US1136793A - Railroad safety device. - Google Patents

Description

c. H.'G0-0DPASTURE.

RAILROAD SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1914.

1,136,793. Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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l IPL A TTOR/VEVS THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHCL, WASHINGTON, D. C,

C. H. GOODPASTURE! RAILROAD SAFETY DEVICE. APPLICATION ruin .I A N- 10. I914.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR 6 (RM TM CZarlea ZCGOOdWZMZG it? W BY CHARLES HENRY GOODPASTURE, 0F OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON.

RAILROAD SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed January 10, 1914. Serial No. 811,352.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. GoonrAs'rUnn, a citizen of the United States, and.

a resident of ()lympia, in the county of Thurston and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Railroad Safety Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to railroad safety devices of a type suitable for giving warning to operatives on board a moving train, in the event of the occurrence of a landslide, a snow slide, or other like casualty making a substantial disturbance in the condition of the roadbed.

More particularly stated, my invention comprehends a safety device, controllable directly by physical action of the landslide or its equivalent, and associated with suitable alarm mechanism to warn the operatives upon the moving train.

Reference is madeto the accompanymg drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a perspective, showing my invention as used upon a railroad track. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the semaphore mechanism, and certain movable parts associated therewith, these parts here occupying predetermined abnormal posltions. Fig. 3 is a section somewhat similar to Fig. 2, but showing-the movable parts as occupying abnormal positions different from those they occupy in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the trap gate in its normal position.

The railroad track is shown at 5, and coinprises rails 6, 7, resting upon cross ties 8 and sills 9, 10 and 11 of various lengthsthese sills, however, all being longer than the cross ties. Extending upwardly from the sills 10, 11 are semaphore posts 12 and 13, which are spaced some distance apart. Each of these semaphore posts is provided with a window 14, having substantially the general form of: a sector, as indicated in F i 1.

iocated alongside of the railroad track, and disposed parallel therewith, is a trap gate 15, which is situated between, and supported by two gate posts 16, as may be understood from Fig. 4.. A cord 17, or

equivalent flexible connection, is controllable by the trap gate, and extends through a number of eyes 18, and engages a pulley 19, around which it bends. The cord is secured to a shuttle 20 which extends under the rails 16, and directly across the track. The shuttle is provided with comparatively thin portions 23, 24, extending inwardly that is, toward each other. These thin portions 23, 24 are not sufficiently massive to endanger the rolling stock, and are so disposed that when the shuttle 20 is moved to the limit of its travel, in either of two directions, one or the other of the portions 23, 24 will engage the upper or tread surface of the adjacent rail 6 or 7. Torpedoes 25, 26, which are in the nature of detonating caps or wafers, are secured upon the portions 23 and 24, and are each so located as to be brought directly over the adjacent rail when the shuttle is moved into its extreme positions, as above stated. The shuttle 2O rests upon antifriction rollers 27, in order that it may be readily moved endwise. A cord 28 is secured to the end portion 22 of the shuttle, and engages a pulley 29, supported by the semaphore post 12,"as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

A sleeve 30 is revolubly mounted upon a pintle 31 which extends through the upper portions of the semaphore post. The sleeve 30 carries a pair of oppositely disposed target leaves 33, 34, preferably colored red, and each having substantially the form of a sector. By this arrangement when either target leaf 33 or 34 extends directly upward from the pintle 31, the window 14 displays the red color of the target leaf. When, how ever, the leaves 33 and 34 extend horizontally from the pintle, the window appears clear, or at least does not display any red color. The parts are so proportioned and arranged that the window displays the red color whenever the shuttle 20 is at the limit of its travel in either of two directions. WVhen, however, the shuttle occupies its normal position, midway between the limits of its travel, the semaphore window displays no red color. A counterweight 32, secured to the end of the cord 28 which engages the sleeve 30, serves to maintain the cords 17 and 28 sutficiently taut at all times, and also to move the shuttle 20 to the limit of its travel in one direction, in the event that the cord 17 becomes broken or cut by accident.

The trap gate 15 is mounted upon stub shafts 35, the latter extending through the lower portions of the gate posts 16, as indiand extends from one to the other of the semaphore posts 12 and 13.

Vhen' all of the movable parts occupy their respective normal positions, the win dow 14: of each semaphore post appears clear, each shuttle 20 occupies a position intermediate between the limits of its travel, the torpedoes 25, 26 are spaced a few inches from the adjacent rails 6, 7, and the trap gate extends directly upward, being practically balanced upon the shafts 35, and also held'in its vertical position by the tension of the cord 17, this tension being maintained constantly by the weights 32. At 38 (Fig. 1) is shown an embankment or mass of earth, portions of which may, owing to. conditions of weather, become detached and slide toward the railroad track. The operation of my device is as follows: The parts being assembled and arranged as above described, and the various movable parts being brought into their respective normal positions, the torpedoes 25, 26 are secured in place, and the device as a whole remains in this conditions indefinitely. Sup pose, however, that a quantity of earth or snow from the embankment 38 slides down and presses against the trap gate 15, the trap gate is thereby swung inwardly, or toward'the railroad track. The cord 17 is pulled, and each shuttle 20 is moved, to the limit of its travel to the left according to --Fig. 1. The torpedo 26 is thus brought directly over the adjacent rail 7, as indicated in Fig. 2. The target leaf 33 is now visible through the window 14:, and consequently the semaphore displays a red color. 'If,at this juncture, a train approaches the trap gate from either direction of the railroad track, the operatives of the train have an opportunity to note the red color displayed by the semaphore, and therefore to be apprised of danger and thus enabled to bring the train to a stop. If, however, the visual signal is not heeded, the wheels of the train soon engage a torpedo 26, which is thereby caused to detonate and thus give an audible signal, enabling the operatives to stop the train. Suppose, however, that in consequence of a freshet, a landslide, or similar casualty, the cord 17 is cut or broken. In this event each weight 32 will move the shuttle 20, immediately associated with it, into the position indicated in'Fig. 4. Therefore, a train, approaching the trap gate from either direction, will cause a torpedo 25 to detonate. The net result, therefore, is that in the event of the trap gate being thrown down or swung out of its normal position, or of the cord 17 being destroyed, a warning is given to the operatives of any train approaching the trap gate. 7

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown, as variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is asfollows: V 1. In a railroad safety device, the"com'-V bination of a rail, a shuttle disposed under said rail and provided with an upwardly ex-. tending end member at the outer side of the rail, the end member having an inwardly extending portion carrying a torpedo, ,and adapted when the shuttleis actuated to engage the upper or tread surface of said rail in order to enable said torpedov to be ex:-

ploded by a train' moving relatively to said- I rail, and mechanism controllable by abnormal conditions of the railroad: track fo actuating said shuttle.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a track provided with a plurality of'rails, a shuttle movable relatively to said rails and provided with means for placing torpedoes thereover,

mechanism controllable by a landslide or similar casualty for moving'saidshuttle to the limit of-its travel in one direction, mechanism including a counterweight for mov-' ing said shuttle to thelimit of its travel the opposite direction, and a plurality of v torpedoes carried by said shuttle, said 'torpe- 5 does being so disposed that when said shuttle is at the limit of its travel in one direc-. tion, one of said torpedoes is-adjacent to one of said rails, and when said shuttle is J at the limit of its travel in the opposite direction, another of said torpedoes is adjacent another of said rails.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a shuttle 'movable relative to the track rails, means connected with one V end of the shuttle for controlling-the movementof the shuttle in one direction, mechanism connected with the other end of the shuttle for moving the same in the opposite direction, the said mechanism including a cord and a counterweight, and torpedoes carried by the shuttle, one of said torpedoes being adapted to be brought into close proximity to one of said rails, when the'shuttle is moved in either direction. 7, V V

4. In a device of the'character'described, the combination with track rails, of a, shuttle movable relative to therails and provided at its ends with means for carrying torpedoes, the supporting means for the tor pedoes being normally spaced from the rails, mechanism controllable by abnormal conditions of the railroad track, for moving the shuttle in one direction, to place one of said torpedoes in position to be exploded by a train, and mechanism for moving the said shuttle in the opposite direction to place the other torpedo in position to be exploded by a train.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with the rails of a track, of a shuttle movable relative to the rails, torpedoes carried by the shuttle at the ends thereof and adapted to be moved over the rails, as the shuttle reaches the limit of its travel in either direction, means connected with one end of the shuttle and controllable by abnormal conditions of the railroad track for moving the shuttle to the limit of its travel in one direction, mechanism connected with the other end of said shuttle for moving the shuttle to the limit of its travel in the opposite direction, and a visual signal actuated when the shuttle is moved in either direction.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with the track rails, of a shuttle movable relative to said rails, torpedoes carried by the shuttle at the ends thereof and adapted to be moved over the rails as the shuttle reaches the limit of its travel in either direction, the shuttle normally occupying a position midway between the limits of its travel, means connected with one end of the shuttle and controllable by abnormal conditions of the railroad track, for moving the shuttle to the limit of its-travel in one direction, a flexible member connected with the other end of said shuttle and provided with a counterweight, for moving the shuttle to the limit of its travel in the opposite direction, and a visual signal controlled by the movement of said flexible member and displayed when the shuttle is at the limit of its travel in either direc tion.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with the track rails, of a movable shuttle extending under the rails and across the track and resting on anti-friction rollers, the shuttle being provided with members adapted to support torpedoes, the said shuttle when moved to the limit of its travel in either direction being adapted to bring a torpedo directly over a rail, and means controllable by abnormal conditions, for actuating said shuttle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY GOODPASTURE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. D. KING, ADAH CLEVELAND.

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

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