US483744A - Of providence - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 1. W. E. MBAGHER 84 A. HOWARTH.

SWITCH ATTACHMENT POR GARS.

Patented Oct. 4, 1892.

WIT Essi-:5. 44

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. E. MBAGHBR 8v A. HOWARTH.'

SWITCH ATTACHMENT PoR GARS.

No. 483,744. Patented Oct. 4, 1892.

wx TNEESES. |NVENTDRS.

i UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. MEAei-IER AND ALBERT HowARri-i, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SWITCH ATTACHMENT Foa CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,744., dated October 4, 1892.

Application filed January 20,1892. Serial No. 418,648. (No model.)

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To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,W1LLIAM E. MEAGHER, a citizen of the United States, and ALBERT HOWARTH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, both residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a device for operating rail or track switches for tramway or other cars; and it consists, essentially, of a movable surface guide-plate jointed to the switch-tongue proper, in combination with a vertically andl laterally movable operatinglever attached to the front platform of the car and having its lower end arranged to engage and actuate said guide-plate, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The object we have in view is to provide streetcars with a convenient and practical device whereby the car-driver may easily and quickly. set or throw the switches in any desired direction, the operation being effected from the front car-platform.

Hitherto, so far as we are aware, the usual manner of operating the switches of the class referred to is to force the switch-tongue back and forth, as occasion demands, by hand or by the use of a switch-bar, as it is termed, held in the hands of an attendant whose duty it is to set the switch in advance of the approaching car. Sometimes pendulum-switches are employed-that is, the switch-tongue is attached to a movable platform let into the street adjacent to the switch, the lateral movement in such case being eected by the carhorses, which are properly guided by the cardriver ontothe platforimthe travel of the animals across it serving to swing or vibrate it, thereby imparting a corresponding movement to the switch-tongue.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure 1, Sheet l, represents a portion of the front end elevation of an ordinary streetcar as equipped with our improved switchoperating mechanism, a portion of the apron being broken away to show more clearly the arrangement of the vertical lever and the manner of operating it to set or throwa switch, the latter, together' with the track-rails, dac., being sectionally represented. Fig. 2 is a plan view in reduced scale, showing the guideplate, dro., as arranged fora single switch, and also the manner by which the same is connected with the switch-tongue, the latter being set for the straight run. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the switch set or thrown to divert a car onto the curved track. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged sectional view of the lower end of the operating-lever in the position when entering the guide-plate and throwing the switch, taken ou line .fr ,Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows the same when just leaving the guideplate after having thrown the switch, Fig. 6, Sheet 2, is a plan View showing the manner of applying and connecting the guide-plate when used in a double switch. Fig. 7 isafront elevation of the vertical operating-lever in its normal position. Fig. 8 is a corresponding side elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is apartial horizontal sectional view taken ou line .fr of Fig. l, showing the leverand quadrant. Fig. 10 is a plan view, in reduced scale, of the device shown in Fig. 6, showing it set to divert the car to the right. Fig. 1l shows the switch set to guide the car to the left, and Fig. 12 represents a partial side elevation of an ordinary street car as equipped with our improved device for operating switches.

A detailed description of our invention and the manner of operating it is as follows:

A in the drawings indicates an ordinary street-car having any suitable motive power, as horses, steam, electricity, die. Y ing-lever d is loosely attached tothe inside of the front board m of the car-platform by a sta tionary pin p and a0 notched guide or quadrant b. The lever isslotted at p to receive said pin and to permit vertical movement. At the upper end of the lever is a ball or other suitable handle c', whereby the lever may be readily grasped with the hand. The other end a? is forked and carries a guidewheel w. The lateral movement of the lever is limited by the ends of the guide-quadrant An operat- ICO b. The latter is also provided with a central' notch n', adapted to receive a tongue fn.,n

formed on the back of the lever et. The lever when not in actual use or in its normal posi- 5 tion stands vertical. A rubber block serves to deaden the sound and prevent rattling of the parts. f I

The movable switch-operating guide-plate c is let into the base-plate or frame c, the upro per surfaces of the two plates being substantially flush with each other and with the street-surface. The movable plate c is pivoted at clto the frame, thereby permitting the former to move in alateral. direction or transversely to the track-rails r.- It-wiilbe seen that as drawn the recess in the frame e is substantially the same in form and size as the guide-plate plus the amount or space c" required for the angular movement of the 2o latter.

The frame e4 is providedA on its under side with a box or chambere, in which the link or connection g is located. This link isj ointed/ 3o time the'tongue f will move in unison with it,A`

both turning 0n their respective centers or pins. The guide-plate is provided on top with two raisedL converging guide-ribs d, the

same extending rearwardly from the outer or free end`l ofv the plate. any desired distance. We prefer to'niake the inner adjacent faces of these ribs beveled or undercut at the outer end, which are gradually transformed into vertical sides. (See Figs. 4 and 5 and the cor- 4o responding dotted lines, Fig. 2.

The general construction and arrangement of the trackfrails r, guide-rails r', and switchtongues fare substantially as common to roadse having switchesoperated by hand in the usual manner. Our improvement residesv mainly in the employment of the guide-platee, combined with means for operating the same from a movingcar-that. is to say, assuming a car .to be equipped with the operating-lever d and 5o run upon the tracks r. Now, upon arrivingat the switch,if the driver desires td continue the straight run he'iirst depresses the lever by means of the treadle attachment t, at the same time grasping the handle a', and, as

drawn, forcing it. to the left, Fig. 1. The forward movement ov thev car causes the guidewheel w of the depressed lever to enter themouth-of thel V-shaped space formed'by the lateral separation of the ribs CZ and' engage 6o the right rib, thereby forcing the plate to the right against theN corresponding side of the recess formed inthe stationary plate e, thus placing the sw-itchtongue in position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.` The continued movement of the car causes the'wheel to run along,

the rib until'it passes out at the rear opening d2, at the same time causing the lever to move erate a three-way switch.

back toward its normal position, the driver -meanwhile retaining his grasp upon the handle, after which the pressure is removed from the lever and the spring raises it to its original position. The relation of the several parts is such that in practice the car-wheels will passupon the switch-ton gue immediately after the setting of it. In the single switch the opening d2 between the ends of `the ribs d is somewhat wider than the wheels w.

In case the driver desires to run the car from the straight track to the right (see Fig. 3) it is accomplished by repeating the operation justdescribed, except that the lever is first moved toward the right and is next depressed. lt is obvious that the driver must exert force enough upon the lever a to move the plate c and switch-tongue throughv the medium of the wheel w and theribcl against which it bears. The bed-plate eis` provided with a forward"` .extension eg'frY the purpose of forming a guide or track for the wlieellw as it advances onto the plate c.. 49o

Our device is equally wellA adapted. to op (See Figs. 6, 1.0, and 1l.) In this case, however, we proyide the .V movable plate c with two sets ofV guide-ribs, the central pair of ribsW beingl arranged substantially as before described, except that the terminal space d2 is narrower, being arranged to allow the wheel w to pass easily throughit. The other or outer guide-ribs are arrangedl substantially parallel with the inner ribs, the corresponding space or track portion d. being considerably wider than the wheel and nearly uniform throughout its length, as. clearly represented in Fig. 6. It will be: seen that4 the connection g is jointedy to both switchfm5 tongues and to the guide-plate c, thereby insuring that thesevparts shall, when actuated, alwaysmove together.

Ire order' to -adj ust the switch last described so that the car will maintain a straightv course pastthe switch, the driver` simply places the lever a in a verticalY position and depresses it until it is arrested by the track-plate'- extension e2, the tongue n ofthe lever thereby passing into the notch n', which acts tohold the lever laterally, thus relieving. the driver fromy exerting much force upon the handle. In this position of the lev.er,.even though the plate be standing at. either extreme, the ad- `vancingwheel upon comingin contactwith one orthe other of the inner ribs d'will move the` plate, andfas the wheelenters the narrow pora tion of the run or space d2 the plate will be i brought back to the proper central position, thus setting both switch-tongues at once.v 125' (See corresponding position,` Fig. 6.) The space d2 is straight for some distance, its width being equal to the thicknessl of the guide-wheel, thereby insuringl the proper setting of the switch centrally. When in this position it will be seen that a space or clearance c is formed at each side of the plate c.

In settingthe switch tothe right or left the driver simply moves and depresses the leverl IOCv IIO

to its limit, the further movement being substantially as before stated in describing the manner of operating the single switch.`

We would further add that, as before stated, the quadrant or guide h, secured to t-he front board, is so arranged that it forms a stop in limiting the angular movement of the lever a, the relation of the parts being such that the Wheel w will always enter the space formed by the ribs d before it engages with either of them. The operating-lever can be depressed and moved at Will in the'two spaces formed in the quadrant by the center groove n and adjacent ribs, but not in both at the same time. The said groove and short tongue n are more particularly adapted to be employed in the double switch illustrated in Fig. 6.

It is evident that the construction and arrangement ot the parts may be changed somewhat Without departing from the spirit of our invention, which consists, essentially, of a switch-operating plate and a lever for actuating it controlled and operated from the ear.

We claim as our invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patente- 1. In a tramway-switoh-operating mechanism, a lever loosely attached to a fixed part of a car and free to play vertically Within fixed limits and carrying a yielding block near its upper end, a guide-Wheel carried by the lower end of the lever, and a spring-actuated-treadle attachment on said lever, as set forth.

2. In a tramWayswitch-operating mechanism, a vibrating lever loosely mounted on a car and free to play vertically Within xed limits, a guide-wheel carried by the lower end of the lever, a spring-actuated-treadle attachment on the lever, and a guide-quadrant having stops at the ends, and a rubber block on the lever and engaging the under side of the said quadrant, as and forA the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM E. MEAGHER. ALBERT HOWARTH.

Wi tn esses:

GEO. H. REMINGTON, CHARLES W. BOARDMAN.

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