US518607A - Safety-switch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. JOHNSON 8a W. S. CAMPBELL.

SAFETY SWITCH.

No. 518,607. Patented Apr. 24, 1394.

W/TNESSES.'

(No Model.)

A. JOHNSON &-W. S. CAMPBB 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. LLI SAFETY SWITCH. No. 518,607. Patented Apr. 24, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED JOHNSON AND WILLIAM S. CAMPBELL, OF WEST POINT, INDIANA.

SAFETY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,607, dated April 24, 1894. Application liled December 11, 1893. Serial No. 493,377. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, ALFRED JOHNSON and WILLIAM S. CAMPBELL, citizens of the United States, residing at West Point, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Switches, of which the following is a specication.

Our invention relates to safety switches for railway tracks; and it consists in certain improved means whereby the switches may be operated to be both opened and closed by a moving train, and also whereby the switch may be locked for the main track, and unlocked by the moving train at the proper time.

A switch provided with our said improvements will be first fully described, and the novel features thereof then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a plan View of a railway track and switch provided with our said im-` provements; Fig. 2 a detail plan view of a portion of the same, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 a view of the mechanism on the moving train, by which the switchis operated;

Fig. 4 a side elevation of the device by which the switch lock is operated, a portion of the inclosing casing being broken away; Fig. 5 a transverse sectional view thereof on the dotted line 5 5; Fig. 6 a detail view showing the llevers by which the switch is operated; Fig.

7 an under side plan of the switch lock; Fig. 8 a transverse sectional view of the same alongside one of the track rails on the dotted line 8 8 in Fig. 2; Fig. 9 a view on the dotted line 9 9 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 10 a View on the dotted line 10 `10.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the rails of the main track; B the rails of the side track; C the switch rails; D chains, ropes or wires by which the switch rails are operated; E a sheave between the points of said switch rails around ,'which the chains i run; F sheaves, from the switch, around which said chains also run; G G2 rock-shafts bearing crankarms by which said chains are operated; H a

at a point distant lock or catch by which the switch rails are locked in position; I chains or ropes by which said lock is operated; .l a rock-shaft carrying crank-arms for operating Vsaid rods I, and K levers pivoted to the track for operating said 5 5 rock-shafts J.

The rails A B and C, severally, are or may be of an ordinary and well-known constructlon, and will not, therefore, be further described herein, except incidentally in describing the invention.

The chains D are attached at one end to one of the switch rails C, and run thence first to the sheave E around said sheave, thence to a sheave F, around said sheave, back to the sheave E, and thence to the other one of said switch rails C. They are attached at an intermediate point to crank-arms g on the rock-shafts G G2. It will thus be observed that when one of said rock-shafts is moved, it will throw the switch in one direction or the other, as will presently be more fully described. There are tension springs d in the chains D.

The sheave E is located at a central point between the two switch rails O,and is mounted on a pivot e aroundwhich it loosely revolves. It serves simply to carry the ropes or chains D and hold them to a common point, so that uniformity of movement mav be secured. v

The sheaves F are commonly idle sheaves and serve to keep the chains or ropes D id proper position for operation. But one of these sheaves is shown,-at the right-hand end of Fig. 1,-bu`t in actual construction there is a similar sheave at the other end between the side track rails B, beyond the point where it is broken away in the drawings, both 'adapted to be struckj andoperated by the,

`mechanism onV the moving train. l By means of these two rock-shafts, with their crank-f arms, the switch can ybe operated fromeither positionto the other from ay train moving in either direction.: To illustrate: Suppose a train iscoming from the right toward the left,

(on the'fdrawings.) The strike/X `thereon would be arranged to come in contact with the arm g' on the rock-shaftG?, in order to* shift the switch so that the train would run onto the side track. Were a train coming vfrom the left toward the right, and it was-desired to throw the switch, behind the train, so that said train could back in onto theside track, the strike on the train would be set so as to come in contact with the arm g', on the rock-g shaft G', which would accomplish the saine resuit so far as the switch is concerned. It the rock-shafts were moved and the switch set in the other position from that shown, then the train coming from the right would havefits strike set to operate through the rock-shaft Gr; or a train coming from the left would operate through the rock-shaft G2. By having the operating mechanism both upon'thefront end of 'ghe lock H is arranged as shown in Fig. 9 to engage with one of the switch rails C and hold it firmly in place, thuslocking the switch to the position desired. In form it is a wing mounted on arock-shaft and pivots,and,hav

ing a crank-arm h to which alever H' mounted on a pivot h' is connected, a spring S is also connected to the lever H', and holds' it in that position, which keeps the lock Hinto engagement, except when forcibly disengaged by a pull on one of the rods I. As shown in Fig. 8, a notch is cut into the foot flange of the switch rail C, which permits the project` ing point of the lock H to pass down through it, and said projecting point in use passes to the top of said foot ange, and thus makes the lock more secure, as shown in Fig. 9,

The rodsI are simply suitable rods or other connections running from the crank-arms h on the locks H to the crank-arms on the rockshafts J. The rock-shafts J are mounted in bearings, preferably in the web of the railroad rails, and are provided with crank-arms j which connect With the rods I, and with other crank-arms 7" which connect with the levers K. The leversK are mounted on pivots la which are preferably attached to the railroad rails. At theother end said levers` enter housings K', and within said housings fweight of thepassing train;

eineme of `a person standing on the rail, lwill not com# kare springs, `which areof sufticientrigidity *i u. lthat any ordinarypressnre,suchasthleweight f press them, but which are compressed by the The operation lis that thetrain'pin'passing depresses this lever K, rocking the rock-shaft J ,through its crank-army', and thus, through the crank-armf j', pulling on the rodor chain I, swinging the lever I-l'on its pivot, and thus throwing the lock H over on its pivots or shaft down out of the way of the switch rail O, which switch operated by the'strike on the train coming in contact with one ofthe crank-arms g' as heretofore described. i f l Upon the locomotive or Lone of the cars (preferably upon both the klocomotive and the caboose) We provide a strike or contact Vdevice preferably in the form of a bar X which may be projected on either side to come in contact with one ofthe arms g. f A bell-crank lever Y and anysuitable operating devices .rail is then free to ,be operated, and may be Connected thereto are the means of operating it. As shown by thefull lines in Fig. 3, this strike when' at rest does not project far enough to come in contact with either of the arms g', but will pass between them. As

i shown by the dotted lines, however, it may be thrown-out far' enough onV eitherside to come yin contact with the corresponding arm. p

Having thus fully described our said invention,ywhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is f y l. The combination, in a safety switch for railways, of the switch rails, a single pulley located between the points of said switch rails,a distantsingle pulley between the two rails, a rope or chain attached at its ends to the points of the switch rail and passing first around the single pulley between said points and thence around the singledistant pulley,

rock-shafts extending transversely of the track and located between the two pulleys,

one extending to each side of the track, crankarms on said rockshat'ts connected tothe two strands of rope or chain, respectively, and `other crank-arms upon said rock-shafts' extending up alongside the track, and the contact device upon the moving train adapted to be shifted to come in contact with either of said crank-arms, whereby the switch may be operated from either position by a train moving in either direction, substantially as shown anddescribed. n 2. Thecombination of the switch rails C, and a pivoted lock H therefor, aleverH'connected to said lock, a rod I connectedto said lever and running to a distant point, a rockshaft J at said lpoint to which it is connected,

alever K pivoted to the track and connected e and mechanism for operating said switch ourl hands and seals, at West Point, Indiana, `from a moving train, of a pivoted lock H this 2d day of December, A. D. 1893. also connected by means of a rock-shaft and crank-arm with said mechanism, said lock begMJsoHsgELl-J ing adapted to engage with the flange of the rail, said flange being cut away to receive said Witnesses: lock, substantially as shown and described. R. M. CAMPBELL,

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set JOHN M. HAGGARD.

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