US2543794A - Track scale - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1951 MAYER 2,543,794

TRACK SCALE Filed Nov. 19. 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 JZJ.

L/' 40' 'Q0 Q o n Q0 GO w@ 25 Q@ @ii O@ 22 A 6" 25 26 ggg@ @BGL March 6, 1951 Filed Nov. 19, 1945 H. MAYER TRACK SCALE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 6, 1951 H. MAYER 2,543,794

TRACK SCALE Filed Nov. 19, 1945 SSheetS-Sheet 3 ill 76 March 6, 1951 H. MAYER 2,543,794

TRACK SCALE Filed Nov. 19, 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 H. MAYER TRACK SCALE March 6, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 19, 1945 H. MAYER 2,543,794-

TRACK SCALE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 March 6, 1951 Filed NQv. 19, 1945 Ime/dor Q/@ef Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACK SCALE JHarry Mayer, Chicago, Ill., assigner t'oS'treet'er- Amet Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 19, 1945, ,SerialNm 629,596

12 Claims. 1 Y

This invention relates to the weighing of lrailway rolling stock, particularly freight cars and locomotives, and the principal object of lthe invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for this purpose.

The vrevenue derived from a railroad from -ts freight trafc is based upon the weight of the goods shipped and, While in some cases weights are determined before the :goods are loaded into a car, by far the most common method of determining weights is to weigh the cars .after being loaded, and then ldeducting 'the weight of the car itself to get the pay load.

The track scales used lfor weighing freight cars, either loaded or unloaded, are in general of two classes; heavy duty scales Ywhich are built suiciently strong to weigh any'type of car that may travel over the scale, and light duty scales which are 'designed for limited use 'in weighing cars of specific sizes and maximum weights. Due to the limited capacity of light duty scales, .it

vis customary to provide what is'known as'a 'dead 'rail `to enable locomotives and other heavy equip- -ment to pass Vover the scale without `imposing while uncoupled from other cars, land, after its weight has been determined, it -is then moved from the scale and another car brought into weighing position. If Ya car is too long, or its weight is too great for the capacity of the particular scale, two-draft weighing vis resorted lvto, this being accomplished by weighing rst v.one truck and then the other truck ofthe car and adding the weights to get the total weight of the car. Single draft weighing is, of course, the weighing of both trucks of afsingle car simultaneously.

In gravity weighing, the track scale vis located on an inclined track so that as individual cars are allowed to roll down the track over the'scale.

the Weight is recorded lWhile the car is in motion on the weigh rail.

The-Weighing of cars in motion While coupled in a train may be done -on either .heavy duty or light duty scales, but, with the latter type of scale, and with heavyduty scalesequipped Lil) -2 with a dead rail, the #engine `and three or four cars must be run vover the -dead rail Vand then the cars only are backed vacross the scale to be again coupled 'to the train after which the engine slowly vpulls the cars over the scale `and the weights are recorded.

Heavy duty trackscales, of the knife-edge type, are generally made in two sections with the capacity of each section ranging from 150 4Vto 200 tons, with Aweigh'rails ranging 'from 50 to T5 feet in length, and with weigh beam capacities ranging 'from 3003000to 400,000 pounds. Others ci still greater capacity "andnumber of sections are also in regular service. -For example, foursection railway 'track scales are used'for `heavy duty work and are designed for either spot or 'motion'we'i'ghing VTheir sizes and capacity, like all tracks'cales, are based upon the tra'c weighed rather than the size of individual car loads. Those in regular vservice 'vary in sectional capacity from 50 'to 75 tons for those intende'dfor light service, while their heavy duty 4counterparts have 'sectional'capacities ranging from 75 to `200 tons. "Lengths 'of weigh rails in modern scales generally rangeirom 46 to60ffeet for the -light service type and from 60 to v'70 feet for the "inorecofnmon installations o'f heavy duty scales,

While in some instances the weigh rails 'are v110 feeti'n length.

Wherethe Volume of tralfic'to be weighed is heavy, certain economies are effected by using automatic weight-recording ydevices associated with the scale beam. .'The capacities of the recorders range from '70,000 vpounds to 400,000 .pounds and the,graduatio'n's 'are from 50 to 200 pounds. These recorders automatically weigh the cars and .print the weight on the weigh tickets while the cars are -in motion. The recorders .permit weighing by the gravity, coupled in .motion, or spot methods. .In some of the designs, atimhing and counting mechanism controls the weighing operation .and prevents the printing of the correct `Weight until the scale is in balance. Cars can'be weighed at an average of two to fourjper minute, lthe time depending upon the length kof the scale and .the ytype of recorder used. A

The foregoing facts -are set -torth in vmore detail `in the Railway Engineering and Maintenance Cyclopedia, published `by Simmons- -BoardmankublishingCorporation, Chicago, -Illinois, Fifth Edition, v1942, pp. '711 to '720, vand reference is made -to `thispublication .for addil.tional material ,pertaining to the state of .the art. The cost of present `day .track scales .mayrun $15,000 to $150,000, or even more. In general, it has always been considered necessary to increase the size and capacity of a scale whenever a scale is required for heavier duty service, or for service with cars of longer wheel base than that for which the scale was originally designed.

The amazing and striking fact about the present invention is that existing track scales may be modiiied to increase their capacity and ability to weigh heavier and longer cars, not by increasing the size of the scale, but by decreasing it. The resultant savings in cost of construction, maintenance and operation is tremendous. Furthermore, scales made in accordance with my invention have greater flexibility and the same scale can be used for weighing rolling stock of varying length, even when the cars are coupled together and in motion.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in conjunction with accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 and 2 diagrammatically illustrate a comparison between the present method of weighing cars coupled and in motion and my improved method for the same,

Figure, 3, 4a and 4b compare the old gravity method of weighing uncoupled cars in motion with my improved method and apparatus for the same,

Figures 5 and 6 make a similar comparison between conventional locomotive track scales for the static weighing of locomotives and my improved method and apparatus for weighing them in motion,

Figure 7 shows a freight train with some of the critical distances which affect the size and capacity of the scales that must be used for weighing the individual cars of the train,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a four-section three-span track scale converted in accordance with my invention to a two-section single-span scale, the unused portions of the old scale being shown in dotted lines and the retained or modified portions in full lines,

Figure 9 is a plan View of the converted track scale of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IIJ-l of Figure 9, and showing particularly one of the sections of the scale,

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line l I-I I of Figure 9 showing that portion of the scale mechanism that transmits the load from the end and intermediate extension levers to the weight-indicating and recording mechanism,

Figure 12 is a sectional View taken on the line l2--I2 of Figure 11,

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the lever system of the four-section three-span scale shown in Figures 8-12 inclusive, the portion of the system not bein-g required for the converted scale being shown in dotted lines and the remainder in full lines,

Figure 14 is a view corresponding to Figure 13 but showing the simplilied lever system required for a new installation of a short track scale constructed in accordance with this invention,

Figure 15 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line l-I5 of Figure 16,

Figure 16 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line Iii-I6 of Figure 15,

Figure 17 is a diagrammatic view showing dual trip mechanism used in conjunction with certain embodiments of my invention,

Figure 18 is an end elevational view of the same, and

Figure 19 shows another form of dual trip mechanism.

For a complete understanding of the invention, it will be helpful to consider first the problems Which arise when the various standard methods of Weighing are used with conventional track scales and then see how the use of my improved method and apparatus solves those problems in each case.

Weighing of freight cars while coupled together and in motion Before freight cars are moved to their ultimate destination, it is necessary to obtain the individual car weights and the economical and most efficient manner of doing this is while the cars are coupled together and in motion. If the cars are all of the same length, say for example 40 feet from the front axle to rear axle with 10 feet between the adjoining axles of adjacent cars (see Figure 1) and a 50-foot scale is available (i. e. a scale with a Weigh rail length ol 50 feet) having a trip located, say, one foot from the leaving end of the weigh rail and operable on every fourth wheel actuation to record the weight on the scale, the scale would furnish one with the Weight of each car going over the scale. But, if a shorter car, say a 30-foot car happened to be in the train and all other conditions were the same, one or more wheels of the car following it would be on the scale when the trip operated to record the Weight, and, obviously an incorrect weight for the cars would be recorded. Hence, for weighing cars coupled together and in motion by conventional methods, all cars must be of substantially the same length and the scale used must have a weigh rail suited for that length of car.

Now, by contrast, suppose instead of using a 50-foot scale for the conditions stated above, a scale having a weigh rail 22 (Figure 2) of 13 feet in length were used with a trip 23 at the leaving end of the scale located 6 inches from that end, or 12 feet 6 inches from the entering end of the Weigh rail. With this length of scale and with cars coupled together and in motion, only one car truck of substantially any conventional freight car, no matter in what order they are coupled together, can be on the weigh rail at one time; and, by arranging the trip to record the weight on the scale when actuated by the front wheel of each truck (by using a two-cycle trip mechanism) the Weight carried by each car truck may be recorded.

Hence, since the maximum total weight of a loaded freight car of greatest capacity does not ordinarily exceed 50 or 55 tons, and the maximum weight'which can be imposed by three driver wheels of a locomotive on the scale, would not ordinarily exceed tons, a two-section scale (i. e., a scale having two main pivot points) made in accordance with this invention could have a sectional capacity based upon these maximum loadings.

These maximum loadings are well within the sectional capacities of conventional scales, in fact, they are considerably lower than usual. As

a result, the dead rail which is ordinarily used on light duty scales, and many times on heavy duty scales, to avoid damage to the scale mechanism by locomotives and other heavy equipment, which would cause overloading of the scale, may be entirely eliminated,V resulting tin "substantial (savvings due ,tothe elimination of dead-track ystructure, the supportsforthe 'dead'railgandthe time required .for dead rail switching, etc.

In newconstructionsthe scale parts "maybe made correspondingly 'lighter due to the lower loads imposed upon 'the scales. yIn converted scales the use of theshorter weigh rail "actually increases the capacity of the scale and eliminates the need for the deadrail with its consequent disadvantages.

'Ihe mention of a l2 foot `6 inch'distancebetween the entering end of the rweighrailand the trip is not an arbitrary selection Aof length but one which in itself'has certain advantageaas will hereinafter appear. Theoretically, Ufor multiple draft weighing of freight cars,.that' is the separate weighing yof the' loads on each car truck of a car, a -weigh rail need be nolonger than the greatest distance between the axlc-s of any commonly used or conventional freight car truck. By far the greatest number of freight cars in use today have car trucks with axles on foot 6 inch centers, and,'if it were possible to employ scalemechanism that would instantaneously indicate and record the weight applied to the scale, a weigh rail of 5 feet 6 inches or slightly more, as indicated at 20 in Figure 2 with a trip 2| immediately adjacent to the leaving `end o'f the rail for actuating the recording device, would serve the purpose.

Unfortunately, a certain amount of time is required for scale mechanism to stabilize itself upon the application of aload, and it is therefore desirable to have the Weigh rail as long as possible, consistent with other influencing'factors, to give the scale as muchtime asvpossible to stabilize as a car truck is being run overthe weigh rail before recording the weight. Obviously, the longer the permissible length ofthe Weigh rail, the greater the speed with which the cars maybe run over the scale.

One limiting factor in determininghow long the weigh rail can be for multiple draft weighing of cars coupled .and rin motion is the distance betweenthe front wheels of the leading'truck of .a car and the front wheels of the rear truck of the same car. Of course, the weigh rail could be increased in length over this distance to the extentof the coupling distance (as shown at C in Fig. '7) but this would not result in any practical benefit because such additional'length of rweigh rail would not be utilized for weighing purpose.

In order -to `have a weigh rail of maximum length, however, as set forth above, it is necessary to use two alternately effective trips 25 and 26, the first, Yor-trip 25, operating to record the weight on the scale when actuated bythe front wheel of a rear truck after the front truck of the same carhas left the scale and before the fronttruck of the succeeding car has reached the scale, and the other, or trip 2.5, operating to record the weight on Vthe scale when actuated by the front wheel of a front truck, before the rear truck of the same car reaches vthe scale and after the rear truck of the preceding car has left the scale.

The maximum permissible length of a weigh rail using two trips, as shown in Figure 2, depends upon the extent to which the scale is intended to accommodate cars of `varying length.

Excluding certain types of ore cars from consideration which have a very short overall wheel base (on the ordervof feet from outside axle to outsideaxle) almost .everyother conventional freight car could be weighed while coupled in a trainandinmotionif the weigh railris no `.longer thanapproximately 31 feet 6 inches,making use of alternately -acting trips 25 kand 26.for determining t'he Hinstant at which the scale weight is to-be recorded. Thelength'of 31 feet -inches isbased upon an assumed minimum overall wheel Ybaseleng'th of 30 feet- (iaeffront axle of the front truck to'rear axle ofthe reartruck), a minimum dista-nce of 7 feet between the adjoining axles of coupled cars, and the conventional5 foot 6 inch spacing of car -axles within a given truck. Ob-

viously, the figure of 3l feet 6 inches may vary somewhat according -to the conditions assumed.

Although the above indicates certain limiting factors determining the permissible length of a weigh rail according to mylin-vention, it is preferred thatthe weigh lrail be less than approximately 15v feet inlength with a trip preferably located -at approximately 12 feet 6 inches l.from the entering end of the weigh rail in order to gain certain additional advantages. In the first place, this length is adequate to give the scale timeto stabilize aftereach truck has come upon the scale for train speeds suitable for the task performed by the weighmaster or other person responsible for the weighing of the cars. Probably -fof greater importance, however, is the fact that a scale having a weigh rail, the lengthof which is less than substantially l5 feet, cannot have more-than three driver -wheels of substantially any conventional freight locomotive on the scale at one time. This is because the minimum distance between driver wheels on such locomotives is approximately 5 feet, vthus making the minimumdimension for A in Figure 7 ten feet.

Since the maximum load imposed on a scale by three pairs of driver wheels of substantially any conventional freight locomotive does not exceed approximately 110 tons and, since it is impossible to get two freight car trucks on a weigh rail of Substantially l5 feet or less at the same time (if possible, the total maximum loading of the vrtwo trucks would not exceed tons), it means that a Weigh rail of substantially l5 feet -or less may have va sectional capacity, vassuming a two-section scale, of 60 tons and therefby be adequate for all railroad rolling stock that would l.pass over the scale and hence no dead rail is needed.

Although a scale having a weigh rail length of substantially l5 feet enables low capacity scale mechanism to be used, as pointed out above, without the use of a dead rail, it is preferred that the weigh rail be on the order of 12 feet 6 inches in length in order to gain certain additional advantages. It has been determined that substantially all conventional freight cars, with the exception of certain types of ore cars, have a minimum distance between the correspondingiaxles of the adjacent trucks of coupled cars, as indicated at B in Figure 7, of approximately 12 feet 6 inches; therefore a weigh rail of this length precludes the possibility of having more than one car truck on the weigh rail at any one time, and using a trip for operating the scale recorder immediately adjacent to the leaving end of the weigh rail, the maximum possible time is provided .for the scale to stabilize itself after `receiving the car truck that is to be weighed.

Since the speed at which the cars may be weighedisllimited bythe time required for-stabiliza'tion o'f the scale, obviously maximum Weighing speed is obtained by providing stabilizing time, as described above. By a multiple draft weighing method and apparatus the speed at which cars may be weighed is materially increased over that permissible for conventional single-draft weighing of freight cars coupled and in motion. From what has been said, it is apparent that a track scale having a weigh rail length of substantially l2 feet 6 inches and sectional capacities of 60 tons can, without the use of a dead rail, accommodate all classes of freight cars, with the exception of special ore cars, and weigh them while coupled together and in motion at a substantially greater speed than heretofore possible.

Furthermore, this type of weighing enables uneven distribution of the car load on the car trucks to be discovered and avoids the possibility of overloading any particular car axle or journal.

For ore cars or any other type of car that may have exceptionally short overall wheel base, it has been found that a scale having weigh rail length of less than substantially l feet, and preferably having a length of substantially 8 feet 6 inches is the most desirable because it prevents more than one truck of ore cars coupled together from being on the weigh rail at any one time. The 8 foot 6 inch length of the weigh rail is based upon the fact that the distance B (Figure 7) for most ore cars coupled together is that amount. This length, however, may vary considerably within the teachings of this invention.

Gravity weighing In the gravity weighing of freight cars each car after being loaded is put over the hump in the classification yard and made to travel by gravity over the scale. The common practice is to have a scale having a weigh rail long enough to accommodate both trucks of any car to Abe weighed on the scale, and, in addition, the rail must be long enough to permit the scale to become stabilized after both trucks of the car being weighed are on the scale. Hence, a car having an overall wheel base of 40 feet might be weighed on a track scale having a weigh rail length of 50 feet allowing approximately l0 feet for the scale to stabilize during the weighing operation. This is illustrated in Figure 3.

If a car is to be weighed having a length too great for theparticular scale, two-draft spot weighing is used. This consists in moving one truck of the car onto the weigh rail and weighing that truck and the load which it carries while the car is Stationary, then moving the other car truck onto the rail, stopping the car, and then weighing that truck alone with the load that it carries.

According to my invention, by using a shorter track scale not only may I obtain many economies in original cost, and cost of maintenance and operation, but I also achieve much greater flexibility in the length and weight of car that can be weighed on the scale.

Theoretically, a weigh rail of feet 6 inches if used with scale mechanism that would provide instantaneous weight indication and recording would be satisfactory. Since scale mechanism of this kind is not available, a longer weigh rail must be used, and in general, the longer the weigh rail, the greater the speed at which the car being weighed by the scale can be moved over the scale.

By using two trips, one at, say, approximately 20 feet from the entering end of the scale, and the other adjacent the leaving end, almost any existing gravity scale can be converted to a multiple draft motion weighing scale with the 20 foot trip being used to record the weight of the front truck and the trip at the end of the scale being used to record the weight of the rear truck. This modification of existing scales would have the advantage of enabling the scale to handle cars which heretofore have been too long for the scale without resorting to multiple draft spot weighing methods.

Since substantially all conventional freight cars, with the exception of special classes of ore cars, have not less than a 30 foot overall wheel base (i. e. measured from outside axle to outside axle), it follows (assuming 5 feet 6 inches between axle centers for each truck) that a scale having a weigh rail 21 (Figure 4a) 24 feet 6 inches in length would enable multiple draft gravity weighing of substantially all conventional freight cars exclusive of ore cars with the use of only one trip mechanism 28 located at the leaving end of the weigh rail, because with this length of rail not more than one car truck could be on the rail at any one time and maximum time would be afforded for the scale to become stabilized aft er the truck was on the scale, thereby enabling the cars to be moved over the scale at the greatest possible speed, consistent with the response of the weighing mechanism to loads imposed on the scale.

In gravity weighing, it is customary to provide spur tracks so that locomotives and other heavy rolling stock need not pass over the scale, so by providing a scale having a weigh rail not more than approximately 24 feet 6 inches in length, not more than one truck 0f substantially any conventional freight car, exclusive of ore cars, can be on the scale at any one time, and the scale may have a correspondingly lower capacity than scales heretofore used for this purpose. In other words, the total capacity would not have to be more than 60 tons, which means that for a two-section scale each section would not have to have a capacity of more than tons. Present scales used for gravity weighing may be required to carry total loads up to twice these amounts and must be made correspondingly larger to carry these loads.

Although it is desirable to have the weigh rail for gravity weighing as long as possible, consistent with the limiting factors mentioned above in order to enable the speed at which the cars are moved over the scale to be as great as possible, certain advantages are gained by having a weigh rail the length of which is on the order of 18 feet 6 inches. With a weigh rail of this length and scale capacity suitable for the purpose, the scale may be used for either gravity weighing or the weighing of cars in motion and coupled together. This is illustrated in Figure 4b. The weigh rail is indicated at 29 and has a trip 30 located approximately l2 feet 6 inches from the entering end of the rail and another trip 3| located adjacent to the leaving end of the rail. When the scale is used for gravity weighing, the trip 3D is rendered inoperative and only the trip 3| is used, the weigh rail being short enough so that only one truck can be on the weigh rail at one time.

When the scale is used for multiple draft coupled and in motion weighing, the trip 30 is used for weighing the rear truck of each car and amasar the trip.3l for recording the Weight` of the front truck of each ca-r. Assuming, for example, that the rear truck ofJ car 32j is on the scale with the cars moving in the direction indicated by the arrow, when this truck reaches the trip 3D,

the weight of this truck will be recorded. For the rear truck to move off ofthe scale, it must move the six additional feet from ther trip` 3D to the leaving end'ofthe weigh rail, plus 5 feet 6 inches for the rear Wheel of that truck to get off of the rail, or a total of 11 feet 6 inches. While this is taking place, the front truck of carY 33 has moved upon the weigh rail and the front wheel of that truck` has moved 11 feet6 inches onto the weigh rail. There are still '7v feet for the front truck of car 33 to travelbefore it reaches the trip 3l and this is the samedistance thatthe rear truck of car 32 had to travel after being completely'on the weigh rail before reachingv the trip 30. Hence, in both cases', '7` feet of car travel is provided for enabling the scale to stabilize.

Locomotiva socle:

Locomotive wheel load scales, now used comprise a series of weigh rails separated by dead rails for obtaining the static weights for each of the wheel supports for the locomotive. The scales are tremendously expensive andcumbersome and the scales must be designed for the particular type of locomotive tQ be weighed; A scale of this typeis diagrammatcally. shown in Figure 5, and for a more complete description of conventional locomotivel wheel load scales,y see Railway Engineering andl Maintenance Cyclopedia, 1942 Edition, published by Simmons- Boardman Publishing Company, D. 714.

since the principal purpose of V weighing the locomotive is to obtain thev distribution of, the load on the driver wheels rather than the tjotal weight of the locomotive, it ispossiblewith my invention to obtain this information, aswell asthe total weight of the locomotive, by the use of scale mechanism of far simpler construction than has hitherto been used.. For examplainstead of" using the multiple scale arrangement` shown inFi'gure 5, it is possible with my, inventionv to employ a weigh rail 34' ofv not more than4 approximately 5 feet in length, but in thiscase theweigh rails on opposite rails of thev track are preferably, f

though not necessarily, connected to separate scale mechanisms and recorders. a trip 35 at the leaving end of each weigh rail, each driver wheel as it passes over the scale will actuate the recorder of its respective scale mechanism and recordthe weight imposed'onthe4 scale by that wheel. The information furnishedv by the record tape then enablescorrectionstobe made in the distribution-of* the load.

The dynamic weighingofI locomotives;y first in one direction and'then4 inthe other, gives additional information, particularlyvconcerning the shifting of load dueto-play of-"parts- Theoretically, the weighrail for alocomotive of this type need-be nomore4 than the length necessary to support asingle driver wheel, pos- By providing sibly two orthree inches, but; since time isrequired for scale stabilization, a length'` ofssubstantially no more thanv 5l feet"A is desirable`Y because substantially al1 conventional freightllocomotives haver a4 spacing of. a` leastz feet? between driver axles.

Modficationof emistingfscales In Figures 8-13 inclusive-isA shown a conventional four-section, three-span',V @afoot scale y which has been modified to incorporate the teachings of this invention. The-parts of the original scale which are not used as a part of they modified scale are shownV in dotted lines, while those retained are shown in full lines.

In this case the scale is one used for weighing carsV while in motion and coupled together and comprisesfour sections 40, 4I, 42 and 43 mounted in a scale pit 44 and having a weigh bridge with three spans, one indicated at 45 between the sections 40 and 4I, another indicated at 46 between the sections 4I and 42, and the third indicated at 41 between the sections 42 and 43; The weigh rail originally extended from 48 to 49 and the load was transferred from the weigh rail through the three spans 4of the weigh bridge'to the various levers and connections constituting the scale mechanism. These levers and connections included a pair of main levers 50 Iand 5| at each section (see Figure 13)', end extension levers 52 and 53- and middle extension leversl 54 and 55, which, together take the load from the main levers and transmit it to the scale beam through a transverse extension lever 51, beam rod 58, shelfl lever 59 and scale beam connecting rod 60. Scale mechanism of this type is well known and further description is believed unnecessary, particularly in view of the diagrammatic representation of the scale mechanism in Figure 13.

When the entire'40-foot weigh rail was used, the three components 6|, 62 and 63 were each supported on their respective spans of the weigh bridge by rail chairs 64, as shown in the center span section. The dead rail track 65 which crossed the scale was supported by transverse I beams 66 anchored in the side walls of the scale pit with cast iron blocks 61 interposed between the I beams and the dead rail for supporting the latter on the I beams.

In converting the scale to one embodying the teachings ofthis invention, the rail chairs supporting the components 6I and 63 of the weigh rail were removed and these rails are mounted and supported in the same manner as the dead rail on the transverse I beams 66. Blocks 68 and 69 are placed under the end extension levers so that the middle extension levers 54 and 55 receive thelirentire loading from the center span or weigh rai A deck 10 is customarily provided over the scalepitand is supportedby the'deadlrail I beams 66. For rigidity the two parallel sides of the weigh bridge are connected together by cross members 1| and connecting braces 95, as shown in Figures 10 andv 16.

The scale pit 44 has a neck or side extension 12 which receives the power end of the transverse extension lever 51, as shown in Figures 11 and 12. The scale beam 13 of the scale is suitably mounted above the neck 12 and the power end 14 of the scale beam is connected by a rod 15 to automatic weight-indicating and'recording ap paratus, designated 16 which includes a spring counterpoise, not shownand a dashpot 11, such, for example, as the totalizing apparatus shown in Page Patent No. 2,406,897. Weight-indicating and recording mechanism of this type is well known and is characterized bythe fact that when the trip associated with the weigh rail is actuated, the weight indicated byv the scale is automatically printed upon a tape or cardv to make a suitable record of the weights being determined; The following UnitedStates Letters Patent illustrate weight-indicating and recording mechanism of this type, including trips for operating the mechanism:

Amet 380,672 Apr. 10, 1888 Amet 392,531 Nov. 6, 1888 Amet 413,880 Oct. 26, 1889 Goetz 651,845 June 19, 190D Goetz '778,359 Dec. 27, 1904 Goetz 946,600 Jan. 18, 1910 New scale construction The enormous saving in cost of scale construction using my invention can be shown by referring to Figures 15 and 16 which illustrate how a short track scale may be built with simplified construction and relatively low capacity sections.

In this case the scale pit 18 is correspondingly smaller, and, assuming a weigh rail 19 of say 12 feet 6 inches or thereabouts, the sectional capacity of each of the two sections 80 and 8| need not exceed 60 tons and yet permit all classes of rolling stock, including locomotives, to pass over the weigh rail without overloading the scale. The ends of the approach track 82 are supported by transverse I beams 83 anchored in the sides of the pit. The transverse I beams 84 which extend across the pit between the rail chairs 85 are used merely to support the deck 86, and, as compared with the transverse I beams ordinarily used for supporting a dead rail, are much lighter in section.

Since each of the sections 89 and 8| need have a sectional capacity of only 60 tons, their components may be correspondingly lighter, and the end extension levers 8l and 88 which transmit the load from the main levers 89 an-d 90 of the sections 80 and 8| to the transverse extension lever 9| are likewise of lighter construction. Reduction of the pit size, elimination of middle extension levers, the main levers associated therewith, and two spans of the weigh bridge make for a great savings in initial cost of construction. The elimination of the dead rail and its support, switches, etc, provide added savings in cost, to say nothing of the operational savings resulting from being able to run a locomotive over the scale without dea/d rail switching.

Any kind of suitable trip mechanism, such as indicated at 92, may be used adjacent the leaving end of the weigh rail 19 and its actuation of the weightrecording apparatus is clearly disclosed in the prior art patents, hereinbefore referred to.

Totalizer It is contemplated that the automatic weight.

indicating and recording mechanism may include means for recording not only the individual Weights of the car trucks passing over the scale but also automatically add and record the combined Weights of the two trucks constituting,

each car. This may be done by the use of any suitable known totalizing device.

Alternately operable dual trip mechanism In the patents heretofore referred to for their 12 mer |0| which records on tape |02 the scale marking on that portion of the scale wheel It?. opposite the hammer l0 The pawl and ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet wheel |94 having eight ratchet teeth |05 on its periphery. The wheel is driven by dual pawl mechanisms, one of which is actuated by the pivoted trip 25 and the other by the pivoted trip 26. The pawl mechanism operated by the trip 26 drives the ratchet wheel in a counterclockwise direction and comprises an arm 65 having a pivoted pawl |01 yieldingly held in engagement with the ratchet wheel |011 by a spring |08, but limited in its movement by thc spring |98 by a pin 99 so that the end of' the pawl normally just clears the low part of the ratchet wheel while still engaging the teeth 05. The arm I is connected to the trip 20 by any suitable means, such as a link |09.

The pawl mechanism operated by the trip 25 drives the ratchet wheel in the same direction and likewise comprises an arm Ht carrying a pivoted pawl held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring |I2 but limited in its movement by the spring I2 by a pin l i3 so that the end of the pawl normally just clears the low part of the ratchet wheel while still engaging the teeth |05. The arm ||0 is connected to the trip 25 by a link or other connection I4.

The ratchet wheel |04 is xedly mounted on a shaft ||5 and both are movable axially of the shaft by a suitable bifurcated shifting lever, generally indicated i i6, between two positions, one of which is shown in Figure 18 in full lines, and the other in dotted lines, as shown at Il?, During the movement, the pawl-carrying arms |05 and ||0 remain stationary. In the retracted or full line position, pins |22 and |23 projecting laterally from the face of the ratchet wheel opposite the sixth and eighth teeth are adapted to strike the arm |20 of a 'bell crank lever i2| to drive the hammer |0| i'nto printing engagement with the dial wheel |03. It has been determined that when dual trip mechanism is to be used in the manner shown in Figure 2 for Weighing cars coupled together and in motion, the weight on the scale should be automatically recorded for every sixth and eighth actuation of either of the two trips 25 and 26; and, since the trips 25 and 26 are each operable to rotate the ratchet wheel one notch when actuated, the pins |22 and |23 will effect the automatic recording of the weight on the scale at the proper time.

Using the same scale for gravity weighing of uncoupled cars, it is desirable to use only the trip 26 located at the leaving end of the rail and this is readily accomplished by shifting the lever ||6 to move the ratchet mechanism to its dotted line In this position the pawl is out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and pins I 8 and ||9 which are located opposite the second and fourth teeth, respectively, of the ratchet wheel are brought into position where they too will actuate the printing arm |20. In this way the mechanism has been converted to a two-cycle single-trip device from a dual trip mechanism operating on every sixth and eighth actuation of either trip.

The pin ||3 holds the pawl I in a sufficiently retracted position so that on operating the lever |6 to move the ratchet mechanism to its full line position shown in Figure 18, the pawl HI will clear the low portion of the wheel and fall into proper engagement.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in enligne Figure' 19. the dun trip mechanism is electrically operatedl and comprises pawl and ratchet mechanism, generally designated |24, controlled by the trip-26 and pawl and ratchet mechanism |25 controlled by the trip 25. Each pawl and ratchet mechanism comprises a ratchet wheel |26 having four teeth on its periphery, as indicated at |21. and the ratchet wheels are rotated in a counterclockwise direction by an arm |28 carryinga pivoted pawl |29 constantly urgedinto engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring |30. The arm is normally held in the position shown in Figure 19 by a spring |3| and rotation of the ratchet wheel is eiected by a solenoid |32 associated with each trip mechanism, which in turn is connected by a jointed arm |33 to: the driving arm |28 of the pawl and ratchet mechanism.

The pawl and ratchet |2'4 has a laterally eX- tending pin |34 which is i280 degrees outof phase with a similar pin |35 on the pawl and ratchet |25. A pair of switches |35 and |31 are oppositely disposed about the shaft |38 whichrotatably supports the ratchet wheel of the mechanism |24 and a single switch |39 is associated with the pawl and ratchet mechanism in the same position as the switch. |31. The switch arms of these switches are adapted to .be engaged by the pins |341. and and closed temporarily while the pin travels past the arm.

A solenoid-operated` platen hammer mounted above the scale wheel |4I: which carries suitably inked scale indicia on its periphery, so that when the solenoid 42 is energized', the hammer |40 is pressed against the wheel and a record of the scale indicia opposite the platen hammer |40 is recorded on the moving record tape |143. The platen hammer 4|) is normally held in raised position by a springV |44.

The solenoids |32 which operate the pawl and ratchet mechanisms. are in parallel circuits and either may be energized whenever the trip mechanism associated therewith. closes the contactsassociated with the particular trip. rlhe contacts for the trip 26 are indicated at |45 and those for the trip 25 are indicated at |46. The switches |36, |31 and |39 are connected on one side to a lead |41 and on the other side are connected through the solenoid |42 to the other side of the line through conductor |48.

'I'he single-pole double-throw switch |49v connects one side ot the line alternatively to switch |36 or switch |39 for a purpose now to be described.

When the track Scale is being used for weighing cars coupled together and in motion, thel switch arrn ldy of the switch |49 isrmoved tofa position where it makes contact with lead 5| thereby energizing switch |39 and rendering switch |36 inoperative. This means that on every fourth actuation of the trip 26, the pin |34 will operate the switch |3'l thereby energizing the solenoid; and likewise on every fourth actuation of the trip 25, the pin |35 will actuate the switch |39 and energize the solenoid |42 to record the weight then on the scale. Since the pins |34 and |35 are 180 degrees out of phase, the pawl and ratchet mechanism |24, if set properly, will actuate the weight recorder whenever the iront wheel 'of the rear truck of a car strikes the trip 25, and, similarly, the pawl and ratchet mechanism |25 will operate the weight recorder whenever the front wheel of the front truck of a car strikes the trip 26.

When the scale mechanism is being used for gravity weighing of uncoupled cars, it is desirable to have only the trip 26 operate the Weight recorder and this should be done for each second actuation by a car wheel. This is accomplished in the present embodiment or the invention by throwing the switch |49 to cause the switch arm |55- to be in contact with the lead |52., thereby energizing the switch |35I and deenergizing the switch |39. The pawl and ratchet mechanism then becomes a two-cycle counter and the desired result isA effected.

De finitions Throughout the specication and claims it should be understood that the expression Conventional Freight Car refers to commonly used freight cars. of the two-truck., fourwheels-pertruck type used in the .United Statesl as shown in Car Builders Cyclopedia, 1943 Edition, publishedv by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company, and similarly the expression Conventional Freight. Locomotive. refers to commonly used freight. and switching locomotives used in the United Stateslas shown in Locomotive Cyclopedia, 1944 Edition, published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company.

It should' also bev understood that the terms trip and' trip rnecrianism should be given a broad interpretation to include known equivalents oi mechanical trip devices, such,v for example, as inductive, photoelectric,l and other position-responsive devices.

I claim:

1. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion. and while coupled together, said scale comprising a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the weight on the weigh rail at given times, Said weigh rail being ofa length less than the distance between the front wheel axes of front andr rear trucks of the shortest car being weighed but sufficiently longer than a car truck wheel base to permit the truck to be scale borne va suicient length of time to secure accurate 'weight, and means including a trip mechanism responsive to the position of a car with respect length of theV weigh rail is more than substantially 5 feetA 6 inches and lessy than substantially 15C feet;

4. A scale according to claim l in which the length of the weigh rail is more than substantially 5 feet 6 inches and less than substantially 15 feet, with the trip mechanism responsive to the leading wheel of the truck on the scale reaching a point substantially 12 feet 6 inches from the entering end of the rail.

5. A track scale for weighing locomotives in motion, said scale including a weigh rail, the length of which is not substantially more than 5 feet, whereby not more than one driver wheel of a conventional freight locomotive can .be on the weigh rail at any given time, a weight recording mechanism associated with said weigh rail, and means including a trip mechanism responsive to the position of a locomotive with respect to the weigh rail, and operatively contime that a locomotive wheel is alone on said Weigh rail.

6. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion and while coupled together in a train, said scale comprising .a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the weight on the weigh rail at given times, and a trip associated with the weigh rail and responsive to the position of the car passing over the weigh rail, said trip being 'operatively connected to the weight recording mechanism and controlling operation thereof for recording said weight when actuated by a car passing over the weigh rail, said weigh rail having a length small enough so that not more than three driver wheels of a conventional freight locomotive can be on the rail at any one time nor more than one truck of any conventional freight car exclusive of ore cars whereby the scale may be constructed with a maximum capacity based upon one-half of the maximum weight of any car being weighed, and the load imposed by said three driver wheels.

7. A track scale in accordance with claim 6 in which the weigh rail is less than substantially 15 feet in length and in which the trip is located adjacent to the leaving end of the weigh rail.

8. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion and while coupled together, said scale comprising a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the Weight on the weigh rail at given times, said weigh rail being of a length less than the distance between the front wheel axes of front and rear trucks of the shortest car being weighed but suiciently longer than a car truck wheel base to permit the truck to be scale borne a suflicient length of time to secure accurate weight, and means including alternately effective trips spaced longitudinally of the weigh rail, and operatively connected to said weight recording mechanism, for actuating said weight recording mechanism each time that a single car truck is scale borne, one of said trips being actuated to effect recording of the front truck of each car and the other trip being actuated to effect recording of the rear truck of each car.

9. A track scale in accordance with claim 8 in which the length of the weigh rail is more than substantially feet 6 inches and less than substantially 3l feet 6 inches, and in which said rst mentioned trip is located adjacent to the leaving end of the weigh rail and the second mentioned trip is located not more than feet from the entering end of the weigh rail.

10. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion and while coupled together, said scale comprising a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the weight on the weigh rail at given times, said weigh rail being of a length such that each wheeled component of each car being weighed will at some time be alone on the weigh rail, and means including a trip mechanism responsive to the position of a car with respect to the weigh rail and operatively connected to the weight recording mechanism for actuating said weight recording mechanism each time that one of said wheeled components is alone on the weigh rail, said weigh rail being less than 15 feet in length.

11. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion, said scale comprising a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the weight on the weigh rail at given times, said weigh rail being of a length less than the distance between the front wheel axes of front and rear trucks of the shortest car being weighed so that the capacity of the scale may be limited to less than the gross weight of any car being weighed, and means including a trip mechanism responsive to the position of a car with respect to the weigh rail and operatively connected to the weight recording mechanism for actuating said weight recording mechanism each time that a single car truck is scale borne.

12. A track scale for weighing freight cars of varying length and capacity while in motion, said scale comprising a weigh rail, weight recording mechanism for indicating the weight on the weigh rail at given times, and means including alternately effective trips spaced longitudinally of the Weigh rail and operatively connected to said weight recording mechanism for actuating said weight recording mechanism each time that a single car truck is scale borne, one of said trips being actuated to effect recording of the front truck of each car and the other trip being actuated to effect recording of the rear truck of each car.

HARRY MAYER.

REFERENCES CITED rThe following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '778,359 Goetz Dec. 27, 1904 1,494,164 Goldbeck May 13, 1924 2,339,152 Connelly et al Jan. 11, 1944

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