US182008A - Improvement in safety-locks for railroad-switches - Google Patents

Description

A. W. WILLCOX.

SAFETWLOCKS FOR RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Patented Sept. 5,1876.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AARON w. wrnnoox, or PLYMOUTH, NEW YonK.

' IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-LOCKS FOR RAlLROAQ-SWITCHESH Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,008., dated September 5, 1876; application filed August 4, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON W. WILLGOX,

of Plymouth, in the county of Ohenango, and in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Locks for Railroad-Switches and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device in position for looking a switchrail in place and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the dotted lines showing the relative positions of the operative parts as the lockingblock passes from the inner to the outer limit of its motion.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention is an improvement upon a device for locking the movable rails of rail-' road-switches in place; and it consists, principally, in the means employed for throwing the locking-block into, and removing the same from, engagement with the switch-rail, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified. It consists, further, in the means employed for locking said block in engagement with said switch-rail, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

In the annexed drawing, A and A represent the fixed, and B the movable, rail of a switch, which at their ends rest upon and are supported by a chair, 0, of ordinary construction, the arrangement being such as to permit said rail B to be moved laterally until its end will coincide with the end of each of said rails A. When moved inward, so as to coincide with the inner rail A, a considerable space is left between the outer side of the rail B and the raised portion or side 0 of the outer side of the chair 0, which space is filled so as to firmouter end, at the side of the block D, is pivoted one end of a second bar, G, which from thence extends downward and inward, and has its lower end pivoted upon a rod, H, that extends horizontally outward, and then upward and outward, and has its outer end pivoted to or upon a lever, I, which lever is substantially like the ordinary target-levers of a switch, its lower end being pivoted to or upon the cross-tie F, while its upper end is capable of motion in avertical plane toward or from the track. Upon the side of the rod H, at the point where the bar G is pivoted thereto, is a stud, h, which projects laterally outward, and

when said rod is drawn forward by the lever I, engages with the inner edge of the bar E, near its lower end, and moves said bar and the block D forward. Upon reversing the motion of said rod said stud engages with an arm, 6, which projects upward from the lower end, at the rear edge of said bar E, and returns the latter to its inner position, after which u ment of the bar E causes said block to be carried upward, outward, and downward to the position shown by the outer dotted lines of Fig. 2, leaving the switch-rail B free to move.

Upon moving the lever I inward, the block D is first moved to the position shown by the inner dotted lines of Fig. 2, its inner end being against the side of the rail B, and its outer end elevated at an angle of about forty-five degrees, after which a continuation of the motion of said lever will cause the outer end of said block to be moved downward into engage ment with the raised portion 0 of the chair 0, so as to lock said rail firmly in place. A spring-catch, K, which engages with a stud, '5, upon the side of the lever I, andlocks the same in place when moved inward, and is arranged to be disengaged by the foot of the operator, completes the apparatus.

If desired, the locking mechanism described may be'connected with an operated by the same lever which moves the switch-rail.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new 2. In combination with the operating-lever is- I, the spring-catch K, arranged in the manner '1. In combination with the block D, fitted and for the purpose substantially as shown. between the side of the rail B and the raised In testimony that I claim the foregoing I portion 0 of the chair 0, the bar E, provided "hair'ehereunto set my hand this 31st day of with the arm 0, the bar G, the rod H, having J uly, 1876.

the stud h, and the operating-lever I, said A, -W. WILLOOX. parts being constructed and arranged to oper- Witnesses ate in the manner and for the purpose sub- H. G. PRINDLE,

stantially as specified. R. B. PRINDLE.

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