US592623A

US592623A - becker

Info

Publication number: US592623A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1897-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1914-10-26

Description

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

, A. BECKER & A. MINSART. v MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THROTTLE LEVERS 0F LOCOMOTIVES.

No. 592,623. Patented Oct. 26,1897.-

lai'inesses." 047M flak $4 w 5 (No Model.) 3SheetsShet 2. A. BECKER 8B A. MINSART. MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY.CONTROLLING THROTTLE LEVBRS OF LOCOMOTIVES.

No; 592,623. I Patented 001;. 26, 189-7.

urua. \iynsumm'on n c (N6 Model.) 7 3 SheetsSheet 3. A. BECKER 8: A. MI'NSART.

MEANS FORAUTOMATIUALLY CONTROLLING THROTTLE LEVERS OF LOCOMOTIVES.

No. 592,623. Pate t Oct. 26,1897.

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AUGUSTE BECKER, oFsTnMBERT, AND ALPHONSE MINSART, or PEPINSTER, BELGIUM.

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THROTTLE-LEVERS 0F LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,623, dated October 26,1897. Application filed June 22, 1897. Serial No. 642,007. (No model.)

To a. whom it may concern.- Be it known that we, AUGUSTE BECKER, residing at Stembert, and ALPHONSE MINSART,

. residing at Pepinster, Belgium,citizens of Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for-Automatically Controlling the Throttle-Levers of Locomotives; and we do hereby declarethe 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 letters and numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means for automatically operating the throttle-lever of a locomotive to thus stop the locomotive at certain places on a track and thereby avoid accidents and collisions, of simple, strong, and durable construction, reliable in operation, and easily controlled from one or more signal-towers, railway-crossing gates, &c.

The invention consists in the improved throttle-lever controlling and operating mechanism arranged on the locomotive and cooperating with the signal-controlled mechanism placed at certain intervals between the tracks and in the combination and arrangement of the various parts thereof, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully described, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive provided with our improved throttlelever-operatin g mechanism and also illustrating in side elevation the mechanism arranged between the tracks, only those parts of the 10- comotive and of the mechanism being shown which are necessary to fully illustrate the nature of our invention; Fig. 2, a detail front elevation of the throttle-lever operating and controlling mechanism; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, enlarged detail views illustrating the cooperative arrangement of the fulcrumed track-lever and the throttle-controlling lever and also illustrating a modification of the device for lifting said fulcrumed track-lever, as will be hereinafter more fully described; Figs. 3 and 5 top plan views of Figs. 3 and 5, respectively, the throttle-operating lever being removed; and Figs. 6 and 7, diagrammatic views illustrating the arrangement of a series of track-leversin connection with semaphores and signals, respectively.

In said drawings, A represents the throttlelever, mounted on the shaft D. On the latter is loosely arranged a disk 13, provided on its outer periphery with a series of teeth adapted to engage a pinion L securely mounted on the parallel shaft E, which latter supports the drum L. On the drum L is wound a chain-H, passing over the antifriction-roller H and provided at its free end with a weight P. A second chain H is connected with the chain H and passes over a drum F mounted.

on the shaft F, which latter controls in any well-known manner the air-brake of the locomotive and train, and which, as not forming a part of our invention, is not illustrated in the drawings. I

The disk B is controlled by a pawl G, suit ably. fulcrumed, as at G and having its rearwardly-projecting arm pivotally connected with a downwardly-extending rod J, the lower end of which is suitably connected with the free end of a lever B", fulcrumed, as at R to a bracket projecting downwardly from the platform of the locomotive. The disk B is also provided with a rearwardly-projecting lug 0, adapted to engage the throttle-lever A when the disk B, after being disengaged by the pawl G, is rotated in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 2. A horizontallyarranged shaft N is suitably supported below the fulcrumed lever R and carries a cam 0, bearing on the under side of said lever.

On the shaft N is secured a bracket N on which is pivotally secured the downwardlyextending arm M, adapted to be engaged by treadle-lever U, suitably fulcrumed, as at 1), within a box or chamber arranged in an excavation between the tracks. Within said box or chamber is also suitably supported a shaft a, on which is mounted a cam or arm 61, preferably provided at its freeend with an antifriction-roller adapted to engage the lever U and to thus elevate the same.

On the shaft 60 is also mounted a grooved pulley e, over which a chain 1' passes, which latter is provided at one end with a weight R and havingits other end connected by wires, rods, &c., with a signal-tower, railway-crossing gate, &c. On the shaft a is also arranged a counterweight h, adapted to assist the returning of the shaft a to its normal position when being operated through the chain 2'. If it is desired to have the lever U controlled from more than one signal-tower, a series of pulleys e e e are loosely arranged on the shaft Ct. In this case each of the pulleys e e e is provided with an arm 0, adapted to engage a pin m or bridge m, extending from and secured on the shaft a. Said pulleys are controlled by chains 71 2' i provided with the weights R R and connected with a series of signal towers placed at certain intervals alongside of the track.

WVhen the lever U is in normal position, as indicated in Fig. 3, the locomotive going in the direction of the arrow S can continue in its path without having its throttle-lever automatically shifted, the downwardly-extending arm M passing over the said lever U.

In the view illustrated in Fig. 4c the lever U has been raised. The train traveling in the direction of the arrow S will be stopped shortly after the arm M has been engaged and operated by the raised lever U. Said lever M turns the shaft N and the cam 0, carried thereby, which latter raises the fulcrurned lever R Through the arm J the pawl G is thrown out of engagement with the disk B, and the latter. will then be rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2-by means of the pinion L in turn operated through the weight P, acting upon the chain H, the projection O on the disk B thereby engaging the throttle-lever A and shifting it from left to right, whereby the steam operating the piston is shut off. Simultaneously the drum F is rotated and through the connection above referred to throws the air-brake into operation. After the throttle-lever A has been returned to operative positionthat is to say, the 10- comotive is startedthe shaft E is operated by means of the crank K until. said shaftpinion L and disk B have been returned to their normal positions, as will be manifest.

When the track is clear for a train to pass in the opposite directionthat is to say, as indicated by arrow S in Fig. 5-the downwardly-extending arm M is not operated by the lever U. On account of being fulcrumed on the bracket N carried by the shaft N, it is thrown to one side of said lever (by being engaged by the tapering end U) and passes said lever U without turning or operating the shaft N.

In the diagrammatic view in Fig. 6 is illustrated the arrangement of a series of treadlelevers on a single track, which latter are connected with and operated from a series of signal-towers placed on both sides of the track. The treadle-levers at a and 0 are connected with the signals 2 5 and 3 and 6, while the treadle-levers at b and d are connected with the signals 1 4 and 2 and 5. The signals 1, 2, and 3 control and indicate the right of way of trains running from A to B while the signals 4, 5, and 6 control and indicate the right of way of trains running in the direction from B to A As indicated in Fig. 6, the track is supposed to be clear for a train starting from A but by mistake the signal 6 was not properly set, presumably giving a train leaving B the right of way. Should such a train accidentally leave l3 and the engineer should not pay attention to the signal 3 on his right-hand side and would go ahead with the train, the latter would be automatically stopped by means of the treadlelever at 0 and the engineer would know at once that he had not the right of way on the track, which would leave him suflicient time either to go back to B or flag the train coming from A On the other hand, even if signal 6 would not be set rightthat is to say, the treadle-lever at 0 would be in a raised position--the train coming from A could c011- tinue its path without being stopped by said treadle-lever, as the downwardly-projecting arm M will pass the side of said treadle-lever, as in Fig. 5, and thus will not be-operatcd thereby. In the diagrammatic view illustrated in Fig. 7 a series of treadle-levers a b ,O and d are arranged on a single track terminating at both ends in double tracks leading to stations A and B and are connected through any well-known block system with

signals

10, 30, 40, and 20, in a manner similar to that described in connection with Fig. 6.

It will be manifest that the arrangement of treadle-levers can be used on a double track in substantially the same manner as on a single track.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the throttle-lever of a locomotive, and the shaft supporting the same, of a toothed disk loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a projection adapted to engage the throttle-lever, a pinion engaging the teeth of said disk, a drum connected with and adapted to operate said pinion, a weighted chain on said drum, a fulorumed pawl engaging one of the teeth in said disk, a rod pivotallyconnected with said pawl, a fulcrumed lever suitably connected at its free end with the rod, a shaft, a cam on said shaft and engaging said lever, an arm journaled on said shaft and downwardly projecting therefrom, and means arranged between the track for operating the downwardly-extending arm, all said parts, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination with the throttle-lever of a locomotive and the shaft supporting the same, of a toothed disk loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a projection adapted to engage the throttle-lever, a pinion to raise said treadle-lever, a shaft carrying said cam, a pulley on said shaft and adapted to operate the same, and a weighted chain on said pulley and connected with one or more signal towers, all said parts, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination with the throttle-lever of a locomotive and the shaft supporting the same, of a toothed disk loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a projection adapted to engage the throttle-lever, a pinion engaging the teeth of said disk, a drum connected with and adapted to operate said pinion, a weighted chain on said drum, a fulcrumed pawl engaging one of the teeth in said disk, a rod pivotally connected with said pawl, a fulcrumed lever suitably connected at its free end with the rod, a shaft, a cam mounted on said shaft and engaging said lever, an arm journaled on said shaft and downwardly projecting therefrom, a treadle-lever suitably fulcrumed between the track, a cam adapted to operate said treadlelever, a shaft suitably supporting said cam and provided with a projecting arm, a pulley loosely arranged on said shaft and also provided with a projecting arm adapted to engage the projecting arm of said shaft, and a weighted chain on each of said pulleys, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination with the throttle-lever of a locomotive and the shaft carrying the same, and also with the shaft controlling the air-braking mechanism, of a toothed disk mounted on the shaft of the throttle-lever and provided with a projection adapted to engage said throttle-lever, a pinion meshing in to the teeth of the disk, a drum connected with and adapted to operate said pinion, 'a weighted chain on said drum, a second chain connected with said weighted chain and passing over a drum arranged on the shaft controlling the air braking mechanism, a fulcrumed pawl in engagement with the disk, a rod pivotally connected with said pawl, a fulcrumed l'ever controlling said rod, a cam in engagement with said fulcrumed lever, a shaft carrying said cam, an arm journaled on said shaft, and means arranged between the tracks for operating said downwardly eX- tending arm, all said parts, substantially as,

and for the purposes described.

5. The combination with the throttle-lever of a locomotive and the shaft carrying the same, and also with the shaft controlling the air-braking mechanism, of a toothed disk mounted on the shaft of the throttle-lever and provided with a projection adapted to engage said throttle-lever, a pinion meshing into the teeth of the disk, a drum connected with and adapted to operate said pinion, a weighted chain on said drum, a second chain connected with said weighted chain and passing over a drum arranged on the shaft controlling the air-braking mechanism, a fulcrumed pawl in engagement with the disk, a rod pivotally connected with said pawl, a fulcrumed lever controlling said rod, a cam in engagement with said fulcrumed lever, a shaft carrying said cam, an arm journaled on said shaft, a treadle-lever suitably fulcrumed between the track, a cam adapted to raise said treadle-lever, a shaft carrying said cam, a pulley on said shaft and adapted to operate the same, and a weighted chain on said pulley and connected with one or more signal-towers, all said parts, substantiallyas and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof we have hereto set our hands in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

AUGUSTE BECKER. ALPHON SE MINSART. WVitnesses:

I. T. LEOoss, ARM. VIAME.