US69856A - Improved automatic eaileoad switch - Google Patents

Description

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GEORGE W. S'lAlt-R., 0F GLARKSBURG, WES'llVlliGjlNlA.

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IMPROVED AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

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TO ALL WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it knowntliat I, GERGE W. STARR, of Clarksburg, in the county of Harrison, and State of rcs-t Virginie., have invented certain new and useful improvements in Automatic Railroad Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a.full, clear, and exact description thcreoi, reference being had to the accompanying` drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever-they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to railroad switches, and -consists of a new and improved method of adjusting their. automatically. By my improvement thc passing train, in whichever direction it may be going, will adjust th( switch se as to make the main line continuous, and avoid'accidental. ruiming on to the side track. In tht drawings-i- Figure 1 isla top plan view.

Figure 2 is aview of ya cross vertical section on the lines x .e and y y of fig. 1, and

'Figure 3 is a view of longitudinal vertical section on the line z z of iig. 1.

v At'the point on the railroad at which I locate my switch, as shown in iig. l, I fasten firmly the rails A A to thesleeper at one end, and under the other en d, where they connect with, theA rails I3 B of the main track, or the rails C C 0f thc side track, I place a heavy timber, D, with an upright, E, as shown in figs. 1 and 2. 0n the side of the timber D, I pivot a lever, F, at a, having its outer arm bent at its extreme end, and resting on an upright, c, which is attached'to a. spiral spring inside o'f a case, d. Its inner arm passes under the rail A next to the point a, where the lever is pvoted, as shown in iig. 2, and is provided with a shoulder or catch, e, located so as to be on a line with the'rail A, when the rail A isili line with the rail C. On, the same side-of the timber D withthe lever F, 'and nearthe end of the inner arm of the lever F, I place a rest or support, f, for this end of thele'ver when locking the rails A A inline with rails C C. When the end of the lever F is on the restf, the `shoulder c will be above the lower side ofthe rail A, as shown byf'the red lines in iig. 2, and the rail A will bear against it. 'To-the upright E, I'pivot a lever, G, at g, and to its lower end I pivot an arm, h, extending at right angles te it, wliiehlis pivoted to a. slotted arm7 z', as shown in iig. 1,v To the under side of the rail A, I attach a projection orshoulder, which'passes through the slot in the arm t'. The rails A A' connect firmly'v with the rod which is alsoconneetedwith a stiff spiral spring, 7c, by the rod l, as shown in figs. 1 and 2. The spiral spring Ienclo'se ina case, which is strongly fastened to the timber D, as shown in iig. 1. I also attach to theirail A an arm, m, bent so as to pass along the side of the upright E, and through a staple in the same, to which it can be locked orvkeyed when desired. Between the rails A A and I3 B', I place a pairof locking-bars, n and `o, lapping by one another', as shown in iig. 1. Each of the bars n ando has a catch or notch, p, as ,shown in iig.-3, which its over the end of the lever F, when upon the restf, as shown in figs. 2 and 3. rlhe bars or rods n o 'ar'e kept in place by staples g fastened in the sleepers, and their ends r are attached by a crank to small shafts s, provided withI trippers t', which areilat, firmly attached to the shafts s, and when in a vertical position their upper ends are on aline with the upper side of the rails near which they are placed.

v In operating-my switch I pull down the lever Gr; this moves the rails A A on a line with the rails C C'. As they are rigidly-attached at onecnd to `the sleepers, they are sprung over partially, and tend to. spring back again. Butin 'being .sprung over the spiral spring Z6 -is compressed, which, when made suiiiciently strong, would throw them back, .even it' the other ends yof the rails were pivoted to instead o`f being rigidly ,attached to the sleepers. When the'rails A A are thus by the lever G'placed on a line with the rails :C C', Iihear down on the'y end u ofthe lever F. This elevates its opposite end, which I plaeeon the rest f, and at the same time the shoulder c rises above the side of the rail A, which iscaught and held by it. And as the rail A is connected with-the railA, they are thus both held in aline with the rails C G', as shown bythe red lines. When in this position, if the ears are moving on the rails A A towards the switeh,the flanges of theforward wheels will strike againststhe tripperlt, as shown in iig. 3, and bend it forward. As it bends forward it moves the rod n towards and the catchy pull'sfthe end of the lever F oft' of the rest f. This end of the lever F is forced down by theaction of the spiral spring in the case d, as shown in'ig, 2. The rail A is released'from its bearing e in the lever F, und the rails A A are forced by the spiral spring .k and their own elasticity back on to a line with the rails B B. When the cars are moving on the rails B B towards the switch, should the switch he set. as before, so that the rails A A are on a line with the rails C C, the tripper i will be struck by the flange of the wheels the railsAA released and spring back on aline with the rails BB', as before` The rails A A may be held in any desired position permanently by means of the arm m, and any suitable locking device on the upright E. By means of a spring, z, attached to the lever G, as shown in tig. 1, and the slot z' in the arm k of the lever E, the lever will always spring back, afterbeing used, to a vertical position. The hars or rods n and o may be made of any desirable length, so as to secure the switching of the rails at sonic distance from the switch, and thus avoid the pressing ofthe rails A A against the sleepers bythe ears7 and prevent their movement.

By this arrangement I make an automatic switch that will secure a continuous line of rail by the action of thc cars themselves, in whichever direction they maybe moving. The object of my invention is to prevent collision on the side track, as well as to prevent the cars from running oit" the track. and this I believe my automatic switch arrangement will do.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is-

1. The lever G, in combination with the slotted arm i and springe, when arranged to operate in connection with the rail A, the connecting-rods j and I, and spring lr, as described and for the purpose set forth.

'2. The lever F, in combination with the spring in the case 1, the rest f, and rail A, when arranged to operate as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. The trippers l t', in combination with the bars n and o, when arranged to operate the lever F for releasing the rail A, as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. An automatic railroad switch with the devices for locking and releasing the rails A A', when arranged to operate as described and For the purposes set forth.

GEO. W. STARR.

Witnesses:

WM. S. Ronvsox, JOHN W. RonrNsoN.

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