US1260090A - Railway-crossing gate. - Google Patents

Description

C. B. STOCKSTILL.

' RAILWAY CROSSING GATE.-

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1911;

,260,09 0 Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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RAILWAY CROSSING GATE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1917.

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Patented Mar, 19, 1918.

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RAILWAY-CROSSING GATE.

Application filed June 26, 1917.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE B. STocKs'rILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hugoton, in the county of Stevens and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway- Crossing Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gates, and more especially to those which are mounted on horizontal pivots and interconnected and mechanically operated; and the object of the same is to produce improved means for automatically opening and closing the gates across'a highway and its side path at a point where the same cross a railway trackthe closing being automatically done by an ap preaching train and the gates reset to open position after the train has passed.

This object is carried out by the construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan view showing a diagrammatic arrangement of parts, and indieating at one Side an approaching train and the position to which it swings the lever.

F ig. 2 is an elevation of the parts of this device at the crossing, the gates being shown open in full lines and closed in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the inner ends of the two gate-members and the parts connecting them, this view showing all parts in one position; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2, with the parts in the other position.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown the railway track at R, crossing a highway H and footpath F, and have indicated a train T approaching on the track. At either side of the highway and perhaps two-hundred yards therefrom is disposed a lever, respectively numbered herein as 1 and 2, each pivotally mounted on an upright post 3 alongside the track and having its inner end upturned at 4 and adapted to be struck by a projecting portion 5 of the locomotive or the forward car of a train. The disposition of the levers and their upturned ends and 0f the projection on the locomotive is such that as the train approaches it swings one lever inward. and after having passed the highway it strikes the other lever and swings it outward, both for purposes hereinafter set forth. I may here say that the elements hereinafter referred to as cords Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Serial No. 177,094.

. will doubtless be wires or small cables, or

which may be carried on posts at a slight distance above the ground or may be buried but which of course will have to be buried where it passes across the highway, and the pulleys diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1 will be incased and protected in similar manner so as to preclude the possibility of interference by unauthorized persons and to exclude the weather as is well understood. Also I would explain that, although I have shown this gate mechanism as arranged at one side of the track It only, and alongside a single track railway, it is quite obvious that it could be duplicated on the other side of the same and the actuating mechanism could be arranged for operation by a train moving in either direction and on either track. Yet further, the small gates which close across the footpath F would, in that case, close across the same footpath on the other side of the railway. or across another footpath if the same existed at the other side of the h ghway H. WVith this explanation it is suflicient to state that a cord 6 leads from the outer end of the lever 1, a short distance away from the post, around a pulley 7 thence back across-the highway and footpath F to the corresponding end of the other lever 2, thence on and around a second pulley 8, and back to the point of starting: thus producing a complete loop between the corresponding ends of the two levers and cansing the movement of one in one direction to produce the movement of the other in the other direction. The result is that when the upturned end of one lever is moved inward toward the highway the corresponding end of the other lever is also moved inward: then when the train passes across the highway and footpath and the upturned end of the second lever is moved outward or away from the highway, the upturned end of the opposite or first-named lever is also moved outward away from the highway and the parts reset for subsequent operation in a manner which will be explained. The loop which has just been described may be completely inclosed within the housing or tubing along with the pulleys mentioned. eX- cepting where the cord leaves the housing for connection with the ends of the levers. The distance of the latter from the highway is of course unimportant, but I consider two hundred yards suliicient.

the small gate 15, the same also preferably having a longer arm adapted to reach across the footpath F and a shorter arm adjacent the shorter arm of the main gate, overlying the same. These shorter arms are connected by an upright pivoted link 16, and the link or its pivotsmayc'arry suitable weights 17 which are sufficient to normally retain the gates in open'position. Attached to the proper strand of the loop of cord above described is an actuating cord 18 which passes under a pulley 19 and upward to the outer end of the long armof the smaller gate, or if not to the extreme outer end thereof, then'to some point on the same which corresponds with the movement of the levers above mentioned. Now when an approaching train strikes one lever and swings it in the manner above suggested, the loop causes the-simultaneous swinging of the other lever, the actuating cord is drawn upon, and vboth gates are swung on their pivots to closed position. The counterbalancing weight rises, and the gates remain in this position while the train is passing from the lever first struck, across the highway H and footpath F, and to and past the other lever. The latter. being struck by the projection on the locomotive, is moved in the opposite direction, and the gates are reset to open position all without attention on the art of anyone.-

In connection with thi improved railway crossing gate I make use of signals, which may be visible or audible or both. The audible signal may be a bell actuated electrically or otherwise and tripped by an approaching train and cut out by the same train after it has passed on, but this detail is not illustrated merely suggested; The visible signal is shown in the drawings, and its wiring is diagrammatically illustrated. It consists of a lamp in the shape of an elec tric bulb 20, carried on the long arm of the maingate and connected by wire 21 with the battery 22. The other wire 23 leads from said battery to a terminal 24 which may be carried by the post 10. A second terminal 25 is connected by wire 26 with the bulb and supported by the long arm of the gate. 7 above explained, the two terminals come into contact and the circuit is closed and the bulb lighted. I would have the terminals rather long and yielding as shown, so that cont-act is made and the bulb is lighted as the arm is descending, and the light is displayed at both sides of the arm as long as thelatter is down or even partway clown. T he resultis tha't-w-hether the audibles'ignal is used or not-as soon as the gate begins to close the light or lights are illumihated and an approaching driver knows that the-gate-arm isabout to descend. There fore he is given warning in time, to stop his team at some little distance from the gate, and it closes across the highway in front of him. The train now approaches and passes, and afterward the gate rises and the light is automatically extin uished, so that the driver may pass on. The same occurs simultaneously with the other gate swinging across thefoot'path F, but it is hardly necessary to provide a duplicate light on this gate, although the same may be provided if desired. Thus is produced an automatic gate and signal which needs no attention after once it is installed, excepting that occasionally the battery must be replenished and the wiring inspected; lVith the visible signal and certainly with :both visible and audible signals, it is hardly necessary to duplicate the gate at the other side of the railway, because the single gate can be clearly seen across thetrack by a driver approaching from the opposite direction; but yet at busy points it maybe wise to duplicate the construction here shown, and I reserve the right to-do so if desired.

WVhat is claimed as new is A highway gate for railroad crossings comprising a gate arm, means for normally holding the same in raised position, levers pivoted intermediate their ends adjacent the track and having one end adapted to be struck by a train, a pulley located in the rear of each lever, a and connected with the end of one lever and passin arou d the pulley adjacent the other lever and con-- n'ected to the end of said other lever, then passing around the second pulley to the starting'point, and a second'co'rd connecthis the gate arm with one of the levers.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

CLAUDE B. STOCK-STILL.

flopies 0! this patentmay be obtained for fi've cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Y wasmn wa, a e.

When new this arm descends as

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