US1673841A - Crossing signal - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1928. 1,673,841

c. F. MORGAN CROS S ING S IGNAL F le ly 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l CROSSING SIGNAL Filed July 1, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 55%. Qwwunfoz 22.

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tion. In the drawings, l-have shown the Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. MORGAN, or JACKSON, mnivivnssnn GBOSSIN G SIGNAL.

Application filed July 1,

This invention relates to an improved crossing signal and seeks, among other objects, to provide a signal which will mini mize collisions and other fatal accidents at railway crossings. I

The invention seeks, as a further object, to

provide a signal which will be located directly in the roadway so that the drivers of vehicles traveling on the roadway may not fail to see the signal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signal which, when actuated, will form an obstruction inclining upwardly from the roadway so that should a. driver fail to see the signal, the driver will, upon running into the signal, be signaled to stop.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a signal which will be antomatically operated by approaching trains.

Other objects of the invention not above specifically mentioned, will appear as the description proceeds.

1n the accompanying drawings: I

Figure l is a plan view showing a pair of my improved signals installed in the roadway at opposite sides of a. pair of railway tracks. v

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the di rection indicated by thearrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional view at right angle's to Figure 2, on the line 33 of F igure 2, looking in the direction indicated bythe arrows.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view showing the mounting of the signal plateof the de'-.

vice.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation showing a typical track switch.

Figure dis a diagrammatic view show- "ing the electrical connections between the trackswitches andthe motors of the signals. Y 4

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have, in Figure 1, conventionally illustrated a pair of-railway tracks at 10 and 11, while a roadway is indicated at 12. Since traflic approaching the tracks will travel adjacent opposite sides of the roadway, a signal is provided at the right hand side of the roadway adjacent the track 10 for traffic traveling in one direction while a like signal is providedat the right hand side of the roadway adjacent the track 11 for traffic traveling in'the opposite direc- 1925. Serial No. 40,887.

signals located relatively close to'the tracks, but. as Will, of course, be understood, said signals may bedisposed at any desired distance from the tracks. The signals are identical, and, a description of one will, therefore, suliice for both.

Sunk into the roadway flush with the surface thereof is an oblong pit 13 which maybe of sheet metal or cement, as illustratedv in the present instance. Aquantity I of loose material let, such as stone, gravel or cinders, is preferably provided to form the bottom of thepit so that water may drain therefrom, and leading from the pit are one or more drain pipes 15. At their upper end edges, the walls of the pit are formed with a ledge 16 and seated on said ledge flush with the surface of the roadway is a closure plate 17 for the pit. Embedded in the walls of the pit are anchoring plates 18, and extending through the plate 17 as Well as through the plates 18, are bolts or other similar fastening devices 19 rigidly securing the closure plate in posit-ion. Throughout the major portion of its area, theplate 17 is pressed downwardly to form an oblong seat 20 which is slightly off center with respect to the border of said plate, and, as particularly shown in Figure 3, the bottom wall of said plate is preferably formed with spaced cross bars 21 so that dirt or other foreign matter collecting in the seat may fall between said bars into the pit and thus be prevented from clogging the seat.

Normally resting in the seat 20 of the plate 17 is an oblong signal plate 22. Formed on the plate 22 at one longitudinal edge thereof, as shown in detail in Figure 4, are downstruck arcuate lugs 23 which are suitably spaced longitudinally of said plate, and formed on the adjacent longitudinal edge of the plate 17 are eyes 24 freely receiving said lugs therethrough and cooperating with the lugs for hingedly connecting the signal plate with the closure plate. Set into the signal plate or otherwise fixed thereto near its outer longitudinal edge is a medially disposed bulls eye 25 which may fee be of colored glass or other substance which will reflect light, and similarly mounted upsubstance as the b'ulls eye so hat said letters will also reflect light.

Suitably fixed to the signal plate, near the inner longitudinal edge thereof, is a rearwardly curved arcuate lever 27 havinga depending ear 28, and adjustable upon said lever is a counterweight 29 tending to'swing the signal plate upwardly. However, the counterweight is so disposed upon the lever that the signal plate will normally remain closed.

Formed on the side walls of the pit 13 near the bottom thereof are oppositely disposed shoulders 30 and, fixed at its ends to- 36, and supporting the outer end of said Shaft is a bearing 37. Wound about the drum 36 is a .cord. or other flexible element 38 which is connected to one end of a spring 39, the opposite end of which is engaged with the ear 28 of the lever 27, and also engaged at one end with said ear is a spring 40, the. opposite end of which is anchored to the adjacent wall of the pit .13. Thus,

when the motor is energized, the cord 38 will/be wound on the drum 36 so that the lever 27 will be rocked forwardly for swinging the signal plate 22 upwardly, as

. shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, to signaling position. Upon the subsequent de energization of the motor, the spring 40 will then function against the action of the dash (pot, to return the signal plate to its normal position. Moreover, should a driver accidentally run into the forward edge of the signal plate, when said plate is raised, the spring 40 will tend to prevent upward swinging movement of the plate so that said plate will, instead of being swung further upwardly by the wheel of the vehicle striking the plate, on the contrary, be returned to its normal position so that, the vehicle may pass smoothly over the plate' Possible accident will thus be avoided. I

Located adjacent a rail of the track 10 asuitable distance from the road crossing at one side thereof, is a switch, generally indicated in Figure 1, by the reference numeral 4.1, and located adjacent a rail of the track 11, a suitable distance from the road crossing at the opposite side thereof, is a similar switch generally indicated in Figure 1, by the reference numeral 42. These switches are identical and, as shown in Fig- .ure 5, each of said switches includes a base bar43 which is appropriatelyfixed to the track tiesr' Rising. from said bar. at its ends a train traveling along the track. In Figure 6 of the drawings, I have shown, the manner. in which the switches are electrically. con.

nected with the motors 35 of the signals. A source of electrical energy is indicatedat 49 and leading from one terminal of said source is a wire 50 connected to the plates 45 of both of the switches, Connecting the.

switch bars46 of both. of the switches with corresponding terminals of the motors. 35 is a wire 51 and connecting opposite cor responding terminals of the motors with the,

source49 is a wire 52. .Thus, upon the ap-. preach of a train from either one direction or the other, the bar 46 ofvone of the switches will be depressed to engage the switch plate 45 of said switch, when current will flow from the source 49 through the wire 50 to the switch plate 45. of the switch, thence through the bar 46 of, said switch and through the wire 51 to the motors v35 of both if of the signals, and thence through said motors and through the wire 52 to return to the source 49.v Accordingly, the signal plates 22 of both ofthe signals will, be swung upwardly to inclined positionas previously described, for signaling the traffic train.

Attention now directed to the fact that when the signal plates 22 are. swung-up to on the roadway 12 of the approach, of the signaling position, the word Stop on each. of said plates will, in the daytime, be readily visible while, at night, the headlightsof approaching vehicles willilluminate the letters ofsaid words as well as alsoilluminatethe bulls eyes 25, which will reflect the light and thus render the signals; conspicuous.

However, should a driver fail; to see either signal, the driver will, upon continuing toward the railway tracks, run over the signal in his path and W111 thus be signaled to stop. When a vehiclethus strikes one of the signal plates 22, the plate will, of course, be immediately swung downwardly by the weight of the vehicle so that no injury! to the vehicle will result.

The spring 39 acts obviously in opposition.

to the spring 40 but the spring 40 is preferably slightly stronger than the spring 39and the point of attachment of the springs to the lever 27 is, in the normal position of the parts, at the opposite side of the vertical plane of the hinge of the signal plate from the upper end of the lever. The two springs 39 and 40 and thecounterweight 29 are thus so disposed that, while the signal plate will be normally held in its lowered position, it will be easily raised to the signaling position when the motor is actuated and the movement of the signal plate will be without any jarring or slamming motion so that the liability of the plate to be broken or damaged in operation is minimized. The dash pot cooperates with the other elements to retard the closing movement of the plate so that, when it seats upon the cover, there will be no violent contact between the two plates which would tend to break or bend either plate.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim is:

1. A barrier for a crossing signal of the character described comprising a body consisting of a plate adapted to be secured to a support and formed with an opening, portions of the body plate about the opening being depressed to provide a ledge bordering the opening and a portion of the ledge having socket openings formed therein, a signal plate resting upon said ledge with its upper surface flush with the upper surface of the body plate, hinge lugs depending from said signal plate through the openings in the ledge to mount the signal for vertical swinging movement, danger-indicating means carried by the signal plate adjacent the opposite edge thereof from the hinge lugs and prominently displayed when the signal plate is swung upwardly, a longitudinally curved balance bar secured against the wider face of the signal plate and extending downwardly therefrom with its free end portion projecting across the plane of the hinge lugs, and a counter-weight carried by said bar and adjustable longitudinally thereon.

2. A device of the character described comprising a sup orting structure open at its top and inclu ing opposed walls, ledges projecting from facing sides of said walls and extending towards each other, a platform supported upon said walls and formed with an opening, a bridge strip extending between said walls and extending beneath the opening in'said platform with its ends resting upon said ledges, a signal plate hinged to said platform and adapted to be swung vertically from a horizontal position in covering relation to the opening to an elevated position, a balance bar secured a ainst the under face of said signal plate ad acent its hinged side and extending downwardly and curved longitudinally away from the opening, a dashpot carried by said bridge strip beneath the opening and having an upwardly extending piston connected with said signal plate, resilient means engaged with said balance bar to yieldably resist upward movement of the signal plate and draw the plate downwardly against the action of the dashpot, and means carried by the bridge strip to move the signal plate upwardly against the action of said resilient means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES F. MORGAN. [L.8.]

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