US1559403A - Safety-bar attachment for railway switches - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 27, 1 2 1,559,403

E L. BREWER SAFETY BAR ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES Filed June 27, 1925 ----r w I Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

1: LE 33mm, or nAL as, TEXAS.

'SAFE'IY BAR AITA HMEN r01: RAILWAY swrronns.

Application filed June, 27; 1925. Serial- No. 40,017.

To all whom it may concern." 'T

Be it known'that ECLEE BREWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, "has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Bar Attachments for i ailway Switches, Of'VVhlClLthG following'is a specification, 7 I

This invention relates to an improvement HJ'in safety bar attachment for railroad switches. i

' The object of the invention is to eliminate'a great number of accidents which occur due to what is commonly known as splitting a switchlf This is caused by'the switchs failure toproperly 'seat"itself in its extremep'osition whenit is thrown either open or closed, and subsequently a train passing over theswitch -point'm'ay cause the latter to'he thrown into the oppositedir'c- "tion, thus causing 'a derailment" with often veryserious results. V

A further objectof my inventionis to I F ig; his a sideelevation of the safety bar detached and 1 1 Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the same;

' T-he numeralsl and 2 indicate the main track rails'mounted on the usual cross ties 3." The switch points 4 and 5 ofthe switch 'areintendedto' be 'moved against the sides of; the main rails liand 2 forguiding the "traineither over the main track, provided byfthe rails 1 and 2,-andthe switch point' '5 or when the switch isthrown into the "opposite-open position, the train is guided over the rails 1 and 2 and switch point 4,

for being directed-on to the side track or another inain track. The usual hand switch throw-is shown in-the drawings-hut it is obviousthat the device wouldwork just as successfully with an automatic mechanism for throwing the switch. The hand oper "ated throw, shown in the drawings, includes the bar 6 which is secured toeach of the swit'ch points 4 and 5 and it has the link provide a simple and easily installed safety 95 bar which may be easily and quickly attached to the switch point or points 'and when so attached it shall be automatic in nature carrying the wheels of the train into alignment with and over the points of the switch even though they are not properly set.

With these objects in View, my invention' consists in a bar which is attached to one Y or more switch points and which seats it- 35 self, when the switch is closed, partly under the head of the rail but when the switch is entirely open it is spaced apart from the so that this switch 'siredi';

7 pivoted thereto. said link being connected with theusual hand operated turn table 8,

may be thrown as de My' safety "barattachment includes the 'bar'9 secured by means of the-bolts 10 to the switch point 5 and this bar is made to closely fit about the end of this switch point .5. Forthis purpose, the bar is provided with a sloping top surface 11 for fitting under' the head 12 of the switch point 5 and a shoulder 13 is formed on the bar 9 intermediate the ends thereof for being .fitted against the end of the switch point 5.

rail so as to allow the free passage of the trains through the switch. However, when 40 the switch has been thrown only partly closed, a shoulder on this safety bar will engage the wheels of the train and guide them into alignment with the switch point, so that the train will properly pass over 45 the switch and will automatically move the switch points into their proper positions, causing an automatic closing of the switch.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of my safety bar 50 applied to a closed switch;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a partly open switch;

I Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the switch and safety bar, in the position '55 shown in Fig. 1;

The flange 14 is formed on the outer edge of the bar 9 and extends upwardly sufliciently to be engaged by the circumferential flange on'the train wheels but is low enough to be seated under the head of the rail 2. This flange 14 is provided with a diagonal inner surface 15 which extends from near the outer corner of the bar 9 to a point in alignment with the inner side of the switch point 5, so as to guide the train wheels around the switch point 5 and'through the switch.

When the switch is entirely closed, as shown in Fig. l, the safety bar is seated properly under the head of the rail 2 so as to permit the trains to pass over the main track unobstructed, and when the switch surface of the rail 2, so that the flanges on the train wheels will be properly guided over the main track. However, when the switch has been accidentally or inadvertently left only partly closed, as shown in Fig. 2, there will be a slight space between the point 5 and the rail 2, which would ordinarily or at least sometimes allow the flange of the train to slip into this space between the switch point and the rail 2, and to throw the switch in the opposite direction, causing possible derailment ofthe train or perhaps a wreck.

My invention obviates this objection by having the bar 9 attached to the end of the switch point 5 so that when the switch is in a partly closed position, shown in Fig, 2,

the diagonal side 15 of the flange 14: will engage the flanges of the train wheelsiguiding the same to and over the switch point 5 causing the switch to be properly closed and eliminating any possibility of derailment. lVhen the switch is in its open position not shown in the drawings, it is obvious that the safety bar 9 will be out of the path of the train wheels and their flanges and thus permit the train to pass unobstructed on to the side track and over the rails 1 and 2 and the switch point 4.

Thus, it will be seen that I have constructed a safety bar attachment for railway switch which will cause the point of the switch to be properly closed if they should be only partly thrown and this seating of these movable points will be maintained until subsequent manual operations.

Although I have shown my safety bar attachment as applied to only the switch .being only partly closed for directing said rolling stock over the switch point.

2. The combination with a railway rail and a switch-rail operatively mounted relative to each other, of a safety-box attached to the said switch point in position to be seated under a portion of said rail, said bar having a flange thereon provided with a diagonal inner surface in position to be engaged by the rolling stock in the event of the switch being only partly closed for di-- recting said rolling stock over the switch point.

3. A combination with railway rails and a switch having switch points and means for closing said switch, of a safety bar attached to one of the switch points in position to be seated under a portion of one of the rails, said barhaving a flange thereon provided with a diagonal inner surface in position to be engaged by the railway rolling stock, when the switch is partly closed for directing said rolling stock over the switch point, and automatically closing the switch.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

E LEE BREWER.

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