US637229A - Swing-rail frog. - Google Patents

Description

i .3o pass to the siding.

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

MARQUE BUCHANAN, OF WINDSOR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JOI-IN BAXTER, OF FAIRLAND, ILLINOIS.

SWING-RAN. FROG.

'srnciricAfrIoN fr'min'g part 'of 'Letters Patent no. 637,229, biased 'November 2'1, 189e.

Application led May 13, 1399.

To all z'to'm it may concern:

Beit known that I, ,MARQUE BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Windsor, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Swing- Rail Frog, of which the following is aspecification. Y

My invention relates to improvements in railway-switches in which a springless-frog 1o construction is employed to simplify and c'he'apen the device, enable the parts of the switch to be applied directly to ordinary tieplates, and to promote the safety of the switch by rendering the parts positive in their adjustment and service.

A further object is to provide means by which the movable point or swing-rails may be positively adjusted to vary the distance between the free ends of said rails and there- 'zo by compensate for the wear which takes pla-ce on the frog and the swing-rails.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully e 5 described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the switch adjusted for the main line and indicating by'dotted lines the position of the swing-rails when adjusted for a train to Fig. 2 is a vertical crosss'ection on the plane indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3V is an enlarged detail view of the adjustable connection between the swing-rails, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.`

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a part of the connecting-rod for the swing-rails, showing a slot to provide for the relative longitudinal movement of said rails.

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

The rail 5 of the main track is solid, continuous, or unbroken at the railway-crossing,

while the other main-track railhas its two members or parts 6 6 separated a proper distance at the crossing to accommodate one of the pair of swing-rails employed at the intersection of the main-track rail 6 with one member 9 of the divided side-track rail, as will Serial No. 716,698. (No model.)

presently appear. The side-track rail 8 is substantially continuous or unbroken, and it is disposed in the ordinary relation usual to railway-switches at the crossing of the tracks. The other rail of the side track has its members 9 9 divided or separated to accommodate the other swing-rail of theimproved switch construction, and the rails 6 9 of the main and side tracks are disposed to join with the frog '7, as clearly shown by Fig. 1.

As indicated briefly by the preceding description, my improved switch embraces a pair of swing-rails, which are alined with the members 6a 9a ofthe main track and side track, respectively, and these swing-rails are coupled together for simultaneous adjustment, in order that they may be alternately adjusted to contact with the opposite facesU-f the frog 7. One rail of the pair of swingrails is indicated by the numeral 10, and it 7o spans the space between the side-track rail 9a and the frog '7, and the end of said rail 10 which joins the section 9EL is spliced or pivotally connected thereto, so that the opposite or free end of the rail 10 may move laterally 75 for a limited distance with respect to one side or face of the frog?. This free end ofthe swing-rail 10 has its inner face beveled 01 inclined at 11 to fit snugly to the side of the frog 7 when the rail 10 is adjusted to aline 8o with the rail members 9 9a to close the side track. The other member 12 of the pair of swing-rails' used in my switch is arranged alongside of the rail 10 to span the space between the rail member 6 of 'the sidetrack 85 and the frog 7, and the end of said Yrail 12. which is contiguous to the rail member (ifL is spliced or otherwise connected to said rail member 6?* for the free end of the swing-rail 12 to lap against the opposite side or face of 9o the frog 7 from the side which is engaged by the free end of the swing-rail 10. The free end of said swing-rail 12is beveled orinclined at 13 to adapt said rail 12 for fitting snugly against the frog 7. The pointed end of the frog and the beveled ends of the swing-rails 10 12 are seated on tie-plates 111 of ordinary construction and which are fastened to the ties 15 by any approved means; but While the frog 7 occupies a stationary position it is evi- 10o dent that the swing-rails 10 12 must play or move on the tie-plates in order to open or close the main line or the siding.

The free ends of the swing-rails 10 12 are coupled or united togetherin their proper spaced relation by means of the binders 1S 19, which are disposed on the lower sides of the rails and in the intervals between the ties and the plates 14 thereon, so that the binders may move or travel with the rails 10 12 without interference from the permanent fixed parts of the switch. These binders are of the usual or any preferred construction well known to those skilled in the art, and, as is ordinary, said binders are constructed to embrace the flanged feet of the swing-rails in order that they may be held thereon by keys or other adjustable devices.

Any suitable means may be provided for throwing the swing-rails 10 12; but in the simple embodiment of the invention shown by the drawings I employ a bell-crank lever 20, which is fulcrumed on one of the ties or to a plate fixed thereon, and to one arm of this lever is pivoted an operating-rod 21, which extends to the switch-stand or the signaltower. This bell-crank lever is connected with the coupled swing-rails 10 12 by a single pitman having adjustable connection with both of said rails in order that the two rails may be operated simultaneously from the bell-crank lever, and said rails may be adj usted relatively to each other for varying the `\space or distance between the free beveled ends of said swing-rails in order to compensate for the wear which takes place on the pointot' the frog and the pointed ends of the rails, thereby insuring nicety and accuracy in the fitting of the swing-rails to the frog and also overcoming any gapping between said rails and the frog. One end of this pitinan 23 is threaded for a part of its length, as at 24, and is passed through an aperture or slot 26 in the swing-rail 12. A pair of clamping-nuts 27 ale screwed on the threaded part 24 of the pitman in positions to bind against opposite sides of the rail 12, and thereby make said rail and pitman fast one with the other.

On the threaded extremity ofthe pilman 23 is screwed a forked or bifurcated coupling-head 28, adapted to be removed when the nuts 27 are to be screwed on the threaded part 24 of the pitman, thus providing for the ready assemblage of the elements and the easy disconnection of the parts in the event of renewal of or repairs to the switch mechanism. The pitman 23 has a threaded link 29 fitted in the bifurcated head 28, and this link and the pitman-head are connected pivotally or slidably together by means of a pin or bolt 30, which passes through a slot in the forked head and one end of said link to provide for the proper movement of the rails. The threaded link is extended through a slot or aperture 31, which is provided in the swingrail 10, and said link and rail are made fast together by the employment of nuts 32, which are screwed on the link in position to embrace the respective sides of the swing-rail 10. It will be noted that the binders 1S 19 serve to adjnstably couple the fianged feet of the two swingrails, and the link 29 also couples the pitmau adjustably to the swingrails, whereby the rails l0 12 may be adjusted laterally to vary the interval or space between the free ends thereof. This adjustment of the rails serves to take up the wear on the frog 7 and the beveled end of the rails, and the described construction wholly obviates the elnployment of a spring and at the' same time insures the swing-rails having the propel' intimate engagement with the frog to prevent gapping of the switch mechanism at the crossing between the main and side tracks.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the full lines indicate the swing-rail 12 as engaging with the left-hand face of the frog 7, so as to make the rail 12 constitute a continuation of the broken main-line rails G 6, andtheswitchisthusadjusted to permitatrain to pass along the main track. The bell-crank 20 may be thrown to its reversedv position (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) to pull the pitman 23 in a direction to shift the relation of the rails 10 12 to the frog, as shown by dotted lines, and thus the rail 10 is engaged with the frog, while the rail 12 is disengaged therefrom to make the rail 10 span the space between the members 9 9a of the side track, whereby a train may pass from the main track to the side track or vice versa.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided an improved switch construction which wholly dispenses with the use of springs and enables the elements of the switch to be fitted to ordinary tie-plates, thus simplifying the construction and promoting the convenience in the installation of the switch. rlhe swingrails are actuated positively, and they are confined securely in place against accidental movement, thus con tributing to the security of the track.

If it is considered necessary to have the froglocked, I may employa facing-point lock and the switching-movement lock and detector-bars, such as are used in the familiar type of interlocking plants. It will be noted that the swing-rails are spliced to the maintrack and siding rails, and the frog is also spliced to said rails, as in the common construction.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is-- 1. In a railway-switch, the combination with a main track, a side track, and a frog, of the pair ot' swing-rails operatively connected with divided rails forming parts of esmas g the main and side tracks and having their free ends beveled to embrace the respective sides of the frog, adjustable devices connecting the free beveled ends of the swing-rails and spacing the same laterally with relation one to the other, and a pitman connected with said rails to simultaneously move the same, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-switch2 the combination with a main track, a side track, and a frog, of the swing-rails in operative relation to certain rails of the main and side tracks, and a pitman rigidly coupled to the swing-rails, the joint between the pitman and the rails permitting adjustment of the two rails laterally with respect to one another yto compensate for Wear of the pointed ends of the swingrails andthe frog, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination with a frog and a pair of swing-rails, of a pitman connected fast to one of the swingrails, and a link pivoted to said pitman and adj ustably connected tothe other'swingmail, substantially as described.

4. In a railway switch, the combination with a frog, and a pair of spaced swing-rails,

of a pitman having a threaded end made fast l MARQUE BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

A. A. RICKETTs, CHAs. O. BRUCE.

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