US520397A - Tension-adjusting device for railway-signals - Google Patents

Description

(N0 MOdeL Q HAMBAY.

TENSION ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS- No. 520,397. I Patented May 22, 1894.

WITIJESSEE, IHVEN-Irnx TH! rumolul. LH'NOGHAPHING cuuuuv.

mummunm. u. o.

JAMES T. HAMBAY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TENSION-ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR RAlLWAY-SIGNALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,397, dated May 22, 1894. Application filed May 12, 1893. Serial No. 473,996- lllo model.)

To coZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. HAMBAY, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Tension-Adjusting Devices for RailwaySignals, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of railway signals in which longlines of chain, wire, rods, or combinationsof the same, are used,

. and in which the expansion and contraction due to change of temperature materially interfere with the proper working of the signals, the object being to provide a device which is always Within reach of the operator, and easily manipulated, by which the said operator may, without leaving his post, adjust the lengths of the chains, wire, or rods, so as to bring upon them the exact tension required for the best working of the same. This object I attain by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in elevation (but showing some of the minor parts in vertical section) of a signal lever and its connecting parts, with my device attached to it. Fig. 2 is a View, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, showing some of the details of my invention. Fig. 3 shows a device for guiding the chains or Wire rope, and is intended to be made fast to the lower part of the main lever. Fig. 4 isaview partly is horizontal section and partly in plan illustrating details. Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken on line yy of Fig. 1, showing in detail one of the guide blocks which are attached to the lower ends of the lever, the function of these blocks being to form guides or sheaves for the chains to pass through.

To properly understand the nature and use of my invention, it is necessary to describe some of the parts in common use in conn ection with railway signals, which I will now proceed to do. y

A, Fig. 1,represents a casting, usually called a plate or leg, to which the operating parts are attached, and by which they are firmly held.

B represents the main lever, which is curved at its lower end so as to form the branch B, and is firmly bolted, or otherwise made fast, to the shoe E, the shoe E being pivoted at C, so that the lever is free to swing back and forth.

D is an arm, also firmly bolted or otherwise attached to the shoe E, and of course moves With the lever B and the branch B.

K is a quadrant piece, firmly bolted to the top plate A, as shown. This quadrant piece has notches with which the end of the latchrod H may engage, and thus hold the lever in any desired position. The rod N being located at the edge of the lever B, it is necessary to cut a small groove in the stop or buttress at the end of the quadrant piece K as shown by dotted lines 70.

K is a rocker piece, pivoted at K.

. H is a shoe, bolted to the lever B, and forms a guide for the latch-rod H and also a holding socket for the spring H H is a small handlever, pivoted to the main lever B, and serves to operate the latch-rod H.

The parts thus briefly described above are old, and form no part of my invention.

Nowl will describe the parts that I consider new, and of my invention.

M and,,L represent two chains or ropes, L being usually termed the back connection and M the front connection. These chains pass through the blocks B B which act as guides or sheaves, the blocks being located as shown, at the terminals of the branches B and D of the lever B. Across section of one of the blocks B B is shown in Fig. 5, and is made as shown, so that it may be firmly clamped by the bolt 1) to'the branch B or D. The chains M and L, after passing through the blocks B B are brought together and united, as shown at B and are connected by a ring or hook B to the adjustingrod N. Before connecting with the rod N, they pass through a guiding block 13 shown in Fig. 1, and also shown enlarged in Fig. 3. This block is made with two branches, which are adapted to embrace the lever B, and by which, with the aid of the bolt 0, it is firmly clamped to the said lever. The rod N,Figs. 1 and 2, is

l l l l attached to the rack P; this rack P slides in a housing R, which is firmly bolted to the lever B (see Figs. 1,2, and 4:).

P is a pinion formed on the shaft R (see Figs. 2 and 4); this shaft R is squared at R (Fig. 4:) so as to receive a wrench or key, by means of which it may be turned.

R is a catch pawl, adapted to engage with and lock the pinion P, so as to firmly hold the rack P and the rod N iii any desired position.

The operation of my device is as follows: When the operator, in the examination of his apparatus, finds that the tension on the chains IWI and L, on account of the low prevailing temperature, is too great, he can place his wrench upon the squared end of the pinion shaft R, and after withdrawing the catchpawl R allow the rack P to descend; this, acting through the rod N, will slack up the chains Land M, until their tension is adjusted to the best working of the signal device. If, on the contrary, the operator finds that, on account of high temperature, the chains are too-slack, then he turns the pinion shaft R until he has drawn. up the rack P and rod N sufficiently to increase the tension on the chains L and M to the desired degree.

The tension adjusting device that I have chosen for illustration is not in itself an indispensable feature of my invention.

In some cases but one of the chains L, M, may be required,a weight or spring being substituted for the omitted chain.

I claim- 1. In a signal device the combination of the main operating lever and the front and back chains, wires, or rods: with mechanism adapted to adjust, by one operation, both of the said front and back chains, wires, or rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In asignal device, the combination of the main lever B having a branch B and block B with chain M, block B rod N and a tension adjustingmechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a signal device, the combination of the main lever B, having branches 3 D, blocks 13 and B and chains M and L: with block 13, rod N and an adjusting mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES T. HAMBAY.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, WILLIAM EDsoN.

Images