US577949A - Danger-signal - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets'-Sheet 1.

D. A. GORDON & B. B. WEIR.

DANGER SIGNAL.

No. 577,949. v Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

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D. A. GORDON 817B. B. WEIR. DANGER SIGNAL.

No. 577,949. I Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

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D. A. GORDON 8a B. B. WEIR.

DANGER SIGNAL.

Paterited Mar. 2, 1897.

'W'ITNESSES M QM Wa- UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL A. GORDON AND BENJAMIN B. WEIR, OF OASSOPOLIS, MICHIGAN.

DANGER-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,949, dated March 2, 1897.

Application filed August 29, 1895. Serial No. 560,852. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DANIEL A. GORDON and BENJAMIN B. WEIR, citizens of the United States, residing at Cassopolis, in the county of Cass, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Danger-Signals; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in danger-signals for railways; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide means in connection with a culvert, bridge, ortrestle-work upon which the track is supported whereby signals may be shown to approaching trains should the track become obstructed or impassable and at the same time indicate the point of danger in the stationhouse nearest such point, which object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a general perspective view showing a section of railway-track and the application of our improved danger-signal. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the framework of a culvert or trestle and the signal-house adjacent thereto containing a portion of the signal-operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, in vertical section, showing the uprights on opposite sides of the track and the mechanism mounted therein for operating the signal. Fig. 4 is a diagram view showing a portion of the track, the relative location of the various operative parts, and the electric circuit connecting said parts.

Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the framework of the bridgeor trestle, upon which the track is supported.

B designates a house in which a portion of the signal-operating mechanism is located, mounted upon an upright B and accessible by the stairs B".

b bindicate the lines of an electric circuit which is normally closed and through the breaking or opening of which the signal mechanism is actuated. Included in this electric circuit is a battery or source of electricity 0, which may be located in the station-house nearest the point where the signal is placed. The lines of said circuit connected with said battery are strung upon the ordinary telegraph-poles and include therein the various circuit-opening devices which serve to operate the signal mechanism.

The signal consists of a lantern D, a flag, or other suitable device which is visible at night as well as in the daytime and which is suspended from and adapted to slide upon a fixed cable d, which extends across the rail-' way-track at a suitable distance from and at each end of the bridge or culvert, being secured to the opposed uprights E F, respectively, which stand on opposite sides of said track. Upon the top of the upright E is an inclosing case E, in which is located a rotary drum G, fixed on a shaft 0, journaled in said case and carrying a ratchet-wheel H, said shaft extending through the ratchet-wheel and having mounted-thereon a coiled spring a. One end of said spring is attached to the journal or bearing a andthe opposite end to said ratchet-wheel, whereby when said spring is wound through the means of a crank which may be placed upon the squared end thereof the force of said spring will be exerted upon said ratchet-wheel.

For the purpose of locking the ratchetwheel H to hold it from rotating when the spring shall have been wound there is employed a pivoted armature 6, having thereon a detent e, which is adapted to normally engage the teeth of said wheel and lock it from rotating, said detent being held in engagement with said wheel by the force exerted by the electromagnet I, which, while energized, holds said armature in contact therewith, but which, when the current is broken, will release said armature, when the spring e will draw said armature slightly away from said magnet and disengage its detent e from said ratchet-wheel, when the spring a will rotate said wheel and the drum G.

cl designates a flexible line or cable, one end of which is wound upon .said drum and which extends across the track adjacent to or. slightly ICO below the cable d, the opposite end of said line passing over a suitable pulley mounted in the hollow upright F, and is attached to a weight h, which depends within said upright. 5 Fixed to said line d, at the proper point thereon, is the lantern D or other signal, which is provided at the top with a ring which embraces the cable d, whereby the weight of the lantern is suspended from said cable. By this arrangement as the drum G is rotated to wind the line d thereon the lantern or signal will be drawn outward by said line upon the cable (1 to a point centrally over the track, said line raising the weight h as the signal is drawn outward.

To provide for arresting the signal at a point. directly over the track, there is employed upon the line d a stop-block i, which is fasten ed thereto and so located thereon that when said signal shall have reached the desired point said stop-block will engage one end of a pivoted lever 70, mounted in the case E and having formed on one end thereof a curved dog or pawl Z, which, by the engagement of said block with said lever, is carried into contact with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel H, thereby preventing a further rotation of said drum, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position said parts remain until the spring a is re wound, when the rotation of said drum,caused by the act of winding said spring, will pay the line d therefrom, the slack of which is taken up by the weight H, which descends in the upright F and draws the lantern back to its normal position within the housing F, as shown by dotted lines in said figure, in which position said parts are held by the engagement of the detent e of the armature with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel I-I, while said magnet remains energized by the passage of the current therethrough. By this arrangement it will be seen that upon the breaking of the circuit at any point therein the signalactuating mechanism at each end of the bridge or culvert will be set in operation to draw the signals outward over the track, so as to warn approaching trains that the track is unsafe or impassable. Also located within said circuit, at the station-house, is a clock or escapement mechanism, which consists of an escapemen t-wheel m, having a drum n attached thereto, upon which is wound a cord 9t, having a weight 0 depending therefrom. Pivoted adjacent to said wheel is a vibrating lever 0', having at one end a hammer adapted to strike a gong s and at the other end pallets, which successively engage the teeth of said wheel as it rotates, whereby said lever is caused to vibrate and ring the gong as the wheel m is rotated through the force exerted by the weight 0.

The escapement-wheel is normally locked *by the detent-armature t, which is held in contact with said wheel while the electrom ag- 65 net J is energized and attracts said armature, but which releases said wheel and ca uses said gong to ring upon the breaking of the circuit,

when said armature is drawn away from engagement with said wheel by the spring 0', thereby giving the alarm at the station to indicate the unsafe condition of the track whenever the circuit shall by any means become broken or interrupted.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 4, the electromagnets I and the signal-operatin g mechanism, as well as the magnet J of the alarm mechanism, are located in the electric circuit composed on the lines I) b,-and are therefore simultaneously acted upon by the breaking of the circuit. I

To provide for automatically displayin g the signals and sending the alarm in case of any damage occurring to the bridge or culvert by fire, there is employed a suitable vessel K, which is mounted upon said bridge or trestle and in which is placed a quantity of powder 'Lt. WVinding through the framework of the trestle is a powder fuse L, which communicates with the powder within the vessel K, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The line b of the circuit enters the vessel K and is provided with a lead -fuse section 0, which is embedded within said powder, by which arrangement fire occurring at any point in the frame of the bridge or trestle will be conveyed through said powder fuse to the vessel K, igniting the powder therein and melting the fuse-wire 1), thereby breaking the circuit, when the signals will be displayed and the gong sounded to give warning of the danger at this point.

To indicate the unsafe condition of the track in case the culvert should become weakened or washed away by high water or in case the track at this point by reason of high water should become obstructed by debris, there is provided a movable platform M,which is mounted upon a lever N, pivoted at h in the framework and pivoted at its outwardlyextended end to a vertically-movable bar 0, which is supported upon the upright B and extends upward into the house B. Attached to the upper end of the vertically-movable bar 0 is a bow P, the upwardly-extended ends of which are connected by a cross-spring Q, which carries at its longitudinal center a contact-point w. Mounted upon the vertical face of the upright B, immediately below the contact '10, is a fixed contact-point w. These points, when the parts are in their normal positions, are in continuous contact, in which position they effect a continuity of the linewire I), which is attached thereto, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4. By this arrangement should the track settle so as to bear upon the platform M, or should there be sufficient debris or other substance piled upon said platform to cause it to tilt downward upon the pivot h, the bar 0 will be raised, thereby carrying the contact to away from the contact 00 and breaking the circuit, when the signals will be displayed and the alarm sounded, as before described, in which position said parts remain until the obstruction is removed or the track restored to its normal condition. By mounting the contactpoint w upon the cross-spring Q the vibration or jar caused by passing trains is prevented from accidentally opening the circuit.

Secured to the outer end of the lever N is an arm N, from which depends an adjustable weight M, which serves to prevent the depression of the platform M and the consequent operation of the lever N until an unusual weight is placed thereon.

Having thus fully set forth our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In a railway-signal, the combination with the track-supporting framework, of the lever mounted in said framework, the cables suspended over the track, the signals mounted to travel upon said cables, the electric circuit, the signal operating mechanism included with a source of electricity in said circuit and mechanism connecting said lever with said circuit whereby by a movement of.

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