US1034701A - Railroad-gate. - Google Patents

Description

W. A. ILEMING @L B. ANDERSON.

RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 27, 1911.

' 1,034,701. Patented Aug. 6,1912.

ATE'I FFIQ.

RAILROAD-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led November 27, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912. Serial No. 662,562.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, WYATT A. FLEM- ING and BYRON ANDERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Adkins, in the county of'Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Gates, of which the following' is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic railwayv gates. Its object is to provide a railway gate adapted to be correlated with two tracks at their intersection, and adapted to be automatically swung into a position transverse with one of said tracks when a train approaches along the other.

Another object is to provide a mechanism for operating the gate by triggers normally projecting slightly above the rail, one of which triggers will be pressed down by the wheels of a train approaching the crossing from any direction.

Finally the object of our invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, simple, and efficient and comparatively easy to construct, and also one the various parts of which will not be likely to get out of working order.

l/Vith these and various other objects in view, our invention has relation to certain novel features of the construction and operation, an example 0f which is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a plan view of a railroad crossing, showing the herein described automatic gate associated therewith. Fig. 2 is a view of the saine in side elevation, a pair of car wheels being shown acting upon one of the triggers, causing the gate to assume a position parallel with the track upon which said wheels are mounted. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a construction comprising the gate support and a mechanism correlated with thegate to swing the same through 90 degrees. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view showing one of the operating triggers, which are employed to swing the gate when a train approaches the same.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in all the figures the numerals l and 2 respectively denote two tracks intersecting each other at right angles, the gate constituting the present invention being correlated with the crossing thus formed. The gate proper consists of a horizontal bar 3, pivoted near one of its extremities upon the top of a post 4, and adapted to be swung through a quarter circle, the gate being transverse of the tracks in its limiting positions.v The post 4 is stationary and rigid and is spaced a sufficient distance from both tracks to eliminate any possibility of its being struck by passing trains. In order to decrease the friction between the gate and its pivot when the former is swung, a brace 5 is furnished as an additional supporting means for the gate, said brace preferably having the form of a quarter circle with one extremity attached to the bar 3 some distance from its pivot and the other extremity supported by a pin 6, projecting from the middle portion of the post and turned upwardly. The connections between the brace 5 and the parts 3 and 4 will be sutliciently loose to permit the gate to swing freely between its limiting positions transverse of the two tracks. The gate will preferably be mounted at an elevation several feet above the tracks and will have a length such that its extremity will project a short distance beyond the tracks in the limiting positions. When the gate is being swung in either direction, it will contact with a vertical post 7 upon reaching its limiting position transverse of the track to be closed by the gate. Each post 7 is reinforced by an inclined brace 8, upon the side opposite to that with which the bar 3 contacts. The direct means by which the gate is swung consists in a semi-circular plate 9 pivotally mounted upon the upper portion of the post 4, its pivotal axis being such as to form 45 degree angles with the directions of the two tracks. From the middle portion of the curved edge of this plate two pins l() project engaging the bar 3 at each side thereof. Owing to this construction it is apparent that a swinging motion of the gate about its vertical pivot will result when the plate 9 is subjected to any rotation about its horizontal axis. The plate 9 and the bar 3 are so related that when the diametrical edge of the former is in a horizontal position, the latter will be midway between its limiting positions, or will form a 45 degree angle with both tracks.

`A description will now be given of the mechanism employed to subject the plate 9 to a partial rotation, when a api-i 11 is provided with a U shaped crank 13, v

and each crank is connected through a pitman 14 with the plate 9, the pitmen being attached to said plate adjacent to the inter-4 sections of its circular and straight edges.

The two extremities of each rock shaft 11 are provided wit-h parallel crank arms 15, each of which arms has pivotal connection with a lug 16 provided upon the free extremity of a trigger 17, pivoted adjacent to the rail. The relation between the various gart-s of the mechanism is such thatl the triggers adjacent to the rail of either track will project slightly above the ball of said rail:

when the bar 3 is transverse with the track of which said rail forms a part. Thus when a train approaches a crossing from any dil rection it will automatically throw the vgate* clear of its track, through the pressure of' its wheels upon one of the triggers 17, causing the gate to occupy a position transverse of the other track, thus signaling any train approaching upon the other track to stop.

Inv case two trains are approaching the crossing upon different tracks, this device very much reduces the possibility of a collision between said trains by automatically signaling one of them to stop or slow up iin-- til the other passes. The rook shaft 11 may ybe su'liiciently extended in both directions to produce an operation of the gate one or two minutes before the train reaches the 4 crossing so that any train approachingv l upon the other track will have time to slow up if necessary. For the sake of clearnessno boxing has been shown to partially inclose the triggers, but itis to be understood thatsuch may be employed. to prevent stones or other impediments preventing the triggers from operating.

lt is apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in the above described device without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and the invent-ion is therefore presented as including all such changes and vmodifications as come within the scope of the following claim.

What we claim is An automatic railway gate comprising av horizontal bar correlated' with a railway crossing andI spaced above the same, said bar being adapted to swing through a yquarter circle and being transverse of the tracks in 'its limiting position, a semieircular plate pivotally mounted beneath saidy lbai' adjacent' to the pivoted end thereof, and ,having its axis form-ing angles of 45 degrees :with the directions of the tracks, pins pro- ,vided upon the circular edge of said plate Aat the middle portion thereof adapted to `;engage the bar respectively at its two sides; a rock shaft mounted adjacent to-each track .of the crossing; a U shapedI crank in each shaft substantially beneath said plate; a pair of pitmen having their lower ends atltached to said cranks and their upper ends l attached tosaid plate at the intersectionsof its circular and diametrical edges, crank ,arms carried by the extremities of the rock ishafts, and pivoted triggers hav-ing their free ends engaged by said crank arms each Elocated adjacent to a track rail and projecting above the ball of said rail when the gate is transverse of theltrack of which said rail 'forms a part.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VYATT A. FLEMING.. BYRON ANDERSON.

l/Vit-nesses:

STANLEY Piizirrsznwsiri, Jon Pnzrxsziiwsxr, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of`IPatents, Washington, D. C.

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