US1653998A - Railway switch - Google Patents

Description

R. M. EVANS RAILWAY SWITC I-l Dec. 27, 1927.

Filed Dec. 23, 1925 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

ROBERT M. EVANS, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Application filed December 23, 1925. Serial No. 77,223.

This invention relates to improvements in railway switch construction and more articularly to a switch for ail roadslai 1n pavement; it being the principal object of the present invention to provide a double tongue switch from which the usual pivot pins for the switch tongues have been elilnlhated and wherein the tongues are provlded with flanges throughout their lengths that n are adapted to seat beneath the ball 17011310115 ofthe stock rails of the main or switch track in such manner as to efi ectively sustain the tongues and to distribute the pressure, that is exerted thereagainst, over an extended pressure at a single point, as is the case in constructions using the pivot pins for anchoring the switch tongues.

Other objects of the invention reside in the e details oi construction of the switch tongues and associated parts, the manner of and means for supporting the tongues functionally in position and the switch operating mechanism as described in the following specification.

In accomplishing these and other obJects of the invention, I have provided the 1mproved details of construction, the preferred terms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of a double tongue switch embodied by the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken on line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the switch tongues. s Referring more in detail to the several views of the drawings- 1 and 1' designate the rails of the main line traclst at one side of the switch, 1 and 1 the rails of main line track atthe other side of the switch, 2 and 2' the rails of the switch track, 3 a stock rail that is laid as a continua tion of rail 1 and which connects the latter with tail 2 of the switch track 3, a stock rail laid as a continuation of rail 1 and which connects it with rail 1 of the main track, 4 and 4 are the switch. tongues which, at their base end, connect, respectively, with rails 1 and2 and at their points are adapted to be moved into such relation with rails 3 and 3' as to cause cars moved thereover to be di- Jail length as distinguished from sustaining the rected onto the switch. track or to continue on the main track. Guard rails 5 and 5' are spaced within the switch tongues, as is cUS- toniary, and these are joined to the rails 3 and 3 by bed plates 6 which underlie them at eachside of the i-nvitchw The bed plates extend the length of the guard rails, as shown in Figure 1, and are joined securely to the base flanges of the guard rails and rails 3 and 3 by rivets 7. The switch tongues are held in place by hearing against the guard rails 5 and 5 and rails 3 and 3 and thus the bed plates serve to prevent spreading apart due to lateral thrust incidental to switching from one track to the other.

The gist of the present invention resides principally in the details of construction of the switch tongues and in the means of support which makes possible the elimination of pivot )ins at their base ends. They are sup ported for lateral, slidable movement upon. tiller blocks 8 that are disposed in close rela -i tion between the ails 3 and 3 and the guard rails adjacent thereto. These blocks are fitted snugly between the base flanges and vertical webs of these rails and rest upon the flanges andbed plates 6, as shown best in Figure 3, and thus serve substantial su ports for the tongues when in either switc ing position.

Along their outer edges the tongues are equipped with longitudinally extending flanges 10 which are adapted, when the tongues are in the dilicrent switching positions, to engage against the vertical webs beneath the ball portions or the rails 3 and 3', that is, when the tongues arc in that position, as shown in Figure 1, which provides for cars passing through the switch in the direction of the arrow, to continue on the main track, the flange 10 formed along the outer side of tongue 4c bears, throughout the length oi the tongue against the under side of the ball of rail 3, while if the tongues were moved to their other position to direct cars onto the switch traclgthe flange 10 on the outer side of tongue -l would likewise hear against the under side of the ball of rail 3, Thus, through the provision of these flanges. the tongues are held properly in place and the lateral pressure exerted against the tongues incidei'ital to a switching operation is distributed over an extended length of the rails 3 or 3 and is not directed toward or sus-- tained at any certain point The flanges 10 ill] ill)

are of suflicient width at the extreme base ends of the tongues that they are continually engaged with the rails 3 or 3' and thus retain these ends of the tongues properly alined with rails 1 and 2.

Horizontally extendingbolts 12 have their their inner ends fixed in bosses 13, depending from the undersides of the tonguesnear" their base ends, and extend outwardly through openings 14 in the webs of the rails 33' and at their outerends have coiled springslfi located therea-bout to bear against the rails and nuts 16 at their outer ends of the 'bolts to yieldably retain the base ends of the tongues against inward movement. The bolts and springs are enclosed in casings 18.

Along their inner edges, toward the'p oints of" the ton ues, they are likewise prov with latera lyvprojectingflanges 19 adapted i to bear beneath the ball portions of the guard rails 5" whenin dillerent switching positions- This construction provides that when a car is moving'from the switch track onto the. main trackin a direction opposite j ,to" the arrow, the tongues are moved from position, as shown in Figure 1 to a position at which flange "19' of tongue 4 bears against the, web andbeneath the ball portion of guard rail 5. If cars are passing through the switch along the main track in a direction opposite to the arrow, the flange 19 of tongue '47 likewise bears against guard rail 5'; Thus, these-latter flanges 19 serve to properly position the ends of the tongues 1e; with respect to the rails 3'and 3' for movement of cars in opposite directions and-also sustain thetongues against movement too far inwardly.

At their movable ends the switch tongues are joined by a connecting rod 20 that holds them inv roper spaced apart relation and by means 0 which they may be simultaneously actuated from one switchin position to another. The, rod 20 exten s sufiiciently to one' s ideof the track for connection with a.

suitable actuatinglever 21 or other switch mechanism whereby the tongues may be moved "andfheldfin set position. This lever or'mechanism would be contained'within a a I housing 22 a'nd rod 20 would be contained in a-housin'g 23.

tion thereto and in alinement with I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main track and a switch track,

a stock rail, a guard rail spaced within the stock rail, a switch tongue disposed between the stock rail and guard rail having a horizontally projecting flange along one side thereof adapted, at the base end of the tongue, to engage with the stock rail as a means of retaining it in proper spaced rehswitch'rail, and, when the tongue is in switching. position, to engage throughout its length with the underedge of the ball of the stock rail.

2. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main trackand a switch track,

the

a stock rail, a guard rail-spaced within the stock rail, :1 switch tongue disposed between the stock rail and guard rail having a-horizontally projecting flange alongone side thereof adapted, at the base end of the tongue, to engage with thestook rail as a means of retaining it in proper spaced relation thereto and in alinement with the switch rail, and, when the tongue is in switching position, to engage throughout its length with the under edge of the ball of the stock rail, and ayieldable connection between the stock rail and switch tongue nearits base end for preventing lateral displacement of that end of the tongue toward the guard rail.

3. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main track and a switch track, a stock rail,ra guard rail spaced within the stock rail, :1 switch tongue disposed between the stock rail and guard rail having ahorizont-ally projecting flange along one side thereof which at the base end'of the tongue is adapted to engage with the web of the stock rail to retain it functionally in position, and when the tongue is in switching position, to engagethroughout its length beneath the ball of the stock rail, saiditon uebeing also provided along its opposite -e go and near the point with a horizontally projecting flange adapted, whenthe tongue is not in switching position, 'to engage beneath the-ball of the guard rail, and a yieldable connection between the stock rail and switch tongue near its base end.

4. In a railway switch in combination with rails of a main track and a switch traek,-a stock rail, a guard rail spaced with in the stock-rail, bedplates'joining the bases of the stock'railand guard rail, blocks fitted between said stock and guard rails and'a switch tongue movably mounted on said blocks for directing movement of cars along the main or switchtrack, said tongue having 'ahorizontailly projecting flange along one side thereof that is adapted at the base end of the tongue, to engagewwith the web ofthe stock rail to retain that endof the tongue properly in aiineinent with the rail with which it connects and when the tongue is in switching position to engage throughout its length beneath the ball of the stock rail; said tongue being provided also along its opposite edge and near the point with a horizontally projecting flange adapted to eljigagc beneath the bail oi the guard rail when not in switching position and a, yieldable connection be tween the stock rail and switch tongue near its base end.

5. In a railway switch, a pair of stock rails leading from the rails of a main track at one side 01" the switch, respectively, to the outer rail of a switch track and to the outer rail of? the main line track at the other side of the switch a pair of guard rails spaced within the stock rails, switch tongues disposed between the stock rails and guard rails 1 and joining at their base ends With a rail of the main line track and with a rail of the switch track; said tongues having hori zontally extending flanges along their outer edges adapted, at the base ends of the tongues, to engage with the stock rails to retain them properly alined with the rails to which they lead and adapted, when. in one position, to engage beneath the bail portions of the stock rails and l'iaving horizontally projecting flanges along their inner edges ad jacent the points adapted, when in the other switching position, to engage beneath the bell portions of the guard rails, yieldable means connecting the switch tongues and stock rails near the base ends of the tongues and means joining the movable ends of the switch tongues.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washing ton, this 22nd day of October 1925.

ROBERT M. EVANS.

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