US709111A

US709111A - Automatic railway-switch-operating mechanism.

Info

Publication number: US709111A
Application number: US8826402A
Authority: US
Inventors: La Fayette Pierce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1902-01-03
Filing date: 1902-01-03
Publication date: 1902-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 1919-09-16

Description

N0. 709,lll.

Patented Sept. 16. I902." LA FAYETTE PIERCE. AUTOMATIC RAlLWAV SWITCH OPERATlNG MECHANISM.

- (Application filed Jan. 3, 1902.)

3 Sheets-Shea: I.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. I6, I902.

LA FAYETTE PIERCE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Jan. 3, 1902.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

jraz/avzi-ar Lafqggezib H6706 m: cams PETERS ca, PHoraumQ. WASNINGTON. my a No. 709,|||. Patented Sept; I6. I902. LA FAYETTE PIERCE. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

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M d 0 I. o I

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

LA FAYETTE PIERCE, OF MOUNDSVILLE, MISSOURI.

AuToMATm RAILWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,111, dated September 16, 1902. Application filed January 3, 1902. Serial No. 88,264. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, LA FAYETTE PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moundsville, in the county of Vernon and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway-Switch-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic railwayswitch-operating mechanisms, and more especially to that class whereby an instrumentality attached to a moving car shall open or close the switch, according to the direction of travel.

My object is to produce a mechanism of this character which throws the switch efficiently and reliably and looks it in its closed or open position against accidental movement.

A further object is to produce a mechanism of this character which is simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of construction and which can be applied easily, quickly, and at small expense to any of the ordinary railwayswitches now in use.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed,.and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-switch as equipped with operating mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of a part of the same. Fig. 3 is an end View of a car as equipped with in'strumentali ties for operating the switch, said figure also showing part of said mechanism in vertical section. Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the plate for limiting the movement of the switchoperating mechanism. Fig. 6 is a side view of the car shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures, 1 2 designate the rails of the main track, the rail 2 embracing a movable portion or switch-rail 3 of the usual type, the point of said rail being limited as to movement in one direction by contact with the outer side-track rail 4:. The inner side-track rail is composed of the stationary portion 5, parallel with portion 4, and the switch-rail 6, parallel with rail 3 and adapted at times to bear against the inner side of rail 1. Rails 3 and 6 are connected rigidly together by the cross-bar 7, underlying said rails and

rails

1 and 4 and provided with a foot plate 8, embracing tightly the inner flan go of switch-rail 6, and with a clamping-bolt 9, embracing the flange of switch-rail 3, and pivotally secured upon bolt 9, at the inner side of cross-bar 7, is a link 10, said relation of parts being secured by the retaining-nut 11 engaging bolt 9 below link 10. The outer end of the link is pivotally connected by pin 12 with a double sprocket-wheel, the same comprising the upper section 13 and lower section 14., journaled and secured upon the cylindrical upper end 16 of the rigid shaft 15. De-

pending rigidly from said double sprocketwheel is a pin 17, adapted to limit the movement of the sprocket-wheel in either direction to a little more than a half-revolution by contact with

shoulder

19 or 20 of stop-plate '18, preferably mounted upon said standard, as shown. The objectin having this movement slightly exceed a half-revolution is to throw the pivot-pin 12 slightly beyond the plane of alinement occupied by bolt 9 and the axis of said wheel, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 1. In said figure it will be noticed that link 10 is slightly out of alinementwith cross-bar 7 with the switch closed, so that the tendency of the switch to spring open and-permit trains passing in the direction indicated by the arrow a, Fig. 1, from the main line to the side track shall be prevented, because such tendency is to rotate the double sprocket-wheel in the direction indicated by the arrow 1), which movement cannot continue, because the pin 17 is arrested by the shoulder 19 of the stop-plate. On the other hand, when the switch is opened that is, occupies the position shown in dotted lines-in order that a train may pass from the main to the side track, or vice versa, it is obvious that the switch cannot be closed, because the tendency is to rotate the double sprocket-wheel in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow Z) and against the immovable shoulder 20 of the stop-plate, which shoulder being beyond the plane of alinement of pivot-bolt 9 and the axis of the sprocket-wheel, like shoulder 19, provides a positive lock against accidental movement of the switch, as will be readily understood.

At the outer side of rails 2 and 4and at opposite ends of the switch are located, respectively, slotted ways 21 and 22, which being of identical construction will be covered by a single description, as follows: The way is composed of two parallel bars 23, having their inner edges diverging at their ends, as at 24, so as to provide flaring mouths for the way. Between way 21 and rail 2 is a sprocketwheel 25, journaled on a suitable standard 26 and connected by acrossed flexible connection with sprocket-wheel member 13, said crossed connection comprising a sprocketchain section 27 engaging sprocket wheel member 13, a sprocket-chain section 28 engaging sprocket-wheel 25, and flexible rods or wires 29 connecting the ends of one sprocketchain section with the ends of the other, a turnbuckle 30 being mounted on each connection, so as to take up slack and keep the connection between the sprockets taut.

Secured rigidly yet adjustably, as by the pin-and-slot connection 31, to the sprocketwheel 25 are a pair of parallel levers 32 33, having their outer ends bent outwardly, as at 34, so as to provide a flaring month between them for a purpose which hereinafter appears. These levers occupy about the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of way 21 and in operation are swung from the position shown in full to the position shown in dotted lines, adistance slightly exceedinga quarterrevolution, owing to the fact that the movement imparted to the double sprocketwheel by wheel 25 slightly exceeds a half-revolution. The levers 32 33 are adjustable, so that in case of any change in the relative position between the ways and lovers the latter may be readjusted in order that the inner or inoperative one-viz., 33 in Fig. 2shall not project beyond the inner side of the inner bar 23 of the way and therefore interfere with the introduction therein of theinstrumentality carried by the car when the latter is travcling in the direction indicated by the arrow (t, Fig. 1, and in this connection it will be understood, owing to the quadrant curve of lever 33 forming one side of the flaring mouth of said levers, that should such instrumentality strike said inner lever nothing will be broken, because the lever will yield inwardly.

Located between the Way 22 and rail 4 is a sprocket-wheel 35 of precisely the same construction and arrangement as wheel 25 and provided likewise with a similar pair of adjustable levers to operate over way 22 and project toward the outer or inner end of the same, accordingly as the first-named levers project toward the outer or inner end of way 21. This sprocket-Wheel 35 is connected to double sprocket-wheel member 14 by a conneotion 36 of precisely the same construction as that which connects sprocket-wheel. 25 and section 13, except that the connection 36 is not a crossed connection.

Referring now to Fig. 3, 37 designates a car of any preferred type and provided at diagonally opposite corners of its ends with vertical shafts 38, suitably journaled and provided at their upper ends with handles 39, whereby the engineer or brakeman can operate them, a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism (not shown, because old and in common use for analogous purposes) being utilized to lock the shaft at the desired point of adjustment. Secured upon the lower ends of said shafts are bevel-gears 40,meshing with similar bevelgears 41 on short shafts 42, journaled in bearing-brackets 43, depending from the car, said shafts being provided with crank-arms 44, which normally are held in a horizontal or inoperative position.

In the practical operation of the mechanism it will be apparent that a car traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow a on the main track may continue on such track or pass onto the side track, at the will of the person in control. If it is desired to follow the latter course, the person in charge causes the crank-arm at the right-hand side of the car to assume and be locked in a verticallypendent position, in which position it enters the flaring mouth of way 21 and strikes the outermost leverviz., the lever 32which intersects the way. This lever, together with the connected parts, is swung from the positionshown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, at which time the switch is open and the lever 33 normally inward of the way is bridging the same and ready for operation by a train proceeding in the opposite direction. The corresponding levers at the opposite side of the switch are at the same time disposed toward the train, which has been switched upon the side track in order that said crank-arm may on entering the way 22 strike the outermost or intersecting lever and by the time it assumes the position shown in full lines effect the complete and reliable closure of the switch. The switch being closed, a train passing from the side to the main track will strike lever 32 of sprocket-wheel 35 and after throwing it to the position shownin dotted lines, Fig. 1, will open the switch, so that the train can pass onto the main track, after which it will engage lever 33, intersecting the way 21, (see dotted lines,) and after swinging it to the position shown in full lines effect the closure of the switch. It will thus be seen that the passage of atrain from the main to the side track or from the side track to the main track will automatically result in leaving the switch closed, and thereby guard against possibility of accident.

It is to be understood, of course, that this switch mechanism may be employed also to operate street-railway switches and that the distance between the double sprocket-wheel and sprocket-wheels 25 and 35 may be varied according to the particular cireumstancesthat is to say, the Wire portions 29 of said connections may be of any desired lengthit being obviously unnecessary to provide chains of any greater length proportionately than those herein shown. I

It will be apparent that the mechanism for operating the switch will serve equally as well for operating signals of any type.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an automatic tracks, and a switch operatingin conjunction therewith of a wheel, a link pivotally connecting said wheel with said switch,train-operated means for rotating said wheel, a stop-plate having shoulders and a pin depending from said wheel and adapted to engage said shoulders alternately and when so engaged to occupy a position out of the vertical plane occupied by the axis of the wheel to the pivotal point of connection of the link with the switch.

2. In anautomatic railwayswitch-operating mechanism, the combination of main and side tracks, and a switch operating in conjunction therewith, of a wheel, a link pivotally connecting saidwheel with said switch, wheels geared to the first-named wheel by flexible connections, one of said connections being a crossed connection, parallel levers secured to each wheel, ways parallel with ,the main and side,

tracks and each intersected by one of its levers or the other accordingly as the switch is opened or closed, an adjustable train-carried arm for passing successively through said Ways,and operating said levers, causing the first one to open and the second one to close the switch, and means to limit the movement of the first-mentioned wheel to slightly more than a half-revolution, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic railway-switch-operating mechanism, the combination of main and side tracks, and a switch operating in conjunction therewith, of a sprocket-wheel, a link pivotally connecting said wheel with said switch, sprocket-wheels at opposite ends of the switch,

a crossed and flexible connection connecting the first-named wheel and the sprocket-wheel at the main-track. end of the switch, an endless connection between the first-named wheel and the other sprocket-wheel, said connections each consisting of chain-sections engaging the wheels, and wires or flexiblerods connecting the chain-sections and provided with turnbuckles for tensioning the same, parallel levers secured to each wheel and having outwardly-curved and flaring ends, ways parallel with the main and side tracks and each intersected by one of its levers or the other accordingly, as the switch is open or closed,