US1026602A - Switch-throwing device. - Google Patents

Description

z. L. PIERCE & D. WARREN.

. SWITCH THROWING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED PEB.2, 1910.

1,026,602. Patented May 14, 1912.

COLUMBIA PL'ANOGRAPH C0,,WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZACHARIAH L. PIERCE AND DAVID WARREN, OF HANNA CITY, ILLINOIS; SAID WARREN ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL A. STEWART, 0F TRIVOLI, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH-THROWING DEVICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ZAOHARIAH L. PIERCE and DAVID WARREN, citizens of the United States, residing at Hanna City, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Throwing Devices; and we do hereby declare that the; following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to an attachment to and for throwing railroad switches and it has for its main object to provide a device for holding the switch-points firmly against the rails.

Another object is to provide a device for controlling both of the switch-points in a positive manner and yieldingly holding each of them against its respective rail.

The common form of structure includes a tie-bar rigidly connecting the switch points and attached to any usual mechanism by which the points may be thrown. It often happens that from-the fact that the parts of a switch throwing device are often improperly constructed or that through their continued use or by reason of carelessness in installing them, or from rough usage the switch-points do not lie close to the rails and allow the flanges of thewheels to pass behind them causing derailments and serious accidents and for this reason it is the desire to provide a structure by which such accidents .will be entirely prevented.

The appended drawing will aid the de script-ion that follows and in which Figurel is'a' plan of a'main track and spur-track showing a switch and our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the rails and a longitudinal section of a member located between said rails showing members extending from the latter which have connection with the switch-points. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of a portion of the member referred to in Fig. 2 much enlarged. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectiono-f a portion of the said member also much enlarged. Fig. 5 is a side elevation in detail of a spring and rods for controlling the switch-points.

The main rails are rep-resented by the letter A and B B indicate the rails of a spurtrack.

At C C are what are termed switchpoints 1 usually connected in rigid relation by a single rod extending transversely of the track but which in the present case is replaced by two sections D and D one end of each having attachment with one of the switch-points by means, for instance, of pins E extending through lugs F of said points and the ends of said sections. The inner ad- 1acent ends of the rods lie close to one another within a tubular member G closed its ends but bored to admit said rods to slide therein. Preferably the member G is open at its top and provided with a hinged closure H and a suitable lock J if desired. The ends of the rods are threaded, each being provided with an adjusting nut K. Interposed bet-ween each nut and the end of the member G is a block L which may be either inserted or fixed in said member and form a part of it, and through which the rods extend and the office of both of which is merely to act as limiting stops for the nuts K. The closed ends of the member G would serve in the same way but by using the blocks the nuts are preferably in position where they can be conveniently reached with a wrench when the member G is constructed as shown. An expanding spiral spring M is interposed between the nuts K of the rods D D and a bar N lies beneath the rails of the track and is connected at one end to the usual lever O of the switch-stand 0 whereby it can be moved in the direction of its length and has the member Gr secured thereto in any substantial manner as, for instance, by stud-bolts P which are carried by said member G and extend through the bar and receive nuts Q.

When assembled in the manner shown the adjacent ends of the rods D D are slightly separated but when the switchpoints are thrown by shifting the bar N one of said points 0, is moved up to and forced against the rail, Figs. 1 and 2 by the spring that is to say, in moving the said bar N toward the rail the member Gris carried with it and as the spring has control of both rods D D by expanding against them, it must force the rod D toward the rail and the point C against the rail during a port-ion of the shifting movement of said bar N. In continuing and completing the movement in obtaining a full throw of the switchlever O the rod D through its nut K is moved toward the rod D thus compressing the spring so as to hold the said rod D firmly in place. In throwing the points to the right or so as to place the point C against its rail the same operation is repeated. To make this more clear it may be stated that when the ends of the rods D D abut the switch points lie a distance of four feet and three and three quarters inches apart while the track gage (standard) is four feet, eight and one quarter inches apart; these measurements being given to show the relative gages. The point C is placed firmly against its rail and the stand 0 is then spiked in place with the lever O in the position shown in Fig. 1. Then in order to provide for the duties of the parts inclosed in the member G, the lever O is unlocked from its position to remove any strain thereon and to allow the rods to be free after which both the nuts K are adjusted to allow said rods to separate about one quarter of an inch which is the working position. Now, on again moving the lever O at the stand 0 to lock it in its original position the bar N is shifted toward said stand carrying with it the member G resulting in placing all of the pressure of the spring upon the switch point C through the rod D and finally carrying the end of the rod D against the rod D. The result through the use of our structure is that either point is held firmly against its re spective rail and there is no likelihood of any movement of the points away from the rails such as would allow the flanges of the wheels to pass behind them.

Ordinarily when the length of the usual bar that carries the switch-points is too short so that the lever 0 cannot be thrown to its limit and locked but is left open, or when said bar is too long so that the points are not carried firmly and entirely againstthe rail accidents are possible. In view of this a different type of switch mechanism is demanded and it has been brought out in the form described, since after the switch point has been moved up to the rail a still further -movement will place a strong and firm pressure upon it and positively hold it against the rail.

We do notwish to be confined to the exact structure herein described since various changes may be made that will still lie within the meaning and intent of the invention, we having shown a form of mechanism that will accomplish the desired end; it being understood that when but one switch-point is used as on street railways, for instance a device of this nature can be used to control it in much the same way.

Since the pressure imposed upon the switch-point is a yielding one it follows that if a car on a siding were to be thrown out upon the main track the flanges of the wheels will open the said point and pass through after which the point closes automatically.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. The combination with the switch points of a track, of a separate member adapted to control each of them, one of said members adapted to place pressure upon the other, means interposed between the members and adapted to maintain a yielding pressure on both of them simultaneously in opposite directions, and mechanism to shift said means between the rails.

2. The combination with the switchpoints of a track, of separate members connected with each point, said members terminating adjacent to one another and adapted to abut at their adjacent ends, a yielding member interposed between said bars and adapted to place pressure upon both of them in opposite directions simultaneously, and means to shift the same.

3. The combination with the switch-points of a track, of separate members for each adapted for shifting it, said members adapted to abut, a yielding member interposed between the members and having pressure upon both simultaneously, and a member to move said yielding member relative to both the first said members.

4. The combination with the switch points of a track, of a member in positive control of each said point, a spring interposedbetween and exerting a constant pressure in opposite directions upon each member simultaneously, means to carry the spring, and a device on each member to engage the said means.

5. The combination with the switch-point of a track, of a member extending transversely of said track and shiftable relative thereto, a device secured to and movable with said member, an expanding spring carried by said device, a separate rod having connection with each switchpoint and eX- tending into the device and controlled by said spring.

6. The combination of the switch-point of atrack, of a member extending transversely of the track and shiftable relative thereto, a device secured thereon, a spring carried thereby, separate rods associated with each switch-point and terminating within the de vice, each said rod having engagement with the spring, and means on each rod to ad'- just it relative to the device and to each other.

7. In combination with the switch-point, of a shiftable member extending transversely of the track, a device secured on said member between the switch-points, a spring carried thereby, separate rods attached to each switch-point and having their adjacent ends in engagement with the spring and controlled by it, and means on each rod adapted for adjusting it endwise relative to one another.

8. The combination with the switch-point of a railroad track, of a separate rod attached at its end to each, the opposite end of the rods terminating in close proximity to one another, a tubular member to receive said ends, means on each rod to adjust it, means on the tubular member to limit the movement of the rods through their adjusting means, a spring in engagement with the rods and constantly tending to separate them and a member shiftable transversely of the track and having said tubular member secured thereto and movable therewith.

9. The combination with the switch-points of a railroad track, of separate rods having operative engagement at one end with one of said points, their free ends terminating between the said switch-points, a tubular member having closed ends having their adjacent ends of the rod extending thereinto, means to adjust the rods relatively and relative to the tubular member the same being limited by the closed end of said tubular member, a yielding member within the said tubular member and having engagement with and constantly tending to separate said bars in an endwise direction and a shiftable member extending beneath the track to which said tubular member is secured and with which it moves.

10. The combination with the switchpoints and the switch lever of a railroad track, of separate rods each having positive control of one end of said points, their free ends adapted to abut, a member controlled by the switch lever, a device carried by the member to control the abutting ends of the rods and slidably engaging the same, a spring exerting pressure in opposite directions upon the rods, and means to adjust the rods relative to the said device and to each other.

11. The combination with the switchpoints and the switch lever of a railroad track, of separate rods each having positive control of one end of said points, their free ends adapted to abut, a member controlled by the switch lever, a device carried by the member to control the abutting ends of the rods and slidably engaging the same, a spring exerting pressurein opposite directions upon the rods, and means to adjust the rods relative to the said device and to each other and adapted to bear upon the said device.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

ZAGHARIAH L. PIERCE. DAVID WARREN.

Witnesses:

L. M. THURLow, A. BURKI-IARDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

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