A harp switch stand is a type of

railroad switch A railroad switch (), turnout, or ''set ofpoints () is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off. The most common t ...

stand that was most common during the 19th century in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The name derives from the characteristic shape of the stand. The harp stand was typically used in conjunction with the stub switch. It remained in use longest among

narrow gauge railroad A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller struct ...

s such as the

Denver & Rio Grande The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...

well into the 20th century. The harp mechanism was a simple lever which pivoted on an axle pin located midway up the main body (the "frame") of the stand. The upper part of the lever passed through a slot atop the stand. A signal target was usually attached at the top of the lever. The lower end of the lever extended below the main body of the stand where it attached to a bar. Pulling on the lever would pull this bar which in turn would move the rail into the desired position. The lever was sometimes secured by notches along the slot at the top of the stand. Variations of this basic design were common. Harp stands were of two types: a two-position and a three-position, for use with two-way and three-way turnouts, respectively.

References

External links

Photo exampleHarp Switch Stand, Union Switch and Signal Company Catalog, 1894
{{rail-stub Rail junction types