US2875325A

US2875325A - Detector and lock control for drawbridge lift rails

Info

Publication number: US2875325A
Application number: US551861A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peterson Cornelius
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-12-08
Filing date: 1955-12-08
Publication date: 1959-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 1976-02-24

Description

Feb. 24, 1959 E. L. KOENIG 2, 75, 25

DETECTOR AND LOCK CONTROL FOR DRAWBRIDGE LIFT RAIL'S Filed Dec. 8, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 1 T -E IL.

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INVENTOR 5W4 A. KQEN/ ATTORNEYS Feb. 24, 1959 E. L. KOENIG 2,875,325

DETECTOR AND LOCK CONTROL FOR DRAWBRIDGE LIFT RAILS Filed Dec. 8, 1955 s Sheets-S heet 2 INVENTOR [MIL A. A oE/v/G SQ Q Q mm BY 9 f M j ATTORNEYS Feb. 24, 1959 E. L. KOENIG 2,875,325 DETECTOR AND LOCK CONTROL FOR DRAWBRIDGE LIFT RAILS Filed Dec 8. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 "ha ks Q E; E g

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INVENTOR EM/4 Z. KoE/v/G ATTO RN EYS DETECTOR AND LOCK CONTROL FOR DRAWBRIDGE LIFT RAILS Emil L. Koenig, Brooklyn, 'N. Y.; Cornelius Peterson, executor of said Emil L. Koenig, deceased Application December 8, 1955, Serial No. 551,861

4 Claims. (Cl. 246--118) The present invention relates to a combined detector and lock control for drawbridge lift rails and relates, more particularly, to a device for detecting the position of drawbridge lift rails and for controlling the operation of a locking device for securing said rails in place.

An object of the present invention is to provide a combined detector and lock control device which provides a positive indication of the position of the lift rails of a drawbridge or the like and at the sametime controls operation of a locking device for securing the lift rails in position where it is safe for rolling stock to move over the draw-bridge. Another object of the invention is to provide a combined lift rail detector and lock control device which is simple and durable in its construction and which will not be affected in its operation by ex- "posure to weather conditions or vibration caused by trains passing over the rails.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent and best understoood from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

'Fig. l is a plan view of a set of end rails forming track connections to a drawbridge and including a detector and lock controlling device embodying the present invention;

Fig. la is a section view taken along the line 1a1a of Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rails shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale;

, Fig. 4 is a section view corresponding to Fig. 3 but with the parts shown in different positions;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section view of a modified form of detector and lock controlling device embodying the inventionyand Fig. 6 is a vertical section view of another modified form of detector and lock controlling device embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and in particular to Figs. 1 and 2, there is a set of end rails which form the track connections for one rail of a track for a drawbridge.

I The end rails'include a rocker or lift rail 10 of a type commonly designated as an H-shaped rail; an end rail 12 carried on the drawbridgetand a fixed rail 13 sup ported onthe shore.

The lift rail 10 is pivoted at one end on a shaft 11 which is supported by the end rail 12 on the drawbridge and the lift rail and the end rail move with the drawbridge in its operation. When the end rails are in position for safe travel over the bridge, the other end of the lift rail 10 is seated in the end of the fixed rail 13 which is supported on a shore pier or other abutment in a fixed position.

The end rails referred to above are of conventional construction and hence, need not be described in detail here. However, it will be understood that two parallel rails form the track on which the train or other vehicle operates, but to avoid duplication, only a single set of end rails has been shown and described herein.

The end rails are formed with base plates which are fastened to ties in the usual manner and a locking dog 14 is slidably mounted on the base plate of the fixed rail at the outer side thereof opposite a point where the fixed rail and lift rail overlap. The locking dog 14 is movable transversely with respect to the

rails

10 and 13 and a finger 14a at one end of the locking dog extends over a shoulder 10a in the top of the lift rail when the locking dog is in locking position. The other end of the locking dog is connecteion by a link 15 to a suitable operating mechanism, such as a pneumatically operated cyinder and piston 16, which moves the locking dog into and out of locking engagement with the lift rail.

When the lift rail is locked in place, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a train or similar vehicle may safely pass over the drawbridge. When the locking dog iswithdr'awn from engagementwith the lift rails, the lift rails may be elevated at one end, as indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, and the lift rails and the rails on the drawbridge may be moved as desired in operation of the drawbridge. To insure safe passage of a train across 'the drawbridge, it is essential to provide a positive indication that the lift rails are fully seated in the fixed rails and are locked in place. The mechanism for accomplishing this must be reliable in operation and be capable of exposure to weather and rough usage from the move ment of trains over the rails.

In the mechanism embodying the present invention, there is a lever 17 which is secured to a rock shaft 18. The shaft 18 is rotatably supported by a bracket 19 carried by the base plate 20 of the fixed rail 13. One end of the lever 17 extends beneath the base plate and has two

spaced pins

21 and 22 formed thereon which project upwardly from the lever. The pin 21 extends into an opening 23 in the base plate immediately beneath the locking dog and the other pin 22 extends into an opening 24 in the base plate which communicates with the recessed portion 13a of the fixed rail in which the end of the lift rail seats.

When the locking dog is withdrawn from engagement with the lift rail and the end of the lift rail is elevated, the end of the lever 17 is raised, as will be described hereinafter, and the pin 21 then projects in front of the locking dog so as to prevent inward movement of the locking dog so long as the end of the lever remains in its raised position. Under these conditions, the pin 22 projects into the recess in the fixed rail and is engaged by the bottom of the lift rail as said rail is seated in the fixed rail. When the end of the lift rail is fully seated in the fixed rail, the engagement of the bottom of the lift rail with the top of the pin 22 forces the end of the lever downwardly and moves the pin 21 out of the path of travel of the locking dog. For convenience, the pin 21 may be termed a lock control pin and the pin 22 'may be termed a detector pin.

When the end of the lift rail is elevated, a counterweight 25 carried at the outer end of the lever 17 causes the end of the lever on which the pins are carried to move upwardly toward the position shown in Fig. 4. The outer end of the lever 17 may be connected by a linkage 26 to a shaft 27 which controls the operation of a switch 28. The switch 28 is interconnected with a signalling system so as to provide the usual indication. of the track conditions. The locking dog may also be interconnected with the signalling system for the purpose of indicating the track conditions. Such connections are arranged so that when the lift rail is fully seated in the fixed rail and the locking dog is in looking position as shown in Fig. 3, the signalling system will provide an indication that it is safe to proceed across the drawbridge.

In order to insure positive operation of the lever 17, an operating arm 29 is secured at one end to the shaft I8 and extends upwardly with its upper end 38 being positioned to engage with the top of the lift rail as the lift rail is elevated. Asthe lift rail is elevated, the top "of the lift rail strikes the upper end of the arm and raises the arm. The movement of the arm rocks the shaft 13in a direction to move the pin carrying end of the or fail to move under the influence of the counterweight for any reason.

i The end 30 of the arm 29 which is engaged by the lift rail is rounded and has a relatively large radius of (curvature. The end of the arm is also positioned so that the lift rail will tend to force the arm upwardly if the :arm is held down as the end of the'lift rail is beingseated inthe ,fixed rail.

"In the embodiment of the invention shown in 'Fig. 5, there is an operating arm 29a which is connected to the lever 17. The upper end 30a of the arm 2% is located behind the rock shaft 18 and the end of the arm is weighted. Thus, the arm 23a tends to rotate the pin carrying end of the lever upwardly in conjunction with the counterweight 25 carried at the outer end of the lever 17. An extension arm 31 is secured to the lift rail and strikes the weighted end 30a of the arm 29a as the lift rail is elevated to insure positive movement of the lever .17.

.In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. '6, there is a lever 32 with a lock control pin 33 and a detector pin 34 at one end thereof. The lever 32 is carried by a rock shaft 35 which is rotatably supported from the base plate of the fixed rail 13 and the other end of the lever is connected by a linkage 36 to a piston 37 in an -.air cylinder 38.

The connections for admitting air to the air cylinder 38 are arranged so that when air is admitted to the cylinder 16 to withdraw the locking dog from engagement with the lift rail, air will be admitted to the cylinder 38 and the outer end of the lever 32 will be forced downwardly. The air cylinder 38 contains a spring 39 which acts on the piston 37 and forces the outer end of the lever downwardly in case of a failure in the air supply.

A combined detector and lock control is preferably applied to each set of rails forming a two rail track. Similar parts have been identified by corresponding identification numerals throughout the drawings.

Although certain embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it will be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

.I claim: j I

1. In a device for indicating the position of an end of a movable lift rail relative to an adjoiningend of 'a Tfixed rail, the improvement which comprises a lever pivotally mounted adjacent an end of a fixed .rail and an adjoining end of a movable lift rail, said lever having an end extending beneath said rails and being movable between a raised position and a lowered position with respect to the fixed rail, said end of the lever engaging with lever upwardly. Thus, operation of the lever 17 is assured in the event that the lever should become frozen and being maintained in said lowered position "by said engagement with the movable lift rail when the ends of the fixed and movable rails are in adjoining relation, and means for positively moving the end of the lever from the lowered position to the raised position thereof in response to movement of the movable rail, said means including an arm connected to the lever at a point spaced from the movable end thereof and extending upwardly into the path of movement of the movable rail when the end of the lever is in lowered position, said arm engaging with the movable rail and being movable in an arcuate path out of engagement therewith by movement of the movable .rail whereby the end of the lever is moved fromits lowered position to its raised position.

2. In a device for indicating the position of an end of a movable lift rail relative to an adjoining end of a fixed rail, the improvement as defined in claim 1 which includes a counterweight carried by the lever and biasing the rail engaging end of the lever toward its raised position.

3. In a device for indicating the position of an end of a movable lift rail relative to an adjoining end of a fixed rail, the improvement as defined in claim v1 which includes a member carried at the rail engaging end of the lever and extending into the path of movement of a rail locking shoe in the raised position of said end of the lever.

4. In a device for indicating the position of an end of a movable lift rail relative to an adjoining end of a fixed rail, the combination of a lever pivoted at a point adjacent adjoining ends of a movable lift rail and a fixed rail, said lever having a movable end extending beneath the end of the fixed rail, said end being movable between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the fixed rail, a member carried by said end of the lever in alignment with an opening in the bottom of the fixed rail, said opening being located beneath a portion of a movable lift rail overlapping the end of the fixed fail, a counterweight carried at an opposite end of said lever and urging the movable end of the lever toward its raised position, and an operating arm connected to the, lever and extending upwardly from the lever into the path of movement of the movable lift rail, said arm engaging with the lift rail upon upward movement thereof and being movable in an arcuate path and out of engagement with the lift rail upon said upward movement thereof whereby the movable end of one lever is pivotally moved toward the raised position thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 258,601 Putman May 30, 1882 365,818 Johnson July '5, 1887 1,056,888 Davidson Mar. 25, 1913 1,098,021 Davidson May 26, 1914 1,200,077 Casler Oct. 3, "1 916 1,332,179 Howard Feb. 24, 1920 1,533,513 Pearce Apr. 14, 1925 2,528,064 Logan Oct. 31, 1950 2,575,815 Jefferson Nov. 20, 1951