US328718A - Railroad-track flanger and snow-plow - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. G. H. REED 8v J. DONOHUE.

RAILROAD TRACK RLANGRRk ANDRNOWPLOW. No. 328,718. atented Oct. Z0, 11885.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. G. H. REED 8v J. DONOHUE.

RAILROAD TRAOK PLANGEB. AND SNOW PLOW. No. 328,718. Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

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HORATIO G. H. REED AND JERRY DONOHUE, OF MILWAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

RAILROAD-TRACK FLANGER AND SNOW-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,718, dated October 20, 1835,

Application filed August 17, 1895. Serial No.174,572. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that we, HoRATIo G. H. REED and JERRY DONOHUE, both of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of W'isconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Track Flangers and Snow-Flows; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to devices for removing snow from railroad-tracks, and especially from about the flanges of the rails thereof 5 and it consists of certain peculiarities of construction, as will be fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure l isaside elevation of our device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with the floor or bottom of t-he car removed; and Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section.

Our device is shown as being suspended from the floor-timbers and between the wheeltrucks of an ordinary box-car, only so much of which is shown as is necessary to illustrate the invention, the floor of the car being shown at A, strengthened on its under side by the timbers a a, &c., which are supported in the ordina-ry manner upon the trucks. (Not shown.)

B is the base-board of the plow, and this is suspended from the iioor A by means of suitable bolts, and is located about midway between the front and rear trucks a slight distance above the track. This base board (which may be of wood or metal, or both) is of considerable thickness,and its front edge is beveled off or inclined, as shown at b.

C is a rack-bar secured to the upper side of the floor A, and D is a lever having an ordinary spring-catch, d, for engagement with the notches c in the rack C at any point desired. The lever D is secured at d to the base-board B, and near its attached end carries a link, E, the lower end of which is pivoted to the cutter-blade F. An angle-plate, f, is bolted to the rear edge of the foundation F of the blade F, and one iiange of this plate rests on the beveled front edge of the base-board B when the lever D is at its forward limit, as shown in full lines in Fig. l, and the blade F is kept down to place when in use by means of a spring, e, on the link E. The blade F is connected by two straps or braces, G G, to the timbers a a of the iloor A, and back of this point of attachment each of said timbers is perforated to receive a rod, h, carrying a link, g, whose lower end is pivoted to the brace G, while above the timber a the rod h passes through a double spring, H, whose tension is regulated by the handscrew hC By means of the spring e, should the blade meet with a block of ice or other obstruction below the level of the rail, it would lift up and pass over it on either side of the track without injury.

The springs H H are to counterbalance the weight of the blade, so as to enable it to be more easily raised by the lever D.

The said blade F is made in sections, forming a series of steel knives or cutting-plates, j f, which are bolted or otherwise secured to a foundation, F', so that the front edges of each section shall form a continuous cutting-edge projecting below and beyond the front edge of the said foundation, both edges extending in the same curved line, as shown in Fig. 2,where the dotted line f 2 f2 indicates the front edge of the said foundation, which, furthermore, is hollowed out on its under surface to receive and embrace the tread of the rails, and is bent or curved down on each side of each rail, so as to form a sort of saddle, as shown at F in Fig. l.

A great advantage of making the cuttingA blade in sections lies in the fact that should one section f become broken or injured it could be removed and replaced by a new plate without disturbing the rest of the blade F, thereby saving time, labor, and expense.

I I are the rear, and K K the side, wings or detlectors for guiding the snow off the baseboard after it has been received thereon from the cutting-blade in the forward movement of the plow. The rear wings, I I, are stationary and the side wings, K K', movable. In the position of these parts shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the snow will pass off to the right and left of the track, being crowded off by the fresh accumulation of snow as the plow moves forward; but if, for instance, it is desired that the snow shall all pass off to the right of the track, (as on a double-track road,) then the defiector Kis turned to the position shown in dotted lines in said ligure, and there made fast, the side wings in either instance being IOS e azafiia secured by bolts J, which pass through eye's k at the rear ends of the side wings and are made fast by nuts below the base-board. The other side wing, K, is capable of a similar adjustment if it is desired that the snow shall be thrown to the other side of the track, and the front ends of the side wings are secured in like manner by bolt-sjj, on which they easily turn.

As stated, our device is shown in connection with an ordinary box-car, the sides of which are indicated at a2 a2 in Fig. 3; but we do not confine ourselves to such an arrangement, inasmuch as our snow-plow and rail-danger may be mounted Vnponor suspended from an independent' truck-frame or platform and adapted to go befoi e an engine or in any part of a train, as desired.

Under some circumstances the movable wings K K may be unnecessary, and in such cases they may be dispensed `with and the stationary wings I I brought forward just back of the beveled front edge of the base-board and there secured, in which levent a baseboard of less length would answer the purpose. v

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is o" 1. In a device for removing snow from railroad-tracks, the combination of a base-board with beveled or inclined front edge, a cuttingblade, the rear edge of which rests on the beveled edge of the base-board, and a lever for changing the elevation of the Cuttingblade, substantially as set forth. v

2. In a device for removing snow from railroadtracks, the combination of a base-board, a cutting-blade, the rear edge of which rests on the base-board, a lever for changing the elevation of the cuttinglblade, a link for connecting the lever and cutting-blade, and a spring on the link between the lever and blade, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device for removing snow from railroad-tracks, the combination of a baseaboard, a cutting-blade, the rear edge of lwhich rests on the base-board, a lever for changing the elevation of the cuttingblade, a link connecting the lever and cutting-blade and carrying a springintermediate between said parts, and pivoted braces on either side of the lever connecting the cutting-blade with the platform or tru ck-frame above it, substantially as set forth 4. In a device for removing snow from railroad-tracks, the combination, with a truckframe or platform, of a base-board suspended therefrom, a cutting-blad`e, the rear edge of which rests on the base-board, a lever for changing the elevation of thecutting-blade, a link connecting the lever and cutting-blade and carrying a spring intermediate betweenY said parts, pivoted braces connecting the cut- 4ting-blade with the frame or platform above it, rods passing through the said frame or platform having tension springs secured to their upper ends, and links pivoted tosaid braces secured to their lower ends, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device for removing snow from railroad-tracks, the combination, with a baseboard having an inclined front edge, of a cutting-blade whose rear edge rests on the inclined front edge of the base-board and stationary wings secured to the base-board to deflect the snow therefrom, substantially as set forth.

6. In a device for removing snow from railroad tracks,the combination, with a baseboard and stationary wings secured thereto, of mov able side wings adaptedto be swung -from either side to the center and there secured, whereby the snow may be thrown off on either side of the track,"s'ubstantiall y as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

HORATIO G. H. REED. JERRY DONOHUE.

Vitnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, M. E. FREAR.

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