US1498115A - Highway barrier for railroad crossings - Google Patents

Description

P. PACE "HIGHWAY BARRIER FOR RAILROAD GROSSINGS Filed Feb. 23, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

PeZErPw TTORNEY June 17, 1924. 1,498,115

P. PACE HIGHWAY BARRIER FOR, RAILROAD CROSSINGS Filed Feb. 23, 1923 2 ShevLS-Sheel P All nmm 4 F 4 K? O q 7 5 g -9 a O INVENTOR.

.Peierfiaca BY k" Patented June 17, 1924,

UNITED STATES PETER PAGE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

- HIGHWAY BARRIER FOR RAIL-ROAD CROSSINGS.

Application filed February 23, 1923. Serial No. 620,622.

To all whom it may concern: N

Be it known that I, PETER PAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Highway Barriers for Railroad Crossings; and I do hereby de clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andto the reference numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to railroads and means for protecting highways crossing the same and it has for its object to provide a simple, convenient and eifective barrier or gate for the highway that can be operated with ease and certainty to safely warn vehicles of the approach of a train and to prevent them from proceeding on to the track. The improvements are directed in part toward providing a gate of this nature that will yield sufficiently when struck by a vehicle to avoid damage to itself and to the vehicle. To these and other ends the invention reesides in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad of a highway crossing the same and provided with automatic barriers constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the gate mecha nism partly in section and taken in trans verse section through the road bed of the highway, the gate being in lowered or normal position. i

Figure 3 is a similar view with the gate in raised or danger position.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line H of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Figure 3 showing the manner in "which the gate may yield laterally.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the upper end of the gate.

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse section of the valve mechanism controlling the pneumatic operating means for the gate.

Figure 8 is a plan view of such controlling mechanism. i

Figure 9 is a detail side elevation of the actuator. mounted on the railroad trackv for opening the gate and Figure 10 is a detail showing the position of the closing actuator.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

To first give a general idea of the principal elements of the apparatus I provide the highway at opposite sides of the railroad withpreferably vertically movable gates lo-' struck by a vehicle they will yield, yielding retaining devices being employed to hold them upright. Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and2 indicate the rails of a railroad crossed by a highway the road bed of which is indicated at 3; At suitable distances from the track on each side there is provided in the road bed a transversely extending well 4 the sides of which toward the edges of'the road are flanked bypreferably ,tubular guide posts 5; On the inner sides of the posts are grooves 6 constituting guide ways that receive trunnions or projecting pins 7 on the ends of a gate frame 8. The

gate is of suitable height to offer a barrier for an ordinary road vehicle, is preferably composed of netting as indicated at 9 and normally occupies the lower position of Fig ure 2 at the bottom of the guide 6 with its upper edge level with the surface of the road bed WVithin thepit between'the posts and below the gate is a cylinder 10 containing a piston 11 on a rod 12 extending through the upper head 13 of the cylinder and through a transverse bar 14 connecting the posts 5 and resting on the top of the cylinder (there being a similar bar 15 connecting the posts below upon which bar the cylinder rests).-

The upper end of the rod carries a transverse bar 16 provided with a pintle 17 the ends of which travel in the guideway 6 1n the manner of the trunnions 7. The 'pintle is received in knuckles 18 on the bar 16 and on the lower rail of the gate frame respectively. When the gate is elevated in the manner hereinafter set forth from the po sition of Figure 2 to the operative position of Figure 3, the, trunnions 7 reach the upper ends of theguide posts where the guideways 6 are providedwith-laterally turned outlets 19 as shown in Figures it, 5 and, 6. Leaf springs 20 restrict these lateral extensions of outlets so that the trunnions 7 will not normally escape but when force is used as by the impact of a vehicle the trunnions are forced and could stop in time to avoid being struck by the train.

Spectacle lights 21 may surmount the posts: 5 to give warning of their operation and act as beacons at night.v They are suitably supplied from wires 22 running from the-pit up through the hollow posts.

It will be seen from. the foregoing that pneumatic or hydraulic pressure introduced through a pipe 23 into. the bottom of the cylinder 10 below the piston 11 will force u'pthe plunger rod 12 and elevate the gate.

Itwill descend of it own weight when this pressure is released and it is in this way that the gate is operated and controlled. The source of pressure supply is herein repre sented by a tank 2ttrom which a pipe 25 leads to a conveniently located valve casing 26 having further connection at 27 with the pipes 23. Also running from the latter at 28 back through the valve casing 26 in a relatively transverse direction and emerging at 29 is an exhaust line having a discharge point at 30 A rotary valve member 31 in the valve casing as will be seen fromFigure "7 turns through 90 degrees to close the pres sure line and open the exhaust line as shown in. full lines or the reverse and the position ofthe gates is thus determined.

The valve 31 is on a shaft 32 projecting through the top of the valve casing 26 and provided with a pinion 83. The said pinion IYlQSl'lQS with a rack bar- 34; movable in a suitable guide '35 carried by a bracket mounted on the valve casing. Bell cranks 36 pivoted at 37 and having slotted connection at '38 with'the rack banare adapted to move the latter in oppositedirections to'open and close the valve; Connected to the two bell cranks respectively are pull rods 39 and 40,

the former extending down the track in the directionfromwvhicli the train approaches and being connected to a trip 40 pivoted at 411 to onset the rails as shown in Figure 9. i

The other pull rod is connected similarly to "another trip 42. pivoted at 1 4:3 to" the rail beyond the" crossing The normal positions of 'thes'e trips is is shown in full lines in Figure?) and in the lower dotted line position'in Figure 10. An approaching train depresses the trip 40 pullingthe rod 39 and opening the valve 31 tothe dottedline position of Figure 7. This supplies pressure to the gates and at the same time raises the trip 42 to the upper dotted line position of Figure 10. The gates remain raised until the train passes the crossing and reaches the trip 42" which it dc? presses rotating the" valve 31 to' the 'f ulli line position of Figure? and allovi in'g;pressure in the cylinder 1:0 to'escape through theiex haust line 28 --29 with a consequent-lowering of the gates. The original"position' of the trip lO is restored ready for actuation by a succeeding train. 7

As before'stated, the'pressure nied'ium'may be either air or' water andobvi'ously the gate" itself may be ofany desired design or con struction. I

I claim as my invention: V V

1. In a highway crossing barrier for railroads, the combination with a railroad and a highway crossing the same and provided with a pit adjacent to the railroad, of a; vertically movable gate normallymetract'eid within the pit below the surface of the high way, pneumatic operating means for raising the gate to bar the highway and lower the same and a controlling device for the operating means embodying a trip arranged on the railroad to be actuated by an approaching train.' I

2. In a highway crossing barrier for rail; roads the combination with a railroad and a highway crossing the same and provided with apit adjacent to the railroad. Of a vertically movable gate adapted tobar the highway and normally retracted within the pit below the surface of the highway, posts at the sides of the pit provided with guides for the gate cylinder and piston in the pit below the gate the pistonrod' supporting the gate, pressure and exhaust pipes connected to the cylinder, a valve controlling the same and train operated trips on the raiiroad for actuating the valve.

In a highway crossirigbarrier forirail-z roads, the combination with a railroad and a highway crossing thesame and provided with a pit adjacent to the railroad, of a vertically movable gate normally retracted within, the pit below the surface of the highway, pneumatic operating means for raising and lowering the gate, a rotary valve controlling the same, a pinion on the" valve, a rack bar meshing, with the pinion, levers for moving the rack bar in opposite directions, pull rods 0n the respective levers and trips onthe railroad on opposite sides of the highwayrespectively connected to the levers and adapted to be actuated a passin train to raise and then lower the gate.

PETER PAC-E.

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