US2202546A - Toy railroad track switch - Google Patents

Description

May 28, 1940. J. L. BONANNO I TOY RAILROAD TRACK SWITCH Filed Nov. 26, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 4 mm WB L h O J ATTORNEY y 1940- J. L. B-ONANNO 2,202,546

TOY RAILROAD TRACK SWITCH Filed Nov. 26, 1937 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR JOSEPH 4.. EONANNQ.

ATTO R N EY Patented May 28, 1940 2,202,546 TOY RAILROAD TRACK swrron .losephL. Bonanno, Forest Hills; N. 'Y. assignor I f to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N; Y... a corporation of New York Application November 26,1937, Serial No. 176,525

11-01mm. (or. 24e-"-219)* l he present invention relates to toy railroad track switches.

.The present invention contemplates toy "rail road track switches having trackage unitsadapted for complete preassembly and operating units also adapted for complete. preassembly, so that when atrackage unit and an operating unit are fastened together all mechanical and electrical connections extending between the two units are completed.

0: The trackage unit of the present invention contemplates the use of a cast base (generally a die casting) whichsimulates the appearance of the roadbed of a railroad, in that it has tie simulating elements in its. upper surface. This casting also preferably has integral upwardly extending prongs adapted to receive the fixed rails and'be I bent over onto the bases of these rails to secure The casting is also preferably them in place. 'provided' with an integral frog element to provide 20, a short length of wheelbearing rail area'and integral anti-derailing devices opposite this frogelement. The fixed insulated andwheel bearing rails and shiftable switch tongue are secured to this base, and the base is also adapted to carry ,25 certain contacts whereby current may be --conducted from the power rail and insulated sections on wheel bearing rail to control elements embodied. in the operating unit to be described.

According to the present invention the operating unit is also a preassembled structure. It has a. reciprocable tongue shifter adapted to, be operated either by electromagnets or mechanically,

and. is provided with a fixed contact adapted to receive energy from the power rail of the trackage unit and supply a signal lamp and the circuits for the magnet coils. where the trackage unit is of the electromagnetic type. This unitalso is provided withself-disconnecting switches adapted to open the circuit for one of the solenoid coils after it has functioned toshift the switch. The

operating unit is also associated with a' remote control unit whereby-a coil may be energized to shiftgthe switch tongue. The circuit for this remote control includes. two lamp bulbs, each arranged in series with one of the coils, so that,

when the circuit to a coil has been established by the shifting of. the switch tongue to one positicn, the corresponding lamp is lighted thereby giving a remote indication of the position of the switch tongue. Where the track switch is of the type having an automatic non-derailing feature,

according to which the switch tongue is shifted to anticipate the. arrival of the train from the branch track against which it has previously been set, the circuits, for the signal lamps are automatically, changed in the same way. as though the switch were shifted by the remote control.

A further object, of the present invention. is to provide trackage. units and control operating units which can be assembled withthe operating unit .5;

to. the right or the left of the trackage unit as convenience indicates, it being merely necessary to.

reverse the-assemblage, whereupon allwiringconnections. are automatically reestablished in'the same relation as before;

A further object of the invention is, to provide trackage units and operating units in which to. a largeextent the same parts are employed in mechanically operated switches as in thejelec trically operated switches. V r 1 5 Other and further objects will appear as the specification proceeds. 3

. The accompanying drawings showffor purposes of illustrating the present invention one of the many forms in which the invention may take 20 form, together withmodifications of certain parts, it being understoodtthat the drawings are 111115? trative of the invention rather than limitingthe same.

In these drawings:

. Figural is a top plan; view of a complete right I hand track switch with the. operating unitshown in full lines on the "outward side of the track ing of the switch tongue;

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c are fragmentary sectional views taken on the'lines 2a--2a, 2b -2b and Zea-2c, respectively, of Figure 1; v 40 Figure 3 is a cross sectional viewonthe line 3.3 of Figures 1 and 4, showing the trackage unit and the operating unit jointly;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the broken line 4.-4 of Figure 3', showing the switch tongue 45 shifting mechanism lockedv in the extreme left position;

Figure 5.. is a fragmentary view showing the switch tongue shifting mechanism making the initialmovement for shifting the tongue'to the 5:;

right; I I I Figure 6 is a fragmentary'view illustrating the position of parts when theswitchtongue is completely shifted to theright and locked in position;

v Figure 'lis a fragmentary sectional yiewon the .55

line 1-! of Figure 4, showing the fixed and movable bridging contacts;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 8--8 of Figure 4, showing the lamp mounting;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 4, showing the magnet mount- Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical connections for a right hand switch with the operating unit on the outside, as shown in full lines in Figure 1;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, showing the electrical connections for a right hand switch with the. operating unit on the inside;

Figure 12 is a top plan View of the operating unit for a mechanically operated track switch, parts being broken away to show interior con struction; and 3 Figure 13 is a vertical sectional view on the line l3-l3 of Figure 12.

The base for the trackage unit section is indicated at 20. It has a series of tie simulating elements 2| spaced along the upper surface and these are provided with prongs 22 which are adapted to be folded over on to the bases of the rails, as will appear particularly clearly in Figure 20.

These rails include long straight and curved wheel bearing rails 23 and 24 carried at the outside of the base, and extending beyond the base at the right, as indicated in Figure l; insulated lengths of power rail 25 and 26, insulated as shown and extending to the right as indicated in Figure 1; short lengths of wheel bearing rail 21 and 28 extending tothe right, as indicated in Figure l; and two short lengths of wheel bearing rail 29 and 3!! insulated from the base. The outer ends of the rails 23, 25 and 2'! are secured to a crosstie 3|, while the extended ends of the rails 24, 26 and 28 are secured to a crosstie 32.

The ends of the rails 36 and 2'! are spaced apart, and the ends of the rails 29 and 28 are spaced apart, and intermediate these ends the casting 20 is provided with an upwardly extending frog element 33. Opposite this frog element the casting is provided with ground rails or anti-derailing devices 34. The fixed rails 23, 30 and 2'! with the interposed portion of the frog33 will conduct the Wheels of a toy railroad truck through the main line, while the rails 24, 28, 29 and the frog element 33 will conduct them through the branch line.

The shiftable switch tongue is indicated at 35. It is pivoted at 35 and has rail forming elements 31 and 38 which are adapted to form continuations of the fixed rails, so as to guide the truck through the main or branch line. Its free end is held down by a headed rivet 39.

A portion of the power rail common to both branch and main lines is indicated at 40. The left end 40a is insulatedly secured to the base by prongs 22 bent over on insulation as above described. The right hand end 4| of this section of power rail is mounted on an insulator 42 secured about a pin 43, which is insulatedlymounted in the base 20. The lower end of the conducting pin 43 is connected by wires 44 and'45 with the power rails 25 and 26 of the main and branch lines, so as to form a continuous power circuit. These wires-are insulated from the base by insulating sleeves one of which is indicated at 46.

The power rail element 40 is provided with a downwardly extending spring contact 41 which passes through the aperture 48 in the switch tongue 35, and through the aperture 48' in an insulating plate 49. This plate 49 is secured to the base casting 20 by rivets, indicated at 50, and the pin 39 and covers a large aperture 5! provided in the casting under the switch tongue. The plate 49 carries a conducting strap 52 which is disposed adjacent the straight wheel bearing rail 23. This strap is secured in place by rivets, indicated at 53 and 54, and one of these rivets carries a downwardly extending integral pin 55 for a purpose to be described. The other end of the strap 52 extends down through the insulating plate 49 to provide a terminal indicated at 56. The insulating plate 49 also carries a second downwardly extending pin 51 similar to the pin The pin 51 and the terminal 56 are connected by wires, indicated at 58 and 59, with the insulated sections of wheel bearing rail 29 and 38, respectively, so that the contacts 55 or 51 may be grounded when a truck stands on the rails 29 and 24 or on the rails 23 and 30.

When the insulating plate 49 is to be used for a left hand switch instead of a right hand switch, the strap 52 is mounted in the lower set of holes appearing in the plate 49 and the contact 51 is mounted in the hole provided for the rivet 54.

The base. casting 20 is provided with lateral extensions 63 and 5! opposite the wide end of the aperture 5|, and these lateral extensions have downwardly extending flanges 62, 63 which provide a transverse downwardly opening channel to receive the base 64 of the switch tongue operating unit. This base is secured to the cast base of the trackage unit by two screws, indicated at 55 and 55, the base 34 engaging lugs 61 carried by the casting 20, as indicated in Figure The base 54 is stiffened by side flanges 58 and 59, notched as indicated at 68 and 59' over the wires 53 and 59. The end under the trackage unit is provided with an end flange, indicated at it. Two insulating plates H and 12 are secured to the base plate 54 by rivets" indicated at '13. The upper plate ll carries four fixed contacts i4, l5, l3 and 17, arranged in pairs as indicated in the drawings. These fixed contacts have extensions 14', 75','16 and H which overlie the bottom insulating plate 12 and which are disposed in position to be contacted by the contacts 55 and El carried by the trackage unit, so that diagonally opposite fixed contacts may be connected in circuit. The conductor strap 18 is also, secured between the two insulating plates H and '12, and the plate 'H'is notched at 78 to expose the ends of this strap. These ends are located so that one or the other of them will be engaged by the spring contact 4'! carried by the power rail of the trackage unit, whereby current can'be conducted to the strap 18.

An insulating bar 79 is reciprocably guided above the insulating plate .ll by fixed pins 80, 8! which enter slots 82 in the bar 79. This reciprocatory bar has an upwardly extending pin 83 which passes up through a slot 84 in the insulating plate 49 carried by the trackage unit, and enters a hole 85 in the switch tongue 35. The reciprocatory bar 79 also carries bridging contacts 86 and 8'! adapted to connect the contacts '14 and 75, or. to connect the contacts 16 and '1? depending upon whether the bar is in the left position, as shown in Figure 4, or in the right position, as shown in Figure 6.

The outer end of the bar 79 has a pin 88 which enters a slot 89 in a slider 90. The opposite end of the slider 90 is connected by a pin 9| with an a cured to the base platebyrivet lit.

contact Iiil is connected bya wire I05 with the control to be described.

armature 92: carried inside-two aligned solenoid coils 93- and 9.4. These coils are mounted on tube 95: which extends between the downwardly I02 is connected to the midpoint of thetwo coils '93 and 9 5 and is connected by a wire I04 with the conducting strap :78, so that the midpoint of the coils is energized from the power rail. The

fixed terminal I I, and the terminal I03 is connected by-a wire I06 with the fixed terminal TI. The fixed terminal I5 is connected bya wire I'I with a binding post I08 carried by the plate 99. This plate also carries a binding post I09 which is connected by a wire I 90 with the terminal' I6, and a grounded binding post 'I I I. The wires just mentioned extend down alongside the side flanges 58 and 69, and the binding posts I00, I09, III'are adapted for connection to a remote The slider 90 is provided with a rack, indicatedat II2, which is in mesh with a pinion H3 se- This pinion carries two upwardly extending arms H5, and

is adapted to be turned a quarter of a revolution when the slider is moved from one position to another. The slider also has acam IIS cooperable with a locking finger Ml pivoted on a screw H8 and biased in a clockwise direction by a spring I I9. .The free end I20 of this locking finger is adapted to enter into a notch IEI in the reciprocatory operator F9, or to fall behind the end of this operator, as will be clear from Figures 4 and 6, was to lock the operator in either extreme position. The slider 99 is held adjacent the bottom plate by a bridging strap UI22 which carries a lamp socket I23 connected I by a wire I23 with the wire IMQ The magnet coils and operating mechanism 0 outside the-trackage unit are concealed by a plate by screws indicated atv E25.

1 signal element I28.

The remote control is diagrammatically illustrated'in Figure 10. It consists of a multiple conductor cable having three wires, indicated at I32, I33 and I34 connected to the binding posts.

I09, III and I08, respectively, and a controlunit diagrammatically indicated by the dotted box I35.

, The lamp G is connected to the wire i3 4, while the lamp R is connected to the lamp I322. The

two lamps are connected'to a common terminal I36 which is connected to the ground wire it.

This terminal I36 is provided with a switch member I3'I biased to a neutral position which can be shifted to the right or to the left, so as to short circuit the corresponding lamp G or R. 7 Assuming that the structure is assembled as shown in Figures 1 to 10, according to which the.

mechanism is set to carry the train through the branch line. It will be apparent that a. circuit is completed from the power rail '49 through the operated by the armature;

The cover has a This control unit carries two lamps, one 7 indicated at G, and the other indicated at R.

contact 41, the strap 18, wire I M, coil 9.4; wire I05, terminal 'Idfl' contact "I4, bridging strap 80,. contact .I5, termina1' I5, wire I01, binding post; I08, wire "I34, lamp G, wire I33 to ground, and

then through. the base of the control unitand] the trackage unit to. the return track rail: Thelamp (3 is therefore in series with the coil 94.;

but it has so high a resistance as notto ener.'-

gize the coil enough to have it attract the armature. If one operates the switch element I.3'II to short circuit the'lamp G suflicientf current fiows through the coil 94 to shift the mechanism This will turn the signal I 23 and will shift the, switch tonguecto. the other position, also will shift the fixed bridging strap 86 off the-contacts lMtand 15. opening the" circuit for the coil 94', and at the same time will bring the strap 81 onto the contact I6. and 11, so as. to establish a circuit through the coil 93 and the lamp R. Should the insulated rail 29 on the trackage unit'be grounded by a:

, comes that shown in Figure 11'- and the same reference characters are applied to thesame parts.

- show that the automatic operation either from.

Tracing the circuits of Figure 1.1 will remote control or: from the anti-derailing contacts 29 and 30 is identically the same as previously set forth. Furthermore I the switch tongue operating units and control units may be identical for right hand and 'for left handswitches, so that one set of tools and one set of structure suffice for all conditions.

' Where the switch is to be operated by mechanical. control instead. of electrical control, thetruckbridging from this rail to the grounded structure shown in Figures 12 and 13 is substituted for that shown in Figures 3 to 9. .I-lerethe plate 64' is shorter than the plate '64, and

the slider 90' is provided with an extension I' which was shown inthe electromagnetically operated device, the contacts for the coil connections being omitted, but the contacts 78 being retained so they can be connected by a wire I56 with the lamp socket int'ne same way that the wire I23 connects the lamp" socket in FigureA. The same locking finger III may also be employed I i It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in'many forms and constructions within the scope of the claims and I wish it to be understood .that. the particular form shown is but one of the many forms; Various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is: v j

1, In a trackage unit for toy railroad track switches, a cast base, outside uninterrupted main and branch line wheelibearing rails, a s hiftable switch tongue secured to the base between said outside rails, diverging wheel bearing rail"'eleparallel with an outside rail and disposed opposite thereto to convey the wheels of one side of a toy railroad truck to and from the tongue, the base having an aperture underneath the tongue and adjacent rails, a contact-carrying insulating plate closing the aperture, wires connected with the insulated rail elements and to contacts on the plate, movable switch elements cooperable with said contacts to control circuits including the insulated rail elements, and means for shifting the tongue and the switch elements simultaneously.

2. A toy railroad track switch having a trackage unit comprising a base, fixed main and branch line rails and a switch tongue carried by the base, the base having a downwardly opening transverse channel underneath the free end of the tongue, and a switch tongue operating unit occupying said channel and having a slidable member below the switch tongue and connected to it, a base under the switch tongue operating unit and at the same level as the base of the trackage unit, an operating mechanism 1ater-' ally of the track unit, and a cover for the operating mechanism.

3. In a toy railroad track switch; a trackage unit comprising a base, fixed main and branch line wheel bearing and power supply rails carried by the base, a shiftable switch tongue for guiding car trucks and a downwardly extending contact carried by the power rail; a switch tongue oper ating unit having a base; and means to secure the bases of the units together so that the operating unit extends laterally to either side of the trackage unit, the operating unit having a pair of insulated contacts connected together and disposed so that one or the other of them is in contact with the power rail contact, a current consuming device carried by the operating unit and connected to said contacts; and tongue shifting mechanism.

4. In a toy railroad track switch; a trackage.

unit comprising a base, fixed main and branch line wheel bearing and power supply rails, carried by the base, a portion of one of the wheel bearing rails of each line being insulated, fixedly carried contacts connected with each insulated rail, a downwardly extended contact carried by the power rail, and a shiftable switch tongue; a switch tongue operating unit having a base; and means to secure the two bases together so that the operating unit extends laterally to either side of the trackage unit, the operating unit having a reciprocable switch tongue operator, an armature connected to the switch tongue operator, a pair of solenoid coils for operating the armature, a fixed contact connected with each coil and co-operable with the power connected contact to supply current to the coils, two pairs of fixed contacts, one contact of each pair being connected with the other side of one of the coils, the other of said fixed contacts being engageable by the fixed contacts carried by the trackage unit and connected with the respective insulated wheel bearing rails, the particular pairs of contacts being brought into engagement depending upon the direction in which the operating unit extends, and movable contact means operable with said operator adapted to connect one or the other of said pairs of fixed contacts.

5. A track switch for toy railroads having fixed main and branch line wheel bearing and power supply rails, a portion of the wheel bearing rails of each line being insulated, a shiftable switch tongue, switch tongue shifting mechanism including a reciprocable tongue shifter carrying a pair of movable contacts, pairs of fixed contacts, one pair of which is bridged by one of the movable contacts when the shifter is in position, while the other pair is bridged by the other movable contact when the shifter is in the other position, two solenoid coils each having a terminal connected to the power rail, each coil having a terminal connected to one of the fixed contacts of each pair, an armature for operating the shifter, two lamps each connected with one of the other fixed contacts and to the uninsulated wheel bearing rails so that one lamp is in series with thecoil whose coil circuit is established by the bridging contact and concurrently lighted, and a short circuiting switch for shunting the lighted lamp so that sufiicient current may flow through the corresponding coil to actuate the shifter.

6. A track switch operating unit comprising a fiat elongated base, a coil supporting plate secured to the rear end of the base plate, solenoid coils carried between the two plates and having a common connection, binding posts carried by the second plate, an armature, a reciprocatory, armature-operated switch tongue shifter spaced above the front end of the base, guides for the shifter, insulating plates between the base and the shifter, two pairs of contacts secured to the upper insulating plate and insulated from the base by the other insulating plate, two shifter carried contacts each adapted to bridge one pair of fixed contacts when the other is out of contact with its associated pair, a wire from the exposed terminal of each coil to the one of the contacts of each pair, a wire from each of the other contacts of each pair, to a binding post,

and an insulated contact carried by the insulating plates and connected to the common connection of the coils.

'7. A track switch operating unit such as claimed in claim 6 having a remote controller having two lamps each connected to one of the binding posts, connections from the opposite sides of the lamps to the base, and a lamp short circuiting switch.

8. A toy railroad track switch having a trackage unit comprising a base, fixedmain and branch line rails and a switch tongue carried by the base, and a switch tongue operating unit comprising a base, tongue shifting mechanism carried thereby and including a reciprocable member having a quick detachable pin and slot connection with the switch tongue, and means to connect the bases of the units together so that the base of the operating unit extends completely across the base of the trackage unit and so that the free end of the operating unit may extend laterally at either side of the trackage unit, the bottom of the trackage unit base and the bottom of the tongue operating unit base being in the same plane.

9. A toy railroad track switch having electromagnetically operated switch tongue shifting mechanism provided with two operating coils each connected to a power rail and to a tongue actuated disconnecting switch therefor, a signal mechanically set coincidentally with the operation of the tongue, and a remote controller for the shifting mechanism including two signal lamps each connected to ground and adapted to be in series with only one coil of the shifting mechanism and a switch having one side grounded and adapted to short circuit either lamp to increase the flow of current through the corresponding coil so that the tongue is shifted to show the other mechanical signal and a circuit is established through the other signal lamp.

10. A toy railroad track switch as claimed in claim 9, having supplemental pairs of contacts, each pair closing a circuit through the corre sponding coil whereby the coil is energized with,

out operating the remote controlled.

11. The combination with a toy railroad track switch including main and branch tracks having electromagnetically operated switch tongue shifting mechanism having coils interconnected with self-disconnecting switches and a'remote control switch, and auxiliary controls for the tongue shifting mechanism including current 1 controllingmeans in each branch track whereby circuit byrthe operation of the other coil. in shifting the switch tongue being energized whereby 1 the position of the switch tongue will be indicated irrespective of which control is used,

JOSEPH L. BONANNO.

Images