US591051A - Milton mccully - Google Patents

Description

, (No Model.)

M. McCULLY.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 591,051. Patented 0 1;. 5, 1897.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFIC MILTON MOOULLY, OF WEST MANSFIELD, OIIIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES C. KELLER, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,051, dated October 5, 1897.

Application filed July 15, 1896- Serial No. 599,251. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern: ism for raising and lowering the frog-sections. Be it known that I, MILTON MCOULLY, a. Fig. 4: is a detail showinga form of lock for recitizen of the United States, residing at West taining the wedgeoperating lever in position Mansfield, in the county of Logan, State of when the main track is open. 5 5 5 Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Referring now to the drawings, a, b, b, and Improvementsin Railway-Switches; and I do 0 represent the rails of the main track,leading hereby declare the followingto beafull, clear, from which is a siding comprising rails c, d, and exact description of the invention, such and d, that portion of the rails 19 and dconas will enable others skilled in the art to taining the bend 6 being formedintegral. 60 IO which it appertains to make and use the same. At the points where the rails c and cl meet My invention relates to switching meehanrails a and b are arranged suitable casings f ism in general, and-more particularly to the andg',havingvertical triangular-slots in which construction and arrangement of the switchare adapted to rise and fall similarly-shaped tongues, the frog, and the mechanism for opswitch-tongues h and t'. I

crating them. In order to operate the switch-tongues h The object of my invention is to provide and i, a pair of wedge-blocks k and Z, one of such a construction as will insure the operawhich is shown in detail in Fig. 2, are passed tion of the tongues and throw the car or other laterally through the casings f and g, and vehicle traveling on the road involving such working therein operate upon the lower sur- 7o :0 switch mechanism upon the side-track or faces of the tongues h and z'to raise and lower main track, as may be desired. them alternately. To cause the alternate With this object in view my invention conraising and lowering, the block Z is provided sists in employing a pair of switch-tongues, with a thickened central. portion 0%, termione of which, when in its operative position, nating in each end in an incline nand 0, re- 7 5' acts to direct a car'from the main track to a spectively, which said inclines alternately side-track, and the other, when in a similar engage their respective tongues t and h, To position, insures the continuance of a car insure tongue t falling when tongue h is upon the main track. These tongues are in raised, aleverp is pivoted central thereof and the form of vertical movable blocks operatis provided at each end with a link rand s,

o ing in slots and provided with mechanism connected with the tonguest' andh, respecwhereby they may be caused to alternately tively, in order that when the tongue h is rise and fall in accordance with the desire of raised the tongue imay be drawn downwardly the operator. out of operative position.

A further feature of my invention is the pe- I have found in practice that it is preferp 3 5 culiar construction of the switch-frog, which able to have a wedge-block at each end of the is provided with vertically-movable blocks tongues h and c in order to raise them evenly which, operating similarly to the switchand thus prevent wedging in their slots, and tongues, act in conjunction therewith to into reciprocate these wedge-block's I provide sure the proper direction of the car when a lever mechanism oomprisinga double bello passing thereover. crank lever 15, having an operating-handle a,

In the drawings forming a portion of this the cranks o and w of said lever being conspecification and in whichlike letters of refnected with the wedge-blocks 7c and Z, reerence indicate similar views, Figure 1 is a spectively, through the medium of links a; plan view showing a section of main track and and y, respectively, whereby when the handle 5 45 siding equipped with my improved tongues a is operated reciprocatory motion will be and frog, together with their operating mechtransmitted to the wedge-blocks 7c and Z, which anism. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. in turn may raise and lower the switch- 1,showing the wedge-blocks employed in raistongues h and 'i. The lever 25 is provided with ing and lowering the switch-tongues. Fig. 3 a-series of journals A, which may have any [00 50 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing a desired position.

wedge-block and the accompanying mechan- Referring now more particularly to the frog portion of my invention, it will be noted, in referring to Figs. 1 and 3, that I employ a casing B, upon which is formed projections C and D, which are in effect partial continuations of rails c and l), the casing, which has furthermore upon its upper surface the usual triangular block E, which is in effect the continuation of the converging rails c and d. In order to bridge the space which is allowed between the blocks E and C and E and D for the passage of the wheehflanges, the casing B is provided with two vertical slots, in which are adapted to alternately rise and fall blocks F and G, said blocks thus rotatably opening and closing the frog with respect to the main line and the sideway.

To operate the blocks F and G, wedge-blocks II and Lsimilar to blocks 7t and Z,are employed. I

Said blocks when in one position engage the block F beneath its ends, and when in the opposite or retracted position engage the block G. If desired, a lever arrangement, similar to the lever 19, and the links 7' and 3, similar to those employed in connection with the switch-tongue, may be used to retract the blocks F and Galternately when the influence of the wedge-blocks H and I are removed.

To operate the wed ge-blocks H and I, a bellcrank lever K, similar to the lever t, is employed, the bent portions M and N being connected with said blocks through the medium of links 0 and P. The lever K is provided with a suitable number of journals R, and at one end is equipped with a handle S, which said handle is preferably arranged adjacent the handle u of the lever 6, whereby they may be operated by a single person.

In order to hold the handles a and S in the correct position to hold the main line open, I have arranged thereover a framework T, in which is pivoted a bell-crank lever U, having a broadened inner end, which may be operated to pass into engagement with the upper surface of the said handles and hold them in an inclined position. When the lever U is raised, the broadened end passes from engagement with the handles a and S, when the latter may be raised, and thus manipulate the wedge-blocks to open the side line.

A brace U is arranged intermediate the uprights T, which brace not only contributes stability to the frame, but acts as a stop to the levers u and s in their rearward movement.

The operation of my device is as follows: It being desired to allow a car upon the main track to pass uninterruptedly thereover, the levers t and K are thrown into the position shown in the drawings, when the wedgeblocks Z and will pass from beneath the tongue 7t and engage the under side of the tongue 1', when the latter will be raised and the former will be'lowered through the lever 19 and connecting-links 'r' and 8. At the same time the wedge-blocks H and I are similarly withdrawn from the block F, and, passing beneath the block G, raise the latter while the former drops. Thus it will be seen that the tongue h and block F being depressed and the tongue 1' and block G being raised there is an uninterrupted passage over the main line and the transit of a car thereover will be free. Conversely, when the leverst and K are reversely operated the wedge-blocks 7i; and Zpass from the tongue t' to engage the tongue h, when the former will be lowered and the latter raised. At the same time the wedge-blocks H and I will engage block F, causing it to rise, and will release block G, allowing it to fall. Thus it will be seen that the tongue it will throw the flanges of the wheels onto the tracksection c and that the tonguez' will allow the opposite wheels to pass around the bend c and onto the side rail d. At the same time the block G will be lowered from the path of the wheels through the frog, and at the same time the block F will be raised to connect the block E on the casing B with the rail 0 of the siding, thus giving an unbroken track for the vehicle.

It will be readily seen that with this construction and arrangement the presence of snow, gravel, and other objectionable matter upon the switch-ton gu es and the blocks of the frog can in no way affect their operation, as these elements are made to snugly fit the openings in their casings, and all matter that may lie upon them will be pushed up and out of the way when they are opened. Moreover it will be noted that in my arrangement I provide a practically continuous track both on the main track and sideway, and thus prevent the disagreeable jarring and the accidental switching of a car due to the fact of the switch being part way open. Moreover, when the wheels reach the frog there is no possible chance for them to run on the wrong side of the guiding-block E, as is the case in the usual construction of frogs.

Having thus described my invention, its construction and operation, what I claim is- In a switch system, the combination with switch-tongues and frog members adapted to rise and fall to open the main track or sideway, of wedge-blocks adapted to operate the tongues and frog members, bell-crank levers having connections with the wedge-blocks to reciprocate them, a frame inclosing the power ends of said levers, a bell-crank lever pivoted in the frame and having a broadened end adapted to normally lie in the path of the aforenamed levers whereby the latter may be retained in operative position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILTON MCOULLY.

lVitnesses:

M. E. CASTLE, M, E. HAToHER.

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