US414462A - Automatic signal for railways - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

DAVID VINT ON, JR, AND FRANK HENRY VINTON, OF VVILLIAMSBURG, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY-S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,462, dated November 5, 1889.

Application filed February 25, 1889- Srial No. 301,088. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID VINTON, Jr., and FRANK HENRY Vmroiv, of Williamsburg, in the county of Grand Traverse and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to signaling apparatus to assure safety of trains, more particularly those trains running on single-track railways, the invention being designed for use in railroads where crossed by other railroads or by common roads and at curves and tunnels.

The invention has for its object to provide simple, comparatively inexpensive, and reliable signaling apparatus of this character useful by day or at night and operated by or from the pilots of locomotive-engines moving in either direction along the track.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the signaling apparatus, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved railroad-signal with adjacent portion of a railway-track and the pilot of a locomotiveengine indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, the road-bed being in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view with the main signal-post in horizontal section on the line a: as in Fig. 2, and drawn'to a little larger scale than like parts are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. at is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 3 y in Fig. 1, the signal post and shaft being partly broken away. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view of one of the signal trip-wheels and its box or casing, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail plan view of one of the signal-rod-lever connections.

The signal proper consists of a lantern A, having red and green bulls-eyes or glasses set in opposing pairs in its side walls and fixed to a vertical shaft B, journaled in arms 0 o, projecting from a post or upright C, set at one side of a railway-track D, on which trains of cars willbe run, the dotted lines at E in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings indicating the pilot or cow-catcher of one of the locomofive-engines supposed to run on the track. Signal boards or plates at a a, set at right angles to each other and painted red and green at faces corresponding to the red and green bulls-eyes of the lantern,will preferably be held to the shaft B under the lantern, so as 'to turn one -quarter around and back again with the lantern, the lantern being designed for night service and the boards for day use, as will readily be understood.

To the signalsh aft B is fixed a pulley, wheel, or drum F, around which is wound a cord g, the ends of which extend in opposite directions and are secured to the levers GH, which are fulcrumed at g h to a bar c,bolted to the post C, and the other ends of these levers are pivoted to opposite end parts of a bar I, which is fitted to slide lengthwise of the railway-track on the post 0 and between guides 0 fixed thereto, the bars a and I being arranged at opposite sides or faces of the post, so that the levers G H project laterally from the track, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4; of the drawings. With this construction it is obvious that as the bar I is moved endwise in opposite directions the right distance the signal will be turned onequarter around in reverse directions, so as to display the green and red lights or boards alternately to the engineers of approaching trains or to persons approaching on roads crossing the railway-tracks.

To one end of the bar I is connected one end of a rod J, preferably made of metal gaspipes joined together, and the other end of this rod is connected to one forked end of a lever K, which is fulcrumed about at its cen= ter to any suitable post, bed-plate, or support it, set at one side of the railwaytrack and preferably about two or three hundred feet from the signal-post (J. The other end of the bar I is connected by a rod J, like the one J, to one forked end of a lever L, like the one K, and supported on a bed-plate Z, to whichit is pivoted about at its center. A rod M, also made of joined lengths of gas-pipe, connects the other forked end of the lever K with a downWardly-proj ecting lug a, fixed to a drum or wheel N, journaled to and in a suitable box or case 'n, set at the side of the railway-track at any required distance from the signal-post C and lever K, and a like rod M connects the other forked end of the lever L with the end of an upwardly-projecting lug 0, fixed to a drum or Wheel 0, like the one N, and journaled to and in a box or casing set near the track D at the otherside of the signal and lever L and at any required distance therefrom. The drum N is provided with two curved arms P P, and the drum 0 is provided with two curved arms R R, all four arms being adapted to be struck by the heel of the engine-pilot only as a train approaches and passes the signal from either direction, and as hereinafter more fully explained. The gas-pipe rods J J M M are affected less by changes of temperature than cords, wires, or

chains would be. Consequently we employ these rods to assure safe working of the signal.

The distance between the two drums N 0 may be one thousand feet, (more or less,) and that portion of the railway-track between the drums may be a curve of larger or smaller radius, and at which the signal will prevent collision of trains running on a single track,

or the track between the drums may be either straight or curved and the signal may be set at or near the crossing of an ordinary roadway or another railway to warn vehicles off the track should a train be approaching. As many of the signals Aand operating mechanism therefor, substantially as above described, may be set up along a line of railway tion of the arrow 1 in Figs. 1 and 2 of the.

, drawings, the engine-pilot E would lower the arm P, and thereby turn the drum N and draw on the rod M and push the rod J and bar I forward, and thereby actuate the levers G H, the cord or cable g, and the drum F and shaft B to turn the signal A a one-quarter around to display the red or danger lights or boards, and simultaneously with this movement of the signal the bar I, by pushing on the rod J and drawing 011 the rod M, will also turn the drum 0 to reverse the positions of the arms R R, or lower the arm R and raise the arm R, so that as the train after having passed by the signal reaches the drum 0 the engine-pilot will strike and lower the arm R of the drum 0, and thereby draw on the rod M and push backward on the rod J and bar I to actuate the levers, cord or cable,

and pulley at the signal to turn it back onequarter revolution or reset it as at first, or so i that it presents the green or safety lights or boards to a following train or to a train approaching the signal from the opposite direcltion. It will be remembered that as the signal was reset to safety the drum-arms R P would both be raised again to their first-described positions. Should the same train back down the track or another train now approach the signal in direction of the arrow 2 in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the arm R of the drum 0 would first be depressed to set the signal to show a red light or board or danger, and after the train had passed the signal the raised arm P would next be lowered to return the signal to the green or safety position again; hence from whichever direction a train may approach the signal, whether moving forward or backward along the track, the signal will be automatically shifted to danger and safety alternately, and in ample time to prevent collisions on the track of trains moving in either direction.

In using the signal to warn vehicles from road-crossings of the track the signal lights and boards will show red and green or danger and safety alternately from or along the cross-road, as will readily be understood.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a railroad signaling apparatus, of a post or support, a revoluble signal held thereto, a wheel or drum on the signal-shaft, two levers fulcrumed to the post or a bar held thereto, a cord or cable con nected at each end to the levers and wound around the wheel or drum, a sliding bar pivoted to the other ends of the levers, and rod, cord, or wire connections leading each Way from the sliding bar and adapted for operation by trip devices actuated by passing trains, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, in a railroad signaling apparatus, of I a post or support, a revoluble signal held thereto, a wheel or drum on the signal-shaft, two levers fulcrumed to the post or a bar held thereto, a cord connected at its ends to the levers and woun d around the wheel or drum, a sliding bar pivoted to the other ends of the levers, two rock-levers, one fulcrumed to a support at each side of the signal, rods connecting opposite ends of the sliding bar to one end of both rock-levers, a drum or wheel journaled next the railwaytrack at one side of the signal and provided with two arms adapted for depression by an engine-pilot, and provided also with a pendent arm, a rod connecting said arm to one of the rock-levers, another drum or Wheel journaled next the railwaytrack at the other side of the signal and provided with two arms adapted for depression by an engine-pilot, and provided also with an upwardly-extending arm, and a rod connecting this arm to the other of the two rock-levers, all arranged for operation substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a railroad signaling apparatus, of a post O, a revolnble signal, as B A a, journaled thereto, a wheel F on the signal-shaft B, two levers G H, fiileriiined to the post or a bar held thereto, cord or cable g, Wound around the Wheel F and connected to the levers G H, respectively, and asliding her I, pivoted to the levers G II and adapted for connection to trip devices operative by a passing train, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination, in a railroad signaling apparatus, of a post 0, 2t revoluble signal, as B A a, jonrna-led thereto, at drum or Wheel F on the signahshaft, two levers G H, fulcrumed to the post or ii bar held thereto, a cord g, connected to one end of these levers and wound onto the drum or wheel, a sliding hm I, pivoted to the other ends of the levers, tivo rock-levers K L, one fiilerumed at each side of the signal, rods J J connecting opposite ends of the bar I to one end of both levers K L, a drum N, jeurnaled next the railway-track at one side of the signal and provided with two arms P P and a pendent arm n, a rod hi, connecting said arm to the rock-lever K, another drum 0, journaled next the track at the other side of the signal and provided with two arms R R and an arm 0, and a rod con necting this arm to the roclelever L, all constructed and arranged for operation substantially described, for the purposes set forth.

DAVID VINTOX, JR. FRANK HENRY VINTON.

Witnesses:

J. H. MONROE, O. P. GARYER.

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