US410961A - Automatic railway-switch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

R. S. EASTMAN.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD S. EASTMAN, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF. ONE-HALF TO ALONZO W. GLINES, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,961, dated September 10, 1889.

Application filed May 11, 1889. Serial No. 310,401. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. EASTMAN, of Manchester, county of l lillsborough, State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Railway-Switches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to provide improved mechanism for automatically throwing a railroad-switch from a moving train, which may readily be applied to switches and switch-stands now in common use.

Myinvention consists of the movable switchrails, switch-stand, and a vertically-m0vable operating-lever, vertical movement of which looks and unlocks the said switch-rails, combined with mechanism actuated from a moving train, whereby the said operating-lever may be raised to first unlock the said switchrails and thereafter moved to throw the same into desired position, and means for automatically locking the said switch-rails in such position.

Figure 1 shows a plan view-of a switch embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof, and Figs. 3 and ldetails to be referred to.

The rails A, constituting the main line track, the rails B, the *side or branch track, and the movable switch-rails 0, herein shown as of the kind known as facing pointswitch, are all located in usual manner. The movable switch-rails O are connected toget-her by the usual tie-bars a, one of which, as a, has attached to it in usual manner the switch-rod b, extending to the switch-stand c.

The switch-stand herein shown and which I prefer to employ is of the class commonly termed spindle-switches, and is unlocked and locked by the raising and lowering of the operating-lever 0 thus making it possible to throw the switch only when the operating-lever is in its most elevated position.

The tie-bar a at its end opposite the switchrod 1) is somewhat enlarged, and has attached to it the two rods d e, one of which, as d, has its outer end attached to one end of the lever d, pivoted at d to a suitable plate (1 bolted or otherwise secured to one of the ties. of the lever d, said rod passing beneath the rails to the other side of the track, where it is attached to one arm of the bell-crank lever d pivoted at d to the plate d secured to a tie, as shown. The other arm of the said bell crank lever 01 is connected by means of the rod (1 with one arm of the bell-crank track-lever d pivoted at (Z to a plate or casting d, which is herein shown as secured to the rail A; but said plate or casting may be' secured to a tie, it desirable. The other arm c1 of said bell-crank track-lever d is somewhat longer and rises at an incline to a point, preferably, somewhat above the tread of the rail, as shown. The other rod e, which is attached to the tie-bar a, is at its opposite end connected to one arm of the bell-crank lever e, pivoted at e to the plate 6 secured to one of the ties, the other arm of said bell-crank lever 6 being connected by means of the rod 6 with the bell-crank track-lever e pivoted at e to the plate or casting 6 secured to the rail A, the said lever 6 being similar to the lever 61 described, the elevated arms in each case pointing toward the switch.

The switch-stand c has suitable guides c for the vertically-movable bar 0 the upper end of which is provided with an arm 0 extending, preferably, at right angles to said bar, the said arm resting directly beneath the operating-lever a when said operating-lever is in the position shown in full lines on the drawings-viz., when the switch is thrown upon a side track. The lower end of the vertically-movable bar 0 is connected to one arm of the bell-crank lever 0 pivoted at c to a plate 0 secured to the side of one of the ties, upon which the switch-stand rests or is secured. (See Fig. 3.) The other arm of the said bell-crank lever c is connected by means of the rod 0 to one arm of the bell-crank 1ever 0 pivoted at c to the plate 0 also preferably secured to the same tie. The other arm of the bell-crank lever c is connected by the rod 0 with one arm of the bell-crank track-lever e pivoted at e to the plate or cast-ing a, secured to the rail, the said lever 0 having an elevated arm 0 substantially the same as the lever 61 described.

A rod (1 is attached to the other end.

Connected with the same arm of the bellerank lever c as the rod 0 and preferably at the same pivotal point, as shown, is the rod 0 said rod extending beneath the rails to the opposite side of the track, where it is attached to one arm of the bell-crank lever c", pivoted at c to the plate 0 secured to a tie, as shown. The other arm of the said bellerank lever o is connected by the rod 0 to the bell-crank track-lever c pivot-ed at e to the plate or casting a, secured to the rail, said lever 0 being similar to the lever e described.

The locomotive L, a portion only of which is shown in Fig. 2, is provided, preferably near its forward end, with the beltcrank leverf, pivoted at f in a suitable bearing se cured to the frame, one arm of said lever, as f being provided at its lower end with a roll f The other and shorterarm of the said lever is acted upon by the cam f on the shaft f, said shaft having an outwardly-extended arm f under the control of the rod f extending back to the cab, where it may be operated at will by the engineer. The lever f is normally kept in its elevated position, as shown, by the action of the springf The operation of my improved device for automatically throwing a switch is as follows: Suppose the switeh-rails G to have been thrown upon the side track B, as shown in full lines, Figs. 1 and 2, and by reason of carelessness or otherwise left in that position. The long arms of the traclclevers e (l and c and e are now all in their most elevated positions, and the operating-lever e is in its lowermos position, thereby locking the switch in this position, it being necessary to raise the said lever before the switch can be moved or thrown back into the main-line position. Suppose a train to be coming from the direction indicated by the arrow 20, the engineer, seeing the switch turned onto the side track B, will pull the rod in the direction of arrow 25, which by reason of the action of the cam f upon the short arm of the leverfwill throw the long arm f thereof down into its dotted-line position, Fig. 2. As the locomotive approaches the switch the roll f on the lever f will first engage the long arm 0 of the track-lever c pushing the same down into its dotted-line position, and, acting through the rod c, lever 0*, rod 0 and lever c, will raise the vertically-movable bar 0' into its dotted-line position, thereby raising the operating-lever e sufliciently to unlock the switch. \Vhile the track-lever c is still depressed, and before releasing it, the roll will engage the long arm (1 0f the tracklever d, depressing the same, and, acting through the rod (1, lever (i rod (1 lever d, and rod (Z, will pull the switch 0 over into its dotted-line position, Fig. 1, thus completing the main line and allowing the train to pass on in safety.

As the operating-lever c can onlybe dropped to lock the switch when said switch is in one or the other position, it is evident that as soon as the operating-lever has been raised to unlock the switch by the vertically-movable bar 0 and the switch is moved said operating-lever will be held in its elevated position during rotation of the switch-spindle until it has reached its other position, when it will drop by gravity, thus automatically locking the switch in that position. It will readily be seen that if a train should approach the switch from the direction indicated by arrow 30 a similar depression of the track-levers c and e will exert a pull upon the rods 0 and e and throw the switch in precisely the same manner.

Fig. a shows a modification of the tracklever acted upon by the moving train. In this case only one track-lever is employed, instead of two, as before.

The rod (Z having a lost motion, allows the pull to be exerted first upon the rod 0, which controls the locking device, to thus unlock the switch, when by further movement of the lever the rod (Z is engaged to thus throw the switch.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise construction of the various operating parts shown, as it is evident the same may be varied in a variety of ways and still come within the scope of my invention.

I claim- The movable switch-rails, a switch-stand, and avertieally-movable operating-lever, and

mechanism intermediate between the said leverand switeh-rails,whereby the said switch may be moved into one or another position by said operating-lever, and means controlled by the vertical movement of the said operating-lcver for locking the said switch-rails in one or another position, combined with two traclclevers located one at a greater distance from the switch-rails than the other and on the same side of the said switch-rails, to be acted upon and depressed by a moving train, and intermediate connecting mechanism between the said track-levers and the said switch-rails and operating-lever, one of the said track-levers when depressed raising'the operating-lever vertically to unlock the switch-rails, while the other of the said tracklevers when depressed moves the said switchrails into desired position, and means for antomatically locking the switch-rails in such position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD S. EASTMAN.

Witnesses:

.lrno. W. Ganeonv, ALONZO \V. GLINIcs.

ITO

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