US121158A

US121158A - Improvement in railway switches

Info

Publication number: US121158A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1871-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1888-11-21

Description

CHARLES LE E COOKE.

Improvement in Railway Switches.

N 01 121,158. Patented Nov- 21,1871.

Weilnamcsz Jul 612107 AM. PNOTD-UTHGSPAFIf/L' C0. 11! X] FIDO/711515 P1700583 CHARLES LEE OOOKE, OF

OFFICE.

sHoRTs'vILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAlLWAV SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,158, dated November 21, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LEE GooKE, of the town of Shortsville and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing-making part and parcel of this specification.

The nature and object of this invention is to construct a switch for railways that will secure greater certainty in the prevention of accidents by reason of the cars or locomotive being thrown from the track, so that, in whatever position the switch-rails may be placed, the cars may be conducted upon a line of siding or main rails.

Some switches hitherto have been constructed for the above-alleged purpose by the use of split rails toreceive the flanges of the car-wheels and by that means cause the same to be guided upon the main or other rails; but such split rails are liable to be broken, disarranged, and the spaces between them filled with sand, gravel, or other material that would render them inoperative, which results are entirely avoided by my construction of switches for railways; the means used by me being the introduction of a safety-rail, considerably wider than the carwheels including their flanges, inclined at one end, the same being constructed of wood,and their upper surface plated with heavy boiler-iron, and securely spiked to the rail-ties, and abutting closely upon the rails on their outer side by the main track; also in the form and construction of the guard-rails used in this connection.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use this my invention I will proceed to describe the same.

Figure 1 in the drawing represents a top view of a railway-track in which my improvements are placed. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the safety-rail in relation to the railroad-rail and ties.

A Arepresent the main rails; c c c c (l O G G the switch-rails, pivoted as usual at the ends opposite to the lever E and connecting rail-rod D. The latter is jointed at the center, as shown in the drawing at i, the flat portions of the rod or bar D being formed so as to fit closely and surround the flanges of the rails somewhat in the form of a door-tail. a and b are guard-rails made in the form shown. B is the safety-rail, tapered at the end toward the movable switch, made of hard wood, and its whole upper surface covered with heavy boiler-iron. Th e surface of this guardrail is made much wider than the wheels of the cars, so as to admit of the flange of the wheel passing up or upon it, the opposite wheels running upon their tread upon the rail. The carwheel upon the safety-rail. running upon its flange is necessarily of larger diameter than the opposite wheel running on its tread, and is, consequently, naturally directed inward and toward the rail that the cars should properly run upon; the construction of the guard-rails as shown tends to force or draw the car into its proper position when ofi' of rail upon which it is desired to run.

The appliances herein described are easily supplemented when broken or out of order, and replaced with great ease and facility by ordinary track-layers without being obliged to go to a shop .to have them repaired.

By this arrangement a train may move rapidly over the switch and safety-rail, which it could not do if a splitrail was substituted for the safetyrail described by me.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- The combination and arrangement of the wheelflange supporter B, formed of wood and plateiron, fitted to the section rail 0 and the main rail A, and guardrails a a b I), also made of sections of rails, all in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

CHARLES LEE GOOKE.

Witnesses:

WM. H. MASON, JOHN N. BROWNING.