US760737A - Safety-clamp for rails. - Google Patents

Description

No. 760,737. I I

; 1m MODEL.

' PATBNTED MAY 24, 1904.

12a; HARLEMAN.

SAFETY GLAMBFOR RAILS.

APPLIOATIOR Mum MAR. 28'. 1904.

' UNITED. STATES I allwhowi, it may concern.-

H jindicating a block system of railwaysignals I Patented May 24, 190 1 THOMAS J. HARLEMAN, 0F PAGKERTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-CLAMP oe RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 760,737, datedMay 24, 1904. .x timsm filcdlfviarch 28,1904. 's lriniiazoosao. (No model.)

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HARLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Packerton, Oarbon' county, State of Pennsyl Vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Clamps for Rails, of

which'the following is a specification;

Myinvention relates to portable safety rail connectors orclamps, and it has for its object to provide a simple, cheap, and efficientdevice whereby the rails of a railway-track can be quickly and effectively electrically con.- nccted, so as to cause the operation of the safety signal devices; and to these ends my 'invention consists in a portable connector embodying the general features of construction 7 and. arrangement of parts and adapted for use in the manner and accomplishing the results substantially as hereinafter more particularly 'set forth.

v Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein I have 'lllustrateda preferred embodiment of my lnventlomFlgure 1 1s adiagram v0f any desired construction and arrangement and showing one manner of usingv the inven:

, of clamps I tion. Fig. 2, is aside view of a portable safety-clamp applied to the rails. Fig; 3 is a plan View thereof, and Fig. 4 is van enlarged perspectiveview showing the preferred form A great many railroads have equipped their lines with what are generally known as automatic signals, where, among other things, the signals are automatically operated by a passing train, which train forms a part of an electric circuit controlling the vmovements of the signals, It is unnecessary to attempt here to describe the many and various signaling systems in use; but many, if not most of them,

embodywhat is known" as the block system, in which the track is connected to form blocks or sections in Which the rails are a part of the electric circuit controlling the signals, so that the signals are either automatically operated by the train or their manual operation is prevented while the train is in anyparticular block or section. While these systems are very effective, still they are liable to fail to "operate and do not accomplish signals will be properly operated.- a

While at their Work.

the desired results in allconditions; and-it is the object of mypresentinvention towprovide a device which can be used inconjunction with such signal systems and which will tend to insure their operation as Well as to supply deficiencies in them usual arrangements, so

that 1n cases of emergency and otherwise the It is unneces'saryto set forth all the conditions under .which my improved safety connector or. clamp is effective; but to illustrate it may be assumedthat for some reason a train has stopped shortly after it has entered a block, and it'is usual to send a fiagman to signal to protect the rear of the train, and

by attachingthis clamp to the adjacent end of the next block to the rear the danger-signals-will be immediately set to control that a block and possibly the block before it and the clamp to said track and instantly operate the signals to indicate danger and protect-the train. So, too, roadmen working on the track can connect the rails, and thereby protect the coming train, as well as protectth'emselves These instances show to those skilled in the art the general application andutility of my present invention, and I will now proceed to describe the preferred construction and embodiment thereof.

The portable safety connector or clamp comprises a bar or. body portion A, which is adapted to extend practically between the rails of a track or way, and this body portion is provided with some suitable means "at each end by which it can be quickly connected or attached to the rails in a substantial manner,

so as tofurnish a good electrical connection therewith, and while the form and details of construction of the clamp may vary I have shown a simple and effective form comprising a fixed jaw B and a movable jaw C and adjusting devices D for operating the jaws. The body portion may also be provided with a handle, as a, or other means by which it can be readily manipulated.

It is desirable, of course, to get good electrical connection between the rails, and as the tops of the rails are usually in a bright clean condition it is desirable to make contact with the rails at their top surfaces, as well as other portions, and so the jaws B are preferably of such a shape and construction as to rest on the top'of the rails, and the movablejaws are arranged to engage some other portion of the rail and clampor secure the connector in position. The body of the connector may be of conducting material or, preferably, may be of non-conducting material, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the jaws B B are connected electrically,

as by a conductor E, and this conductor is ex' tended'so as to form a good contact-surface with the rails and may be secured to the under side of the jaws B, as indicated at 6, this portion of the conductor of course being bare, while the body of the conductor may be insulated. Thus in the present instance the jaws C are pivotally connected to the body portion at the point 0 and are so shaped as to engage the under portion of the head of the rail, and there is arod or pin cipassing through the movable jaw and the stationary jaw and provided with a cam-shaped head d, and there may be an operating-handle, as (P, extending through the head. i It will be seen that with this construction the jaws can be quickly opened or closed by simply turning the head a portion of a circle, and the connector can be quickly and securely clamped to the adjacent rails. It is evident that other equivalent clamping means may be used; but that illustrated has proven to be effective. and satisfactory, and the whole apparatus is light and portable and can readily be manipulated and produce the desired effects.

In Fig. 1 I have indicateddiagrammatically some sort of a signaling device, but have not attempted to show the circuits and particular operating mechanism, as these will vary according to the character of the system used, and it is only necessary to say that when the clamp or connector is placed in position between the rails, as indicated at w, the circuits of the signal or signals YY' will be controlled or operated, so that the signals will be placed or held in danger or caution position, and thereby protect the portion of the track to which the connector is applied in the manner well understood.

The body portion, as above indicated, may be provided with a handle, as (1 and this handle may be used as a socket for a fiagstalf with flag attached or for a support for a lantern or other signal device in the night-time, and by this means an additional signal or safeguard is added in connection with the use of the device.

Having thus described the general features of construction and indicated the mode of operation of my device, what I claim is- 1. A portable safety rail-connector adapted to electrically connect the rails, comprising a body portion provided with clamps adapted to engage the rails, substantially as described.

2. A portable safety rail-connector adapted to electrically connect the rails, comprising a rigid body portion provided with jaws at its ends, and adjusting devices for operating the jaws and securing them to the heads of the rails, substantially as described.

3. A portable safety rail-connector adapted to electrically connect the rails, comprising a body portion having jaws at its ends, means for adjusting the jaws to clamp the heads of the rails, and a conductor connecting the jaws, substantially as described.

4. A portable safety rail-connector adapted to electrically connect the rails, comprising a body portion having jaws at its ends, means for adjusting the jaws to clamp the heads of the rails, and a conductor connecting the jaws having exposed portions arranged on the bearing sides of the jaws, substantially as described.

5. A portable safety rail-connector adapted to electrically connect the rails, comprising a bar having fixed jaws at its ends, movable jaws pivotally connected at its ends, pins passing through the jaws, cam-shaped heads on the pins, and a conductor having exposed portions on the under side of the fixed jaws, substantially as described. P

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS J. HARLEMAN.

Witnesses:

IsAAc MoKEEveR, WURZEL SCHNEIDER.

Images