US807544A - Railway-gate. - Google Patents

Description

No. 807,544. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

' J. H. ELWARD.

RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1903.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

b HUT/VESSES N0- 807,544. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905 J. H. ELWARD.

RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.17, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. 5 Ex. a MM" .71 Ziawzey YVZZWESSEJ ma/ x UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed January 17, 1903. Serial No. 139,450.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. ELWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hutchinson, in the county of Reno and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Gates. of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side view, more or less conventional, illustrating a part of a railwaytrack system provided with mechanism and devices for the automatic actuating of crossing-gates when constructed and arranged in accordance with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the same, also more or less conventional. showing the parts of the system referred to and portions being broken away. Fig. 3 is a plan View, on a still larger scale, of the parts of the railway-track at and adjacent to the crossing and some of the parts ,of the automatic gate-actuating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of the gate-actuating mechanism on a still larger scale. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate details.

In the drawings I have shown a portion of a railway-track system having the ordinary rails at a, and for convenience shall herein refer to the different sections of the track by the letters A, A, A A and A.

The improvements can be applied to a railway either where a single track of two rails is employed or where double tracks are provided, and for the sake of illustration I have selected a track construction with two sets of rails.

The crossing as a whole is indicated by B, this being in the line of a roadwayas, for instance, of one such as is indicated by Z). Approach to and crossing of the railwaytracks is permitted or prevented, as the case may be, by means of the gates at C C. These are pivoted to posts, uprights, or suitable frames of any preferred sort, such as those indicated at D, the axes of the gates being shown at d. These gates are connected by any suitable power-transmitting device capable of accomplishing the purposes intended. That shown consists of a rock-shaft E, mounted below the trackrails and transversely thereto and preferably at or below the surface of the ground. If the latter location is selected, this shaft can be inclosed in any suitable boxing or housing. It is formed or provided with cranks e, which, by means of links F, are connected to the short arms 0 0 of the gates. The end parts of each gate can be counterbalanced with respect to each other, weights such as shown at Gr being, if neces-' vertical position shown by dotted lines at X in Fig. i to the position shown at Y in full lines through the intermediate positions, such as indicated by the dotted lines at Z, and vice versa.

The downward and upward movements of the gates are eflected simultaneously by the following devices: H is a rock-shaft which is connected rigidly to one of the gates, it being illustrated as situated at the axis of the gate C. It has a crank or lever arm I, to which power can be applied for the swinging of the gate. The power for accomplishing this is derived from a weight J, which is suspended from a pulley or sheave at j by means of the rope K, the latter extending down to the winding-drurn L on the shaft L in line with the shaft L these shafts being supported in suitable framework at Z. The shaft L has a ratchet Z, and the winding-drum has a pawl Z drawn out of engagement with the escape' ment-wheel or stop-wheel the weight at J is free to descend, and it causes the rotation of the worm L which in turn rotates the wormwheel M through such a distance as is permitted by the stop mechanism. P is a powertransmitter, here of the form of a link, interposed between the shaft m and the above-described crank-arm I, connected to the gates, said link in this case being preferably pivoted at one end at p to the escapement or stop wheel a and at the other end to said crank I.

When the stop-wheel is released and the power devices are at work, they cause the gate 0 (and through that and the intermediate transmitter the gate C) to move from the horizontal to the vertical, or vice versa. When the parts are in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4: and if the dog 0 should be withdrawn, the power devices at once start the gate in an upward motion from the position at Y to the position at X, the pivot-point p of the thrust-link P traveling to its diametrically opposite position around the axis of wheel N. When the next tripping action occurs, the power devices cause the link P to travel again to the position shown in full lines, and this brings downward the gates.

The dog or pawl O is moved out of its operative position by means of a draft link, cord, chain, or equivalent Q. Its upward movement is caused by means of one or the other of the two draft systems (here indicated as entireties by R R.) Each comprises a series of wires, rods, cords, chains, or equivalents, as shown at 7" 1*. .They are supported at points elevated above the ground far enough to avoid all interference from snow, water, earth, rocks, or any of the impediments ordinarily experienced with gate-operating devices when placed near the surface of the ground, such support being provided by means of poles or masts S, carried to a considerable distance above the earth. I utilize where it is pracemployed at the extremity of the draft system and supported upon one of the poles S. The intermediate poles sustain the central portions of the draft-lines and are preferably provided with rollers, such as o To prevent the access of snow, water, and the like to the levers or equivalents at r r and to the .rollers 1*, I employ housing-caps or sheltering devices S'.

The vertical part 4" of the draft system terminates in a vibrating bar T. It is secured to the end of a rock-shaft T, which is mounted on a line below the tracks and at or below the surface of the ground. It is placed at a suitable distance from the crossing--say onequarter to one-half of a mile. It is adapted or' provided with devices which are adapted to receive motion from a passing locomotive able form; but I prefer one similar to thatillustrated, it being a rotary disk mounted loosely upon the crank at t, with the upper part of its periphery projecting to a suitable horizontal line above the ground-surface and somewhat above the plane of the rail-treads. The companion element is secured to the locomotive, being indicated at V, preferably attached to the cow-catcher. As shown, it is a rounded or convex contact-piece, held by the vehicle in the vertical plane of the contact U.

When the engine reaches the trip mechanism, the contact V impinges upon the upper part of the periphery of the loose contact U, and the latter readily depresses the crank tof the shaft T, breakage being avoided by having the contact U rotate freely in the way described. The great weight of the passing vehicle enables me to transmit to the vertical part r of the draft system a powerful strain, even though the vertical movement of the contact parts is but slight, and this reduced movement I can multiply by constructing the translating device at Will the way illustrated that is, having the initial arm thereof short and the transmitting-arm much longer, this resulting in givinga long pull to the horizontal part r of the draft-line and positively insuring that the locking-dog at O shall be sufficiently elevated to release the stop or escapement device.

By placing the locomotive-trip at a great distance from the crossing I insure a slow but positive action of the power devices upon the gate, the worm-gear controlling the descent of the gates with efliciency and providing for gradual movements of the same.

The position of the engine is shown by dotted lines at X, Fig. 4:, while it is on the tracksection A just prior to its reaching the contact-line and prior to the descent of the gate from its dotted vertical position, and one of its positions when moving over the track-sections A A A is shown by the full lines at Y in Fig. 4:, this being when the gates are down, as in full lines in said figure. When it reaches the other limit of the system, it comes into contact with the trip device at U, which through the draft devices (indicated by R) causes the dog 0 to be again lifted from the stop-wheel, and another half-revolution of the power-shaft m takes place, which elevates the gates and opens the crossing.

It will be seen that the two draft systems are duplicates of each other, each acting to cause similar release movements of the dog 0, and therefore the gate closing and'opening apparatus is actuated in the same manner in whichever direction the train may be moving upon the track, and it will be seen that by elongating the rock-shafts T sufficiently the same results can be attained from a train moving in either direction along either of two or several tracks. Thus in Fig. 1 the train moving in the direction indicated from the track-section A? over those at A A A, and A will first cause the trip mechanism to permit the gates to drop and, vice versa, will finally cause it to permit the lifting of the gates.

Of course it will be understood that in many respects there can be modification of and variations from the details which I have employed for illustration and description, and parts may be added thereto, as housings or protecting boXings or casings. Thus the shafts at E and T, with their various crank-arms, may be inclosed so as to shield them from contact with foreign bodies that would interfere with their movements. If such boxings or housings are employed, the contact disks or wheels U U may be allowed to extend upward through suitable openings to permit contact with the corresponding parts on the engines or cars. Each engine or vehicle may be provided with two of the moving contacts V, one upon each side, so that in case the stationary contact-rollers U U are each placed at the same side of its track, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it can be struck by a traveling contact in whichever direction the engine is moving.

In order to insure that after the lock-dog O has been drawn up by the action of the contacts at U U it shall not drop again in front of the stop or shoulder on the wheel N, I combine with these parts suitable means to avoid this. As shown, they consist of a bolt or sliding block and a spring, as shown at O 0. When the lock or dog 0 is in its active position, it tends to press the sliding block 0 backward until it (the dog) rests against the solid shoulders on the wheel, the spring 0 at such times being under compression; but as soon as the lock or dog 0 is lifted by the action of a train in the way above described the spring shoots-the block or bolt 0' forward, and when the lock-dog drops its end falls upon the top surface of the bolt, which guides it to the periphery of the wheel. Hence in case the inertia of the motor is not overcome quickly v enough by the weight to start the wheel N forward during the time of the rising and the dropping of the lock-dog the bolt 0 insures that the requisite half-revolution of the motor parts shall be made, even though the lock-dog quickly drops. It will be seen that the two parts of the draft systemR and R are duplicates one of the other, and consequently each of the vehicle-actuated contacts at U and U is capable of both releasing the motor-lock to permit the motor to move the gates downward and also of releasing the motor-lock to permit the motor to lift the gates upward.

The rock-shaft E and the series of levers connecting it to the gates provide a simple and positive means for transmitting power from the gate directly connected to the power mechanism to the gate on the opposite side of the crossing.

I am aware of the fact that means for transmitting power for raising and lowering railon either side of the crossing and arranged to swing together about horizontal axes, the rock-shaft H secured to one of said gates, the weight, the motor interposed between the said rock-shaft and the said weight, comprising a longitudinally-arranged driving-shaft, a transversely-arranged shaft, a reel loosely mounted on the driving-shaft, a ratchet-and-pawl mechanism interposed between the said shaft and the said reel, worm-gearing connecting the said shafts, an escapement-wheel on one of said shafts, and a crank operated by said escapement-wheel and connected to said rockshaft H, the stop for the motor, adapted to engage the said escapement-wheel, and the two vehicle-actuated contacts for releasing the stop both situated at distances from the crossing.

2. Inamechanism for controllinga railwaycrossing, the combination of the movable gate, the motor, the power-transmitting devices between the motor and the gate, and the locking device for the motor comprising a dog and a yielding engaging element for the dog on the motor, and means for releasing the dog, substantially as set forth.

3. In a gate-operating mechanism, the combination of the gate, the motor, the powertransmitting devices between the gate and the motor, the lock for the motor comprising a dog and a wheel having slots in its periphery with yielding engaging shoulders seated in said slots and adapted to be engaged by said dog to prevent its reengagement therewith after its release therefrom until the wheel has moved a predetermined distance, substantially as set forth.

4. In a gate-operating mechanism, the combination of the gate, the motor, the powertransmitting devices between the gate and the motor, a wheel on the motor having peripheral slots and yielding shoulders adapted to move longitudinally therein, the dog adapted to engage the said shoulders, and means for releasing the dog, substantially as set forth.

5. In a gate-operating mechanism, the combination of the gate, the motor, the powertransmitting devices between the gate and the motor, the lock for the motor, comprising a wheel carried thereby and a dog mounted in dependently thereof, said wheel having peripheral slots with engaging shoulders for said dog mounted therein and having com- -& 807,544

pression-springs adapted to permit the longiof said motor, and means for releasing the I tudinal movement thereof, and means for relast-mentioned element, substantially as set leasing the dog, substantially as set forth. forth. p

6. The combination With the gate, of a mo- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 tor, power-transmitting devices between the presence of two Witnesses.

motor and the gate, the look for the motor JOHN H. ELVVARD. comprising a yielding engaging element ear- Witnesses: ried by the motor and adapted to be engaged N. CURTIS LAMMOND,

by a second element mounted independently E. R. ALEXANDER.

Images