US1306731A

US1306731A - Automatic train-stopping mechanism

Info

Publication number: US1306731A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1936-06-17

Description

. ANDERSON;

i'kUTOfi/IATIC TRAIN STOPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. I918.

Patented June 17, 1919.

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S. ANDERSON.

AUTOMATlC TRAIN STOPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-23.1918- 1,306,731 Patented June 17, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES IN H15 Hrromvsv.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIGFRED ANDERSON, 0F WIND'BER, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOPPING- MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIGFRED ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Windber, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Stopping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide practical means which, for example, can be attached to a locomotive and will be operative, upon engagement with a trip on the roadbed adjacent the track, to automatically stop a locomotive or train of cars.

My invention is operative to prevent accidents such, for example, as often occur upon failure of the engineer to stop the train at a given danger signal. The mechanism of my invention will operate to stop a train independently of the engineer so that if the engineer is sick or unable to stop the train, the mechanism of my invention will do so automatically.-

Another object is to make my invention of simple and durable construction and so that it can be moved into an inoperative position when not desired for use or when it is desired to move the same a sufiicient distance above the roadbed to clear any obstructions on the track.

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be described hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention shown applied to a locomotive, the 10- comotive, track, and roadbed being shown in dotted lines,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a trip device which forms a part of my invention,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through a valve and valve operating means which form a part of my invention,

. Fig. 6 is a side view of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the parts of a portable block which forms a part of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, 7 represents a locomotive to which is attached a train pipe 8 which is usually present on trains for supplying air for the brakes; it being under- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11113 1'7, 1919. Application filed September 23, 1918. Serial No. 255,214. v

stood that when the pressure within said pipe is reduced the brakes will be applied to the wheels in the usual manner.

A branch pipe 9 leads from the train pipe 8 and at its bottom opens into a valve casing 10, the latter having a valve 11 therein which is normally closed by a rotatable valve stem 12. The stem 12 has a slot 13 cut therethrough which is adapted to register with a valve outlet passage 14 to permit air pressure within the train pipe 8 to escape to the atmosphere. Fig. 5 shows the valve stem 12 in a closed position so as to prevent the escape of air pressure from the train pipe 8.

The valve stem 12 is journaled within the valve casing 10 and at one end has a handle 15 which, when the valve stem is in a closed position, depends vertically.

A pendulum lever 16 has a flared end 17 and is pivotally jointed at 18 to the lower end of a bar 19. When the valve stem 12 is in a position to close the outlet valve passage 14 and the lever 16 is in its lowermost position, as shown in Figs. 5 and-6, the axis of the pivoted joint 18 is coincident with or in alinement with the axis of the valve stem 12.

The rear of the lever 16 has two lugs 20 Y which are spaced'apart within the height of the lever and have holes 21 which form slideways for the handle 15. In other words, by the above mentioned'construction the handle 15 is slidably connected to the lever 16 and a swinging movement of the lever 16,will impart a swinging movement to the handle 15 and a consequent rotatable movement to the valve stem 12 so that when the lever 16 is moved in opposite directions the slot 13 will be moved into register with the valve outlet passage 14 to release the air pressure.

The front face of the valve casing 10 has two

lugs

22 and 23 which are hereinafter termed re-setting lugs. These lugs form a path or contracted opening 24 in which are located the bar 19 and the'upper end portion of the lever 16.

The oppositely disposed surfaces 25 of the resetting lugs 23 'fiare downwardly to permit the swinging of the lever 16 when the latter 'is in a lowered position; but when the its normal position cutting off the outlet passage 14. This part of the operation will be further described hereinafter.

The valve casing 10 has a slotted extension 26 which forms a guide for the bar 19. However, the slot 27 of this extension will permi-t a slight lateral movement.

The upper end of the bar 19 ,is pivotally connected to a bell-crank-lever 28, said bellcrank-lever being operatively connected by a link 29 to another bell-crank-lever 30, both of the bell-crank-

levers

28 and 30 being pivotally connected, as illustrated, to a portion of the locomotive 7.

The bell-crankdever 30 is operatively connected to a pedal rod 31 the upper end of which is positioned within the engineers cab 32. This pedal rod extends through a housing 33 below thecab floor 34, and a spring 35 in said housing operates to nor mally hold the pedal rod 31 in a raised position and thereby hold the lever 16 in a position adapted to engage a stop 36 which can be secured to a tie of the roadbed in a manner hereinafter described. This stop 36 is adapted to be engaged by the end 17 of the lever 16 so as to cause said lever 16 to swing to effect the escape of the air pressure in the train pipe 8 and thereby stop the train.

The upper end of the pedal rod 31 has a notch 37 adapted to be engaged by a latch 38 when the pedal rod 31 is depressed. It will be noted that by moving the pedal rod downwardly, the above described connection between the bar 19 and the pedal rod 31 will cause said bar 19 to be raised and with it the pendulum 16.

The downward movement of the pedal rod 31 performs two functions. In the first place, it raises the pendulum lever 16 above the stop 36 or above any other obstruction in the roadbed; and in the second place, it effects the closing of the valve to prevent the escape of air pressure from the train pipe 8.

The stop 36, as illustrated, is of a portable character and includes a plate 39 (see Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive). The plate 39 can be positioned on any of the ties and includes a forked end 40 which can embrace the base 41 of one of the rails, as illustrated.

This plate 39 also includes a pointed tooth 42 adapted to pierce one side of the tie 43. An arm 44 has a projection 44* adapted to slidably fit within a recess 45 in the plate 39. The arm 44 also has a pointed tooth 46 oppositely disposed to the tooth 42 and adapted to pierce the opposite side surface of the tie 43.

A clamping rod 47 passes through a portion of the plate 39 and has a screw threaded end 48 which engages a tapped opening 49 in the arm 44. Thus by turning the clamping rod 47 the

teeth

42 and 46 pierce the opposite sides of the tie 43 and hold the plate to the tie.

A stopping device of this nature can be carried on the train and can be attached by the brakeman of a train so that instead of the usual flagging of an oncoming train this device will serve to positively stop an oncoming train automatically to prevent an end collision.

A cut out valve 51 is interposed in the branch pipe 9 so that if the valve 11, or any of its connecting parts, should become injured the cut out valve 51 can be closed so as not to interfere with the ordinary operation of the brakes.

By making the lower end of the pendulum lever 16 flared, as above described, the lever naturally has a tendency to move into its normal position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing. In other words, this flaring forms a weighted lower end for the lever 16 and this weight assists in returning the handle 15 of the valve stem to its normal position to effect the closing of the valve outlet passage 14. t

The portable trip or stop device, which is illustrated and described but not claimed per se in this application, forms the subjectmatter of my co-pending application for United States Patent filed December 10th, 1918, Serial No. 266,022.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts of my invention may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a brake controlling valve; a member adapted to engage and to be relatively moved by said step to actuate the valve to operate the brakes; means for moving said member into an inoperationposition so as to be clear of said step; andineans in operative connection with said member and said valve whereby when said member is moved into an inoperative position, said valve will be operative to effect the release of said brakes, substantially as described.

2. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a valve operative to effect operation of braking mechanism; a valve stem movable to open and close said valve; a swinging pendulum lever; 'means opera tively connecting said pendulum leverwith said valve stem whereby when the pendulum lever is swung due to engagement with said stop, the valve stem will be rocked to render said valve operative to effect the operation of the braking means; and means for moving said pendulum lever to a position clear of said stop, substantially as described. 3. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a valve operative to effect operation of braking mechanism; a valve stem movable to open and close said valve; a pendulum lever; means on said pendulum lever providing slideways; a handle connecting said valve stem and slidable through said slideways whereby when the pendulum lever is swung due to engagement with said stop, the valve stem will be moved to render said valve operative to effect the operation of the braking means; means for moving said pendulum lever to a position clear of said stop; and re-setting means operative during said latter movement of the pendulum lever to cause said handle to move the valve stem into a position to release said braking means, substantially as described.

4:. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a valve operative to effect operation of braking mechanism; a valve stem movable to open and close said valve; a pendulum lever; means on said pendulum lever providing slideways; a handle connecting said valve stem and slidable through said slideways whereby when the pendulum lever is swung due to engagement with'said stop, the valve stem will be moved to render said valve operative to effect the operation of the braking means; means for moving said pendulum lever to a position clear of said stop; and re-setting means operative during said latter movement of the pendulmn lever to cause said handle to move the valve stem into a position to release said braking means, said re-setting means including lugs spaced apart and adapted to be engaged by said pendulum lever to cause the latter to be returned to its normal position, substantially as described.

5. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a valve operative to efiect operation of braking mechanism; a valve stem movable to open and close said valve; a pendulum lever; means on said pendulum lever providing slideways; a handle connecting said valve stem and slidable through said slideways whereby when the pendulum lever is swung due to engagement with said stop, the valve stem will be moved to render said valve operative to effect the operation of the braking means; means for moving said pendulum lever to a position clear of said stop; re-setting means operative during said latter movement of the pendulum lever to cause said handle to move the valve stem into a position to release said braking means; and means for holding said pendulum lever moving means in said latter position to retain said pendulum lever in a position clear of the stop, substantially as described.

6. Mechanism of the character described including a stop; a valve operative to effect operation of braking mechanism; a valve stem movable to open and close said valve; a pendulum lever; means on said pendulum lever providing slideways; a handle connecting said valve stem and slidable through said slideways whereby when the pendulum lever is swung due to engagement with said stop, the valve stem will be moved to render said valve operative to eflect the operation of the braking means; means for moving said pendulum lever to a position clear of said stop; and means for holding said pendulum lever moving means in said latter position to retain said pendulum lever in a position clear of the stop, substantially as described.

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

SIGFRE-D ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES J. PARSON, OSCAR ANDERSON.

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