US1868584A

US1868584A - Electric toy railway track

Info

Publication number: US1868584A
Application number: US542439A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ottenstein Friedrich
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1930-06-24
Filing date: 1931-06-05
Publication date: 1932-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 1949-07-26

Description

July 26, 1932. F. OTTENSTEIN ELECTRIC TOY RAILWAY TRACK Filed June 5, 1931 Patented July 26, 1932 Unites sr-Arns' FRIEDRICH OTTENSTEIN, F NUREMBEBG, GERMANY ELECTRIC 'roY RAILWAYTRAGK Application filed June 5, 1931, Serial No.

In the known switches for toy railway tracks the switch levers are always unremovably fixed at the side of the switch, so that with any otherwise possible arrangement of the rails, for instance in the case of larger point lay-outs for stations andshunting stations, the switch lever becomes a dis turbing constructional element. Furthermore, through the fixed arrangement of the switch leversthe known points form large, bulky pieces. I

These disadvantages are overcome by the present invention, which firstly enables the switch lever to be attached by means of a link member for the switch operating mechanism in a releasable manner to the support for the latter at either side of the switch, and secondly enables the switch to be taken apart to such an extent that, assuming symmetrical rail sections to be used, a switch may be put together for right-hand or' left hand branches from the same separate parts, with the interchange of only a few small replacement pieces.

In the accompanying drawing a constructional example of the invention is illustrated,

v Fig. 1 showing a plan view of the switch,

Fig. 2 the switch inlongitudinal section on line AA of Fig.1,

Fig. 3 the switch operating mechanism according to Fig. 1, as seen from below,

Fig. 4 the switch operating mechanism with a signal lamp disposed in front of it in side elevation,

Fig. 5 the switch signal lamp inside elevation,

Fig. 6 a switch tongue in plan view and side elevation, i

Fig. 7 the heel pivot plate for the switch tongue, as seen from above and from below, and

Fig. 8 the switch tongue controlling means in detail to an enlarged scale.

Over the supporting structure consisting substantially of a middle sleeper 1 and two T-pieces 2, 3 of U-shaped bent sheet metal suitably positioned with respect thereto, a curved track branches off from a straight track. The straight track consists of a long straight length of rail 4 and of two shorter 542,439, and in Germany June 24, 1930.

straight lengths of

rail

6, 7 which lie in alignment with the switch tongue 8. The curved their ends inserted inslots (Fig. 7) of

solid fitting pieces

16, 17 made of insulating material. The rail pieces 6, 9 also each have one end inserted in such A slots, while the other endis held by clips 14 on the

sleepers

12, 13. The fitting piece 16 at the'same time forms thesecuring member forthe pivoted

switch blades

8, 11 and for a live rail 18 disposed between them, and also for a wedge- ;shaped current conducting tongue 19 disposed within the switch. The

switch blades

8, 11 are pivoted in cup-shaped depressions 20. of the fitting piece 16 (Fig. 7 in which disc-shaped pins 21 at the heels of the blades engage (Fig.6).

Each of the laterally, extending arms of the T-piece 2 is adapted to be connected by a screw connection22to a sleeper-like extension 23. On this extension 23 twobearingpedestals 2 (Fig. 4:) are disposed. between which is journalled on a shaft 25 a two-armed switch lever 26, the upper arm of which carries a disc-shaped weight 27. while the'lower arm extends through a slot- 28in the extension23 (Figs. 1 and 3) and is connected to a link 29 dis'posedin the interior of the sleeper extension 23; Thelink 29 has aU-shaped crank 30 (Fig. 3) and is pivotally connected to a lever arm 31 adapt ed to swing within the T-piece 2. The limbs 30a, 30b, of the crank 30 act as stops for a pin 32 of a switch signal lamp 33 (Figs. 1, 3.; '5). The lamp 33 is provided with a plvot pin 34 whichis mounted in the web ofthe extension 23.- The stoppin 32 extends through an arcuate slot 35 extendlng around the hole of the pivot pin34, which slot is of such a length that the lamp 33 can be turned through 90. The lever arm 31 forms part of an arrangement of crossed levers capable of turning about a pin 36 fixed in the T- piece 2 (Figs. 3 and 8), the

arms

37, 38 of which form a straight line with each other and lie at right angles to the arm 31, while the short arm 39 which is provided with a central elongated slot 40 forms an extension of the arm 31. To the ends of the

arms

37 and 38

arms

41, 42 are pivoted, which latter arms each extend through. an. opening'in the ad,- jacent side walls of the T-piece 2 and each have a helical compression spring 43-, 445 slipped over them. The helical springs 43, 4A bear at one end ag'ain'st'tlie pivot connection' of thepivoted arms and at the other end against the side walls of the T piece 2 and, through being stressed,.impart to the crossed lever arrangement '31, 37,38, 39. such atorque that the crossed lever arrangement remains each time in the position into which it has been rocked. Into the slot 40 (Figs. 8, 3.) of the arm 39 there extends the operating pinaa of av coupling bar 46 made. of insulating material which forms a parallel. uide for the

switch blades

8 and 11 The said blades are connected to the bar 46. by bolts l8 which are guided in slots 47 in the T- piece: 2.

Theswitchis manipulated and acts in the tollowing manner:

When the switch. is in the position shown 11L Fig. 1 the straight piece 015 track. a isclear and the branch 5: is blocked. When. the branch line is to be cleared and the straight track is to be blocked, the switch lever 26 is-rocked. intothe position B shown in Fig, 4 in dot and dash lines- This causes: the link 29 to be pushed fiurther into the arm extension 28' and the

crossed lever arrangement

31, 37,38, 39 to be moved: into the position C shown in broken lines in Fig. 3'. The limb 30a strikesagainst the stop pin 32 of the laanp forcinthe said pin against the other end of the arcuate slot. 35,th uscausing the lamp 33 to be turned through 90 into the position D shown in dot and dash. lines in Fig. Through the change over ot the crossed lever arrangement the coupling bar 46 is also displaced and the

switch blades

8, 11 are changed over in such a. manner that the curved track,.that is-the branch 5,.becomes clear. During the change over of the crossed lever arrangement the

compression springs

43, 44 are stressed until the. arms- 37, 38 and i the switch piece in the manner shown, as for instance there is some obstacle at a place at which the extension 23 would lie, the extension together with the switch lever 26, the

lamp 33 and the link 29 can instead be fixed to the other arm of the T-piece 2, the link 29 being connected to the lever arm 31 from this side, as shown in dot and dash lines by E in Fig. 3.

lVhat I claim is:

1. For use at a turn-out of a toy railway track a switch comprising supports, switch blades, means adapted to be attached in an easily releasable manner on the right-hand orileit-hand side of. the turn-out for chang ing over the said switch blades, rail pieces and members for fixing the said rail pieces to the supports, so as to be capable of being easily released.

2.. For use at a turn-out of: a toy railway track a switch. comprising a support, switch blades, means adapted to be disposed on, the right-hand or left-hand side of the turn-out for changingv over the said switch blades,

rail pieces,.mcmbers for fixing the said rail pieces to the support, so as to be capable of being easily released, a supplementary part for supporting the blade change-over means and, means for releasably attaching the said supplementary part to the support on the right-hand or left-hand of the turn-out, so as to form an extension of the support on one side thereoii, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. Aswitch as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a switch signal lamp, a link member for operating the switch blades andfor turning the signal lamp, a rectangular cranked part in the said link member and a stop pin on the lamp adapted to be displaced by two opposite limbs of the said cranked part, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A switch as claimed in claim 1. and comprising a bar for coupling the switch blades, a pin on the said bar, a link member, a crossed lever arrangement having four arms at right angles to one another, one of which is in operative engagement with the link member, a slotted guide tor the saidpin in the arm forming the extension of the aforesaid arm, rocking members pivoted to the ends of the other two arms of the crossed lever arrangement which are at right angles to the two first-named arms and compression springs on said rocking members for securing the whole switch operating device in the desired position, as and for the purpose set forth.

name to this specification.

FRIEDRICH OTTEN STEIN.