US334428A - Railroad track clearer - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. GRAY.

RAILROAD TRACK OLEARER. N0. 334,428. Patented-Jan. 19,-1886.

1 VEJV'T a Attorney N. Prrzns, Pmwumn n w, Washington. no,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH GRAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CARTER SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD-TRACK CLEARER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,428, dated January 19, 1886.

Application filed November 30, 1885. Serial No. 184,302. (No model.)

.i' aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSIAH GRAY, of Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Track Olearers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form part of this specification, in which .Figure l is a front view of my improved railroad-track clearer. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same. This invention relates to improvements in track clearers or scrapers, such as are usually attached to locomotives to remove snow or other obstructions from the rails; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the various parts, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by letter, A designates a beam of the truck-frame, to which the device is secured by the clips 13 B and proper bolts, or in other suitable manner.

0 is the frame of the device, composed of the top rail, 0, the similar side rails, c e, diverging from the top rail, and the tranverse rail connecting the side rails, and situated a short distance below their centers.

D is a shaft,which passes through central openings in the rails 00, and has on its upper end, above and resting on rail 0, the head 01. The lower portion, d, of the shaft is rectangular in cross-section, and passes through a central opening, 01 in the rail 0 d is the shoulder formed by the said squared portion and the cylindrical'portion d of the shaft, and E is a coiled spring surrounding the cylindrical portion between the shoulder and the rail 0 of the frame O.

F is the scraper blade, of rectangular shape, and having secured to its upper edge the bar F, which braces the edge and passes through a circular opening in the lower squared end of the shaft D, below the rail 0 or through a block secured. to said end. The bar Fis preferably secured to the scraper- 50 iron by means of side clips, ff, which have their upper portions made tubular, and have their lower portions bolted or riveted to the.

blade F, as shown. By the described means, the scraper-blade is allowed to turn back and forth. on the end of the shaft, as if connected 5 5 therewith by a hinge-joint.

G isaregularly-curved rod,with its convexity downward and having its ends firmly secured to the lower ends of the side rails, c. The ends of the rod are preferably threaded and passed through openings in the ends of the rails and secured in place by washers and nuts on the outer surfaces of the rails, as shown. The rod G passes through an extended slot, g, in the scraper-blade, and coinciding with the vertical axis thereof.

H H are coiled springs'surrounding the rod G on each side of the scraper-blade, and bearing'against the same in opposite directions, and it h are washers on the rod G, which wash- 7o ers lie against the sides of the blade over the slot g, and receive the thrust of the springs. The lower edge, I, of the scraper-blade is notched at t, to receive the top or tread of the rail and all the corners are rounded, as at it", to prevent the blade catching on a rail or frog, or in any shaped groove.

The device may be attached to a locomotive forward of the drivers and behind the forward truck, or to a car or carriage truck, so that it will not prevent the front wheels from exploding torpedoes placed on the rails to give warning to thetrain. Should the engine stop on a frog or guard-rail, the scraper-blade will not be injured thereby when the engine is reversed, as the shaft D will rise when the obstruction presses on the lower edge of the scraper-blade, .and will be forced down again, when the obstruction has been passed, by the spring E. The scraper will act just as well 0 when the engine is backing as when the same is running forward, because the turning of the scraper-blade on the shaft D reverses its inclination, and the springs H H keep the blade down and in proper position to work. 5

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the scraper-frame, the vertical shaft attached thereto, the scraperblade connected to the lower end of said shaft and capable of turning back and forth thereon, the rod connecting the ends of the side rails of the scraper-frame and passing through a slot in the scraper-frame blade, and the coiled springs on said rod acting against opto the lower end of the shaft D, having its lower corners rounded, and the notch t on its lower edge, the rod G, connecting the lower ends of the rails c c, and the coiled springs H H, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown, and for the purposes specified.

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

JOSIAH GRAY.

\Vitnesscs:

O. F. Lonson, F. J. LOESCH.

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