US795656A - Railway-signal. - Google Patents

Description

No. 795,656. I PATBNTBD JULY 25, 1905. W. B. SMITH. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLIQATION FILED APR. 27.1904.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFIOE.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters fatent.

atented July 25, 1905.

Application iiled April 27, 1904. Serial No. 205,072.

To all wjtmn t may concern.-

Be\it known that L WILLIAM BRINTON SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a' resident of Redlands, inthe countyfof San Bernardino and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates particularly to improvements in signals placed on the cabin or rear car of a train, the object being to provide a signal of novel form and automatically actuated to show approximately the speed at which the train is moving, so that the engineer on a following train may see whether the preceding train is moving fast, medium, or slow and regulate the speed of the following train accordingly, thus avoiding possible accidents.

Other objects of `the invention will appear in the general description.

I will describe a railway-signal embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a car with a signal mechanism embodying my invention thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the signal devices. Fig. 3 is adetail showing the retardingdevice employed, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line m of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a car, extending vertically through which is a shaft 2. This shaft extends through ythe floor of the car, and on its lower end it is provided with a bevel-pinion 3 for engaging with a bevel-gear 4 on thetruck-axle 5. The pinion 3 causes a rotary movement of the shaft 2; but to provide for the up and down swinging motions of the carbody relatively to the truck and to maintain a connection between the gears 3 and 4 the gear 3 is arranged for sliding connection with the shaft. As here shown, it has a pin 5 engaging in a slot 6 in the shaft.

Extended upward from the roof of the car is a post 7, on which a-semaphore 8 is mounted to swing. .The semaphore is connected to a pivot-bolt 9, extended through the post, and connected to this pivot-bolt at the opposite sides of the post and at opposite sides of the lantern 10, supported by a bracket 11 on the post, are plates 12, each having at the upper 'portion a red lens 13 and at the lower portion a green lens 14. These lenses,it is understood, are to be used as night-signals, and the semaphore answers for the day-signal.

Extended downward from the signal devices and as here shown from one of the plates 12 is a rod 15. This rod is movable through an opening in the roof of the car, and its inner or lower end is connected to a lever 16, fulcrumed in a hanger 17, attached to the car-ceiling, and its end opposite the end connecting with the rod 15 is bifurcated to engage in the annular channel of a sleeve 18, mounted to slide on the shaft 2. The upper ends of governor-links 19 are pivoted to the sleeve 18, and at their lower ends the said links 19 are pivoted to the lower links 20, which in turn are crossed and pivoted to the shaft 2, and the lower ends of these links 20 are provided with weight-balls 21.

Between the hanger 17 and the rod 15 a stop or retarding device extends downward from the roof of the car. This device comprises two spaced members 22, the members being provided with a series of opposite plungers 23` the notches in the plungers of one member being opposite the notches of the plungers in the other member, so as to form receptacles for the lever 16 to hold the same temporarily, and consequently hold the signal devices from jumping or swinging movement at certain times. These plungers are held yieldingly by springs 23a, the vpressure of which may be regulated by screws 23h.

Suspended from the roof of the car is al gong 24, and also mounted to swing on a hanger 25 is a striker 26 for the gong. A spring 27 connects the lever of the striker with the roof of the car, and on the end of this lever adjacent to the rod-15 is a projection 28, which is arranged to swing vertically during the upward movement of the rod 15 and the engagement with said projection of a finger 29 on the rod. When the rod moves downward, however, as will be hereinafter described, the finger 29 will engage with the projection 28, forcing the hammer end of the striker upward. Then when the finger 29 has released the projection or passed beyond the same the spring 27 will cause the hammer to strike the gong, thus calling the lagmans attention to the fact that his train is slowing down or is about to stop.`

In the operation the signal devices in the,

position shown in Fig. 1 indicate that the train is either at a standstill or moving very slowly-that is, it will be noted, the semaphore extends out horizontally and the red lens or glass 13 is in front of the lantern. Should the train be at a comparatively slow or medium speed, the rotation of the shaft 2 will cause the balls 21 to move outward and upward, thus drawing the sleeve 18 downward, causing the lever 16 to be forced out of the lowering-notches 23 of the holding device, and the semaphore will be swung downward to an intermediate position and the green lens displayed in front of the lantern. The lever at this time will engage in the second notches of the holding device. Should the train reach its regular or fast speed, the governor will cause the semaphore-arm to be moved downward to a substantially vertical position and the lens-carrying plates will be moved upward above the lantern, which will permit the white light of the lantern to be plainly seen. As I have before stated, however, the

light is not to be used excepting at night,`

when of course the semaphore-arm could not be seen. When 'the semaphore is in its complete lowered position or the white light is shown, it will indicate to the engineer of the following train that he may proceed under full speed; if desired. When the train diminishes its speed or comes to a stop, the gong will be sounded, so that the flagman may make the proper vuse of a signal-flag, as is usual.y

The object of the notches in the plunger 23 is to engage the lever 16 temporarily and hold the semaphore 8 in one of the three positionshorizontal, nearly vertical, or a position onehalf way between-until the governorshall have changed its speed suiciently and exerted enough pressure to force the lever 16 out of the notch in which it is engaged and move the semaphore instantly vto its next position, thus giving the engineer of the following train a definite signal-red, green, or white. Without this device it is evident that the semaphore would slowly and gradually move from the red to clear position and that it is especially needed at nig-ht, so that parts of the red and green or green and white lights should not be displayed at the same'time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. rIhe combination with a railway-car, 'of a signal having swinging relation thereto, a shaft extended vertically through the car and projected through the floor thereof, a gear connection between said shaft and an axle of the car-truck, a governor mounted on said shaft, a lever operated by the governor, a connection between said lever and the signal, and an adjustable retarding device for the lever.

2. The combination with a car, of a post extended upward from the roof thereof, a semaphore having swinging relation to said post, a

lantern supported by the post and at the opposite side from that of the semaphore, plates mounted to swing with the semaphore at opposite sides of said lantern, different-colored lenses in each plate, a'shaft extended vertically through the car, gear connections between said shaft and an axle of the car, a governor mounted on the shaft, operative connections between said governor and the signal devices, and an alarm adapted to be sounded by the movements of said connections.

3. The combination with a car, of a shaft extended vertically through the same, gear connections between the lower end of said shaft and an axle of the car, a governor Amounted on the shaft, a lever having connection with said governor and movable thereby, signal devices above the car and having connection with said lever, and a retarding device comprising opposite spring members between which the lever may pass, the adjacent i or inner sides of said members being provided with opposite notches.

4. The combination with a car, of a signal device supported above the same, means operated from an axle of the car for causing swinging motions ofv the signal, and springyielding means for automatically checking the movements of the signal.

5. The combination with a car, of a signal device arranged above the car, a lever having connection with the signal device, means for moving the lever, and a retarding device for the lever, comprising two spacedl members and opposite notched and spring-pressed plun-I gers in said members.

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

WILLIAM. BRIN ON SMITH.

Witnesses:

J oHN P. Frsx, B. H. J AooBs.

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