US1377439A - Means for short-circuiting block-signaling systems - Google Patents

Description

S. B. RICE.

MEANS FOR SHORT cmcunmg BLOCK SIGNALING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-11,1921.

Ptented May 10,1921.

' ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES.

SAMUEL 3. RICE, OI RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

MEANS FOR SEORT-CIBCUITING BLOCK-SIGNALING SYSTEMS.

To all whom it my cmwem: 7

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. EIE, a citizen of the United States residing at Richmond, in the State of Virginia, ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Short-Circuiting Bloch- Signaling Systems, of which the following 1s a specification.

track.

, The present invention resides in an appliance which can be secured to the rails of a track other than the track on which the fouling has taken place. To this end, one of the objects of the present invention 1s to provide an appliance which can be readily attached to, and detached from, the adjoin-- of a track, as by a flagman, said appliance being provided with means for ripping and forming an electrlcal contact with the rails and the electric conductor connecting such gripping and contact means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an appliance of this nature which can be placed in position in a comparatively few seconds, which is inexpensive, and WlllCl'l can be conveniently handled.

These being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, in which ing rails Figure 1 is a perspective view of the appliance; a

Fig. 2 is a'transverse section taken through two adjoining parallel rails of a ra1lway track, showing the approved appl ance secured to said rails in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a block signaling system showingthe utility of the improved appliance, the same being applied to one of the tracks; and

Fig. 4 is a detail section of one of the setscrews.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, tlie improved appliance preferably comprises a pair of Specification of Letters Patent.

as, for instance, where a train Patented May 10, 1921.

Application filed February 11, 1921. Serial No. 444,067.

similar jaws 10, 11, preferably composed of a simple bar of iron or other conducting material, each of said jaws being substantially V-shaped. Each jaw is provided with an arm 12, and with a second arm 13, so as to form aV-shaped recess, the arm 12 being adapted to have a bearing againstthe under side of the base-flange of a rail, while the other arm 13 is arranged atan acute angle to the arm 12, and is adapted to be placed over the upper surface of said base-flange. so that there will be somewhat of a space between the arm 13 and thebase-flange. Each arm 13 is provided with a screwthreaded holel4, which receives a set-screw or screw-threaded stud 15 which is provided with a handle 16 for turning'it.

Electrically connected with the two jaws 10, 11, so that their V-shaped recesses flare away therefrom, is a conductor 17 which may be in the form of 'acable, comprising a number of conductors properly insulated. The electrical conductor 17 is of such length that when the two jaws 10, 11 are applied to opposite parallel rails of a track,-that is, to the base flanges thereof, so as to receive said flanges in their V-shaped recesses -as shown in Fig. 2, it will span the distance from rail to rail.

Preferably, the inner ends of the set-screws which comprise the gripping or clamping means for the jaws are formed as at 15 so as to cut their way through in sand or cinder on the rails, and to embed themselves in the bases of the rails, thereby making a positive electrical contact.

The manner of using this simple shortcircuiting appliance will be obvious from the diagram, Fig. 3. In this figure a railway line comprising two tracks 18, 19, is illustrated, said tracks being for traflic in opposite directions. The arrows indicate the directions .in which the trains move. phore signals 20, 21, 22 and 23 are indicated, and it will be seen that the semaphore 22 has been set to danger by a train on the track 18 to which something has happened, as a broken axle, causing said train to foul the track 19. The Ha an of the train on Sematrack 18 should immediately take one of the short-circuiting appliances such as described, and screw it to the rails of the ad When the obstruction has been removed the appliance can be removed from track 19. Short-circuiting appliances such as described may be used to equip all engines and flagmen. They can be attached to the fla mans equipment and be at hand and rea y for service at all times. The device should be carried by both freight and passenger electrical contact with the inward base flanges of two opposite rails of a track in any block, the said recesses of the devices being somewhat higher than the thickness of said flanges to allow a slight space for the movement of said. gripping means to bear upon the upper surfaces of said flanges, and an electrical conductor connecting said devices, said devices having their V-shaped recesses flared away from the ends of the conductor, and being adapted to be instantl engaged with, or disengaged from, sai flanges. a

2. Ina device of the class described, two V-shaped jaws of conducting material, one arm of each of which is provided with a set- L screw, the inner end of which is formed with a cutting edge to make a good electrical contact, said screws constituting gripping means, and an electric conductor connecting said jaws.

I 3. In a device of the class described, two V-shaped jaws composed of a simple bar of metal, one arm of each of which is provided with a set-screw, the inner end of which is formed to make a good electrical contact, said screws constituting gripping means, and each jaw and its gripping means being similar tothe others, and an electric conductor connecting said jaws.

4. In combination with a block-signaling system for railways, similar devices for removably gripping and forming electrical contact with the inward base flanges of two opposite rails of an installed track in any block, and an electrical conductor connect-- 'ing said devices, each of saiddevices comprising a jaw to engage over the base flange of arail, and a set-screw for engaging said flange, and the lower arm of each jaw constituting a substantially straight lower terminal which is free from interference by the roadbed during the installation of the electrically-connected devices, whereby each jaw may be directly engaged with the inward base flange by a mere outward movement of the jaw on to it. v

SAMUEL B. RICE.

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