US774443A - Automatic railway signaling apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED NOV.- 8, 1904.

c. 'G. MARDOR'P. AUTOMATIGRAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H0 MODEL.

No. 774,443. PATENTED NOV 8, 1904.

C. G. MARDORF. 7 AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1904. N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 774,443. v

UNTTED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT @rrrca.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,443, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed August 26, 1904- Serial No. 222,283. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, (Janis GILMORE MAR- DORF, of Cheswick, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway Signaling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying draw- .ings, forming part of this specificatiom, in which* Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is an' end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a view of one of the parts detached.

Like figures of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures.

My invention relates to automatic signaling apparatus for railways; and the object of the same is to give warning to engineers of locomotives of danger ahead resulting from misplaced or open switches, open drawbridges, or from other cause, in addition to the usual signals employed for such purpose, and there by guard against accident.

Referring to the drawings, 2 2 represent the rails of a railway, and 3 one of the ties thereof. Mounted in brackets 4c, secured to the tie 3, is a shaft 5, having a U-shaped extension or striker 6. The shaft 5 is adapted to be partially rotated either by means of a chain extending from the switch and passing around the wheel 7, mounted on the shaft, or by means of the bevel-wheel 8, also mounted on the shaft and engaging with the bevel-pinion 9, mounted on the light-standard 10, said standard being suitably connected and adapted to be turned by the movement of the switch.

Secured to a shaft 11, pivotally mounted in brackets 11, is a lever 12, having a hook 13 at its upper end, the lever being guided in its swinging movement by the guides 14:, secured to the supports 14:

15 is an air-cylinder connected by pipe 16 with an air-reservoir 17, the pipe 16 having a valve (normally open) in the casing 18 adapted to be closed by a rod 19, extending within reach of the engineer. The piston-rod of the cylinder 15 extends through both ends of the cylinder, as shown, the upper end 20 of the rod being adapted in its upward movement to open a valve in the casing 21, located in the pipe 22, leading from the air-reservoir 17 to an alarm-whistle 23. The lower end 24 of the piston-rod is provided with a pivoted latch or book 25, adapted to take under and engage with the hooked end 13 of the lever 12 when the latter is in its normal or vertical position, thus preventing the piston of the cylinder from moving, due to the pressure from the air-reservoir.

The mounting of the various parts on the locomotive and the manner of securing the same thereto have not been illustrated, as the invention does not reside therein, and it is thought that the illustration of the same would only tend to confusion.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: When the switch is in proper position, the striker 6 will lie in a horizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and out of the path of travel of the lever 12; but should the switch be open the striker will be turned into a vertical position, as indicated by the full lines in both figures, so as to be struck by said lever. When the lever comes in contact with the striker, the lever will be swung to one side, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, by which movement the hooks 13 and 25 will be disengaged from each other. As soon as the end 24 of the piston-rod is thus released the pressure of the air in the cylinder 15, through its connection by the pipe 16 with the reservoir 17, will force the piston of the cylinder upwardly, causing the end 20 of the piston-rod to strike the valvestem of the valve in the casing 21, opening the valve and allowing the air to pass from the reservoir through the pipe 22 and sound the whistle 28. The whistle will continue to blow until the engineer by means of the rod 19 closes the valve in the casing 16, shutting off the pressure from the cylinder 15, when the piston and its rods will drop by gravity and the valve in casing 21 will close and the whistle will cease to sound. Upon'the downward movement of the rod 2A the inclined face 26 of its pivoted end will strike the inclined face 27 of the lever 12 and the latch will be tilted to one side until its hook comes below the hook 13, when the latch will swing under and into operative position with the lever. opened by the engineer, or it may be so connected as to be opened by movement of the parts, and the device is again in operative condition.

28 is a rod depending from the shaft 11 for the purpose of contacting with the striker 6 should the locomotive be running backward or in case the striker should be located on that side of the track.

It is obvious that changes in the form and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, since WV hat I claim is 1. The combination with a cylinder, of a source of fluid-pressure normally in communication therewith, a piston in the cylinder, means operated by the movement of the piston for operating an alarm, and means for holding the piston in an inoperative position against the pressure of the fluid, substantially as described.

2. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination with a cylinder, of a source of fluidpressure normally in communication therewith, a piston in the cylinder, means operated by the movement of the piston for operating an alarm, means for holding the piston in an inoperative position against the pressure of the fluid, and means located along the railway for releasing said piston-holding means, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder, of a source of fluid-pressure normally in communication therewith, a piston in the cylinder,

The valve in the casing 18 is then 1 means operated by the movement of the piston for operating an alarm, means for holding the piston in an inoperative position against the pressure of the fluid, and means for closing communication between said source of fluid-pressure and said cylinder, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a cylinder, of a compressed-air reservoir normally in communication therewith, an alarm-whistle having connection With said air-reservoir, a valve in said connection, and a piston in said cylinder one end of the piston-rod of which is adapted in its movement to open the valve in said connection, the other end of the piston-rod being provided with means by which the piston is normally held in an inoperative posi tion against the pressure of the air in the air reservoir, substantially as described.

5. The combination. with a cylinder, of a compressed-air reservoir normally in communication therewith, an alarm-Whistle, a pipe connecting the whistle and the air-reservoir, a normally closed valve in said pipe, a piston in said cylinder having its piston-rod extending through both ends of the cylinder, one end of the piston-rod being adapted in its movement to open said valve and establish communication between the Whistle and the air-reservoir, and the other end being provided with a pivoted latch, and a pivoted lever normally adapted to engage the latch and prevent the piston-rod from moving, substan tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHRIS GILMORE MARDORF.

Witnesses:

C. S. HUNTING, J. T. BRUNN.

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