US1717519A - Railroad-crossing gate - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1929. PRATH RAILROAD cRossIug GATE Filed April 25, 1928 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oi-"Pics;

tronn H. 23mm, or BROOKLYN, new YORK.

RAILROAD-CROSSING GATE.

- Application filed August 25, 1928. I Serial No. 272,633.

This invention relates to railroad crossing gates and more particularly to mechanisms for automatically raising and lowering such ates.

With the large number of automobiles and similar vehicles now upon the highways, it becomes increasingly important that proper means be taken to prevent accidents at railroad crossings. Of course, upon well frequented highways fiagmen are stationed and proper safety measures are taken; but 1n outlying districts where the highways are now used to a great extent, no safeguards are provided at crossings, mainly because the necessity for a crossing gate is not considered sufficient to warrant the salary of an attendant.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mechanism for automatically raising and lowering a crossing gate without the assistance of an attendant.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism for operating a crossing gate, which mechanism is controlled by the passing locomotive and train.

In attaining these desired objects, I provide a weighted lever which normally holds the crossing gate in a raised position but when a locomotive passes, a spring controlled winding device is put into operation to counteract the weight andallow the gate to be lowered. When the last car of the train passes the device, the spring controlled winding device is released to enable the weight to again raise the gate.

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, constituting a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the device is positioned near railroad tracks.

Fi ure 2 is a sideview showing details of the c evice.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the actuating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the device is shown to comprise a casing 4 in which is mounted a shaft having a gear 6 fixed thereto. The gear 6 has integral therewith a pair of cars 7 through which pass the rod 8 having attached to one end thereof a weight 9. The other end of rod 8 is connected to a crossing gate, not shown, and the weight 9 is sufficient to norm ally raise the gate.

Gear 6 meshes with a smaller gear 10 mounted on a shaft 12 rotatably journalled in the walls of the casing. Also fixed to shaft 12 and positioned outside of the casing, is a sprocket 11, over whichpasses a chain 11, the latter also passingpover a second sprocket 13 rotatably mounted on a shaft 14 positioned to the rear of the casing 4. The shaft 14 is j ournalled in the walls of a smaller casing and has a head 16 at one end, and is surrounded at that end by a compression spring 15 which abuts the sprocket 13 and the head 16 to normally maintain the clutch 17 in engagement with clutch 18, the latter being fixed to shaft '14. Clutch 17 is integral with the sprocket 13 and of course rotates therewith.

Also mounted on shaft 14 within the casing is a pinion 24-in-engagement witha large gear 25, the latter having a pin which is fixed to the spring 27 to wind the spring when the gear 27 is rotated clockwise, as shown in Figure 2. The gear 25 is loosely mounted on a shaft 19 journalled in the walls 20 and the gear carries a pawl 33 pressed by the spring 34 into engagement with a ratchet wheel 28 fixed to the shaft 19. Also fixed to the shaft 19 and positioned outside of the casing is a pinion 26 adapted to be engaged by a rack,

not shown, which is carried by the locomotive of a passing train.

The shaft 13 also has fixed thereto a ratchet 23 which is prevented from rotation clockwise part, not shown, on the last car of a train, is

a leaf spring 29 to Whichis attached a cord 30, the latter encircling a post 31 andhaving its other end attached to a lever 32 which is mounted near the base of a wall 20 and adapted to engage a clutch 17 to shift the latter from engagement with clutch 18.

In operation, When the locomotive of a train reaches the device, a rack, not shown, on a part of a locomotive engages the pinion 26 to rotate the latter counter clockwise, which movement causes gear 25 to be rotated counter-clockwise and wind the spring 27, the spring being prevented from unwinding by the pawl 33 engaging ratchet 28. The gear 25 engages pinion 24 to rotate the pinion and consequently the shaft 14 in a clockwise direction. Reverse rotation of shaft 14 is prevented i by spring pawl 22 engaging ratchet .23. Rotation of shaft 14 causes sprocket 13, and consequently sprocket 11 to rotate to cause gears and 6 to be rotated to raise the weight 9to allow the gate to fall.

When the last car of the train reaches the devicefla projection part, not shown, on the last car, depresses the spring 29 to pull on the cord 30 to cause the clutch shifter 32 to disen= gage clutches 17 and 18 and'thus allow the wcight'to raise the gate. v

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided a simplemechanicaldevice which will automatically control the raisingand lowering of crossinggates without the-necesslty of an attendant.

The foregomg disclosure 1s to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only and not i as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of

' structed, including many 1nodifications,withmeans adapted to be engaged by a projection which obviously an embodiment may be connected vwith said gear and adapted to be actu-- ate d bya part on a locomotive to cause the gear to be rotated to'raise the weight, and

on the last car of a train to render said first mentioned means inefiective so that the gate may be raised bythe weight,

- V 35 2. A device for raising and lowering gates at railroad crossings comprising a wheel, a I

levermounted on the wheel, one end of the lever'being connected with the gate, a weight mounted on the'other end of the lever to normally hold a gate in a raised position, a sprocket and chain system associated with said wheel, a clutch for connecting said 'system with a gear train, a pinion connected with said gear train and adapted to be rotated by a parton a passing locomotive,'and means positioned near said device and adapted to be engaged by, a part on the last car of a passing train to disengage said vclutch to render'said sprocket andchain system ineffective. I V

3. A device for automatically controlling a railroad crossing gate by a passing train comprising a weighted lever adapted to normally hold a gate in a raised position, means actuated by a part on a passing locomotive to counteract the force of the weight to allow the gate to be lowered, and means engageable by a part on the last car of a trainto render said first mentioned means inelfective so that the weight may again raise the gate;

In witness whereof I have affixed my signature.

. JOHN. H. PRATH.

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