US563828A - Railway-switch - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I i L. WIELAND.

RAILWAY SWITCH. V

No. 563,828. Patented July 14,1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LEXVIS XVIELAND, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,828, dated July 14, 1896.

Application filed September 16, 1895. Serial No. 562,590. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs \VIELAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey Oity,in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, referen ce being had to the accompanying drawings, forming. a part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to railway-switch es, and to means for operating the same; and the object thereof is to provide a novel switchoperating mechanism, which is adapted to be operated by the wheels of a passing train, and by a knocker or other device connected with the engine and under the control of the engineer, or with the platform of a car; and with this and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification,of which the accompanyin g drawings form a part, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway track and switch provided with my improvement. Figs. 2 and 3 represent perspective views of details of the construction; and Fig. 4 represents a side View of a detail of the construction, which is connected with a car or engine.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, A A represent the rails of the main track, and B B the rails of the side track or switch, and O the switch plate or bar, which is pivoted at 1), these features of construction being of the usual form and clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Arranged at a predetermined point along one of the rails A of the main track is a vertical plunger E, which is adapted tobe operated by the wheel of a passing car or of an engine, and pivot-ally connected with the lower end of said plunger is one arm of a crank-lever F, said crank-lever being pivotally connected with the rail at f, and the other arm being extended downward and connected with a rod G, which extends below the track, in the direction of the switch,to a predetermined point opposite the switch plate or bar 0, where it is connected with one arm of the crank-lever H, the other arm of which is pivotally connected with a rod K, which extends crosswise of and beneath the switch plate or bar O and the adjacent rail A,and is pivotally connected. with one arm of a crank-lever L, saidarm being also pivot-ally connected with the switchplate by means of a rod M, and the other arm of the crank-lever L is connected with a rod N, which extends backward along the track in the direction of the plunger E, and is connected with a sliding plate 0, arranged in the top of a base-plate P, which is provided with a cap-plate or cover R, in the top of which is formed a longitudinal slot R.

The cap plate or cover R is bent or curved upwardly at the point where the slot R is formed, and the free end thereof is directed downwardly and rests upon the projecting end of the plate 0, and secured to said plate 0 is a shoulder O, which projects through said slot R, and is substantially triangular in form, as clearly shown in Fig.

Secured to the under side of the platform of the car, as shown in Fig. 4:, or to the under side of the platform of an engine is a cranklever S, one arm of which extends horizontally beneath the platform and supports a plunger S, provided with a head or plate S and the other end of the crank-lever S extends downwardly and is provided with a chain S which is connected with one arm of a crank-lever T, which is pivotally secured to the platform of the car, and the other arm of which projects forwardly and downwardly, as shown at T, and is provided at its lower end with a downwardly and backwardly curved head T and the said lever is held in an operative position, in connection therewith, and with the bottom of the car, by a spring M.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

If a car be moving on the main track in the direction of the arrow at, the wheel or wheels thereof will strike the plunger E, which will operate the rod G, and open the switch so that the car will proceed on the main track; but if it be desired to take the side track the lover I- is operated from the car to close the switch, which is done by pressing down the plunger S and throwing down the lever T into such position that the head T thereof will strike the shoulder O on the sliding pressed the switch is opened so that the car can proceed on the main track, and that when the plate 0 is shoved forward by means of the lever T, the switch is closed so that the car will or may take the side track. In this operation the head T of the lever T, after the plate 0 has been shoved forward as far as necessary in order to operate the switch, passes over the curved portion of the cap plate R, and is thus released from the shoulder 0, and it will thus be seen that I provide an automatic switching apparatus which is simple in construction and operation, and well adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended.

My invention is not limited to the exact form, construction, an d arrangement of parts shown and described; and I therefore reserve the right to make all such alterations therein and modifications thereof as fairly come within the scope of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patout-- A switch-operating device adapted to be operated by suitable mechanism attached to a car, constructed and arranged substantially as herein shown and described, consisting in the combination with the main traok rails. of switch-rails B B pivoted switch bar or plate 0 vertical plunger E adapted to be operated by a passing car-wheel, crank-lever F pivotally connected with a track-rail and by one arm of the said plunger and by the other arm to a rod K which extends beneath the switchplate 0 and adjacent traclorail and is pivotally connected with one arm of a eranlolever L, which lever-arm is also pivotally connected by means of an intermediate rod M with the switch-plate, while the other arm of said lever L connects with a rod N that extends backward in the direction of the plunger and is connected with a sliding plate 0 provided with a shoulder 0 arranged in the top of a base-plate P that has an upwardly-curred cover in the top of which is a longitudinal slot up through which the plateshoulder 0 projects all arranged to operate as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this ltth day of September, 1895.

LEXVIS XVIELAND. Witnesses C. GERsT, L' M. l\IULLER.

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