US539575A - William s - Google Patents

Description

PatentedMay 21, 1895.

W. S*.,.GOBURN. RAILWAY SWITCH.

(No Model.)

4 9h26 www Y NITED STATES PATENT Ormea.A

OF ONE-FOURTH SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 539,575, dated May 21,1895.

Application nea october 15, 1894.

.To @ZZ whom it may-concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. COBURN, of Savannah, county of Chatham, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce 1o an improved railway switch that can be located at any portion of a railwaytrack, without the necessity of tearing up or materially modifying the main track, and without the necessity of employing frogs, or like devices,

I5 which are more or less objectionable in practice.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a top plan view'of my device with the switch set for allowing free travel along the main zo track. Fig. II is a similar view showing the switch set for shunting cars to the side track.

Fig. III is a side elevation of a portion of the switch mechanism., taken on asection-line 3 3 of the road-bed.

Referring to the figures on the drawings, 1 indicates the ordinary cross ties of a railway road bed, upon which lmain track rails 2 are secured.

' 3 indicates an outside side track rail and 4 3o an inside or broken side track rail.

5 indicates the switch rails, pivoted as indicated at 6, in any usual manner to the cross ties. The switch rails are tapered at their free ends so as to form an unobstructing 3 5 guide to the fiangesof passing wheels and are shifted from the main track rails to the side track rails, as by a pitman or connecting rod 7, pivoted as indicated at 8, to the switch rails and pivoted, as indicated at 9,A to a crank 4o bearing 10, on a rocking switch bar 11 that is pivotally mounted in boxes 12 secured to the cross ties.

13 indicates a lever handle for operating the switch bar.

The foregoing mechanism is well known in the art and may be varied in many respects in accordance with well known methods within the scope of the work that it has to do.

14 indicates ordinary guard rails which may 5o be employed, but are not essential to my invention. Coming now to that which consti- Serial No. 525.930. (No model.)

in order to afford a more rigid support, but,

this is not essential. It is also provided with an inclined surface 21 designed like the surface of the rail 18 to rise'gradually from the level of the side track rail 3 to that of the shifting rail 15.

22 indicates recesses in the faces of each of the elevated rail sections 18 and 20, and serve to support the under side of the shifting rail which is fiat and rests squarely upon them. Each of the elevated rail sections is provided with a beveled shoulder 23 against which, when the shifting rail 15 is closed, its similarly beveled ends 24 respectively abut and form a close union. The shifting rail moves upon its pivot 17 into the position across the topof the main track rail 2, as shown in Fig. II, or parallel thereto, as shown in Fig. I. In the first position, by the aid of the elevated rail sections, it affords a smooth supporting surface for the wheels of a train to pass across the main track rails upon the side track rails. Whenin the latter position it presents an unobstructed main track rail for the travel of the wheels of a train thereon.

*The shifting rail, as above explained, is preferably supported between the elevated rail sections, bothby the sections themselves and by the main track rail which the shifting rail crosses obliquely, the upper surfaces of the recesses 22 of the elevated rail sections, and of the main track being on the same level.

For supporting the shifting rail when it is turned-parallel tothe main trackrail, I provide a supporting block 25 secured to one ofl the cross ties and having'its upper surface Hush with the top of the main track rail against which it abuts.

For operating the shifting rail upon its pivot, I prefer to employa bar 26 that is hori- IOO zontally pivoted at one end to a stop piece 27a vertically pvoted to a lug 27 dependent from the bottom of the shifting rail l5 and preferably integral therewith. The bar 26 is pivoted at the other end, as indicated at 28, to a crank bearing 29 on the switch bar 11. By this means, the operation of the single lever 13 which is ordinarily employed for 0perating a switch, the switch rail 15 and switch rails 5 are simultaneously set in the proper correlative positions. The piece 27a towhich the bar 26 is united, is preferably also employed as a stop piece, as suggested, to limit the pivotal movement of the shifting rail 15, which it does by striking against the side of the main track rail.

I do not confine myself to the details of construction herein shown and described, but reserve the right to modify and vary them at will within the scope of my invention.

In a rail-way switch, the combination with a main track rail and a side track rail in the same horizontal plane andbroken at its intersection with the main track rail, beveled swells at the adjacent ends of the side track rail, a riding rail having beveled ends pivoted to the side track rail and supported continuously by the side track rail and by the main track rail, an integral depending medial lug upon the riding rail, a cranked switch bar and riding rail ,actuating bar pivoted to the crank of the switch bar, anda depending stop piece vertically pivoted to the depend` ing lug and horizontally pivoted to the riding rail actuating bar, said stop piece being adapted to constitute a double pivotal connection between the riding rail actuating bar and the riding rail and to constitute a stop for the latter and a supporting block abutting against and flush with the top of the main track rail and adapted to support the free extremity of the side track rail,substan tially as specified.

In testimony of al1 which I have hereunto subscribed my name.

VILLIAM S. COBURN.

lVitnesses:

JNO. C. Dnrrz, G. A. DURE.

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