US497061A - Electric-railway switch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) E P ELECTRIC RAILWAY. SWITCH.

No. 497,061. Patented May 9,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. STONE, OE HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming,l part of Letters Patent No. 497,061, dated May 9, 1893.

Application tiled February l, 1890. Serial No.`838,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. STONE, a citizen of the United States ot' America, and a resident of the town of Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railway-switches for tracks over which cars are run by electric power, and its object is to adapt the switches and the cars so that the switches may be moved and placed as desired directly from the car and by the use of an electric current.

This invention, for the object stated, in substance, consists in the combination with the railway switch and car, of separate and elongated electric contacts located, side by side and along the road-bed of the rail-way, separate electric contacts on the car, one for each of said electric contacts of the road-bed and each adapted for direct contact with an electric contact of the road-bed and to be placed into and out of such position of contact, and all of said electric'contacts in suitable electric connection with the electric power of the car, separate electro-magnets located in the road-bed and each in electric connection with one of said electric contacts of the road-bed and severally in electric connection with the electric power of the car, means held on and adapted relative to and in co-operation with said electric contacts of the car to place either of said electric contacts into and out of position for its direct contact with an electric contact of the road-bed and thus to close and to open the electric circuit of the electromagnet electrically connected to said electric contact of the road-bed and contrivances located in relation to said electro-magnets, and connected to the railway-switch and adapted on the closing of an electric i circuit through either electro-magnet to be operated thereby and in a manner to move and thus to place the switch in position as may be desired and there hold it for the farther run of the carin accordance with the then position of the switch so long` as said electric circuit is closed.

In the drawings forming part of this specifi cation, the combination of this invention is illustrated in connection with the overhead i or trolley system of electric railways.

Figure l is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of portions of the main and the side or branchtracks of a railway, a switch-tongue and an electric-motor car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot' the car and railway, Fig. l, and of the armature, elect-romagnets and mechanism 'connecting armature and switch-tongue, and a vertical sectional View of the box encasing said magnets, armature and mechanism. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, line 3-3,Fig. 2 and a plan view of the parts above said line overturned and of the electric contacts of the railway or road-bed and also showing the electric connection between the electro-magnets, said electric contacts and a rail of the railway, Fig'. l.

In the drawings, A, A2 represent the two rails of a section of main-track and B, B2 the two rails of a section of a side or branch-track of a rail-way and C is the tongue of a railway switch. This tongue, at its heel C2, is arranged to swing, on a pivot Cs and otherwise so that properly placed at its toe O4, a car D moving in the direction of the arrow E over the main-track toward the switch will be guided either along the main-track or switched therefrom onto the side or branch-track all and in each respect the same and as well known and therefore needing no particular description herein.

The car D is to be of any suitable construction and is provided with electric-motors F, one at its opposite ends for running it in either direction along said rails of the railway also in suitable electric connection with said motors all as well known.

The electric motors F, shown in blank, t'orm of themselves no part ot' this invention and they may be of any of the well known or other suitable construction and again each is to have electric connection, in any well known or otherwise suitable manner, tor being driven bythe operation of an electric current and otherwise handled and controlled, the same constituting of themselves separately or together no part of this invention.

The pivot O'is fixed on the switch-tongue C and it is extended downward into a closed box or casing G located below the road-bed IOO and within said casing it has a horizontal arm H fixed on it. J is a horizontal rod at one end hung on said arm H and at its opposite end pivoted to one end of a horizontal rod that is in continuation of itand passes through a fixed pendant and guide-bracket K of the casing and is held on a horizontal cross-piece L of a horizontal rectangular frame, consisting of said cross-piece L, horizontal parallel side-rods L3, to one end of which said crosspiece L is fixed and that pass through fixed pendant and guide-brackets K2 of the box and of a cross-piece M beyond said bracketsK2 and there fixed to the side-rods L3 at their ends opposite to the cross-piece L. The crosspiece M, in fact, is an armature common to two horizontal electro-magnets N, N2 located in line with each other and oneN on one side and the other N2 on the opposite side of said armature and all so that with a closed electric circuit through either electro-magnet said armature M will be attracted and thus, as is plain, said frame will be horizontally moved either in one or the other direction and the switch tongue C thereby correspondingly swungand placed as the case may be either for the main-track A, A2 or for the side or branch-track B, B2.

0, O2 are separate elongated electric contacts, side by side and along the road-bed and betweenthe rails of the main track and thus in the pathway of a car running on said track toward the toe C4 of the switch-tongue C.

The road electric-contacts O, O2 are located for electric-contacts P, P2 held on the car to be placed into or out of contact with them as the car moves along the main track toward the toe of the switch-tongue and as hereinafter more particularly appears. The electric contacts P, P2 of the car D as particularly shown consists of two similar spring-arms or fingers each at one end rigidly fixed to the car and at the other end free and all otherwise so that either of said electric contacts P, P2 by being pressed down or toward the road-bed can be placed in position for and held in direct contact with its appropriate electric contact O or O2 of the road-bed, it being of course understood that the car is at the time in suitable position relative to the electric contacts O, O2 of the road-bed.

For placing either electric contact P or P2 of the car into position for contact with its appropriate electric contact O or O2 of the road-bed, the car is provided with a vertical windlass-rod Q that at its upper end has a handle Q2 for conveniencein operatingit and at its lower enda cross-arm or cam Q3 adapted at its opposite end-portions when the rod is turned in one direction to press down one of the electric contacts of the car, and when it is turned in the other direction to press down the other of said electric contacts and thus in each case to make direct contact between an electric-contact of the car and its approximate electric contact of the road-bed. Otherwise than above, by turning the rod Q to press down as stated an electric contact of the car its pressure on the other of said electric contacts is released and with said rod in its normal position its said cam or arm Q3 is out of contact with both of said electric contacts. Obviously by the means described either electric contact of the carcan be placed in position for and held in contact with its appropriate electric contact of the road-bed and so placed, all else being suitable and as hereinafter appears, an electric circuit is closed th rough the magnet of the electro-m agnets N, N2 which is in electric connection with said electric contact of the road-bed.

R is an electric wire connecting the electric contacts of the car and said contacts with the electric motors F.

S in an electric wire connecting the electric contact O of the road-bed with the electromagnet N and 'l is an electric wire connecting said magnet to a rail of the railway which is in the electric circuit of the motors.

U is an electric wire connecting the electric contact O2 of the road-bed to the electromagnet N2 and Vis a wire connecting said magnet to thc electric wire T of the magnet N and therethrough with the rail of the railway having said electric wire T connected to it as above stated.

The wire connections above explained are all such as to secure a closed circuit as has been referred to through either of the electromagnets N,N2 according as either the electric contact P or P2 of the car has been placed in contact with the electric contact O, or O2 of the road-bed and thus the armature is attracted toward the one of said magnets N, N2 which is in the closed circuit established as aforesaid. The breaking of either of the electric contacts above described opens the electric circuit through the electro-magnet N or N2 as the case may be, and thus the armature is set free of the magnet. According as the armature M is attracted toward the electromagnet N or N2, the switch-tongue C is moved either from the main-track to the branch-track or vice versa, thus establishing the line of track along which the car shall move. As particularly shown the movement of the armature under the attraction of the magnet N places the switch-tongue for the main-track and under the attraction of the magnet N2 for the branch-track.

This invention broadly considered is not to be limited to any kind of electro-magnets, or mechanism connecting the armature thereof with the switch-tongue of the railway, nor to any especial means of placing the electric contacts of the car into and out of position for contact with the electric contacts of the roadbed, as each and all may be Varied in many obvious ways without substantially changing the main feature of this invention as has been particularlyset forth. But, however, all of the devices shown and described are capable lof practically accomplishing the result aimed at.

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

1. The combination with the main and side or branch-tracks of a railway, a car to be run by electric power, a railway switch, and mechanism embracing an armature and connected with and adapted to move the switch in opposite directions, of electro-magnets arranged and adapted to attract said armature in opposite directions, elongated electric contacts of and placed side by side and along the roadbed, an electric contact of the car, for each of said electric contacts of the road-bed and arranged to be moved into and out of contact with its electric contact of the railway-bed and all of said contacts in suitable electric connection with the electric power of the car and said electro-magnets, and means held on and adapted relative to and in cooperation with Said electric contacts of the car for either one or the other of said electric contacts to be placed into and out of position for direct contact with its said electric contact of the roadbed substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

2. The combination with the main andvside or branch-tracks of a railway, a car to be run by electric power, a railway-switch and mechanism consisting of a horizontal sliding,` frame at one end connected to the switch and at the other end having an armature and adapted to move the switch in opposite directions, of electro-magnets to attract said armature 1n opposite directions, elongated electric contacts of and placed side by side and along the road-bed, an electric contact of the car, for each of said electric contacts of the road-bed and arranged to be moved into and out of contact with its electric contact of the railwaybed and all of said contacts in suitable electric connection with the electric power of the car and said electro-magnets, and means held on and adapted relative to and in cooperation with said electric contacts of the car, for either one or the other of said electric contacts to be placed into and out of position for direct contact with its said electric contact of p the road-bed, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD F. STONE.

Witnesses:

ALBERT W. BROWN, FRANCES M. BROWN.

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