US547928A - leonard - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' A. G. LEONARD.

GOMPENSATOR FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS. No. 547,928. Patented Oct. 15; 1895.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

I A. G. LEONARD. GGMPENSATOR FOR RAILWAY SIGNALS.

No. 547,928. Patented Oct. 15, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ARTHUR G. LEONARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMPENSATOR FOR RAILWAY-SIGNALS;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,928, dated October 15, 1895. Application filed May 9, 1891- Serial No. 392,14'7- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR G. LEONARD, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Compensating Mechanism for Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in signal-operating devices, in which provision is made for compensating for any shortening or lengthening of the operating connecting-rod under the influence of cold or heat. It has been found desirable to locate the signal at a long distance from the station from which it is to be operated and to utilize for the purpose of operating it a metallic rod or wire leading from the station to the signal. Such extended metallic connection is subject to a very appreciable contraction and expansion under the influence of the temperature, and it has become of great importance to provide against any unintentional operation or derangement of the signal under the influence of such variation in the connection.

It is the object of my present invention to compensate for such .variation in the length of the connection in a simple and effective manner.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view of the signal-operating mechanism in side elevation, showing its connection with the arm of a semaphore such as is in general use, the operating-lever being set to hold the signal to safety or in what may be termed its normal position. Fig. 2 1s a View in side elevation of the operating mechanism, showing the position of 'the operating-lever when moved to set the signal to danger, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the line a; a; of Fig. 2, showing the parts below the section in top plan.

I have shown the signal-operating lever in this case in connection with an interlocking switch-operating lever mounted in position to operate in connection with the signal; but said interlocking switch mechanism forms no part of my present invention, the same being the subject-matter of my Patent No. 459,497, granted September 15, 1891.

A represents a suitable stand or frame, in

which the signal-operating lever B is fulcrumed, as at a. The upper portion of the lever B is provided with a spring-actuated dog 5, connected with a dog-operating lever 12, in position to be grasped by the hand in taking hold of the operating-lever to release the dog, as is common. The dog is adapted to swing along the curved surface of asector-bar a, provided with notches a at points which determine the limit of the throw of the lever to set the signal to safety or danger. The lower end of the lever B has journaled therein a short axle or shaft 0, which has fixed thereto aband or chain pulley c and the toothed wheel a. The chain pulley and the toothed wheel are mounted so as to turn freely in unison with each other unless positively locked against such rotation. Located at the side of the lever in position to engage the teeth of the Wheel 0 is a dog D, having a reciprocating sliding movement within a suitable guide or keeper d, fixed to the side of the lever. The dog D is positively operated in a direction to throw it into engagement with the teeth on thewheel'c' by means of an angle-lever E, pivotally secured to a suitable support upon the lever and having one of its arms 6 connected with the dog D by a link 6, the opposite arm 6 of the lever being rocked normally away from the lever or in a direction to throw the (log into contact with the teeth by means of a spring a A stop F is fixed to the frame A, in the present instance to a crossbar of the frame, and extends across the path of the arm e of the angle-lever E, so that when the lever B is thrown into position to hold the signal at safety the arm e will be rocked against the tension of the spring 6 in a direction to withdraw the dog D from the teeth of the wheel 0', and hence leave it and the chain-pulley 0 free to rotate. As soon, however, as the lever B begins to move in a direction to set the signal to danger, the arm 6 being no longer engaged by the stop F, will be thrown outwardly by the spring a and the dog will be thrown positively, as well as in the present. instance by gravity, into contact with the teeth on the wheel a, and will thereby prevent it and the chain-pulley from rotating.

The signal-operating rod G is connected with the operating-leverB by means of a flexible connection g, a chain or suitable belt or band, which passes partially orentirely around the pulley c, and thence leads over a guidepulley II, mounted in the frame A and has attached to its end a weight I. The engagement of the flexible connection 9 with the pulley c is intended to be such that the connection y will not slip with respect to the face of the pulley. The pulley may be in the nature of a sprocket-wheel and the connection 9 a sprocket-chain, or the frictional contact between the connection and the face of the pulley may be made sufficient by passing the connection one or more times around the face of the pulley.

The signal-post is represented by K, the swinging semaphore-arm by L, the weighted lever for operating the arm by M, and the connecting-rod between the weighted lever and the arm by N. The sigualoperating rod or wire G is connected with the end of the weighted lever N by a suitable flexible connection g, which conveniently passes under a guide-pulley h and thence up to the arm. It is intended that the weightI shall slightly overbalance the weighted arm M, so that when the connection between the weight 1 and the signal is left free to adjust itself under the influence of the weight and the arm it will hold the weighted lever with its weighted end elevated, and hence with the semaphore-arm down to safety. Such a condition of things is established whenever the operating-lever B is thrown into its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the dog D thereby released from the toothed wheel a and the pulley 0 being thereby free to rotate. In this position, which is the position which the parts assume, except when positively set to danger, whatever expansion and contraction there may be in the long connection G between the operating-lever and the signal will be compensated for by the rise and fall of the weight I, according, as the operatingrod G is shortened or lengthened, and there will be no strain or any disarrangement of parts either at the signal or operatinglever. When, however, it is desired to set the signal to safety, as soon as the lever B is started on its throw in that direction the dog D will immediately engage the teeth on the wheel a and prevent it and hence the pulley C from rotating, and will thereby lift the weight I and take its strain off from the operatingrod or wire G, thereby allowing the weighted end of the lever M at the signal to drop and thereby throw the semaphore-arm out into position to indicate danger. As this position at danger is only a temporary one, the provision for compensating for contraction and expansion during that timeis of no practical consequence.

It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the formation and arrangement of the several parts herein described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the construction herein set forth; but

\Vhat I claim is- The combination with the signal operating lever, the pulley and toothed wheel carried thereby and mounted to rotate together and the dog having a sliding movement toward and away from the toothed wheel, ofa spring actuated angle lever for operating the dog, a fixed stop in position to engage the angle lever and hold the dog released from the wheel when the operating lever is at one end of its stroke, a weight or its equivalent, and a connection between the weight and a moving signal, the said connection having an engagement with the pulley carried by the operating lever, substantially as set forth.

ARTHUR G. LEONARD.

Witnesses:

II. F. HENRY, J r., Tnos. S. WmsLow.

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