US152616A - Improvement in switch-locking apparatus - Google Patents

Description

i UNITED STATES PATENT' OErIcEo ALPHONSO E. DIKEMAN AND JOSEPH A. LOVELL, OF HOMER, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SWITCH-LOCKING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,616, dated June 30, 1874; application iiled May '2, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALPHoNso E. DIKE- MAN and JOSEPH A. LovELL, of Homer, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway- Switches; and we do hereby declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, and being a part of this specification, in which- Figure -1 is a perspective view of our improved switeh, showing the improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the improvement. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one ofthe locking-cams.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.

The nature of this invention relates to an improvement in that class of railway-switches which are actuated by an arm or equivalent device upon the side of the locomotive-engine at the will of the engineer. The invention consists in a pair of safety-stops, which are actuated by the switch-rods in such a manner as to lock the rails in position until moved by the levers.

To prevent t-he shifting of a selfacting switch under the centrifugal power developed in a train passing a curve, or from any other cause, we pivot on a, plate 'secured to a tie outside the switch -rails a lever, I, or slotted cam, as seen in Fig. 3, one end abutting against the rail-foot when turned at right angles with the track, and thus preventing the movable rails from being moved while in this position, the other cam being, of course, swung obliquely away from the track. To govern the movement of these cams, they are bent. over the connecting-rods D, or, rather, a prolon gation of each back of the pivot. The prolongations are slotted, as shown, and through the slot a pin, e, is inserted in the rod D, so that while one cam is moved by its rod D against the rail when shifted to its new position, the other cam isr swung away by its rod to permit such adjustment.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the rods D D, the slotted cams I I and pins c c, for locking the switchrails A', substantially as shown and set forth.

ALPHONSO E. DIKEMAN. JOSEPH A. LOVELL. Vitnesses M. W. HATCH, J EnoME B. HENsEAw.

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