US538867A - clouser - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

M. E. & S. F. OLOUSER; SWITCH SYSTEM.

Patented May 7, 1896.

NITED STATES uric.

PATENT MARY E. OLOUSER AND SAMUEL F. OLOUSER, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNORS TO THE NEW YORKOAR SWITCH COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y.

' .SWITCH SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent No. 538,867, datedlday '7, 1895.

l I Application filed July 30, 1894. Sen'al No. 518,939- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARY E. CLOUSER and SAMUEL F. OLoUsnR, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Switch Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to animprovement in switch systems in which railway cars, intended to travel for a certain portion of their route along a common track, are automatically switched onto their respective branch tracks.

A practical embodiment of our invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of portions of a main track and three branch tracks, showing conventionally the portions of three different cars on the main track, each car being constructed to travel onto its own branch track. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a portion of one of the cars, showing one form of switchoperatin'g device connected therewith; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a view in detail showing in topplan the switch and its operating mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a view of the same in side elevation.

The main track is denoted by A and the branch tracks by A, A A For the purposes of explaining our present invention, we have shown three branch tracks, but it is to v be understoodthat the number maybe more or less than three, as may be required. At each of the several branch tracks we locate a switch which, in the present instance we have shown as consisting of a swinging tongue or switch rail B pivotally connected with a sliding plate 0 located beneath it. The sliding plate is arranged to reciprocate transversely of the track and its opposite ends are connected by some suitable flexible connection with the ends of yielding rods C. Intermediate of the rods 0' and the ends of the sliding plate, we locate guide pulleys C for changing the directionoLthe flexible connections from trapsvrsely to the track to longitudinally ,of the track and locate the said guide pulleys in boxes 0 for the purpose of supporting and housing them. The rods 0 are and, at the same time, the interposed springs furnish a yielding cushion in case any obstruction should temporarily prevent the complete throw. They also serve to counteract any shortening or lengthening of the rods or connections under the influence of difierent 6o temperatures. Fromthe rods 0 connections lead from one of the rods to an arm do of a bell crank lever pivoted at D. The other arm at of said bell crank lever is connected with a plunger e depending from the treadle E projecting above the bed of the track and adapted to be depressed in a socket formed in the top of the inclined face guard piece Fin the bed of the track. The other rod C is connected bya flexible connection with one arm of a 7c bell crank lever pivoted at D beneath one of the rails of the main track, the other arm of said lever being connected with a plunger E, projected above the face ofthe main track rail in position to be depressed by any one of the ordinary car wheels of the car passing along the main track. I

v The connection of the switch operating mechanism with the switch tongue is'such that the depression of the plunger or treadle E will, in every instance, open the switch, leaving the main track intact and causing the car to travel along the main track unless the switch shall be subsequently operated by switch operating mechanism carried by the car. If the switch be already open and the main track intact, then the treadle in the main track rail will not project above it and the wheels of the car will move idly over it.

This switch opening mechanism on the main track rail is located in advance of each branch track switch, and the object is to insure the continuity of the main track unless it shall be subsequently broken for the purposes of shunting a car onto a particular branch track. 5

l The treadle E, which is located either between the rails or outside of one or both of them, is located at different distances from the main track rail for each successive branch track. For example, if the treadle E for the loo branch track A be located four inches from the main rail, the treadle E for the branch track A might be located eight inches from the main track rail, and the treadle E for the branch track A twelve inches from the main track rail, and so on, so that if the switch operating mechanism carried by the car which is intended to branch olf onto the branch track A were located in a vertical plane on the car, which if projected downwardly would strike the track about eight inches from the main track rail, such switch operating mechanism would pass idly along the treadle E at the branch track A, but would depress the treadle E at the branch track A and hence would shunt the car from the main track onto the branch track A The cars intended for the main track A are denoted by G, those for the branch track A by G, those for the branch track A by G and those for the branch track A by G The cars intended for the main track need have no switch operating mechanism on them and may be any of the ordinary cars new in common use, without any special attachment whatever. The cars for the branch track A may be provided with a switch operating mechanism, such as that shown in side elevation in Fig. 2, in which a swinging arm H is pivotally connected at its forward end to a cross bar I, supported at the front of the car truck, the said arm H extending rearwardly and downwardly and being provided at its lower end with a treadle operating wheel h. WVe prefer to form the lower end of the arm H forked and to mount the wheel it between the branches of the forked end. Between the truck frame K and the arm H, we locate a spring L, the tension of which shall be sufficient to exert the necessary downward pressure upon the wheel h to operate the treadle.

The switch operating mechanism on the car G will be located in a Vertical plane correspondin g to the location of the treadle E which closes the switch leading to the branch track A. The similar switch operating mechanism for operating the treadle E at the branch track A will be located on the car G in a vertical plane corresponding to the treadle E of the switch at said branch track A and the switch operating mechanism on the car G intended for the branch track A will be 10- cated in a vertical plane corresponding to the treadle E of the switch of said track A.

For the purpose of making cars usually intended for one of the branch tracks adaptable to some other one of the branch tracks, we prefer to make the switch operating mechanisms on the several ears readily adjustable laterally across the car and, to this end, we find it convenient to provide the cross bar I, extending from side to side of the car or car truck and to hinge the swinging arm H to a sleeve 72/ which may be adjusted, as for ex ample by a set screw If, in any desired lateral position along the bar I. The spring L may also be secured at its upper end to a plate Z which plate may be adjnsted,as for example by a thumb screw Z at difierent positions along the front of the truck to correspond with the adjustment of the forward end of the swinging arm H.

It is obvious that other specific forms of switch operating mechanism might be employed in connection with the system hereinabove explained and that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described, both in the switch operating mechanism connected with the track bed and with the car. Hence we do not wish to limit ourselves strictly to the structure herein shown and described, but

What we claim is- In combination, several switches located along a line of track, switch closing devices one for each switch, under the control of a car wheel passing along the line of track to close each of the several switches, switch opening devices one for each switch, located at different distances from one of the rails of the main line, and switch operating devices fixed to the several cars, constructed to travel along the line of track, said switch operating devices being fixed to the cars in different positions relative to the width of the car to correspond to the several switch operating devices arranged at difierent distances from the rail, substantially as set forth.

MARY E. CLOUSER. SAMUEL F. OLOUSER.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, GEORGE BARRY.

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