US1229549A - Signal-bell for railroad service. - Google Patents

Description

E. W. VOGEL.

SIGNAL BELL FOB RAILROAD SERVICE.

APPLICATION men MAY 18, 1914.

Patented June 12, 1917.

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WITNESSES:

E. W. VOGEL.

SIGNAL BELL FOR RAILROAD SERVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, I914.

I; y%%9y@%9m v Patented J une 12, 191?.

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- WITNESSES.-

A TTORNE TED s ATES EUGENE W. VOGEL, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T CHICAGO RAILWAY SIGNAL AND SUPPLY "COMPANY, OF CARPENTERSVILLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SIGNAL-BELL FOR RAILROAD SERVICE.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed May 18, 1914. Serial No. 839,463.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, EUGENE 1V. VosnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Bells for Railroad Service, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electrically operated signal bell for railroad and like service, and the invention has for its object to provide a novel and improved device of this type which will be compact, reliable in its operation, durable, inexpensive to manufacture, and so constructed that the operating mechanism housed and protected against injury from rain, dust, insects, and the like.

The invention has for further objects such other new and improved constructions, arrangements and devices in railway signaling bells as will be hereinafter described and claimed. a

The inventionis illustrated, in :a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sectional views of the apparatus taken at right angles one to the other.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in both figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, designates a casing preferably formed with a socket 11 by means of which it may be mounted on the post 12. The casing is in the form of a box which is closed on all sides except for a door opening, 13, covered by a door 141; a gasket 15 being preferably interposed between the door and the casing and the door being formed with a circumferential rib 16 which overlaps a rib 17 on the casing. On the top member 18 of the casing is a preferably integral frame 19 to which the bell 20 is socured by means of the screw 21. The casing is formed with an upstanding flange 22 which comes up close to the bell. The clapper 23 of the bell is ai'fixed to a rocking member 24 pivoted on a pin 25 between bosses 26 and 27 formed on the frame 19. The rocking member is operated by a rod 28 which passes through agland 29 in the top member 18 of the casing and is connected with the rocking member by means of the connecting piece 30. The operating rod 28 is provided with a weight 31 aliixed thereto by a set screw 33. The lower extremity of the rod is formed with a fork 3% in which is mounted an anti-friction roller 35 adapted to be engaged by a cam 36 keyed to a shaft 37 supported by standards 38 on the base plate 39 which rests upon the bottom of the casing 10. The cam 36 is rotated by means of a motor 40, the armature shaft of which is provided with a gear 41 and meshes with the first gear 42 of a reducing train comprising also a gear 43 on the same shaft 14: with gear 42, and a gear 45 keyed to the shaft 37. The motor is removably secured to the base plate 39 by screws 4-6. A buffer, in the form preferably of a rubber washer, 17, is arranged on the top of the casing surrounding the operating rod 28. The function of the buffer is to arrest the downward movement of the weighted rod 28 before the anti-friction roller comes into contact with cam 36. The upper plate 18 of the casing is preferably formed with a channel or water drain 18 terminating in an outlet 49 through the side of the casing. The drain 18 is preferably disposed beneath the clapper and eX- tends in the path of travel. thereof. This construction provides suitable clearance between the partition 18 and the clapper and also permits the clapper arm to be made long enough to bring the clapper 23 in contact with the outer edge of the bell without increasing the height of the flange 22 of the casmg.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the motor 10 is set in operation, which may be by any suitable apparatus actuated by the wheels of the train, or otherwise, the cam 36 is revolved at relatively slow speed, raising the weighted rod 28. This moves the clapper 23 away from the bell 20. The arrow in Fig. 1 shows the direction of retation of the cam. When the roller 35 at the end of the weighted rod, rides over the point 50 of the cam 36 the weight 31 throws the clapper against the bell, that is, to the dotted line position of'Fig. 1. The weight comes into contact with the buffer l7 before the roller 25 touches the low point 51 of the cam. Otherwise the shock of the parts would injure the mechanism. The further rotation of the cam brings it again into contact with the roller. This operation continues so long as the motor is energized. By using a motor to operate the bell the device may be used either on an alternating ourrent circuit or a direct current circuit by the employment of a motor of the appropriate sort. The motor is readily removable so that a substitution may be made when it is desired to convert a given device to, use in connection with the other sort of current. The apparatus is so constructed that the part of the operating mechanism likely to I to, the bell, the chance of water reaching the gland 29 is minimized. If any water does get in between the bell and the flange 22 provision is made for discharging it by means of the drain channel 48. The striking movement of the clapper is effected by gravity and while the driving mechanism is disconnected from the weighted element through the agency of which the clapper is caused to strike its blow. a loudsound may be produced since the weight 31 may be made heavy. The func-, tion of the motor is simply to raise the weight, which is accomplished gradually through the reducing train and cam 36.

While I have described my invention in a certain preferred embodiment, modifications might be made without departure from the principles of the invention- Therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the exact constructions, arrangements and devices shown and described except so far as the same are made specifically limitations in certain of the claims herein.

I claim:

o 1. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, the combination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with a gland, of a bell supported on said casing, a rocking member pivotally mounted within the bell, a clapper secured to said rocking member, mechanism within said casing for operating the clapper comprising a weighted vertically operating rod whichis connected to said rocking member and extends through the gland in the top of the casing; and the top of the casing being formed with a downwardly inclined drain channel in the path of travel of said clapper.

2. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, the combination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with a gland, of a bell supported on said casing, a

clapper pivotally mounted within thebell,

mechanism within said casing for operatin the clapper comprising an operating rod which extends through the gland inthe top The door opening is made tight,

For this reason of the casing; the top'of said casing being posed beneath the clapperand extending in the path of travel thereof.

3. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, the combination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with a gland, of a bell supported onsaid casing, a clapper pivotally mounted within said bell, an operating rod which extends through said gland, a cam, and mechanism for rotating the same within said casing, a weight on the end of the operating rod outside of the casing, and a buffer on the top of the casing'surrounding saidrod, against which the weight strikeson its down stroke so, as to arrest the movement of the operating rod before coming into contact with said cam.

4. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, the combination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with a gland, with upstanding flanges and with a drain channel, of a supporting frame on the top of said casing, a bell secured to said supporting frame so that it comes close to said flange, a rocking element mounted on said frame, a clapper aflixed to said rocking element, an operatingv rod extending through said gland, means for connecting the same to said rocking element, a weight on said operating rod, a cam in said casing adapted to intermittently raise and release said operating rod, an electric motor in said casing, a train of reducing gears adapted to'drive said cam from said motor, and a buffer on the top of said casing surrounding said operating rod against which the weight strikes,

on the down stroke of the rod, so as to prevent the end of said operating rod from coming into contact with said cam.

5. In a railway signal bell the combination of a casing provided with a door an electric motor, a revoluble cam having a curved cam surface less than a complete circle, and a train of gears between the motor and the cam, all completely housedtin and bell when said roller rides off said cam surface. V

EUGENE W. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

L. A. FALKENBERG, G. Y. SKINNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. i

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