US768171A - Continuous-railway-crossing frog. - Google Patents

Description

No. 768,171. I PATBNTED AUG.23,19O4.

' W. H. H. ELLIOT. CONTINUOUS RAILWAY CROSSING FROG.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 231903. N0 MODELF l 2 SHEETS--SHEBT l.

. No. 768,171. r. IDAILNTLD AUG. 23, 190A. y W. H. II. ELLIOT.

CONTINUOUS RAILWAY CROSSING FROG.

APPLIOATION :FILED NOV. 23. 1903.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

*UNITED STATES Patented August 23,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CONTINUOUS-RAILWAY-CROSSING FROG..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 768,171, dated August 23, 1904. Appiicanon med November 23,1903. semi No. 182,253. (No moda.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. ELLIOT, a citizen of the United States, residing in East St. Louis, in the county ofA St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Railway Crossing Frogs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference be; ing had to the accompanying drawings,form ing part of this specification.

My invention relates to a railroad-crossingl frog for use in the crossings of steam or street railroads, the object of the invention being to furnish a crossing that is continuous in a manner to avoid the presence ofA gaps at the junction of the crossing-rails, thereby overcoming the jarring and pounding action such as now exists in railroad-crossings, thereby relieving the railway equipment from strain and adding to the comfort of the traveling public. By my continuous construction I furthermore furnish a wheel-.fiangcway that is protected from the ingress of snow, sleet, and other foreign substances.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a plan view of one of my frogs. Fig. II is a top view of the frog bed-plate. Fig. III is acrosssection taken on line III III, Fig. I. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on line IV IV, Fig. I. Fig. V is a horizontal section through the frog. Figs. VI and VII are perspective views of the two wingrails and thrust-rail sections of a frog. Fig. VIII is a perspective view of the end of one of the running-rails leading to the frog.

1 designates the bed-plate on which my frog is supported, there being one of these plates beneath each of the four frogs used in a railroad-crossing. In the bed-plate are vertical slots 2, that are arranged in lines parallel with each other and preferably located near the corners of said plate, as seen in Figs. I and II. j 'f 3 designatesrunning-rails that approach each other and the'ends of which are slotted at a junction 4. These running-rails are l-mounted uponthe bed-plate 1, .to which they are secured by rivets, means.

5 designates running-rails leading onto and secured to the bed-plate 1 in lines respectively parallel with the running-rails. These running# rails 5 terminate at points 6, remote bolts, or other suitable from the junction of the running-.rails 3, sol as'to'furnish a space between the junction of the rails 3 and the facing ends of the rails 5,

7 designates'wing-rails movably mounted on the bed-plate 1 and each having an arm 8 extending in line with and in juxtaposition to the running-rails 8, as seen most clearly vin Fig. iI. The arms 8 terminate in outturned ends 9, projecting away from therunning'- rails 3 to thereby furnish throats 10 between said running-rails and arms into `which the flanges of car-wheels may enter to bear against the inside faces of said wing-rail arms. Each wing-rail also has an arm 11 projecting at an angle from the arm `8 and lextending to the ends of the running-rails 5 to in such position serve as a tread for the car-wheels during their travel from one of the running-rails 3 to one of. the'running-rails 5, or vice versa.

12 designates thrust-rails that are spliced to the wing-rails 7 and occupy positions adjacent to the wing-rail arms 11 and the ends of the running-rails 5. These thrust-rails have outwardly-turned ends 13, that project away from the running-rails 5 to furnish throats 14 between said members, into which the car-wheel lianges may enter to exert pressure against the inside faces of the thrust-rails to move them in the manner hereinafter explained.

15 designates guide-rollers positioned in the slots 2 (see Fig. III) in the bed-plate l to operate therein, the said rollers being secured to the wing-rail arms 8 and the thrust-rails 12 by screws or pins 16, that pass through the rollers and enter said members above' them.

The ends of the wing-rail arms 11 and the facing ends of the running-rails 5 are tapered,

as seen at 17, Figs. Iand V, to secure a close yiit of said members when the wing-rails are y in their inward positions, thereby avoiding the presence of any gap between said mein-A bers. These members are also mitered at 11 for yieldingly holding said wing-rails to said and (see Figs. VI to VIII, inclusive,) so that they will overlap at the treads of the rails.

18 designates spring-boxes carried by the wing-rails '7 and extending horizontally from the angle at the junction of the wing-rail arms 8 and 11. In these spring-boxes are springs 19.

2() designates posts surmounting the bedplate 1 and arranged to receive the springboxes 18, which are adapted for sliding movement thereon, that is permitted by the boxes being provided with a slot 18 at their bottoms, as seen in Fig. IV.

21 designates guide-rods loosely seated in the posts 2O and passing longitudinally through the spring-boxes 18, into the inner ends'of which the rods are seated. These guide-rods bear the springs 19, which restbetween the inner ends of the spring-boxes and the posts 20.

The operation of my frog in practical use is as follows: When the parts of the crossing are at rest, the movable members thereof occupy the positions illustrated in the drawings, thereby furnishing a continuous treadway across the frog over either of the crossingtracks. When a car-wheel approaches the frog on either of the running- rails 3 or 5, the ange of the wheel, according to the direction in which the wheel is traveling, enters either into the throat 10 at the outturned wing-rail arm 8 or the throat 14 at the outturned end of the thrust-rail 12, to which the wheel-flange travels. As a consequence the wheel-flange exerts pressure against the inside face of the wing-rail or thrust-rail and forces the member away from the adjacent other members of the frog against the action of the corresponding pressure-spring 19 without affecting the other wing-rail or thrust-rail, thereby affording a continuous unbroken tread either from a running-rail 3 to a running-rail 5, or vice versa, across the unmoved arm 11 of the wing-rail that remains stationary. The wheel-flange then travels through the space aorded by the movement of the wing-rail and thrust-rail, engaged thereby and shifted laterally, so that the car-wheel will pass steadily and without jar across the frog. As soon as the wheels of the car have passed over the frogs of the crossing the shifted wing-rails and thrust-rails are returned to their normal positions under the action of the springs 19, they being guided in both their outward and inward movements by the guide-rollers 15, operating in the bedplate 1, and the spring-boxes 18, carried by the wing-rails and moving longitudinally on the posts 20.

I claim as my inventionA 1. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, of movable wing-rails located at the junction of said running-rails and free of connection therewith, and means i l l running-rails, substantially as set forth.

2. In a ra-ilrozul-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, of sjjning-presscd wing-rails and free of connection to said running-rails and movably positioned adjacent to said runningrails to provide a continuous treadway between the running-rails, substantially as set forth.

3. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, of movable wing-rails and free of connection to said runing-rails and each having an arm positioned alongside ol one of the running-rails, and an arm extending in line with another running-rail, and means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails to said running-rails, substantially as set forth.

1. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, of movablowing-rails located adjacent to said running-rails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails to said running-rails, and thrust-rails connected to said wing-rails, substantially as set forth.

5. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails, of movable wing-rails located adjacent to said ruiming-rails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails to said running-rails, and thrust-rails connected to said wing-rails; each of said wing-rails and thrust-rails having an outturned end to furnish a wheel-llange-receiving throat, substantially as set forth.

6. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with running-rails and free of connection therewith, of wing-rails arranged adjacent to said running-rails, spring-boxes carried by said wing-rails, springs in said boxes, and posts on which said spring-boxes travel, substantially as set forth.

7. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination with a pair of running-rails, of a second pair of running-rails separated from the iirstnamed pair and spring-pressed wing-rails having arms lying alongside of the lirst-named running-rails and free of connection thorewith, said wing-rails having arms extending in line with said second-named running-rails to abut thereagainst, substantially as set forth.

8. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate, running-rails mounted on said bed-plate, movable wing-rails mounted on said bed-plate adjacent to said running-rails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails, and means for guiding the wing-rails, substantially as set forth.

9. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate, ruiming-rails mounted on said bed-plate, movable wing-rails mounted on said bed-plate adjacent to said runningsrails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said wing-rails, and guide- IOO rollers carried by said Wing-rails and operating V in said bed-plate, substantially as set forth. l0. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate, running-rails mountedV on said bed plate, wing-rails mounted on said leed-plate 'adjacent to said running-rails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldinglyI holding said Wing-rails, thrust-rails connected to said Wing-rails., and means for guiding said Wing-rails and thrust-rails inV their movement, substantially as set forth.

11. In a railroad-crossing frog, the combination of a bed-plate, running-rails mounted on said bed-plate, Wing-rails mounted on said bed` plate adjacent to said running-rails and free of connection therewith, means for yieldingly holding said Wing-rails, thrust-rails connected to said Wing-rails, and guide-rollers carried by said Wing-rails and thrust-rails and operating in said bed-plate, substantially as set forth.v

WILLIAM H. H. ELLIOT. In presence ofy NELLIE V. ALEXANDER,

E. S. KNIGHT.

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