US323585A

US323585A - Railway-frog

Info

Publication number: US323585A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1885-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1902-08-04

Description

(No Model.)

G. LEHLBAGH.

RAILWAY PROG- No. 323.585. Patented Aug. 4, 1885 I252 82 cizan Uzi-a. A B

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UNITED STATES GUSTAV LEHLBACH, OF

PATTNT @rrica NEVARK, NEV JERSEY.

RAILWAY-FROG.

Patent No. 323,585, dated August. 4, 1885.

11, 1895. (No modeLl To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV LEHLBAOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Railway-Frogs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as 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 letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates more particularly to ihe construction of a device to be used where one rail upon railroad tracks has to cross another, which crossing is at present usually accon'iplished by means of a frog; and the improvements are set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the plan of the improvement. Fig. 2 represents a section upon the line A 13 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 represents a sec tion upon the line C D of Fig. 1.

In Fig. l the different parts of the improvement are designated by the following letters: Ill designates the rails of the main track; T,the rails of the turn-out track which crosses the rail of the main track. F are iron or steel frog-bars. H are hinges suitably fastened to the aforesaid frog-bars F F. 1 are iron chairs to receive the ends of the turnout rails, and to which the hinges H H are also connected, and upon which the ends of the frogbars F F also rest and move. I are iron guideplates, upon which the frog-bars F F slide when moved, and upon which they also have a hearing when in position for the turn-out track. L are levenbars and connecting-rods suitably fastened to the frogbars F F at K K, and so arranged that motion can be given to the frog-bars F F to change their positions to those indicated by the dotted lines in the figurc. Q are connecting-rods leading to the switch. R are the crossties; S, a spring permit-ting a movement of about six inches.

In Fig. 2, M designates the rail of the main track; F, the frog-ba1x In Fig. 8, M designates the rail of the main track; F, the frog- The objects of the invention are, first, to avoid the cutting of the main-track rail; second, to furnish an unbroken and continuous bearing for the wheels upon the turn-out track as well as upon the main track.

The cutting of the main-track rail is avoided by the raising of the frog-barsFEso that the tops of these bars are about twoinches above the top of the main-track rail, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thereby permitting the flanges of the wheels to passover the main-track rail without touching it, the rails of the turn-out track T T being gradually raised to meet the elevation of the frog-bars F F.

The unbroken and continuous bearing upon the turnout track is effected by the frog-bars, which meet upon the top of the main-track rail sufficiently close to make the bearing practically unbroken and continuous, being supported at that point by the maintrack rail upon which they rest, and also beingheld in this position by the lever -bars L. The frog-bars F F are also slotted so as to fit around the head of the main-track rail, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when the frog-bars are set for the turn-out track they will be firmly held in their positions.

In Fig. l the frog-bars are in posit-ion for the turn-out track to cross the main track at the angle shown, and the dotted lines indicate the positions which are occupied by the frogbars F and the lever-bars L when set to leave the main track clear and intact.

By means of the rods Q Q, in Fi 1, which are suitably connected with the mechanical arrangement for moving the switch,any movement of the switch will at the same time give the requisite corresponding movement to the frog'bars F I In case the frog-bars should by mistake he set for the turn-out track whenit was intended to have left the main track clear, a spring, as S, or its equivalent is provided and arranged so that the wheels of a train upon the main track will press the frog-bars F F aside and thus allow the free passage of the train upon the main track past the frog-pointin either direction.

The arrangement and operation of the spring S are as follows: Said spring is placed in an iron frame, and at one end one of the lever-bars bar; I, a guide-plate, and R the cross-tie.

V L is fastened to the frame, and at the other the lever-bar L can move freely through a hole in the head of the iron frame and press upon the spring bytheintervention of suitable washers, as indicated in the drawings. The proper strain with which it is desired to press the bars F against the main rail is put upon the spring when it is placed in the frame, and when a pressure greater than this is exerted upon the spring by reason of the pressure of passing wheels against the sides of the frog-bars F, the spring S is compressed still more, thus allowing the frog-bars to open without breaking any of the parts, as will be understood.

I am aware that it is not new to adapt the ordinary railroad-rail as parts of an arrangement by which the rail of a turn-out track is passed over the main-track rail without cutting such main rail; but the shape of an ordinary railroad-rail does not permit this to be done with safety and durability. I have there fore devised the movable frog-bars F,as shown in the drawings, constructed from rectangular bars of metal and mitered where they come to gether upon the top of the main rail, and slotted or grooved t0 fit around the head of the main rail for the purpose of holding them firmly in position, as shown. Said frog-bars are also arranged in ahorizontal position and move in the same plane, so that no break in the grade of the crossing occurs upon the movable parts, as has been the case heretofore.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with the rails of a railroad-track, of frog-bars, as F F, slotted or grooved, as described, and means arranged to operate in connection therewith, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the rails of a railroad-track, of frog-bars, as F F, and a system of levers, as L, arranged and operating for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the rails of a railroad-track, of frog-bars, as F F, a system of levers, as L, and a spring, as S, or equivalent means, arranged and operating in connection therewith, for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the rails of a railroad-track, of frog-bars, as F F, a system of levers, as L, a spring, as S, or equivalent means, and rods, as Q, connecting the levers, as L, with the mechanism for moving the switch, and adapted to be operated thereby for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of April, 1885.

GUSTAV LEHLBACH.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, OSCAR A. MICHEL.