Short-circuiting device for an electric railway system having a conductor rail for supplying power to drive the vehicles

A short circuiting device for an electric railway system having a conductor rail for supplying electric power to drive railway vehicles, the function of the device being to provide a short-circuit between a track rail and the conductor rail, the short circuiting device comprising;

• a first contact element having a face contactable with the track rail;
• a contact arm that has a contact face contactable with the conductor rail;
• and
• hinged connecting means for coupling the contact arm with the contact element, the hinged connecting means including a multi-hinged connection having two levers which are joined to each other via a knee joint and joined respectively via first and second hinged connecting joints to the contact element and the contact arm, one of the levers is formed as a closing lever, the levers and the hinged connection joints being shaped and arranged so that by executing a rotational movement with the closing lever the knee joint moves about an axis of the first hinged connection joint which is assigned to the closing lever and the contact element and the contact arm, in a position of electrically insulating from each other, are brought together to make electrical contact.