Railway points, railway points operating apparatus and railway track crossing

Abstract

A railway points arrangement (10) for a railway track junction comprises at least first and second pairs of longitudinally-extending, parallel-spaced static stock rails (12), (14), defining respectively a first route and a second route, and a pair of longitudinally- extending, parallel-spaced switch rails (16) which are movable between a first position in alignment with the first pair of stock rails (12) to select the first route and a second position in alignment with the second pair of stock rails (14) to select the second route. At least one of the movable switch rails (16a) cooperates with at least one stock rail (12), (14) of each of the first and second pairs of stock rails (12), (14) when the movable switch rails (16) are in the first and second positions, and the at least one switch rail (16) and the at least one stock rail (12), (14) are shaped to define a mating profile (50) which aligns the switch rail (16) and stock rail (12), (14) and prevents transverse movement of the switch rail (16) relative to the stock rail (12), (14).

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a railway turnout, and more particularly to a railway turnout device for a railway hub. [0002] The invention also relates to a railway switch operating device for operating a railway switch to select different routes through a railway junction. [0003] The invention also relates to a railway crossing at which the tracks of two diverging railways cross, for example, to define a straight line and a branched road line. Said diverging track can be selected in a conventional manner by means of a railway point arrangement so that the railway vehicle can travel along the straight line or the branching line. Background technique [0004] Railway turnouts, also known as railway track switches, are an essential part of any railway network, since they enable the selection of different routes through said network. They are a critical part of the road network because failure of one switch often results in delays, diversions or cancella...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0016] Despite the obvious advantages of swinging nose rails and swinging wing rails, including reduced wear on said v-shaped nose and wing rails, reduced noise and possibly higher branch speeds, their use in the UK can be seen to be limited

This is because the disadvantages outweigh the above advantages, such as high cost, complexity and low reliability

In fact, due to performance and reliability issues, swing nose rail mouths are no longer suitable for the UK mainline rail network

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