US846425A - Railroad-crossing. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

uvenl'o'n Jo/wvlilijaesz L E. REESE. RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 12 1906 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. REESE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-SIXTH TO CHARLES M. BALLARD, ONE- HALF TO WILTON F. BLACKFORD, ONE-FIFTH TO WILLIAM NEAL, AND TWO-FIFTEENTHS TO GEORGE L: MARTIN, ALL OF LOUISVILLE, KEN- TUCKY.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed September 12, 1906. Serial No. 334,314.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN E. REESE, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J efferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a certain new and useful Railroad-Crossing, of which'the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to railroad-crossings and the primary object is to provide means whereby the main and crossing rails are rendered practically continuous and unbroken when in use.

More specifically stated, the object of the invention is to provide in connection with the main fixed track-rails intervening movable sections so constructed and combined with operating connections that each of the sections is adapted to be moved into and out of line with the fixed rails, so that when a railsection is in its operative position it forms a continuation of the fixed rails and when moved out of place ample clearance is afforded between the ends of the movable section and the fixed track-rails to accommodate the wheel-flanges, thus doing away with all pounding caused by depressions, gaps, or other inequalities in the rails.

Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide effective means for clamping or bracing and holding the movable rail-sections when in their operative positions.

With the above and other objects in View, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as herein fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad-crossing, illustrating the present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the clamp. Fig. 6 is an inner edge view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 designate the main-track rails, and 2 2 the crossingrails, or vice versa, as the case may be, the said rails being fixed or stationary. In connection with each of the main and crossing track rails a movable rail-section is employed, four of such movable rail-sections being used, as shown at 3, 4, 5, and 6. These sections are so constructed and combined with operating connections that they may be moved into and out of line with the fixed rails 1 and 2, and they are of such length that their ends abut against the ends of the contiguous fixed rails, thereby forming practically continuous and unbroken rails at the crossing, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1.

Each of the rail- sections 3, 4, and 5 and 6 is the counterpart of the others, and in order to provide for properly positioning and displacing said rail-sections each section is divided into se arable members 3 and 3", the inner ends 0 which meet with a butt-joint, the said joint being preferably cut on a bevel, as shown at 7, to facilitate relative movement between the members. The member 3 is capable of an endwise movement and also 'a lateral and swinging movement to clear it from the member 3, and the latter member 3 is capable of an endwise movement, so that after the member 3 has been moved away from the end of its respective track-rail and swung laterally the other member 3 may be moved endwise away from its fixed track-rail, the adjacent ends of the members 3 and 3 being thus overlapped, as shown in Fig. 1. This leaves sufiicient clearance between the ends of the movable rail-sections and the ends of the fixed trackrails for the crossing-rails, or rather the movable sections thereof, the ends of which when in place occupy the same spaces previously occupied by the corresponding ends of the movable sections of the main-track rails. At this point it maybe noted that either the rails 1 or the rails 2 may constitute the main line.

The crossing as a whole is supported on a suitable base or foundation constructed, preferably, of I-beams 8, arranged beneath and in line with the track-rails and the movable sections thereof. To provide for the sliding and swinging movement of the section member 3, the latter is mounted on a clamp 9 in the form of a lever pivoted at one end, as at 10, on the foundation. To this end the member 3 is provided with a slotted flange or extension 11, through which passes a pin 12, carried by the clamp 9, as shown in Fig. 1. This allows the member 3 to slide upon and lengthwise of the clamp 9. Adjacent to one end the member 3 has pivotally connected thereto one end of a lever 13, fulcrumed at an intermediate -point 14 and connected pivot ally at its opposite or outer end to a rod 15, which connects with an arm 16, projecting laterally outward from the complemental member 3". In this way as the member 3 is moved .endwise and swung laterally it acts through the connections 14, 15, and 16 to move the member 3 endwise.

The clamp 9 is actuated by a pair of togglelinks 17, one of which is connected with the clamp and the other pivoted at a fixed point 18. Where the links 1? connect, there is attached a rod 18, which extends to a bellcrank lever 20, and it will be seen in the drawings, Fig.1, that the bell-crank levers of the opposite movable sections are connected for simultaneous operation by a rod 21.

Connected pivotally to one arm 16 is a rod 22, which extends to a bell-crank lever 23. From said lever another rod 24 extends to another bell-crank lever 25, and from the last-named lover a rod 26 extends to the oppositely-located arm 16. It will thus be seen that the members of the movable rail-sections at opposite sides of the crossing are connected up for simultaneous movement. Rods 27, 23, 29, and 30 connect the several sets of bell-crank levers with suitable operating-levers (not shown) at a distance to enable the switchman to position the movable rail-sections of either track in readiness for use.

A guard-rail 31 extends along the inner side of each of the movable rail-sections and is bolted to the bed or foundation, as shown in Fig. 2. IVhere the clam 9 fits against the member 3", it is notched or cut away, as shown at 32, leaving only pointed portions 33 to fit over and bear against the baseflange of the adjacent member of the railsection, thus providing clearance for trash and dirt that might otherwise accumulate at such point and interfere with the proper operation of the mechanism.

'lhe extremity of the clamp is preferably beveled or chamfered oil', as shown at 34, so that when it is moved inward it will bind against the correspondiugly-inclined under face 35 of a keeper-block 36, secured fast to the foundation, as indicated in Fig. 4. This serves to hold the clamp firmly with a wedging action. The several connecting rods referred to are ordinarily connected to the members which they move by means of brackets or clips 37, such as is shown in Fig. 3, as by this arrangement the said rods are placed low enough to pass under the trackrails, where they are out of the way. IVhen the opposite movable rail-sections are in proper place for use, the remaining movable they line up with. Practically continuous and unbroken rails are thus obtained, doing away with the disagreeable pounding of the wheels and the injury to the road-bed incident thereto. WVhen the members of the movable rail-sections are in pro er place, they are braced at the inside by t 1e guardrails 31 and at the outside by the levers 13 and the toggle-links 17, the pivot-points of which are in the same straight line at such time, while the keeper 36 holds the clamp 9 with a wedging action and avoids all tendency of the toggle-links moving out of line.

I claim- 1. In a railroad-crossing, the combination with fixed main and crossin rails, of intervening movable sections of a length adapting them to abut end to end-against the fixed main and crossing rails, and means for shifting the sections of one track out of position and the sections of the other track into osition and vice versa so that the ends 0 one pair of sections will occupy the same space previously occupied by the ends of the other an. p 2. In a railroad-crossing, the combination with fixed main and crossing rails, of intervening sections comprising relatively movable members of a combined length adapting the sections to abut end to end against the fixed main and crossing rails, and means for shifting the section members of one track out of position and the section members of the other track into position and vice versa so that the ends of one pair of sections will occupy the same space previously occupied by the ends of the other pair. 7

3. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails.

4. In a railroad -crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails and causing one member to overlap the other.

5. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable sec tion divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails operating to move one member endwise and the adjoining member laterally.

6. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable seetion divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails including a clamp with which one of said members has 'a sliding engagement.

7. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members intoand out of line with the track-rails including a pivoted clamp to which one of the members is connected and a device for swinging said clamp.

8. In a railroad crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails including a pivoted clamp and lever connections for swinging and bracing said clamp.

9. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting the members into and out of line with the track-rails including a pivoted clamp, connections for swinging and bracing said clamp, and a keeper for engaging said clamp.

10. In a railroad-crossing, intersecting track-rails each embodying a movable section divided to comprise end-to-end separable members, and means for shifting one member lengthwise and the other both lengthwise and laterally away from the track-rails.

11. In a railroad-crossing, the combination with fixed intersecting track-rails, of intervening rail-sections each divided to com prise end-to-end separable members one of which is adapted to be moved endwise and the other both endwise and laterally, means connecting said members for causing such relative movement, and means for shifting one member and thereby eflecting the movement of the member connected therewith.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. REESE.

Witnesses:

REXFORD M. SMITH, JAMES F. CROWN.

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