US1701947A

US1701947A - Toy-railroad-track construction

Info

Publication number: US1701947A
Application number: US172777A
Authority: US
Inventors: Caruso Mario
Original assignee: Lionel Corp
Current assignee: Lionel Corp
Priority date: 1927-03-04
Filing date: 1927-03-04
Publication date: 1929-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1946-02-12

Description

FQFQ@ H29- LQZQ,

' M QAUS@ TOY RAILROAD TRACK CONSTRUGTIGN Fila@ march 4:1, 1927 Non@ n INVENTOR ATTORNEY patted llebl 12, di

RIO CARUSO, @F IRVINGTON, NEW 1' JERSEY, .ASSGNOR T@ THE Lllllm COF@- lllhl', 0h NEW YGRE, N. Y., A CORIEGRATION 0E' NEW YORK.

'.lGY-RJLRAlD-TRACK GUNSTRUCTIM.

.application ledl Maren l1, 1927. Serial No. 172,777.. l

'lhe present invention relates to toy railroad track construction and is more particularly directed toward improvements in the construction or special sections of toy electric railroad tracks such as switches, crossings and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide asection of toy railroad track in which a sheet metal stamping having a substantially flat upper surface supports the wheel bearing or track rails and the power or third rail and wherein these rails are mounted on the rail support by means of prongs projecting downwardly from the base of the rail and passing through slots or apertures in the rail support,

the prongs being bent up underneath the lower side of the rail support. Where it is desired to insulate a rail, such for example as the power or third rail, suitable insulating means are inserted between that rail and the rail support. i K

Another objectl or the invention is to provide a switch section for toy railroads in which stationary converging wheel bearing rails are separated from one another and from the diverging wheel bearing rails, which carry the train away from the frog, a sufficient distance so that danges on the car wheels may pass through, and to associate with the frog and converging rails, aI short platform to receive the flanges on the wheels and maintain the wheels at substantially the same level they would be were the treads resting on a rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy railroad track switch with suitable guards or antiderailing devices to prevent the car trucks from becoming derailed when pass-l ing through the switch.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, tor purposes of illustrating the invention, one of the many possible embodiments in which the in vention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

1n these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview'of a track switch for toy electric 'railroads showing the wheel bearing rails, the third rails and switch tongues together with the rail support, but omitting the switch actuating mechanism;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 3b are fragmentary views illustrating the means for supporting the third or power rail;

vFigure 4e is a sectional View on the line l-l of Figure 55 and tFigure 5 is an inverted plan view of the to track switch.

As shown in the drawings, the track conu struction, eXempliiie-d in the form oi a track switch for toy railroads, is made up in the form of an interchangeable section ot railroad track adapted to be connected into track layouts having other sectionsoit toy railroad track. As here illustrated the track switch has a main line designated by the letter A and a. branch line designated by the letter B. The main line A has a straight track or wheel bearing rail 10 extending through the 4length of the track switch section, while the branch line B has a curved outside track rail 11 which extends from the lower righthan'd end of the switch as indicated in the drawings, out'through the branch line. The main and branch lines also have wheel bearing

rails

12 and 13 which diverge from a frog 14C.

These rails as well as all the other parts of the section of track are mounted on a track support 15 which is preferably made in the form of a sheet meta-l stamping of the proper shape to support the rails and the operating device for the switch. 151s indicated in the drawings, this stamped rail support is provided with downwardly bent tlanges 16a, 16h, 16". 16d and 16e extending along the edges to stiden the rail support, and with end flanges 17 having outwardly extending lower ends or feet 17. These lianges 17 are for the purpose of supporting the track section and for facilitating coupling the section to other track sections by connecting ties customarily used in assembling toy track lay-outs. 95

The. wheel bearing rails .10, 11, 12 and 13 are each made out tot sheet metal stampings by folding the stamping to the cross section indicated in Figure 2 wherein it appears that the rail has an upper or tread portion 18, two 10u vertical walls 19 and 19 supporting the upper portion anda wider base

portion having walls

20 and 20 extending down to the upper surface of the supporting plate 15. The Fstampings from which the sheet metal rails 1115 are made are also provided with suitably spaced prongs 21 preferably arranged in pairs as indicated. These prongs are passed through apertures 22 punched in the sheet l metal rail support and are then bent up un- 11u derneath the lower side of the rail support to securely fasten the wheel bearing rails in lace on the rail support.

The track switch shown in the drawings is also provided with a Y-sbaped continuous third or power rail 23 for conducting current through both the main line and the branch line. This power rail is made up of' three parts, including a straight third rail 24 between the wheel bearing rails 10 and 12, a curved power supply rail 25 between the rails 11 and 13, and a if-shaped sheet metal stamping 26. The rails 24 and 25 are made of sheet metal in approximatel the same manner as the wheel bearing rai s. These dider, however, in that the wider spaced base portions 20e and 20b are short instead of being continuous. The third "rails are provided wit-h prongs 21a and 21b which extend downwardly from the wide base portions 20a and 20b of the third rails, similar to the prongs 21 on the wheel bearing rails.

The third rails are insulated from the rail support 15 by means of two EHI-shaped plates 27 and 28 of insulating material arranged above and below the sheet metal support. The rail support 15 is provided with depressions 29 to receive the upper y'insulating plates 27 and these depressed portions are provided with comparatively large apertures 30. As indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3a the insulatingplates 27 and 28 are H-shaped and are so arranged as to hold lthe prongs 21a and 21b out of contact with the bridging member 31 between the holes 30. The portions 20a and 2()b of these third rails which support the bodies of the rails are shorter than the insulating plates 27 and 28, and therefore do not come in contact with the supporting plate 15. By placing the insulating plate in the 'depression 29 and clamping the parts tightly together one provides a construction in which the third or power rail is insulatively supported and at the same time held from shifting longitudinally or laterally. l

The sheet metal stamping 26 forming the Y-shaped portion of the conductor rail has its right hand end (as indicated in Figure 1) a cross section substantially as the third or power rails 24 and 25. This stamping has a broadened portion 32 and a depressed portion 33 which is adaptedto pass downwardly into an aperture 34 punched in the -rail support. The ends35 and 36 of the' Y-shaped stamping are then bent up to be adjacent the ends 24 and 25 of the power rails 24 and 25. The stamping 26 may be conveniently fastened to these rails by passing the end portions of the stamping into the rails from underneath and applying drops of solder at the points indicated at 37. The stamping 26 is insulatively supported from meneer are in the form of a triangular shaped sheet metal stamping 44 bent up along the sidesv to provide the rails. This stamping is fastened 'to the supporting plate 15 by prongs 45 so as to locate the rails 42 and 43 inline with the

rails

12 and 13 respectively. |This stamping 44 has an opening in the center as indicated at 46 to permit the third rail member 26 to pass downwardly through it, this third rail member being carried underneath the rails 42 and 43. The rails 42 and 43 are brought adjacent the frog 14 and if desired may include insulators 47 to prevent grounding the moving contact on the locomotive as itpasses from the broadenedportion 32 of the power rail to the portions 24 or 25.

As the rails 42 and 43 are stationary7 it is necessary to separate them suciently from the ends of

rails

12 and 13 to permit the flanges ofthe car wheels to pass through both the main line and the branch line without interference. In order to prevent the wheel of the car from dropping on account of the gap between the wheel bearing rails, the presenty invention contemplates the provision of platforms 48 and 49 which may be parts of the stamping forming the frog 14. These platforms are so arranged that the Vflange of the wheel rolls across the platform and the wheel is carried at substantially the same elevation it would have been carried were the tread ofthe wheel on a wheel bearing rail.

The position of the wheel is indicatedby dotted lines in Figure 4. rThis frog or platform may be in the form of a stamping held in place by prongs 50 bent up underneath .the rail support.

Tn order to keep'the toy train on the track while it is passing Ithrough the switch,

wheel guards

51 and 52 are provided adjacent the rails 10 and 11 and placed so that they engage the flanges of the wheels carried on these rails at the time the flanges on the opposite wheels oit the car truck are passing over the platforms 38 and 39. These wheel guards are held in place by

prongs

51 and 52.

The toy train may be guided through the main line A or onto the branch line B by meansv of a movable switch tongue 54 and of the proper shape to guide the flange of a car wheel from the rail 10 onto the rail 43 or from the rail 11 onto Athe rail 42 depending v upon the' position of the switch tongue. This switch tongue may be operated by a shift bar 55 connected to the tongue by a member`56 passing through a slot '57 in the stamping.

meneer 50. The stamping may be cut away as indicated at 60 and 6l to reduce the weight if desired and may be provided with a lateral extension 62 for the support of the switch actuating mechanism which may be mounted in an aperture 63 if desired. The central part of the track switch may be provided with a supporting block 64 arranged underneath the frog of the switch.

Many of the improved features of track construction above described in detail as being employed in. toy railroad track switches are, it is of course understood, applicable to other units of track customarily used in toy track layouts, such as straight and curved sections of track, crossings and the like. Various arrangements of fixed and movable rails may be employed. rl`he method of fastening the rails to the rail support is such that the track section is materially stiffened by reason of the reinforcement aorded by the rails. The entire track section may be assembled very readily. The rails, Vfrog and wheel guards may be placed on the rail support and all the prongs bent down at one `time thereby securely fastening all these parts in place.

lit will also be understood that any or all the wheel bearing or track rails may be insu- What is claimed is:

`l. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support and asheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded onto itself to provide a narrow upper portion and Wider base portion including spaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attaching prongs extending doWnwardly from the vertical side walls and passing through holes in the rail support.

2. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support and a sheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded onto itself to provide a narrow upper portion and wider base portion including spaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attaching prongs extending downwardly from the vertical side walls and passing through holes in the rail support and insulation between the rail support and th side wall of the rail and the prongs.

3. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support and a sheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded onto itself to provide a narrow upper portion and wider base portion including spaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attaching prongs extending downwardly from the vertical side walls and passing through holes in the rail support and insulation between the rail support and the side wall of the rail and the prongs, portions of the side walls of the rail between the pairs of attaching prongs being cut away to keep the rails out of contact with the rail support, y p

Signed at Irvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 25 day of' February, 1927..

MARIO CARUSO.