US39269A - Improvement in railroad-switches - Google Patents

Description

- UNITED STATES Patent rrrca,

I NATHAN AMES, OF SAUGUS OENTRE, MASSAOHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FAiLFtOAD-SWITCHES.

specification forming part of Leters Patent No. 39,269, datcd July 21, 1863.

To aZZ whom, it may con/cera:

Be it known that I, NA'rHAN AMEs, of Saugus Centre, in the county ofEsseX and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic Railroad Turn-Out; and I do hereby deelare that thefollowingis afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a straight track, A A', and aturn-out, B B'; Fig. 2, an end view, and Figz a side view, of a horserailroadcar provided with adepressible shaft and friction-wheel.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the drawings;

The nature of my invention consists in dispensing with the ordinary switch or movable frog, (by which a caris switched from a direct track to a right or left hand turnout by the flanges of' the Wheels pressin g with a shearing grinding contact against the side of the switch and rails, whereby the wheels, switch, and rails are rapidly worn, and much unnecessary power eonsumed,) and in substituting therefor, attached to a car or locomotive, a pendent or depressible shaft and frictionwheel to bear against and roll upon either the sides of the turn-out rails, or the side of a central rail or director parallel with them, by means of which devices a person riding on a car or locomotive may readily turn or direct it from the straight or direct track onto a turn-out, and thus avoid the necessity of employing a tender for every switch or turn-out.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe its construction and operation.

A A' are the rails of a straight track, and B B' those of a turn-out.

I) and F are the usual guide-rails.

The usual switch or movable frog is entirely dispensed with, and the contiguous ends of the rails A' and Dare broughtto a point, as shown in Fig. 1, somewhat back of the point where they would naturally meet, in order to give room for any lateral Variation of the wheels from the right direction;

(J, Fig. 1, is a flat piece of iron.

E is the central rail or director, so shaped that its concave side may be parallel with the turn out rail B' and confined to the sleepers or rails in any suitable permanent manner, and placed a little-i. c., the radius ofthe roller G-to the left of the center between the rails A A' and B B'. One end, e, of this rail or director is beveled, as shown iu Fig. l. The concave side of E is also beveled under, as represented in Fig. 2, for the purpose which I shall hereinafter describe. For a left-hand turn-out, of course, the position of the director E has simply to be reversed. It is also ob\'i ous that instead of the central director,E, a depressible shaft or wheel might be made to act directly' on the side of the turn-out rail B'; but as this would involve the necessity ofemploying two shafts and wheels-oue on each side of a car-in order to turn either to the right or left, I prefer the arrangcment shown in the drawings.

H is the depressible shaft, of round iron or steel, passing through suitable bearings in the front and longitudinal center of the platform P, as represented in Figs and 3. This shaft may belong enough to be readilyoperated by the hand, or so short as to be operated by the foot of a driver or engineer. In Fig. 3 both constructions are represented.

I is a spiral spring' round the shaft H, and

rest'ing on the platform, by means of which 'the shaft is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, when not depressed by the foot or hand of the driver or enginecr, or held down by the action ot' the bevel on the rail E and wheel G, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the shaft H is pro- Vided with a wheel, G, which may either be a fixture on H or turn upon it as an axle. In case G is fast to H the latter will turn iu its bearings. The periphery ot' G is beveled to. correspond with the bevelon the concave side of the director E, and the design of this bevel is to prevent the wheel G (when once pressed down, as in Fig. 2) from risin g till it has passed the whole length of the said director, when it will be released and raised by the action of the spring I, so as not to strike the intersecting rails, but always rise automatically with out the attention of the driver or engineer as soon as it escapes from under the beveled concave edge of the director, thereby allowing the top surface ofsaid director to be no higher than the general surface of the rails,which, on ahorserailroad and in a much-traveled street, is a matter of great importance. Thus, if a car be moving in the (lirection of the arrow in Fig.

'1, and the driver or engineer Wishes to direct it onto the turn-out B Bf, before reaching the director E he simply depresses with his foot or hand the shaft H, when the wheel G, bearing against the concave side of E, will obviously incline and carry the front of the car in the direction of the turn-out B B', and effectually direct the car-Wheels onto it. And this isaccornplished with niuch less power, friction, and wear ofwheels and rails than in the usua-l niethod i. e., where the car is forced by means of the Wheel-flanges pressing' With a g'rinding' shearing contact on the side of the switch and rail. If the driver or engineer wishes to continue on the straight track A A/ he does not dc'press the shat't H, but allows the car to followits natural course, the tendency of which is always straight alle-ad.

Wy invention is very strong, simple., inoxpensive, and not liable to get out of order or be clogg'ed bystones, gravel, dirt, snow, or ice, While it is equally applicable to any kind of a railroad and to cars propelled either by horses or steam.

Having th us described the construction and operation of niy invention, What I claiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The director E, constructed substantially as set forth, and for the purpose described.

2. The beveled friction-rollcr G, or its equivalent, iu combination with the spring I and beveled director E, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose described.

N ATHAN AMES.

'itnesses:

J AMEs D. WHELPLEY, JOHN O. PE'r'rEs.

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