US225917A - Rotary snow-clearer for railway-tracks - Google Patents

Description

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. CLOSE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

vROTARY SNOW-CLEARER FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,917, dated March 30, 1880,

Application led November 2S, 1879.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. CLOSE, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Snow-Clearers for Railway-Tracks and other Roadways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, Whichform a part of this specification.

Figure l is a vertical central longitudinal section of my improved snow-clearer on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, on line a; x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the snow chamber or receptacle. the hollow arms or buckets and its hollowr shaft.

The same letter indicates the same part wherever it occurs in the drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in the removal of snow from a track or roadway by means of an apparatus which, as'it gathers the snow, melts it by the application of steam or other heat, and throws it in a wholly or partially melted condition to the side of the roadway or track.

It consists more specifically in providing a track-clearer with a snow-receptacle having hollow Walls for the reception and conveyance of steam and its injection among the snow, and with rapidly -rotating hollow perforated arms or buckets, which also receive steam and diffuse it through the snow, and by the velocity of their rotation throw the wholly or partially melted snow out of the snow-chamber.

. In the accompanyin gdrawin gs, which clearly represent the invention, A marks the baseplate, which may be provided with wheels or runners, as preferred, to adapt it to propulsion on a railway-track or common road. For railway use it is placed in front of the locomotive i and is propelled by it as snow-plows usually are. The boilerjiof thellocomotive supplies Fig. 4 is a front-edge view of one of' open in front and provided with a broad scoop or shovel, L, which lifts the snow froml the track and guides -it into the cylinder B.

Any suitable braces C hold the cylinder in place. The walls of the cylinder are made hol'- low, having on all sides the steam-space D, which is connected with the source of steamsupply by the steam-pipe E. This pipe is journaled at I J, and serves as the shaft of the hollow arms or buckets F, which are attached to its forward end. There is a free passage for steam; from pipe E into the arms F, and these are perforated with numerous holes l1., which allow steam to escape into the cylinder B. The cylinder-walls also have numerous` perforations for the same purpose.

The hollow shaft E receives rotation from any suitable mechanism operated by the locomotive, and here represented by the crank Gr.

H marks an additional induction steam-pipe to supply steam from an additional locomotive, should it prove desirable. As during a snow-blockade the locomotives are not in use in tran sporting trains, any reasonable number of them would be available for the purposes of this invention, and steam could be led from them to the cylinder B through flexible hose.

In the upper side of receptacle B is an opening, M, through which thewholly or partially melted snow is thrown by the buckets or arms F. These arms have a slight twist to facilitate their penetration of a snow-bank. p

To prevent the too rapid condensation of the steam in the steam-space D, I line its walls with wood or other non-conductor, l. If burning petroleum is to be used, the lining should be of baked clay or other non-combustible material. A

Should the heat from the injected steam not prove sufficient to melt the snow with the required rapidity, I contemplate the use of an oil-fire applied from the tank M' below the cylinder B to heat that cylinder. I also contemplate the injection of burningpetroleum among the snow to supplement the action of the steam when required.

The operation of the machine is obvious from its construction. track by the locomotive it collects snow in the cylinder B, rapidly melts it, and throws it, in a fluid or semi-fluid condition, to the side of As it is pushed along the IOO the track by the rapid revolution of the armsl or buckets F. `Any desired number of these arms may be attached to the shaft E.

When the invention is applied to common roadways, special means of propulsion and special sources of steam-supply must be provided 5 but they form no part of my present invention. y

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A snow-clearer having perforated hollow Walls, connected with a source of steam-supply, and perforated hollow revolving arms, which are caused to rotate in the snow-chamber lto assist in melting the snow and to throw it out' of the machine to one side of the road or track, all substantially as specified.

2. In a snow-clearer, the combination of a Stationary chamber or snow-receptacle provided with hollow walls heated by steam, and

perforated so as rto inject steam 4through the snow, with hollow perforated arms, also heated by steam, and injecting steam through the snow and revolving to throw it out` ofthe same, all substantially as speciiied.

3. In a snow-clearing machine, hollow perforated steam-arms, supplied with steam from any suitable boiler by means of ahollow shaft and caused to rotate by suitable mechanism, in combination with a snow-chamber in which the snow is Wholly or partially melted and from which it is thrown out by the centrifugal action of the revolving` arms, all as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

J. W. CLOSE.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. GRAHAM, GHAs. F. STANSBURY.

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