US403195A - Apparatus for operating railway-switches - Google Patents

Description

(NoModeL) A. H. JOHN$ON. APPARATUS FOR OPERATING RAILWAY SWITCHES," No. 408,195. Patented May 14, 188.9. A

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to the other of the double line.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ARTHUR JOHNSON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,195, dated May 14, 1889.

Application filed July 31, 1888.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. JOHNSON, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Operating Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide convenient, safe, and efficient means for operating two railway-switches or two sets of switches by one working rod or connection, more particularly for operating the two switches of what is known as a cross-over switch, in operating which great difficulty has been experienced in adjusting the connections with sufficient accuracy and maintaining that adjustment, so that both switches will always close perfectly to the stockrails on both sides.

I will proceed to describe the improvement, and more especially as applied to cross-over switches, and will afterward point out its novel features in a claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view representation of a doubletrack railway and cross-over and an apparatus for operating the cross-over switches embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view representation of a similar railway and cross-over and a modified arrangementof the apparatus embodying my improvement for operating the switches. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of one form of an equalizing device, and Fig. at a vertical sectional view of a modification in the equalizing device.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The lines (Land at and b and I) represent the rails of a double-track railroad, and c and c the fixed rails of a cross-over or cross-track by which the cars are shifted from one track 01 and cl are the movable ends or switches of the crossover or cross-track. \Vhen the switches at and d are in the positions represented in the diagram, the movement of cars along the main or direct lines is uninterrupted by the crossover. Whenever it is necessary to shift a train or car from one main track to the other, the switch 61 must be drawn or forced over against the rail a and the switch (1 drawn or Serial No. 281,504. (No model.)

forced over against the rail 1) in the usua manner.

In the apparatus of my invention applied to shift or operate the switches 01 and d, the form er being known as the near switch and the latter as the far switch, a far-switch rod, A, is suitably connected to the far switch d, as, for example, in Fig. 1, by connectingrods A and bell-crank e, or as, for example, in Fig. 2, by connecting-rods A and A and bell-cranks e and c and a near-switch shifterrod, 13, substantially parallel with the shifterrod A, is suitably connected with the near switch d, either directly, as, for example, in

Fig. 2, or indirectly, as, for example, in Fig. l, by a bell-crank, f, and connectingq'od B. The ends or end portions g and h of said shifter-rods A and B are connected with each other by a lever, O, which maybe a two-armed lever or lever proper, as in Fig. 3, or a toothed wheel constituting a continuous lever, the teeth of which engage with the teeth of racks g and h, forming the ends or end portions of the shifter-rods A and B.

Between the ends g and h or end portions g and h, preferably midway between said ends or portions, as in the center of the lovers, as represented in Figs. 3 and 4., a working or operating rod, D, is pivotally connected to said levers for operating both of said shifterrods, and thereby shifting the switches dand d. When the rod D is moved endwise in one direction, the switches are forced toward and close to the rails a and b, and when the rod D is moved in the opposite direction, the said switches are moved toward and close to the rails a and b. By the employment of the equalizing-lever C the pressure on the two switches is equalized, notwithstanding any difference in the spring of the connections and any tendency of one to move easier than the other, for in case one switch should close first the movement of the other will be continued until the latter closes; hence it is impossible for either switch to check the other, and the two switches will be always moved to predetermined limits and brought to their normal position. When the continuous lever or toothed wheel is employed, the end portions or racks g and h and the end portion of the working-rod D must be provided with a suit able guide-frame, i, and the said racks or end portions may be pivotally jointed to the main portions of the shifter-rods, as is represented in Fig. 4. In the example shown in Fig. 2 the working or operating rod D enters the tower E; but in the example shown in Fig. 1 the working-rod is operated indirectly from the tower by an intermediate rod, D, which may be connected with the rod D in any suitable manner, as by a bell-crank, Z.

One of the two compensators in common use for counteracting or neutralizing the effects of expansion and contraction caused by changes of temperature is dispensed with. by the employment of the equalizing-lever in my improved apparatns,with which the only compensator necessary is one in the working or operating; rod.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with two switches adapted to be moved between railway-rails, of two rods connected one to each of said switches, an equalizing-lever interposed between and connected with the said rods, and an operatin g-rod connected with said lever between the points of connection of the rods first named, substantially as herein described, whereby the movement of said operating-rod will cause the two switches to be always moved to predetermined limits and both to be brought to their normal positions, substantially as herein set forth.

ARTHUR H. JOHNSON.

\Vitnesses:

FREDK. IIAYNEs, JOHN G. PILDITCH'.

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