US415710A - Frank e - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

F. E. FOWLER. SEPAEABLE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR ECE RAILWAY GATES. 110.415.710. PatenteduNoV. Z6, 1889.

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N. PETERS` Phawulnagmphor. wuhington, D. C.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. FOlVLER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY A. MARKS, OF SAME PLACE.

SEPARABLE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR FOR RAILWAY-GATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,710, dated November 26, 1889.

Application tiled August li 1889. Serial No. 319,456. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: will shut down through the frame-that is, be-

Be it known that l, FRANK E. FowLER, a tween the side bars of the frame D D. It citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, the street is wide, so that it requires two gates in the county of Essex and State of Massato reach across it, the two posts@ C will be 5 chusetts, have invented new and useful Sepaplaced so that one will be behind each gate. 55

rable Electric Conductors for Railway-Gates, E E are two metal buffers, which are hung in of which the following is a speciiication.A the frameDD on aline with the wire B. These My invention relates to the overhead sysbuffers are backed by the spiral springF and tem, so called,of electric street-railways, more are made to slide backward and forward upon io especially to the crossings where the streetthe rod H, which acts as a guide to keep the 6o railway crosses a steam-railway. With the buffers straight. The trolley-wireB connects existing overhead system of running streetwith the buffers E E by means of the bent cars by electricity, when the street-cars cross wire I, one end of which is fastened to the the steam-railroad track there is a break in buffer and the other connects with said wire i5 the circuit and the street-cars are propelled B. (See Fig. 2.) The frame DD is widened 65 across the track by other means than elecopposite the buffers E E to afford space to tricity, usually by horses. This is a great fasten said buffers and their connections. inconvenience, and is caused by the fact that The buffers E E are made to Iiare outwardly the electric wires cannot be extended across and are inclined toward the gate A. This zo the steam-railway track, as they interfere with enables the gate to pass easily between them 7o the gates ordinarily in use at said crossings. and leaves the wire B exposed, so that the The object of my invention is to obviate trolley from the cars may follow it. this diiiiculty by providing a bridge by means A metal band J is fastened around the gate of which the electric current can be extended A at a point where it passes through the buf- 25 across the steam-railway track without interfers. This prevents the gate from being worn, 7 5 fering with the opening and closing of the and, as the metal is a good conductor, it algates. I attain this object by the mechanism lows the electric current to pass through it illustrated in the accompanying drawings, when it is between the buffers, so that .there in whichis no break in the circuit, not even for an in- 3o Fig. lis a perspective view of the entire stant. 8O device showing the street and steam railways; lf it is deemed necessary or desirable, the Fig. 2, a cross-section on line, showing the wire B and the parts of the buffer-connecgate between the buffers, and also showing tions that come in contact with the frame D one buffer in section; and Fig. 3, a face view D may be insulated in the usual manner.

35 of one of the buffers and trolley-wire. The spring F is placed around the guide- 85 Similar letters refer to similarparts throughrod l-I, so that one end will bear against the out the several views. buffer and the other against the wide portion In the accompanying drawings, A is an orof the frame D D. I do not confine myselt` dinary railway-gate which is raised and lowto this particular way of coniinin'g the spring,

4o ered in a manner and for a purpose well unas the buffers may be backed by a spring in 9o derstood. many well-known ways with the same result.

B is the trolley-wire which runs along the The device operates as follows: When the street above the ears and which carries the gate A is lowered, it passes between the bui'- electricity to propel them. It can be readily fers E E, the weight of the gate forcing them 45 seen that if this wire extended across the apart, as shown in Fig. 2, and as soon as the 95 steam-railway track it would prevent the gate gate passes through the spring F forces them A from being lowered or raised. together again, and as the buffers and their C C are posts which support the frame or connect-ions are good conductors the current arms D D. One post should be placed immein the wire B remains constant. If the cross- 5o diately behind the gate A, so that t-he gate ing is a narrow one, one of the posts C may roo be dispensed with,in Which case the buffers E E would come between the ends of the side bars or arms of the frame D D and the frame should be well braced to stand the extra strain.

The frame D D may be made of either Wood or metal; but I prefer Wood, as it is a poorer conductor and less likely to ground the current. The buiers E E may be made eXible to assist the springs F, if necessary.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Separable conductors for railway-gates, con sisting, essentially, of a post or posts placed behind the railway-gates, said posts being provided with arms extending in a parallel direction with the gates, and the arms provided Witli spring-actuated buffers connecting With the electric circuit and adapted to the passage of the gates between them, substantially as described.

2. In separable electric conductors for rail- Way-gates, the post or posts C C, having the frame or arms D D, in combination with means, as buffers E E and Wire I, for conducting the electric current from the wire B, substantially as described.

3. In separable conductors for railwaygates, the adjustable buers E E, suitably connected with the electric circuit, and having means, as spring F and rod H, for keeping them in position against each other, substantially as shown and described.

FRANK E. FOWLER.

\Vitl1esses:`

W. B. HU'rcHINsoN, JOHN E. STEVENS.

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