US539878A - Railway-switch work - Google Patents

Description

(No Motlel.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

A. J. MOXHAM.

RAILWAY SWITCH WORK.

No. 539,878. Patented May 28, .1895.

w i W W/TNESSES.' v

f/iw/Q (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. J. MOXHAM.

Y RAILWAY SWITCH WORK. No. 539,878. Patented May '28, 1895.

ATTO NEY.

w/r Ess/5s; 7 717. MMV

` Johnstown, county of Cambria, State of Pennis subjected to more wear than the remainder UNITED STATES:

PATENT FFICE.

ARTHUR J. MOXHAM, OF JOHNSTOWN, FENNSYLVANIA.y

RAILWAY-SWITCH WORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 539,878, dated May 28, 1895.

Application filed March 30, 1894.

To @ZZ whom may concer-n: K

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. MoxHAM, of

Sylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Railway-Switch Work, of which the following specification is a true and exact description,`due reference being had to the accompanying drawings.`

My invention relates to that class of switch work in which one part of the track surface of the structure, as occurs in a frog, cross or mate at the point, the point being that place where two or more tracks cross .or converge. More or less of the head being cut away here, the car wheel does not secure the same bearing upon the rail'that it does elsewhere,and the head rapidly wears down. Sometimes door plates are placed adjacent to the gage line of the rail to carry the wheel; but these plates also wear and are a source of trouble.

The object of my invention is to provide a switch structure in which the part subjected to excessive wear may be constructed of a material more durable than the remainder.

vReferring to the drawings, Figure l represents a frog, and Fig. 2 a mate, embodying my invention. Fig. 3 showsa top view of the frog, Fig. l. Figxt is a section on line W Wof Fig. and Fig. 5 a section on line X X of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a top view of the mate in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a section on line YY of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 a section on lineZ Z of Fig. 6.

In general, my invention consists in providing, at the point of excessive wear, a center piece or plate with the necessary track upon its top surface, which surface is harder thanl the remainder of the track so that itmay the better resist'the Wear. To the ends of this plate Iabut the rails diverging therefrom and I securely bond the whole together by casting molten metal around them, which,'in solidifying unites the whole into one solid structure.

In the drawings, A is the plate having the top surface hardened and the necessary track formed thereupon.

B shows the abutting rails, which, extending outward, connect with the track rails. C is the metal, which, being cast around them, holds the plate and rails together.

My method of constructing the switch-piece shown is as follows: The plate A may be rolled,

Serial No. 505,767. (No model.)

4 forged or cast but I preferably form it of rolled plane or otherwise form the proper track sur- 1faces vupon the top of it, after which I may subject it to any suitable hardening process whereby the surface may be rendered more durable. The abutting rails having been cut so that they closely abut the ends of the plates and align with the' track surfaces thereon, I place the whole in a mold in the proper relative position to each other, and, with a cavity around them of the proper form to make the casting C, I now pour `the molten iron into the mold thus formed, which iron'surrounds the plate and rail ends, and, in cooling, firmly unites the whole together. The holes D in the Webs of the rails allow the molten metal to How through and thoroughly bond them therein. The wedge shape of the plateA locks the same securely in place.

I have said that the plate may be hardened before being placed in the mold, which, being the case, the hot metal surrounding it would tend to heat and anneal it. To prevent this I may provide in the mold suitable means of access to the top and bottom of the plate, and keep the same cool by the application of water; or I may place in the mold against the plate a porous block, as coke, through which I may force water against the plate. This keeping the plate cool serves twopurposes. First, it preserves the hardness of the plate; and, second, it prevents the plate from expanding while the surrounding metal is contracting. were not thus prevented while the surrounding cast metal wasshrinking, great difficulty would be experienced in preventing the If this expansionof the plate l shrinkage strains in the casting-frame from IOO taken not to heat it sufticiently to destroy its temper. In the warm state the plate is larger than when cool and the Water upon it cools and shrinks it while the surrounding metal is also shrinking. Were it not for the water the plate would absorb the heat from the surrounding metal and thus would expand while the other was contracting as before said. In cases where the plate is so long that this shrinkage must ,be allowed for, I suggest applying some yielding material to the ends of the plate, which will prevent the molten metal from owing directly against the plate, but which, when the metal hardens and commences to shrink, may be squeezed out by the.

material may be a liner formed of a sheet of thin metal, as tin or sheet-iron bent U shaped, th e two partsstanding apart whatever amount of contraction is to be provided for, The hot metal will iiow against this liner and as it cools and shrinks will gradually close it until nally its two halves will be tightly pressed together against the plate. These liners will be so thin that their presence will not be objectionable. For a plastic material, common putty answers very well, as it may be sufticiently hard to hold the metal back at irst but it soon becomes very soft from the heat and readily squeezes out.

In cases where there is a larger amount of molten metal which does not Achill quickly enough, a thin piece of sheet-iron may be placed over the putty to protect it from the wash of the liuid metal.

In this manner I provide aswitch structure in which the part subjected to excessive wear is made of a material more durable than the. remainder of the structure. I also provide a switch structure which may be economically made as there is little or no fitting ot' the several parts together; and the labor and eX- pense incident to the usual type of switch work, which is fitted and bolted together, is done away with.

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

1. A railway switch structure which consists of a center piece provided with track surfaces, rails forming extensions of said center piece, the whole being secured together by a separate body of cast metal.

2. A railway switch structure, which consists of a center piece provided with hardened track surfaces, rails forming extensions of said centerpiece and a separate body of cast metal, whereby the whole is secured together.

3. The improvement in the method of constructing railway switch structures, as herein set forth, which consists in placing in the mold and against the ends ofthe center piece, compressible or plastic liners or filling pieces adapted to prevent the molten metal from coming into contact with the ends of the center piece and which are adapted to yield as the metal shrinks in cooling, whereby the plate is securely held by the body of metal without undue stress due to contraction in the latter.

4. The improvement in the method of constructing railway switch structures as herein set forth, which consists in applyinga cooling medium to the center piece while the molten metal is poured against it, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have aftixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.- Y

ARTHUR J. MOXHAM.' Witnesses WM. A. DONALDSON,

D. BRYAN.

Images