US1526215A - Railroad-crossing flag signal - Google Patents

Description

6. M. INGRAM RAILROAD CROSSING FLAG SIGNAL Feb, 10, 1925.

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Patented F eb- 5, V

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFTON M. INGRAM, or PORTER, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To ROBERT DEZDMO'N, F PORTER, OKLAHOMA,

RAILROAD-CROSSING FLAG SIGNAL.

Application filed April 10, 1924. Serial No. 705,583.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLIFTON M. INGRAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Porter, in the county of Wagoner and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railroad-Crossing Flag Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates. to a flag or signal for use particularly at railroad crossings in order to apprise the public andtraflic of approaching trains both at night and in the day time, as a safeguard against accidents.

It is aimed to provide a novel and efficient construction wherein the flag will be exposed or in signalling position only while the train is in motion, (a construction in which the flag or signal is operated by an electric motor can only descend to a predetermined extent and a construction in. which the lighting of one or more lamps carried thereby will be controlled through its movement.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following takenv in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a view illustrating the invention diagrammatically in connection with Y railroad crossings;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the improved apparatus;

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view through the tower of the apparatus;

Figure 4 is an end view of the tower with the motorhousingin section;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,'and

Figure 6 is a diagrammati view showing the circuit through the lamps of the flag closed.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts in the different views.

Referring specifically tothe drawings and first to Figure 1, a railroad crossing 1s suggested at A. B designates the tracks over which the rolling stock travels and the sections of Which at the crossing are in a block insulated from the remaining sections of the track as at C. In order to obviate the accidents so frequently occurring at railroad crossings A is the prime purpose of the pres ent invention. a y

The invention proper has both of its parts arranged in a tower or housing 10 which is supported as by a stand 11 or in any other way at one side of the track adjacent the crossing but so as to be seen by traflic and the public from either sideand from a considerable distance.

Normally concealed within the tower 10 intermediate side walls 12 thereof is a flag or signal 18 of any appropriate size and design and color. It is preferred to paint the same red and to equip it with any suitable number of lamps as at 14, which are also preferably red. The flag 13 is adapted to be moved at desired times for signalling purposes from the full line position of Figure 8 to the dotted line position of the same figure. In the dotted line position, it will be below the side walls 12 and subject to the view of the public and trafiic.

The flag or signal 13 is normally held elevated through the medium of the Weight 15 carried by a cable or flexible element 16 which is trained over a pulley 17 journaled on a short shaft or axle 18. The cable 16 extends from a bar 19 which is riveted or bolted as at 20 to the flag. This bar 19 is movable intermediate guide plates 21 suitably fastened to the inner surfaces of the walls 12 and they have guide pins or studs 22 bridging them and located in an elongated slot 23 of bar 19.. Along one edge, bar 19 is provided with racked teeth 24. Racked teeth 24 are in mesh with idler gear wheel 25 journaled on a short shaft 26 bridging walls 12. The gear wheel or pinion 25 in cooperation with the teeth 24 serves to steady the flag during its movement that will later be apparent.

A rackbar 27 parallel to rack bar 19 is rigidly fastened to the flag or signal 13 as at 28. Rack bar 27 is disposed between plates 29 secured to the inner surfaces of walls 12 Shaftior rod 42'rotatable on a horizontal and having guide lugs or pins 30 bridging them and disposed in an elongated slot 31 of said rack bar 2'7. The teeth of the latter rack bar are designated 32 and mesh with the teeth of a gear wheel or pinion 33.

A shelf 34 is offset from one of the side walls of the tower and covered by a casing or housing 35. hlounted on shelf 34 within the housing 35 is an electric motor 36 whose main or transmission shaft is designated 3'? and has the pinion or gear whel keyed thereon so that the gear wheel will drive the rack bar 27 when the motor .36 is energized. It will be noted that the teeth 32 extend but partway of the length of bar 27. to the en d thatv theextent of downward driving movement of the flag 13 through the medium of the pinion 33 is limited.

The electric current for operation of the motor 36 may be supplied for instance from a battery 38 having a conductor 39 connected to one of the rails B and a conductor 40 connected totheimotor. Another conductor 41 extends from the motor to the companion rail B. The circuit through the .motor is adapted to be closedhy rolling stock passing over the rail B in any suitable manner. For instance a tram or rolling stock may carry, as shown in Figure 1, a

axis. At each end rod 42has spring arms 43 fastened to it and to followers 44 slidable along the shaft 42. Spring arms 43 carry contact rings 45. As a result of this construction, the arms function as governors through rotation ofshaft 42 in order to .moveiat their centers away from the shaft 42 andto move the conductor rings 45 into engagement with the rails B and thus close the and the weight 15 will elevate .the flag.

However upon the train starting again, the

:rings 45 will be immediately thrown into circuit closing relation with the rails B.

The lamps 14.are preferably of the electric type and;adaptcd to be illuminated from the same battery 38 as operates the motor.

To this end cqnductors 46 and 47 are connected to the conductors 41 and 40 and lead to contacts 48 .and 49 of a circuit closer.

Condnctor 46 has considerable slack as at 50 to compensate for the movement of flag 13 .and such conductor is in series with the lamps 14. Contact 48 is carried by and insulated from the bar 27 while the contact 49 is carried by and insulated from the frame 10 Within'the housing or tower. Contact 49 is vertically slidable and urged u pwardly by an expansive spring 50 engaging the same and a bracket 51 which mounts it. The spring 50 cushions the engagement of the contacts 48 and 49.

It will be understood that all of the wheels on one side of each car are insulated from the axles.

In operation when a train or rollingstock enters the block. the circuit through the electric motor 36 is closed due to the engagement of conductor rings 45 with the rails B. Mo tor 36 being thus operated drives its shaft 37 and pinion so that the latter will move the flag 13 downwardly into the exposed dotted line position of'Figure 3 where it constitutes a signal and a warning to approaching traificiand the public. The flag 13 can only move downwardly to a limited extent since the teeth 32 donot extend the full length of the bar and their length governsthe extent of movement of said flag. When the flag approaches its downward limit or signal position, the contacts 48 and 49 engage, and thus an electric circuit is closed=through the lamps 14 to add to the efficiency of the signal particularly in the night-time. The Ha 13 cannot elevate to its normal concealed position whilethe motor is in operation but. when the train passesout of of the block. the motor becomes deenergized and :idle and hence the weight 15 is free to elevate the flag-to normal position. Even should the train stop while in the block, the signal 13 would not be in its signalpositionsince the rings 45 would be retracted due to idleness of shaft 42.=and the weight 15 would thus be free to elevate the signal. The flag would however immediately be moved to signalling position upon the train again starting.

Various changes may be resorted to provided, they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A signalling apparatus of the class described consisting of asignal 1nemher.-bars extending thcrefro1n.oneans associated with one of said bars to normally maintain the signal retracted, and means in driving relation with the other bar to project thesignal, said bars having elongated slots, guide plates between which the bars are disposed. and means disposed in said slots and coact ing with the guide plates to guide the bars, illuminating means carried by the signal. a contact carried by one of the bars in combination with a. contact carried by a support and engageable with-thefirst mentioned con tact to close an electric circuit through the illuminating means.

2. Asigna-lling apparatus of the class described having a housing consisting of spaced sides. a signal member normally concealed between said sides. parallel bars extending from said signal member, guide plates secured to said sides, said bars having in mesh with said racked-teeth, and an elecelongated slots, guide elements cooperating trio motor to drive said pinion. 10 with said slots and said guide bars, a pulley In testimony whereof I affix my signature carried by one of the plates, at flexible elein presence of two Witnesses.

; 1nent extending from one of the bars and trained over the pulley, a Weight on said CLIFTON M. INGRAM. flexible element to urge retraction of the sig- Witnesses: nal, the other bar having racked teeth ex- D. N. FINK, Jr.,

tending part Way along the same, a pinion P. J. HARRIS.

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