US1082251A - Switch. - Google Patents

Description

A. J. WILSON.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec.23,191 3.

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SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 2S, 1913.

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wwmzooao STATES ALFRED J. WILSON, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO LEE MCALPIN AND ONE-THIRD T0 GEORGE E. CARROLL.

SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 23,1913.

Serial No. 758,667.

1 b all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED J. lVinson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway switches, and more especially to those of that type wherein the switch point or tongue is thrown by the engineer or motorman on the locomotive or car approaching the switch; and the object of the same is to effect certain improvements in switches of this character. This object is carried out by constructing the switch in the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan View and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the switch complete, both views illustrating a car or locomotive as approaching from the right. Figs. 3, 4: and 5 are sections on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55 respectively of Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional details on the lines 6--6 and 7-7 respectively of Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 is a similar detail on the line 8-8 of Fig. 9. Fi 's. 9, 10, 11, and 12 are enlarged plan views, partly in section showing the parts in different positions as will be referred to in the operation of the device hereinafter.

In the drawings the rails of the main track M are laid on ties as usual and in the present instance extend straight from right to left. The rails of the switch track S lead obliquely inward as shown, and T are the switch points or tongues which it is the purpose of the present invention to throw from one position to the other. These tongues are moved by plungers l? mounted on the car or locomotive L, and as seen in Fig. 4 the preferred manner of mounting the plungers is to locate each of them within a casing C and surround it by a spring holding the plunger normally raised, but the engineer or motorman can place his foot on a foot piece F and depress the plunger so that its lower end will perform the service yet to be described. As shown in Fig. 1 there are four such plungers on the car or locomotive L, one at each side and a pair at each end, so that in whichever direction the locomotive is moving the engineer may depress one plunger or the other but cannot depress both simultaneously. The parts thus far described are not claimed to be new, but are illustrated for sake of showing their coaction with my improved switch.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, the switch tongues T are movably mounted at the points 1 and are connected with each other in any suitable manner as at 2, and in the present illustration they are of the split switch type well known in this art and needing no further description. With the parts standing as shown in Fig. 1 the main line M uninterrupted and a locomotive L proceeding to the left as indicated by the arrow would pass along the main line. If, however, the switch tongues T are moved upward as shown in this view, the locomotive L would be diverted onto the switch rails S. Conversely, a locomotive approaching from the left would pass along the main line if the parts stand as shown, but if the switch tongues are thrown a locomotive approaching along the switch from the left would pass onto the main line. Then my invention is applied to a split switch as shown. itis quite possible that with the parts as now shown in Fig. 1, a locomotive ap n'oaching along the switch from the left would automatically force the tongues over to the other position and run onto the main line without running oil the track; but as my invention is applicable to other types of switches, we will assume that it is desirable for the engineer to throw the switch if necessary, when approaching from either direction and on the main line or the switch line. For this purpose I provide a series of four levers 3, each pivoted at at on an extended tie or a suitable support alongside the track and having at its outer end an oblique gpard plate or shield 5 upstanding as best seen in 3 and adapted to be struck by the lower end of a plunger P when the latter dcpr ed. For holding this end of the lever in either position, a spring 6 is provided, secured at its inner end at 7 to a tie or other fixed part of the road bed and having its outer end provided with two shoulders 8 and 9 over which the outer end f the lever rides so that the resiliency of the spring holds said lever in either of its extreme positions. The four levers are located outside the main line M and outside the outer rail of the switch line S, two of them are connected by a cross rod 10 so as to move in unison; and each of them has a fork 11 at its inner end whose arms have alined pins 12 projecting inward and toward each other and engaging cross slots 13 in the upper and lower plates of amember which I will call the box 14, said plates bemg connected by an upright pin 15 at about their centers. The inner ends of the four levers are thus connected with two boXes, and the two pins 15 of the boxes pass loosely through upright longitudinal slots 16 in a locking bar 17 which extends transversely across the track beneath the tips of the switch tongues T and is connected with them in any suitable manner as indicated at 18. By this construction it will be seen that when any particular plunger P is depressed its lower end striking one of the guard plates or shields 5 bears the same outward and moves the inner end of the corresponding lever 3 inward, and the pins 12 within the fork 11 thereof move the boX accordingly. After a little lost motion the pin 15 within the box strikes the end of the slot 16 in the locking bar 17, and finally the latter is moved and, through its connections 18 with the switch tongues, the switch is thrown. As the engineer cannot step on two of the plungers P at the same time, the moving of one guard plate 5 out-ward naturally causes the movement of the opposite guard plate inward, and the locking bar is serviceable for causing the movement of the other two levers 3, 3 in a manner which will be clear. The springs 6 with their shoulders 8 and 9 permit such movement and retain the parts in the position assumed by them. Such would be the simpler form of my device, useful mainly on street railways where it was not subject to molestation; but on steam railways and those roads traveling through a sparsely settled district it may be desirable to provide another form of lock which I will now describe.

Mounted on a suitable support alongside the locking bar is a casing 20 containing a sliding bolt-21 borne normally away from said bar by a spring 22, and carried by the cross rod 10 is a pair of cams 23 and 24 the parts being proportioned and disposed about as shown on Sheet 3 of the drawings. With the niain line open as seen in Fig. 9, let us assume that a locomotive L approaches from the right as diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1. The engineer depresses the left-hand forward plunger P, and its lower end strikes the plate 5 in Fig. 1 so that an impulse is imparted to the lever 3' in Fig. 9 to cause it to move in the direction of the arrow, such movement of course carrying the cross rod 10 and the other three levers along with it. At this time the tip of the bolt 21 engages a notch 25 in the locking bar 17, and the same is locked against movement by unauthorized persons if we assume that the bolt is well housed within its casing 20 as indicated in Fig. 8. The first movement of the rod 10 in the direction of the arrow causes the cam 24 to move from behind the bolt 21, when its spring 22 retracts it and the parts stand as seen in Fig. 10. During this movement the pin 15 within the boX at the bottom of Fig. 10 has been moving freely within the slot 16 in the locking bar and therefore the latter has not moved; but about the time that the cam 2st disengages the bolt and the latter retracts, the pin 15 engages the inner end of said slot and moves the bar and with it the swtitch tongues T, from the position shown in ig. 10, through the position shown in Fig. 11, to the position shown in Fig. 12. The last-named view shows the engagement of the other cam 23 with the bolt, which is thus projected into the other notch 26 in the locking bar, so that said bar is held against movement in the opposite direction. lVhile this movement of the switch has been described with relation to one guard plate 5, as all these levers 3 are connected with each other it is obvious that the same movement of the switch would occur if any of the plungers engaged any of the guard platesno matter in which direction the car was moving nor at what speed.

I do not wish to be limited to details, and the proportions and aterials of parts are obviously not essential.

YVhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guard plates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on the locomotive; of yokes at their inner ends, pins on the yoke-arms standing in alinement and projecting toward each other, a bar slidable beneath the track-rails and to which the switch-tongue is connected, and a boX carried by each end of said bar and having cross slots in its upper and lower plates with which said pins are loosely engaged.

2. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guard plates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on the locomot' e; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switch tongues are connected, a plate carried by each end of said bar and having a cross slot, and pins at the inner ends of said levers respectively engaging said slots.

3. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guard plates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on the locomotive; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switch tongues are connected, said bar having two notches between such tongues, connections between the inner ends of said levers and the outer ends of said bar, a sliding bolt mounted between the rails in position to engage one of said notches when the switch tongues are at either extreme position, a cross rod connecting said levers, and cams on said rod engaging said bolt, for the purpose set forth.

at. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted along the track and having upstanding guard plates adapted to be struck by plungers on the locomotive; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switch tongues are connected, said bar having two notches between such tongues, connections between said levers and bar, a sliding bolt between the rails in position to engage one of said notches when the switch tongues are at either extreme position, a spring normally holding said bolt out of engagement with the notches, a cross rod connecting said levers, and cams on said rod engaging the rear end of said bolt when the levers are moved and projecting it in opposition to the tension of said spring.

5. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of levers pivoted along the track and having upstanding guard plates adapted to be struck by plungers on the locomotive; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switch tongues are connected, said bar having two notches, connections between the levers and the bar, a sliding bolt in position to engage one notch when the switch-tongues are at either extreme position, a cross rod connecting said levers, a cam thereon for projecting said bolt when the levers are moved, a second pair of levers pivoted alongside the track and projecting in the opposite direction from said cross bar, and pin-and-slot connections between the inner ends of the levers of this pair and the bar.

6. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a longitudinally movable bar connected with the switch tongue and having a pair of notches in its edge and a longitudinal slot in its outer end, and a box inclosing said end and having a pin loosely engaging said slot; of a pivoted lever having a guard plate at one end adapted to be struck by a plunger on the locomotive, connections between its other end and said box, a cross rod moved by said lever, cams thereon, and a spring retracted bolt actuated by said cams to engage one or the other of said notches, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a bar connected with the switch tongue and having a pair of notches in one edge and a slot in its outer end, a box loosely mounted on said end and having a cross pin slidably engaging said slot, the upper and lower plates of said box having transverse slots, and a centrally pivoted lever having at one end a fork with inturned pins loosely engaging these slots and at its other end an upstanding guard plate adapted to be struck by a plunger on the locomotive; of a locking device adapted to engage one or the other of said notches when the switch tongue is in either extreme position, means for automatically retracting said device, a cross rod connecting said levers, and cams on said rod so spaced as to engage and project said locking device after the pin in said box has been moved throughout the length of the slot in said bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED J. WILSON.

Witnesses:

Gno. G. McGnnw, WM. Ancoon.

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

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