US550535A - Railway-signal - Google Patents

Description

' I MW (No Model.) I

" J. G; S OHREU'DER,

, RAILWAY'SIG AL; 5 No. 550,535. Patented Nov.,25,f1895.

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WITNESSES: INVENTQR,

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JENS G. SOHREUDER, OF EDGEVVOOD, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SIVITCI-I AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,535, dated November 26, 1895.

Application filed April 20, 1895. Serial No. 5%,482. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ENS G. SCHREUDER, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, residing at Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signals, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in signals, and has for its object a construction whereby the signals will be more distinctly visible at all times and the signaling-disks more easily shifted.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of my improved signal, the front plate of the case or shell being broken away in Fig. 2 to show the movable disks and their operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, the plane of section being indicated by the line III III, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top plan View, portions of the shell being broken away. Fig. 5 is a sectional View, the plane of section being indicated by V V,Fig.-1. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are similar to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and fl, respectively, and illustrate modifications of my improvements, the planes of section of Figs. 8 and 12 being taken on the lines VIII VIII and XII XII of Figs. 6 and 10, respectively.

The case or shell is formed by stamping or otherwise shaping sheet iron or steel or other suitable material and is preferably made circular in contour, as shown. The two portions of the shell are made cup-shaped, one portion somewhat deeper than the other,forming the body 1 of the shell, while the back 2 of the shell is shallow and is made of a diameter to fit tightly into the body portion. In order to render the shell more rigid, the body portion is formed with radiating corrugations 3, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1, 6, and 10. This shell is secured toa frame 4:, which in turn is mounted in any suitable manner upon apost, as is customary.

In the front wall of the body portion is formed an opening 5, preferably circular in outline, which is closed by glass or other transparent material, hermetically sealed at its edges to the wall of the shell. In the back 2 is formed an opening 6, concentric with the opening in the front wall, but of smaller diameter and similarly closed with glass or other transparent material. Two openings 7 and 8, also closed with glass, are formed through the front and back walls at one side of the main opening, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. A disk 9, preferably formed of aluminum and strengthened by concentric corrugations 10, is attached to a stem 11, secured on a shaft 12, having one end mounted in a bearing 13 on the inner face of the front wall, while its opposite end is mounted in a bearing in the yoke of the electromagnets 14. These magnets are attached to the back wall outside of the case or shell by means of bolts 15, passing through the walls of the shell, and a baseplate 16, to which the magnets are secured. The walls are braced where the bolts pass through them by sleeves 17, bearing at their ends against said walls. The armature 18 of the magnets is secured on the shaft 12 outside of the case or shell, and the magnets are protected by an auxiliary shell 19', detach- .ably fastened to the back 2 of the main shell or case.

A plate 20, provided with a pivot-pin 21, is attached to one of the sides of the main case or shell in such relation to the openings 7 and 8 that a spectacle-frame 22, provided with two contrasting glasses or lenses and mounted on the pin 21, maybe shifted on said pin so as to bring the contrasting glasses or lenses alternately in line with the openings 7 and 8. The spectacle-frame is provided with a stem or shank 23, having its outer end connected by a rod 24 to an arm 25, secured to the shaft 12 in such relation to the stem 11 of the disk 9 that when the latter is in line with the opening 5 one of the lenses in the spectacle-frame will be in line with the open ings 7 and 8, and when the disk 9 is shifted the spectacle-frame will be shifted so as to bring the other lens thereof into line with said openings. It is preferred to form a socket or hub on the stem 11 and to secure the arm 25 to said socket or hub.

A counter balancing-weight 26 is adjustably mounted on the stem 11, so as to facilitate the movement of the disk and spectacleframe by the magnets 14; but said weight should be so adjusted that in case of accident to any part of the operating mechanism the disk and spectacle-frame will automatically move to a position to indicate danger.

A lantern 27 is so mounted on a bracket 28 outside of the case or shell as to be capable of being swung or turned so as to permit ac cess to its front glass without removal from its supportin g-bracket 28,which is so attached to the back 2 that when the lantern is turned to normal position its light will be thrown through the openings 7 and S.

The sides of the aluminum disk are painted red or some other color indicating danger, so that when the disk is moved into line with the opening 5 a danger indication will be given. As the light is reflected from the surfaces of the disk during cloudy days or toward evening to give a clear distinct indication, an opening is formed in the center of the disk, and in the opening is placed translucent material of the same color as the surface of the disk 9, so that light entering through the back opening 6 will pass through the translucent disk and illuminate the signal. While a suitably-colored glass may be employed as the translucent part of the disk 9, it is preferred to use oiled paper, properly colored, as being much lighter than glass, and which will not absorb moisture, as the silk or other fibrous material usually employed in this form of signals.

The disk 9 is employed for day indications, night signals being given by the light from the lantern passing through the openings 7 and S and one or the other of the lenses in the spectacle-frame 22. The glass of one of the lenses is colored red or some other color to indicate danger and the glass of the other lens is clear or colored to indicate safety. It will be understood that when a white light is employed to indicate safety only one lens colored to indicate danger need be employed.

In order to give a distant. day signal, the opening in the case through which the disk is seen needs to be comparativelylarge, while the opening through which the night indication is given should be small, so as to appear sharp and distinct. Hence it has heretofore been customary to employ a double signal for day and night indications, for the reason that if the disk day signal be formed of translucent colored material, as silk, the light shining through it gives a diffused and blurred appearance, which cannot be seen at any considerable distance. By employing a disk similar to that hereinbefore described-2'. 8., with an opaque outer portion, having its surfaces colored in accordance with the indication to be given, and with a translucent central portion, also colored, so that the light passing through the translucent portion will give the same indication as the colored opaque circumferential-the same disk, movable into and out of line with the openings 5 and 6 in the front and back walls of the case or shell, can be employed for day and night indications.

In Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 is shown a signal wherein a single disk is employed. The disk is constructed and connected to the operatingshaft 12, as hereinbefore described. The shell or case is constructed in the same manner as that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4:, except that the openin gs 7 and 8 for night indications are omitted. The bracket 28 is arranged so as to support the lantern 27 in line with the openings 5 and 6. In this form of signal a single disk suitably colored is employed to indicate danger, and safety is indicated by .white light reflected from the white inner face of the back piece 2 and the light admitted through the opening 6.

In order to admit the signal having a single opening for day and night indications for use on roads where a color, such as green,is used to indicate safety, an additional disk, as 29, is employed, as shown in Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13. In this construction both disks 9 and 29 are constructed as hereinbefore described- 2'. 6., with an opaque circumferential portion and a translucent central portion. The faces of the circumferential of one of the disks, as 9, is colored red or other suitable color to indicate danger, while the corresponding part of the disk 19 is colored to indicate safety. The translucent central portions of both disks are colored,so that light passing through them will have the same color as the surfaces of the opaque circumferentialportions,respectively. The stem 30 of the disk 29 is pivotally mounted on pin 31, so secured on one of the walls of the case or shell that the disk can be swung into and out of line with the openings 5 and 6. The stem 30 is provided with an arm 31, arranged at an angle thereto and having its end connected by a rod 32 to the end of the arm 25. of the stem of the disk 9, which is mounted as hereinbefore described. The arms 25 and 31 are so arr nged and connected that when the disk 9 is in l ne with the openings 5 and 6 the disk 29 is moved to one side thereof, and vice versa, as clearly shown in Figs. 10 and 11. A weight 33 is adjustably mounted on the stem of the danger-indicat ing disk, as 9, so as to cause the latter to go automatically to danger in case of the rupture of the circuit of the operating-magnets iVhen the signal is constructed as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 to employ separate and distinct apertures and disks for day and night signals, the translucent central portion of the day signal-disk may be colored to strongly contrast with the circumferential outer por tion, so as to render the day indication more clear and distinct under all conditions.

The placing of the disleoperating mechanism outside of the case or shell permits of the arrangement of the lamp, the glass in the sides of the case or shell, and the movable disk in such proximity to each other that a more clear and distinct indication or signal is obtained, especially at night.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having day signal apertures and night signal apertures in its front and back walls, the day signal aperture in its back wall being smaller than that in its front wall, a day signal disk and a night signal disk mounted on independent pivotal supports, an electric motor for simultaneously shifting both disks into and out of register with their respective apertures, the inner surface of the back wall around the day signal aperture being colored to give an indication the reverse of that given by the day signal disk, and alantern arranged in line with the night signal apertures, substantially as set forth.

2. In a railway signal, the combination of a casing having day signal and night signal apertures in its front and back walls, the day signal aperture in its back wall being smaller than that in its front Wall, a day signal disk having a translucent central portion and a translucent night signal disk, an electric motor for simultaneously shifting both disks into and out of register with their respective apertures, the inner surface of the back wall around the day signal aperture being colored to give an indication the reverse of that given by the day signal disk, and a lantern arranged in line with the night signal apertures, substantially as set forth.

3. In a signal, the combination of a case or shell having its front and back walls arranged in close proximity to each other, said walls being provided with apertures, the aperture in the back wallhavinga diameter materially less than that of the aperture in the front wall, the inner face of the portion of the wall around the back aperture being colored to give a suitable indication when seen through the front aperture, a movable disk colored to give an indication different from that given by the colored back wall, and mechanism arranged outside of the case or shell and having a connection to the disk passing through the wall of the shell for shifting the disk into and out of line With the apertures, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JENS G. SOHREUDER.

Witnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLcorT, F. E. GAITHER.

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