run. though more expensive in first cost. Bya composite switch is meant one built up of the same railsections as the track and then put in a mold where thecast iron or steel which makes the cores and body ispoured around it. This leaves a switch the shape of which has the ad-vantages of a cast switch while retainmg the jointing ad-vantages of the built-up switch. All switches for electric railways should have a tongueon one side which is controlled either by a positivethrowing arrangement or by a spring. If the cars are expected to go to the right the tongueshould be placed on the left side of the track, if expectedto go
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Keywords: ., book, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectstreetrailroads
