US724577A - Track-laying machine. - Google Patents

Description

H0 MODEL.

PATENTED APR. 7, 1903.. M. B. HOLMAN & W. L. GOWLEVS.

TRACK LAYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED mm 16; 1902.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ive-724,577. PAIENTED APR,7,1903. M. B. HOLMAN & W. L. (mm-15% TRACK LAYING MAGHINEL APPLICATION FILED JUNE} 16, 1902 NO-MODEL. 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lailnessesz 1 V v No. 724,577.] i (PATENTED APR. 7, 1963.

M. B. HOLMAN & W. L. OOWLES.

TRACK LAYING MACHINE.

APPL-IOATION FILED JUNE 16, 1902. no MODEL. 3 sums smm a I K a? 8 [Uilnesssz M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTHA B. HOLMAN AND WALTER L. COWLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID COWLES ASSIGNOR TOD. F. HOLMAN RAILWAY TRACK-LAYER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TRACK-LAYING 'IMACHIN E.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,577, dated April 7, 1903.

Application filedJune 16, 1902. Serial No. 111,871. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern tween the car-axle and the Windlass on a Be it known that we, MARTHA'B. HQLMAN smaller scale; and Fig. 11 is a side or face and WALTERL.COWLES,citiZenS of theUnited view of the clutch mechanism and Windlass- States, residing at Chic'ago,in the county of drum looking from the right in Fig. 8.

5. Cook and State of Illinois, have invented cer- By advancing the rails with power instead 55 tain new and useful Improvements in Trackof by hand we are enabled to carry the ties Laying Machines, of which the following is a on the forward cars and the rails on the rear full, clear, and exact specification. cars of the'train, thus "making it more con- Our invention refers to devices for laying venient and less laborious for the men adthe track members, such as rails and crossvancing the ties, which isbest accomplished 6o ties of railway-tracks of that class in which by hand, as heretofore, while the labor of adthe ties and rails are carried on cars and advancing the rails involves merely the task of vanced to the front of the train as fast as placing them properly upon the rail-trams at needed along trams ranged along the sides of the rear of the train, whence they are carried I such cars; and one of the important objects forward automatically by the motion of the 65 of our invention is to advance the track memtrain itself. This arrangement of the cars is bers to be used along said trams by power illustrated in Fig. 1, in whichl is the rail-car, derived from the motion of the car or train. and 2 the tie-car, one of each only being illus- With these ends in view our invention contrated, and in front of these cars is arranged 2o sists in certain features of novelty in the cona car 3, which carries the tools, Windlass, and 7c struction, combination, and arrangement of otherimplements, and which car is preferably parts by which the said objects and certain utilized for operating as well as carrying the other objects hereinafter appearing are at- Windlass. tained, all as fully described with reference On one side of the train is arranged a seto the accompanying drawings, and more parries of connected trams 4, which may be of 75 ticularly pointed out in the claims. the usual or of any suitable construction, for

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspecconducting the ties to the forward end of the tive view of a train of cars equipped with our train, while on the opposite side we support improved track-laying device. Fig. 2 isa dein any suitable manner a number of railtail side elevation of one of the rail-trams with trams for conducting the rails 5 to the for- 80 a rail thereon. Fig. 3 is aplan view thereof. ward end of the train, where they are taken Fig. 4. is an enlarged end View thereof, showoff by hand and laid in place across the ties ing the means for supporting the same on the in the usual way. This rail-tram preferably side of the car. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the consists of two side members 6, which are supcontiguous ends of four rails, showing the ported on brackets 7, having shanks 8, se- 85 means for attaching the rails to the advanccured in sockets 9 on the sides of the cars, ing rope or cable. Fig. 6 is a perspective the side members (3 being provided with jourview thereof, showing the rail tongs atnalbearings 10, in which are mounted axles tached to the forward instead of the rear ends or journals 11, each carrying two antifricof the rails. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the tion-rollers 12 13, constituting the parts of 0 device as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enthe rail-trams and serving to support and larged end View of one of the cars which carguide the rails while they are being advanced, ries the Windlass, partly in vertical section, the rollers 12 13 being preferably independshowing the means of attaching the Windlass ent of each other and having end flanges 14L to the axle of the car. Fig. 9 is a vertical for holding the rails against lateral move- 5 sectional view of the windlassand clutch ment, so that two rails may be advanced'simechanism, taken on the line 9 9, Fig. 11, multaneously, if desired, and either of them showing the parts on an enlarged scale. Fig. taken from the final section of the tram inde- 10 is a diagrammatic View in section on the pendently of the other one. line 10 10, Fig. 8, illustrating the relation be- The rails are placed side by side on the mo rail-tram or section of rail-tram supported on the rail car or cars 1 by hand, after which a suitable hook or pair of tongs is attached either to the rear ends, as shown in Fig. 5, or to the forward ends, as shown in Fig. 6, by passing the ends of the hooks through the bolt-holes 16, intended for the bolts which secure the fish-plates 17. The tongs, with the rails attached, are then drawn forward by a suitable rope or cable 18, which is wound upon the drum 19 of any suitable Windlass, whose shaft 20 is journaled in bearings 21 on a bracket 22, supported on the tool-car 3. The inner end of the shaft 20 is provided with any suitable operative connection with one of the axles of the car which carries the windlass, such connection, whatever it be, being of such a character that the rail will be advanced the proper distance by that motion of the car which takes place between the time that one rail is laid and secured in place and the train is moved forward the proper distance for laying another, this distance usually being approximately the length of the rail. The operative connection employed for this purpose preferably consists of a sprocketwheel 23 on the shaft 20 and another sprocket 24 on axle 25, connecting the sprocket 23 by a chain 26, the two sprockets being so proportioned with relation to the size of the drum 19 as to give the rail the aforesaid desired extent of movement when the train is advanced.

\Vhen the forward rail or forward pair of rails has advanced sufficiently to make room for another rail or pair of rails on the first section of the rail-tram-i. e., the one carried by the rail-car nearest the locomotive-another rail or pair of rails is placed upon said tram and secured to the forward rail or pair of rails, preferably by the fish-plates 17, which may be permanently attached .to one of the rails or to one pair of the rails, preferably the rear pair or rail, by the bolts 27, which are to be employed for securing the rails in place when on the ties, and the forward ends of the fish-plates may be temporarily attached to the two forward rails by bolts 27. \Vhen the rails are thus temporarily attached together, considerable space is left between their contiguous ends, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to afford the degree of flexibility necessary for rounding curves and leaving one or more of the bolt-holes free for the insertion of the hooked ends of the tongs 15. When the forward rails are taken from the tram by the workmen, the hooks or tongs 15 are detached and carried back and secured to a pair of rails in the rear, preferably to the rear ends of the next pair, in the manner shown in Fig. 5, so that they may be advanced until they project past the Windlass.

In order that the drum 10 of the Windlass may be rotated backwardly for thus permitting the rope or cable to be carried to the rear, it is provided with clutch connection or any other detachable connection with its shaft 20. As an example of such a device we show the drum 19 mounted loosely upon shaft 20 between two collars 28 and provided on one side with a series of teeth 29, which constitute the driven member of the clutch, and arranged to engage with this driven member is a driving clutch member 30, having corresponding teeth and secured to the shaft 20 by a spline 31, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9,) so as to be compelled to revolve with shaft 20 while capable of sliding longitudinally thereon in the usual manner. This driving clutch member 30 is given this longitudinal movement at the will of the workmen by means of a lever 32, pivoted at 33 to the end of shaft 20 and connected by wrist-pin 34 and link 35 to the driving member 30, so that when the lever 32 is thrown in one direction the driving member 30 of the clutch will be released from the driven member, permitting the drum 19 to run free. The driving member maybe held in this released or disengaged position by a hook or catch 36, secured thereto and adapted to engage with a pin 37 on lever 32, and in order that the lever may not accidentally drop down and disengage the clutch members a second catch 38 is provided on the opposite side for engagement with a pin 39 on the lever.

The twin rollers 12 13 have plain surfaces without flanges at their inner ends, and said inner ends are arranged contiguous to each other with the space between the rollers in the line of their peripheries unobstructed, as better shown in Fig. 4, so that when the hooks 15 are attached to a pair of the rails the tendency of the hooks to draw the rails together will not cause undue friction and wear, as would be the case if flanges were employed between the rollers or if the inner ends of the rollers were supported in a separate support projecting above the line of their peripheries.

It is quite obvious that while it is desirable the rollers of the last or forward tram be double, the others, if desired, may be single, because on them the rails move in unison.

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

1. In a track-laying machine, the combination with a car and a tram supported thereon, of a Windlass carried by said car and comprising a drum, means detachably connecting said drum with the car-axle, whereby the drum may revolve independently of said axle, and means in connection with said drum for advancing objects along said tram, substantially as set forth.

2. In a track-laying machine, the combination with a car of a tram supported thereon, and comprising twin rollers arranged in axial alinement with each other, and revoluble independently, for supporting a plurality of rails simultaneously, the inner ends of said rollers being plain without flanges, and arranged contiguous to each other, and the space between them in the line of their peconnecting saiddrum with the said means, 10 ripheries being unobstructed, substantially substantially as set forth. as set forth. I Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 9th day of 3. In a track-laying machine, the oombina- I June, A. D. 1902. tion with a car and a tram carried thereby, of- MARTHA B. HOLMAN.

a Windlass mounted on said car, means op- WALTER L. COWLES. ei'atively connecting said Windlass with one In presence of ofthe car-wheels, said Windlass comprising a F. A. HOPKINS,

drum and a clutch mechanism for detachably M. ALLSTADT.

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