US2216436A

US2216436A - Railroad track gauge, level, and aligning tool

Info

Publication number: US2216436A
Application number: US227005A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul F Fischer
Original assignee: FRANKLIN H JAHNKE
Current assignee: FRANKLIN H JAHNKE
Priority date: 1938-08-26
Filing date: 1938-08-26
Publication date: 1940-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 1957-10-01

Description

Filed Aug. 26, 1958 P. F. FISCHER RAILROAD TRACK GUAGE, LEVEL, AND ALIGNING TOOL 2 Sheets-*Sheet l Attorneys Gct. 1, 1940. p F,.FiscHER 2,216,436

RAILROAD TRACK GUAGE, LEVEL, AND LIQNING TOOL Filed Aug. 26, 1958 l2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [in Uehtor Patented Oct. '1, 1940 UNITED .STATES RAILROAD TRACK GAUGE, LEVEL,

ALIGNING TOOLl l Paul F. Fischen-Straeten N. Dak., assigner of onethird to Franklin H.

Jahnke, Alfred, N. Dak.,

and one-third to Oscar Olson, Streeter, N. Dak.

Application August' 26,

2 Claims.

My invention relates generally to means for use by a railroad roadmaste'r in checking the spread, the level and the alignment of track, and particularly to a combined track gauge, level, and alignment tool, and an important robject of my invention is to provide a tool of this character whichis very compact and easily portable when in a collapsed condition, and which greatly facilitates the maintenance and laying of track.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from a reading of the following' description taken in connection with the dra rings, wherein for purposes'of illustration I have setu forth a preferred embodiment of my invention.

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general side elevational view of the tool showing the same in extended or open position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan View of a portion of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line Li-i of Figure l and looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 5 5 of Figure 1 and looking toward the left in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken through Figure 2' approximately on the line 6 6.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan View of the insulated block.

Referring in detail to4 the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designates the tool which is composed of the elongated generally rectangular section t and the generally rectangular elongated section l, the inner and abutting ends of the sections being connected by a hinge 8 at what is normally the bottom of the tool, so that the sections may be folded together to make the tool compact for carrying and storage purposes, and while the tool is in use as an aligning tool, in which operation the section S alone is necessarily used.

On left hand outer end of section 6 is an insulated block 9 (Fig. '7) which is attached/thereto by means of a screw l0 and this insulated block has an oval opening Il to enable operator of instrument to determinewhether contact portions I2 and i3 are both against the rail so that main part of 6 and 1 rests across rails exactly at right angles to the rails when gauging or aligning track. The bottom part of insulated block 3 (as shown in Figure 1) is of suchdiment sions as to permit it to drop down between main rail and guard rails and in frogs at switches 193s, serial No. 227,@05

(Cl. .S3-'145) position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of thel drawings and can be used ineither an upwardly projecting position or a downwardly projecting position at an angle of ninety degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool-,the

mounting'pin it being arranged in connection.y with a bracket lil fastened to the side ofthe section 5 and having an upper cut-out i9 and a lower cut-out 263 to receive the side of the pin to hold the same in alignment when'the pin is in an upwardly projecting position and in a downwardly projecting' position, respectively.

On a side of the section 6 adjacent the `location of the pin il' is the slide plate 2l which is mounted by respective bolts or screws 22, 23 which are fastened in the top of the section 6 and pass through slots 2li, 25 in the plate il.v A handle 26 is provided on the left hand end oi"- the slide to enable manipulating the slide across? the joint between the sections l and 'l when vthe sections are in opened or aligned position; and under the retainer plate 21 which has a portion 28 bolted as indicated by the numeral 29 to the top of the section 'i and has an upset portion 30 under which the slide 2| fits, the upset section being equipped with a thumb screw or wing nut 3l which is adapted to be turned down to bear on the top ofthe plate 2l to lock the same in place and to hold the sections 6 and l positively aligned in their extended open positions.

Referring nowv to the section E the same has on top and bottom respective bubble levels 32, 33 either of which may be brought into service according to the position of the tool. Adjacent the outer end of the section` 'l is a vertical slot in which is adjustable a rule 3d which is adapted to'be held in adjusted position by a set screw 35 and which traverses the opposite 'wall 36 of the section 'i as shown in Figure 4 and engages against the adjacent side of the rule 34.

Slidably telescoped on the section 'l at a point inward of the rule 3ft is the slide which is generally designated 3l' and which is traversed by a clamping bolt 38 which passes also through slots 39 and Il@ in the opposite sides of the spread.

By referring to Figure 5 of the drawings the with graduationsndZ` whichindicatethe track` specic construction of the mounting for the pin I1 may be understood as comprising the already mentioned bracket I8 which has a bushing 43 which extends into a tubular part 44 in the wall of the section 6 and threads therein, with the bolt I4 passing beyond the bushing and having a head 45 between which and the bushing is an expanding spring 46 whose purpose is to pull the bolt I4 in a right hand direction as viewed in Figure 5 when the pointer or pin I1 has been pulled out and then is brought into alignment with one of the openings I9 and 20, in e'ecting an operative adjustment of the pin.

In employing the device of the invention in ordinary track gauging operations, the same is taken oi the car or other supporting means and the sections brought into alignment and then the slide 2I is pushed into position and locked by means of the set screw 3 I. For leveling or determining whether the track is level, the bubble level 32 or 33 is employed. If when the instrument is laid on the tops of the rails the bubble level is off center, the rule 34 in the slot 33 is broughtinto use. The rule equipped end of the device is raised until the level bead is in the level position, the movement being made relative to the rule 34, so that the amount of movement relative to the starting point on the rule 34 can be readily determined to show exactly how high or low the rail is at the point gauged. If desired the instrument can be turned up-side-down and the level 33 can be used instead of the level 32.

To gauge the amount of rail spread the device is laid upon the rails so that the insulated block 9 rests on one of the rails and the points I 2, I3 or one of them snugly engage the inside of the rail. Then by adjusting the slide 31 on the opposite end of the device relative to the graduations 42 it can be quickly determined how much the rails are spread. The slide 31 may, if desired, be set at 561/2 inches by moving the same to the proper graduation and turning down the thumb screw nut 4I, and then the track can be gauged from rail to rail. The graduations 42 conveniently run from 56 to 57% inches.

The block 9 is made of insulating material to eliminate any possibility of shorting circuits in automatic block territory. In view of this provision, there is no possible chance of putting a block signal into operation as a result of dropping the device across the rails. The block 9 is so constructed that the track can be gauged or leveled Where guard rails are in use and can be used at frogs and switches, since it is of such shape and dimensions as will permit it to drop down between the main rail and the guard rail.

When the device of the invention is used for aligning tracks, it is used either folded up in a compact portable form or extended as it is in track leveling operations. This makes the device available for construction crews and other maintenance crews in laying new tracks or re-aligning tracks.

To use the instrument for aligning tracks when the instrument is opened up-as a track level or track gauge, the pin I1 is turned so that it points downwardly. The mounting I4 is so located that when the pin I1 points downwardly the point of the pin I1 is exactly 281A inches from the terminals I2, I3 on the block 9. 561A.; inches being lthe center gauge, the distance 281A inches from the terminals of the block 9 is exactly the center of the track. The center of the track is generally surveyed and staked out by civil engineers and a tack is driven in the stake exactly where the center of the track should be. By resting the insulating block on the rails so that the terminals I2 and I3 are up against the inside of the rail, the rail can be moved in toward the middle of the track until the pin I1 indicates where the rail should be spiked by pointing directly to the tack on the stakes as placed by the engineers. This aligning operation can be done with the instrument in an open or closed position by simply changing the direction of projection of the pin I1 so that it points upwardly. As a matter of fact it would be seldom necessary to have the instrument in the open position when aligning track, since there never is more than one rail laid at a time and it is not necessary to open up the instrument to align this rail or track. Incidentally the pin I1 can be entirely removed when not in use by screwing the same out of the collar I5 so as to thereby eliminate any possibility of the pin injuring a workman. The pin I1 can be of diierent lengths depending on the requirements of the particular railroad or roadbed and the size of the rails being used.

' Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in the materials and in the structure and arrangement of the parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A roadmasters tool comprising a bar, rail engaging blocks on opposite ends of the bar, a pointer swingably mounted intermediate the ends of said bar, said pointer being pivoted on a horizontal axis to swing from a position in alignment with said bar to a depending operative position, a pivot traversing a portion of said bar and being longitudinally slidable on its axis relative to the bar and on which said pointer swings, said pointer being formed with a projection and said bar being formed with horizontal and ver- A tical recesses, and spring means acting between said bar and said pivot for resisting longitudinal movement of said pivot so as to retain said projection on the pointer seated in either the horizontal or the vertical recess.

2. A roadmasters tool comprising a bar having rail engaging blocks on its opposite ends, a pointer swingably mounted between the ends of said bar to lie along said bar or to depend therefrom, said bar having a vertical longitudinal wall laterally spaced from another part of the bar, said wall being formed with an opening, a tubular bushing secured in said opening and having a head engaging the laterally outward face of said wall, said head being formed in its laterally outward side with a first groove extending parallel to the length of the bar and a second groove arranged at a divergent angle relative to the first groove, a pivot slidable in the bore of said bushing and having a boss on its laterally inward end, spring means operating between the bushing and said boss for urging said pivot in a laterally inward direction, and a pointer rod pivotally secured on the laterally outward end of said pivot, said pivot rod being formed with a lateral projection designed to engage in either of said grooves for holding the pointer aligned with the bar or depending therefrom.

` PAUL F. FISCHER.

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