US2124190A

US2124190A - Switch stand

Info

Publication number: US2124190A
Application number: US145000A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel L Eastburn
Original assignee: American Brake Shoe and Foundry Co
Current assignee: American Brake Shoe and Foundry Co
Priority date: 1937-05-27
Filing date: 1937-05-27
Publication date: 1938-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 1955-07-19

Description

July 19; 1938. s. L. EASTBURN SWITCH sTA'fmv Fil ed May 27, 19s? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR SAMUEL L Bis-mum ATTORNEY Juiy 19, 1938. s. L. EASTBURN 2,124,190

' SWITCH STAND Filed May 2'7, 19557 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTCR SAMUEL L. EAsmu/PM I mf%%;

ATTO R N E Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWITCH STAND Application May 27, 1937, Serial No. 145,000

1 Claim.

. The invention relates to railway track equipment and, more particularly, to switch stands for operating railway switches.

The invention is shown applied to a switch :stand of the general type disclosed in Patent No.

v grooves-in the star block. A hand lever operable do .pendable, some trouble has been experienced by foreign matter getting into the grooves on the star block. Sand, snow and ice collects in these slots, and sometimes the padlock chain for looking the switch stand, interfering with and delaying the operation of the stand.

According to the invention, protecting devices are provided in the form of a circular disc or plate attached to the operating arm, this disc having depending side walls and forming a protective casing which overlies the slots in the star block and protects them from foreign matter thereby insuring unhindered engagement between the operating arm and the said slots, and increasing the safety of the switch stand and speeding up its operation.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings form-' ing a part thereof, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan View of the improved switch stand;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

' has upstanding sides andis covered by a three- Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a'vertical side elevation of the switch stand looking toward the switch.

In the following description and in the claim, various details. will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will 1 permit.

like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific dis- 1T5 closure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the switch stand comprises a casing indicated, in general, by having base flanges l I for spiking or otherwise securing to the railroad ties. The casing part covering comprising a mid-section l2 and easily removable end sections 13 and I 4. This type of cover is described in detail and claimed in my Patent No. 1,783,283, granted December 2, 1930. I

Seated within the casing l0 and Journalled in the mid-cover section I 2 is a star block 15 having four recesses engageable by the spring pressed rollers 16, as indicated in Fig. 3 and described more in detail in the aforementioned Kidd patent. The top of star block 15 is provided with four slots 30 opening upwardly. Journalled within the star block I5 is a vertical spindle 11 passing through the bottom of the casing 10 and having an arm l9 for connection to a connecting rod (not shown) extending to the switch. The upper end of spindle I1 is shaped to support a target (not shown) for indicating the position of the switch.

Pinned to the spindle I1 is a sleeve 20 having an ear 2| to which the operating arm 24 is pivoted. The sleeve 20 also has a lug 22 supporting a lock eye 23 through which a padlock (not shown) may be passed for locking the switch stand.

The operating arm or drop lever 24 is forked to straddle the sleeve 20 and has ears 25 embracing ear 2| through all of which pivot bolt 26 passes. Part of the arm 24 is shaped to form a housing 21 seating a spiral spring 28 engaging between the bottom of the housing 21 and the lug 22 to urge the operating arm downwardly. The side of housing 21 is provided with a small eye 3! to which the chain of the padlock may be secured.

Formed preferably integral with the operating arm 24 are laterally extending plate members 32 having depending flanges 33. These plate membars 32, depending flanges 33, together with the hinged ears 2! and 25 and housing 2? form a protecting housing or covering for the four slots 30 in the star block l5, thus protecting these slots from the introduction of foreign matter no matter to what position the switch stand is thrown.

Pivoted by pivot bolt 35 to the side of casing it is hand lever 34. This hand lever is provided with a slot 35 in which the operating arm 24 engages.

To operate the switch stand, hand lever 34 is moved in a vertical plane from one position to the other in the same manner as explained in the above mentioned Kidd patent. The first part of the movement of hand lever 3 3 raises operating arm or drop lever 24 out of its slot 3%, after which further movement of the hand lever 3'3 moves operating arm 24 in a horizontal plane, causing it to drop in the next notch 38, this dropping being assisted by the spring 28. The horizontal movement of arm 24 rotates the spindle H which operates the switch. The protective shroud formed by plates 32 and flanges 33 loosely telescopes the circular top of star block 55 and partakes of both vertical and circular movement with drop lever 24.

When the switch stand is operated automatically by the passage of trains through the switch, the star block 15, sleeve 2i) and operating arm E l carrying the protective housing or shroud for the slots rotate as a unit, without changing the relation of the slots to their protecting housing.

Thus, the present construction increases the safety and reliability of this type of switch stand. The new construction guards all of the slots against all foreign matter likely to lodge in the slots,the padlock chain, dirt, ballast, snow and me. 24 is raised, the protective housing formed by plates 32 and depending flanges 33 rises and ro-- tates with the arm, but at no time are any of the slots 30 exposed to the weather or in such position that any foreign matter, such as the chain on the padlock, can drop in and interfere It will be noted that, as the operating arm with the safe and quick operation of the switch stand. In the prior construction foreign matter was liable to collect in the slots in the star block and interfere with the hand operation of the stand. The provision of a protecting housing or casing formed integral with the operating arm fully guards these slots and protects them from all foreign matter, insuring safe and speedy seating of the operating arm in the slot to which it is moved at all times.

While certain novel features of the invention.

have been disclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a switch stand, a casing, a block journalled in said casing, spring devices in said casing for yieldably holding said block in any of four, predetermined rotary positions, a vertical shaft mounted in said block and casing and having means for connection to a switch, a sleeve secured to said vertical shaft and having a hinge ear, a drop lever comprising a forked portion straddling saidsleeve andprojecting ears embracingsaidfirstmentioned ear, a horizontal pivot member passing through said ears, said drop lever carrying a seat, said sleeve carrying an abutment, a spring between said seat and abutment, said drop lever having a housing surrounding said spring, said block having a circulartop providedwithfour slots into which said drop lever seat is adapted selectively to rest, a hand lever pivoted to said casing and having a cam slot through which said drop lever extends, said drop lever carrying, on either side, horizontally extending plate portions extending out from said housing and forked portion close above the corresponding slots, said plate portions having curved skirt portions concentric with said circular top and depending below the tops of the outer ends of said corresponding slots, said plate and skirt portions extending substantially from said projecting ears to the outer edge of said housing, said plate and skirt portions forming a protecting shroud loosely telescoping over said circular top and protecting the slots on either side of any slot in which said seat rests, said shroud having both vertical and circular movement with said drop lever.

SAMUEL L. EASTBURN.