US1659051A - Automatic crossing gate - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1928.

E. L. SAVOLD AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE Filed March 27. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Lr1yEI1 R Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,051

E. L. SAVOLD AUTOMATIC CROS S ING GATE Filed March 27 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I l 15 x Exam- E2 er LASCLUOZLL,

" the Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

1S P AT EN i ELMER I4. SAVOLD, OF HILLS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE.

Application filed March 27, 1926. Serial No. 97,826

.This invention relates to railway crossing gates and more particularly to mechanisms connected therewith for automatically open ing and closing the gates by means adapted to be operated from the cow-Catcher or advanced portion of a railroad engine or the like.

It is an object of this invention to provide railroad crossing grate control means adapted to be automatically opened and closed by a train.

It is also an object of this invention to provide railroad gates having mechanisms connected therewith for opening and closing same at predetermined times, said means adaptedtobe governed by a train as it approaches a crossing and leaves the same.

.It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide railroad crossing gateswith mechanisms-adapted to be operated by a 'passing'train to Qauseopening and closing of thegates at predetermined times.

It is an important oh ect ofthls invenion to provideamailroad crossing gate con- ,trol mechanism adaptedto be operated by rneans of a. shoe on'the cow-catcher or fender of an enginawherehy themechanism is first adapted toloe operated to cause opening of the gates with theapproachot an engine and then cause automatic closing of said gates soonas the engine-has passed the .crossing and comes into operat ng contact with the gate closingcontrol mechanism.

,Other and :further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accomnanving drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings-andhereinafter .rnore fully described.

On the drawings: Figure .L s a fragmentary top plan view (of a railroad track and road crpssing.-sa.id

crossing bei equipped with gates I adapted to he automaticallv operated vbv control me anisms em edv ne h p ncipl o s invention ,and .associatedwith the tna-cks.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the 1, track taken ;on 'line iIIII oi F-iu ure 1, showing airag mentary portion of an engine :cowcatcher .or tender and furthermore ndicating in dotted lines-the operation of a eontrol deviee.

tical section of the lower portion of a crossing gate, showing parts in elevation.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on line VIVI of Figure 5.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 indicates a cross road over which a railroad track is layed. The track comprises the ordinary pair of steel rails 2 and the railwav ties 3. At spaced intervals from the road crossing are longer ties 4, 5 and 6 for a purposehereinafter more fully described. As illustrated in igures 2 and 4-. the reference numeral 7 indicates a fragmentary portion vofarailroad engine cow-catcher or fender. Mounton one side of the cow-catcher is a control shoe 8. Mounted on opposite sides of the track and on diagonally oppositesi-des or" the road 1 are railroad crossing gates 9 each of which is sunuorted on a hollow pedestal 10 provided with a transverse bearing sleeve 11in which is iournalleda shaft 12 for supportinrr the cute 9. The gate 9.may be of any desired construction carrvinn the counteru'eights 1,3 as shown in Figure 5. Secured on the gate shaft 12 in the pedestal it) is a. crank arm 14 tothe end of wh ch is pivotallv connected acounectingmod 15. The lower end otthe connecting rod .15 is nivotallv connected to a hell erauklti which is rotatahlv supportedon a rod or shaft 17 ,mountedin the lowerportion ofthe-pedestal ,10. Pivotallv connected tothe second arm of thebellcrank 1.6 is oneendof a connectin." har or rod 18 Which passesout of the ped stal through a suitahleooeniuela The outerend ot the conuectinghar v18 v is pivot- .allv connected to the long arm 20 of an intermediate .loell cranlz .havinga short arm 21. The ntermediate hell crank 20--21 is ,pivotallv supported on a vertical peg or main connecting rod or bar 23 which, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1, slidably c2;- tends transversely through a suitable conduit or opening in the cross road 1. One end of the main connecting rod 23 is connected to one end of a slidable yoke 2% which slidably projects from a shock absorbing cylinder or housing 25 which is Securely mounted on the extending ends of the two railway ties 4t. A second yoke 26 is slidably mounted in the housing 25 with the outer end of said yoke 26 projecting from the end of the housing and connected with a connecting bar or rod 27. Mounted in the shock absorbing housing 25 between the two telescoping yokes 2% and 26 is a heavy control spring 28. The other end of the connecting rod 2'? is pivotally connected to a short bell crank arm 29 whicn is secured on the outer end of a main operating shaft 30 which is mounted transveix-zely of the track below the rails 2 as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 4.. Also secured. to the main control shaft 30 to the outside of the rails 2 are two upwardly directed. long bell crank arms 31. The upper ends of the long bell crank arms 31 are pivotally connected to a pair of control rails 32, the ends of which are curved downwardly at 33. The two control rail 32 are positioned on opposite sides of the track rails 2 and have the ends nearest the road crossing 1 pivotally connected to supporting arms similar to the lon bell crank arms 31. It will be noted that the main control shaft 30 together with the arms 29 and 31 connected thereto form a main control bell crank mechanism which is adapted to be operated by means of control rails 32 when said control rails are operated by means of a shoe 8 carried by a railway engine tender as hereinbefore described.

Connected to the second end of the main connecting rod 23 is one arm of a fulcrumed lever 34 which is pivotally supported on the extended end of the railway tie 5. The other end of the fulcrumed lever 34 is connected to the yoke member 24 of a gate shutting mechanism. As illustrated in Fig ure 1, the automatic gate opening mechanisms are represented as av whole by the reference character A, while the automatic gate closing mechanisms on the opposite side of the road are represented as a whole by the reference character B The four control rails 32 are provided two on each side of the cross road 1 for the purpose of permitting the operation of the automatic gate operating mechanisms by an engine or car approaching from either direction. When the control rail 32 of the gate opening mechanism A is in its elevated position as shown in Figure 2, the control rail 32 of the gate shutting mechanism B is in a lowered position equivalent to the dotted line position of the control rail 32 illustrated in Figure 2. It will thus be seen that the two pairs of control rails 32 positioned upon opposite sides of the main railroad track permit the gate control mechanisms to be operated and to be opened and closed automati ally when a train approaches the cross road from either direction.

The operation is as follows:

lVith the automatic crossing gate 1nechanisms mounted in the positions illustrated in Figure 1 and with the crossing gates 9 in their raised position, an engine approach ing from the left looking at Figure 1 and carrying a control shoe 8 on the cow-catcher or fender, or on any other advanced portion of the advancing vehicle, the downwardly curved arm 33 of one of the control rails 32 is first engaged by the shoe 8 on the approaching engine said. shoe acting to more the control rail 32 from the full line position of Figure 2 into the dotted line position. .his operation of the control rail. 32 actuates the long bell crank arms 31 thereby causing the short bell crank arm 23 to Swing from the full line position of Fig ure 2 into the dotted line position. This movement of the short bell crank arm 29 causes operation of the primary connecting rod 27 which in turn actuates the shock absorbing mechanism within the housing 25 before the movement is transmitted to the secondary connecting rod 23. With the operation of the secondary connecting rod 23 in a direction opposite to that of the approaching train, both of the bell cranks 2021 are operated, thereby causmg simultaneous operation of the gate control rods 18 which when operated actuate the bell cranks 16 and the connecting rods 15 within the gate pedestals 10 thus causing operatumof the crank arms 14 to cause the gates to be gradually swung downwardly into closed position transversely of the cr ss road 1 and on opposite sides of the track.

Then the control rail 32 of the gate openmechanism A is moved into its lower position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, the control rail of the gate closing mechanism B is moved from a lowered into raised position similar to the full line posn tion of the control rail 32 illustrated in Figure 2. It will thus be noted that when one of the control rails is lowered, the one on the opposite side of the road is raised and. vice versa.

As soon as the. cow-catcher of the advancing engine crosses the road 1 and approaches the second control rail on the opposite side of the road, the shoe on the cow-catcher moves into engagement with the control rail 32 of the gate closing mechanism B, thereby tending to move the same from a raised to a lowered position, thus causing a reverse operation of the mechanisms A and B to IOU take place, resulting in the automatic raising or opening of the gates 9.

It Will thus be seen that the crossing gates 9 are adapted to be automatically lowered and raised by means of the control shoe 8, which control may be carried on any convenient portion of an approaching engine, car, or the like. It will also be understood that the gate control mechanisms A and B may be positioned at substantial distances from the cross road to facilitate proper operation of the gates in due time. The two sets of control rails positioned on opposite sides of the road; and on opposite sides of the rails 52 atl'ord an arrangement whereby the mechanisms A and B may be auto1naticaly operated at predetermined times by a train or vehicle approching from either direction.

I am aware that many changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be variad through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a railroad track and a cross road, of crossing gates positioned on opposite sides of said road, gate opening mechanisms on one side of said read, gate closing mechanisms on the opposite side of said, road, control shoes connected with said mechanisms and mounted to raise and lower on opposite sides of said road in the path of movement of an advancing engine, a connecting member at one side of the track between said mechanisms, arranged to ele vate the shoes at one side of the road when the shoes at the other side of the road are depressed, and means carried by the engine adapted at predetermined times to first react. with one of said control shoes to cause automatic closing of the gates and then adapted to be brought into coacting engagement with the control shoe on the opposite side of the road to cause automatic opening of said gates.

2. In a railway gate apparatus including a pair of gates mounted atopposite sides of a track, and also upon opposite sides of a roadway across the track, gate operating mechanisms of similar construction at opposite sides of the track and the roadway, a connecting member along one side of the track between said mechanisms having peratire connections at spaced points and of a similar nature with the said gates, shockabsorbing means between said gate operating mechanisms and the said connecting member, and engine actuated shoes at opposite sides of the track and the roadway and linked to said gate operating mechanisms, said shoes at. one side of the roadway being in elevated position when the shoes at the opposite site of the roadway are depressed.

3. In a railway gate apparatus, a pair of balanced gates disposed at opposite sides of a track, a connecting bar paralleling the track, connections of a similar nature between the said. gates and spaced points of the connecting bar, a pair of spaced-apart gate operating mechanisms, one of which is directly connected to one end of said connecting bar, a bell crank between the other end of the connecting bar and the other operating mechanism, and engine actuating shoes linked to said operating mechanisms and so arranged that the shoes of one operating mechanism are in actuated position when the shoes of the other operating mechanism are in normal position and vice versa.

4. In a railway gate apparatus, a pair of balanced gates, similar connections for closing and opening each of the gates, including connecting bars in spaced-apart parallel relation, a third connecting bar at right angl s to the first named connecting bars and having at spaced points bell cranks connecting the same with the first mentioned connecting bars, a pair of gate operating mechanisms, one of which is directly connected to one end of the third connecting bar, a bell crank connecting the opposite end of the third; connecting bar with the other gate operating mechanism, and engine actuated shoes operatively connected to the said gate actuating mechanisms for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ELMER L. SAVOLD.

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