US210216A - Improvement in railway-switches - Google Patents

Description

G'. H. SOULR Railway-Switch'.

No, 210,216.4 Paire-med Nov.26 ,187s.

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GEORGE H. SOULE, OF BANGOR, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO CLARK SOULE.

IMPROVEMENT vIN RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,216, dated November 26, 1878; application filed May 27, 1878.

To aZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. SOULE, of Bangor, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented an Improvement in Railroad-Switches, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to railroad-switches of the class operated automatically by the train.

The invention consists, primarily, in the combination, with switch-points and a rocker- 'shaft to move them, of an auxiliary lever and a governor therefor to automatically move and retain the auxiliary lever in such position with relation to the safety-lever as to insure the continuance of the cars upon the main line, such governor and auxiliary lever being adaptled to be moved by hand when it is desired that a trainv pass from the main line to a siding. v

Figure l represents, in plan or top view, a sufficient portion of a railway bed and track to illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a section on the line w x, Fig." l; Fig. 3, a section on line t t, (see Fig. ,lbetween they track and auxiliary levers;) Fig. 4, a section on lines 2 2; Fig. 5, a section on lines 3 3, and Fig. 6 a section on lines 4 4.

The main track is designated by the letters a, the siding-tracks by b, and the switch-points by c c. The switch-lever eZ, supported in any usual stand or case, is connected by link e with an ear, 5, of an arm, f, attached to a rock-shaft, g, held in suitable bearings h h. This rock-shaft has secured to it a finger, t', which engages a bar, j, connected with, and, as the rock-shaft is moved, shifts, the switch-points c c to place them in position with reference`- to the track a,

`so as to direct the cars upon either themain track or siding.

To place and retain these switch-points automatically in vposition to insure the retention of the cars on the main track, unless it is desired to pass them to a siding, I have arranged to operate this rock-shaft automatically by the passing train. 'To do this I have added to the rock-shaft7 at or near its rear end, an arm, k, provided with two ears, (see Fig. 4,) and have connected such ears Withvsafety-lever Z Z, pivoted upon stands m, the outer ends of such l'evers being extended toward the tracks a b, so

that the wheel-flanges of a passing car will strike that one of the levers ZZlvwhich4 happens to be elevated; but it will be observed that the ends of the safety-levers next the main ltrack a are always depressed when the main one entering a slot in the other, the slot al-` lowing the lever and arms to move in different arcs.

At the front end of the rock-shaft, and connected with the ear 7 of the arm j', is the primarycsafety-lever Z2, it extending. toward the main track a in advance of the switch-point c, and substantially in line with the switch-lever cZ,-but, unlike levers Z Z1,l it does not extend so yclose to such track that its end will be struck and depressed by the wheel-hanges vof a passing car. This primary safety-lever is arranged to be depressed by the car-wheel only through the instrumentality of an auxiliary lever, a, so pivoted at its rear end S as to permit the outer end of the lever to move freely up and down and laterally under the action of the car-wheels and lever Z2. This lever a is connected by link o with a pivoted lever, p, weighted, as. at g, or otherwise so operated through a spring that the auxiliary lever is held pressed toward the track a, but capable of being moved laterally away from such track, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, when acar passes from the siding track b b to the main track a.

A car moving from track b to track a, in the direction of arrow 2, would strike the auxiliary lever nl, and, through safety-lever ZL, rock the shaft g and shift the switch-points into the position shown in dotted lines, insuring the passage of the car upon the main track a, and as the car-wheels meet lever n they will strike its beveled or rounded front end and move 'it horizontally and laterally over the surface of the primary safety-lever, Z27 Without depressing it, and when thepwheel of the last car passes such lever, it is automatically thrown, through the action of the weight, over against the track a.

I denominate the lever 19, weight q, and link o as the governing mechanism77 for the auxiliary lever; but instead of the particular devices shown I might employ any well-known equivalent to operate by a weight or spring.

If the train should be moved from the main track a in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1, and the switch-points were as in dotted lines, as they would be left by the train when passing from track b to track a, then the auxiliary lever a would be depressed and act upon the primary safety-lever to oscillate the rock-shaft and automatically shift the points c c to the positions shown in full lines, Fig. 1, when the train would take the main track.

If it is desired to run the train from the lnain track a back aga-in to the siding-track b, then the lever p must be moved by hand to throw lever n away from track c, as in dotted lines, and the car-wheels will pass without depressing it and rocking shaft g.

The wheels of a train passing along the main line in the direction of arrow 2, after the passage of a train from the siding-track b upon the main track a, strike the auxiliary lever n2 and shift the switch-points into correct position to maintain the train upon the main track a. When passing over the main track wheel passes between the other switch-point and the main track a and locks the switchpoints, so that they cannot be accidentally shifted. The levers nl n? case the blow of the wheels upon the levers l l1. The switch-points may be moved by hand through lever d, if desired.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the rock-shaft and switch-points, of safety-levers Z Z1, at the rear of the switch-points, and a safety-lever, Z2, and an auxiliary lever, n, in front of the switchpoints, to automatically change the switchpoints and retain the train on the main track, substantially as described.

2. The primary lever l2, connected rockshaft, and switch-points, in combination with the auxiliary lever, arranged in advance of the point of the switch, and governing mechanism to maintain the auxiliary lever u in position next the main track a, to operate substantially as described.

3. An auxiliary lever, u, for operating the switch-points, adapted to be thrown automatically or otherwise out of and to be automatically brought into operative position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. SOULE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES N. lnnsnv, U. A. WrNonEsrnn.

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