US1238547A - Mechanical hump elevating, hinging, and supporting mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

MARCHANT. MECHANICAL HUMP- El EVATING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG-1B. L916.

8 SHEETS SHEET I.

Patented Aug; 28, 1917.

' L. MARCHANT. MECHANICAL HUMP ELEVATING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18 I916,

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

H L. MARCHANT. MECHANICALHUMP ELEVATING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG- 18, I9I6. 1,23%,541

a SHEETS-SHEET s.

I I m mmm I r Patent-ed Aug. 28, 1917.

L. MARCHANT. MECHANICAL HUMP ELEVATING, HYINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

1 APPLICATION FILED AUG.18. 1916.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I gn vcnfoz .4 51405 WWW/MW? Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

L. MARCHANT.

MECHANICAL HUMP ELEVATING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, me.

, 5%? Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

a SHEETS-SHEET 5 314 00 MtOZ L. MARCHANT.

MECHANICAL H'UMP EtEVATlNG, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATlQN FILED AUG. 18. 1916.

1 ,238,547 Patented Aug; 28, 1917.

B SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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MECHANICAL um ELEVATING, meme, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. IBIS. 1 23- 547,, Patented Aug. 28, 1911.

8 SHEETS-SHEEP 7 avwemtoz Gum mu I L. MARCHANT. MECHANICAL HUMP ELEI/ATING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I8. I9I6.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 8. 4

avwawto'c LEWIS MARCHAN'I, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL HUMP ELEVA'IING, HINGING, AND SUPPORTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed August 18, 1916. Serial No. 115,629.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Lnwrs MAROHANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Hump Elevating, flinging, and Supporting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track devices known as mechanical humps, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with scales on which railway cars are weighed.

As is well known, in order to obtain the proper weight of a loaded railway car, the same must be disconnected from other cars in the train, and to this end it is necessary to employ some means adjacent the platform of the weighing scales whereby the cars will be given sufficient movement to pass onto thescale platform to be weighed separately. Accordingly, the present invention has primarily in view a device of this character whereby railway cars may be given a uniform rate of travel across the scale platform, whereby the weighing of the car and its contents may be facilitated, while at the same time insuring accuracy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hump device which may be readily adjusted to take care of temperature conditions, and which also provides for effectually elevating the car from the main track level, whereby both the rails and the rolling stock are subjected to the least shocks and jars. In this connection the invention also proposes to provide a track hump wherein the space or distance between the ends of the rails of the separate track sections is reduced to a minimum for all elevations of the hump.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strong, substantial and reliable construction which may be easily operated and kept in repair.

lVith these and many other objects in view which will become more readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully pointed out, illustrated and claimed.

It will be quite readily understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs that the present design is susceptible of various changes and combinations without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, but a preferred and practical embodiment of the design is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showmg the manner of constructing the end of the hump adjacent to the track scales together with a similar arrangement for raising and lowering the track hump and the mechanlsm designed to produce the hinging motion of the ends of the connector or bridge sectlons. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view which when matched with Fig. 1 shows the manher of constructing the approach end of the hump, together with a portion of the device used for raising and lowering the track hump.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4e4 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the hump hinging device and elevating mechanism as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

Fig. 6 shows a half sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 shows a half sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 8 and 8 are diagram views showing how the rail sections move.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

As previously pointed out, the present invention is adapted to be used in connection with track scales for weighing railway cars and their contents, and is designed to be placed in the main trackway adjacent to the track section of the scale. Accordingly, in carrying out this invention no change is contemplated in the track scales nor in the road bed or track adjacent the device. To this end the present invention contemplates a device for operating and holding in any desired position a mechanical hump device designated in its entirety by the numeral. 10, and consisting primarily of a plurality of sections, viz, first the inclined section of the hump designated by the numeral 11, second, the horizontal elevator section 12 and the third section adjacent the scale platform, designated by the numeral 13. The end 14 of the inclined section 11, adjacent the track is pivoted upona spool bearing 16, the

15 (Fig. 5) for the spool 23 rests directly upon the platefM, and the device employed to raise and lower the track hump will appear as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

The device employed to raise and lower the track hump, designated by the numeral 25, consists primarily of a double oppos d toggle joint wherein the outwardly projecting ends 26 are each secured by a nut or similar device to a right and left handed screw 27,designed to be operated'through a suitable double pawl and rack ari.'ange mcnt, 28. Said pawl to be given 'a rocking motion by inserting a suitable handle or bar into a recess 29 provided for the same. Any up and down movement of the socket 29 will have the effect of rotating the shaft 30, thus drawing the ends 26 toward each other and forcing the ledge 31 upward, since the-ledge 31 by virtue'of the present design carries with it the spool bearing :33 together with its enveloping casting 32, it isnecessary to insert liners or plates between'the base 83 and the base support 3% to take the live load, which is the load of a passing locomotive or c f? Having raised the ledge 31, and therail ends35 and 36 to the desired height, suitable liners are interposed between the base f 33 and the base support 34, after which the direction of rotation of the shaft 80 is reversed and the dead weight is taken off the toggle ack. p

l'Iaving described the manner of raising V therail joints it remains to point out definit'ely the manner of retaining the distance between'the rail ends, whenthe same are 1n their elevated positio nand 1t may be here stated that the'chief defect of railway mee signed, and consists primarily of a method of giving a hinging effect at the top of-the adjacent rail ends, and to this end thereis associated with the spool bearing 23,11 plate 35 upon which'theb'ase of the latter is 'aciaptedio slide, and in order 'to effect 7 this sliding action there 15 provided a link c'rumed at 40 upon that portion of the supporting casting thatcarries the lifting ledge 31. The long arm of the bell crank is secured to an anchor bolt 41, which is 'provided with a suitable adjusting means in order to vary the vertical height ofthe end 12 of th'e'bell crank, as well'as toadjust the rail gaps between the hump sections.

From this description it will be obvious that'by rotating the shaft 30, F ig. 7, of the drawings, in sucha manner-to lift the ledge 31, the'spool bearing 23 will be drawn t0- wardthe bell crank fulcrum 40* h It will-also be noticed that the distance through which the spool bearing moves in a horizontal direction is a fraction of-the-height'to which the ledge 31 is raised. It will be thus noticed that thejvertical motion of one rail end imparts through the attached mechanism a combined vertical and horizontal motion to the other rail-end,the various parts of the device being so designed and positioned that a minimuin distance-is always maintained between the-rail ends,

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be ob-' served that the spool bearing base 43 is made slidableupon its support 4 4, this being necessary 1n order to takecare of the longitudinal movement of the rail support 37 whenthe ledge 31 is raised as explained above. It will befurther noticed that a vertical elevation of the rail end 36 above the spool bearing 4E6 will have a tehdencyto cause the rails '21 at the points 47 and 48 to impinge u'pon each other, since the fulcrum 4:9 is placed considerably below the rail end. Thisimpingingof the-rail ends im however, avoided by theslight-longitudinal movement provided for through the bearing-2 0, as'already more fullyexplained' above. 7

served that two positions are shownfor the rail, viz, thenormal;level pos tion and the extreme highest position, the latter "being shown in dotted lines. The point designated as 50, located atthe top of the rail and at the end thereof, is between the statio'nary rail of the scale and the adjacent rail on the hump, that is the rail on the approach side'of the track scales," and it is virtually abovethispoint as well as between the adjacent'railrends of the elevator sec- 1 tion that the rail hinges,- by reason of the' present construction which is embodied in the design, as an arc struckfrorn eachof these centers will 'pass through the center of the slidable spool bearings 23*, in each successive elevated position, from the minimum to the intermediate and maximum.

Fig, 8 further shows that the center section is raised in a vertical direction while the spool bearing moves through the angle (Z in rising from its normal position to its highest position, at the same time it will be noticed that the bearing 19 moves through the angle E, the bearing 49 at the same time moves in a horizontal direction as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

For the purpose of raising and lowering the four jacks simultaneously, I have provided a transverse bar 52,which is rotatably connected to jacks at its opposite ends as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, while the ratchet arm 53 is connected to a similar arm at the opposite end of the horizontal section, through an operating rod 54, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

Referring to the half sectional new as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, it will he observed that ample provision is made to prevent both longitudinal and transverse movement of the hump mechanism through a bracket 55 positioned on the wall 56. The bracket 55 is provided at its outer end 57 with a vertical groove which is engaged by suitable T head sections 58 which are adapted to fit between the heads of an I section 59 arranged between the rail supporting casting 60, and the fulcrumed bearing casting 61. For the purpose of keeping the I seetions 59 in alinement, there is provided a transverse stiffening channel 62, which is designed to be secured to the Isect1on 59 through a suitable flanged element 63 through the use of suitable inverted connection 64, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

Accordingly, from the foregoing 1t wlll be apparent that the novel and distinctive feature of the present invention is the provision of a mechanical hump device including a main elevator section 12 and the bridge sections 11 and 13, arranged on opposite ends thereof and constituting the connection between the elevator section and the main trackway. The elevator section 12 is movable vertically to the desired height by means of the toggle devices 2627, one of these devices being positioned under each of the four corners of the elevator section and having a common operating device 53 54:. When this latter device is actuated by means of a lever being inserted in the socket 29, the bell crank 53 is rocked, thereby reciprocating the rod 54:, which, through a suitable pawl arrangement, rotates the shaft 30 which controls the link element toggle devices, to raise and lower this elevator section.

As will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2, the bridge or connector sections 11 and 13 have a fulcrum support at the ends thereof opposite the section 12, and also have a pivotal bearing support adjacent the latter section, as shown in Fig. 5. These sections 11 and 13 are, therefore, sup orted inclependent of the section 12 except for the lever devices 410, pivotally supported as at 10* on the lower portions of the section 12. These lever devices each essentially comprise a bell crank lever having a fixed pivot as at 10 On the section 12, while one arm 36 thereof is connected as at 38 with one of the bridge sections, and the arm 36 thereof is adjustably connected as at 11 with an anchor element 41. With this arrangement, it will be apparent that upon the section, 12 being elevated by the toggle devices, the sections 11 and 13 will also be elevated at their ends adjacent the section 12, because of the fact that the lever devices 10 are carried by the section 12 and pivot-ally connected with the sections 11 and 13. That is to say, as the section 12 elevates, it will carry the ends of sections 11 and 13, adjacent the same, upward, and also pull the latter away from the ends of the main trackway in proportion to the rise of the section 12, so that the opposite extremities of the tracks carried by the sections 11 and 13 will not impinge on the ends of the fixed tracks of the main traekway or scale. When the section 12 is elevated, it remains in a horizontal plane, but the tracks carried by the sections 11 and 13 become inclined to thus connect the tracks carried by the section 12 with the main trackway and track section on the scale platform to Jrovide an intereommunicating trackway for the cars.

WVithout further description it is thought that the many novel improvements of the present device will be readily recognized, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the arrangement and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mechanical hump device for railway tracks comprising an elevator section, means for lifting said section to form a hump, and means for giving the rails a hinging effect about the top and the end of the rails of each section of the hump.

2. In combination with a track scale, a mechanical hump device, means for raising and lowering the hump, and means for giving the rails forming the railway track thereon a hinging effect about the top and end of the rails of each section of the hump.

3. A mechanical hump device for railway tracks comprising in combination with the main trackway, an elevator section, means for preventing the longitudinal and transverse movement of the elevator section, bridge sections, means for preventing the transverse motion of the bridge sections, means for lifting the elevator section, and means carried by the elevator section for lifting the ends of the bridge sections adjacent thereto together with means for imparting a longitudinal movement to said bridge sections.

4. A device of the class described comprising in combinationwith a trackway, a vertically movable track section adapted to be lifted above the level of said trackway, and other track sections for connecting the vertically movable section with the main,

' 7 site said elevator section, and levers carried trackway.

5. A mechanical hump device for railwav tracks comprising in combination with the main trackway, a vertical movable hump section, bridge sections arranged between said movable section and the main t 'ackway and having a fulcrum support adjacent the terminals of said main trackway and also operatively connected with said vertically movable section, means for elevating the movable section, and means carried by said movable section and connected with said bridge sections for causing the latter to move about their fulcrum points and also have a longitudinal movement in proportion to the rise of the vertically movable section.

6. A mechanical hump device for railway tracks comprising in combination with the main trackway, an elevator section, bridge tracks com arisin in combination with the main trackway, an elevator section, bridge sections arranged between said elevator sections and the main traclrway and having a slidable fulcrum support at the ends oppoby said elevator section and pivotally connecting with said bridge sections and adapted .to pull the latter toward the elevator section when the sameis elevated.

8. A mechanical hump device for railway tracks comprising in combination with the main trackway a plurality of bridge seetions,.arranged between the rail ends of the main trackway, means for lifting the ends of the bridge sections so as to produce a hump effect, and means carried by the bridge sections to produce a .hinging effect at the top of the rail ends.

In testimony .whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS MARGHAN.

Witnesses:

N. E. GEE, J. T. HANLON.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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