US851913A - Railway-switch. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

0. A. BIRD.- RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED nuns, 1907.

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0. A. BIRD.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAILIG, 1907.

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RAILWAY-SWITCH- Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented April 30, 1907.

Application filed January 16,1907. Serial No. 352,559.

To (ti/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ORLEY A. BIRD, a citi- 1gen of the United States, residing at Centerurg, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway switches and particularly to that class of switches used upon street railways and located at street corners.

The object of the invention is to provide a switch of this character that may be controlled by the motorman from the car.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch of this character that may be controlled by the motorman from the ear and constructed in such manner that the switch may be left open for following cars or closed by the motorman as desired.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch of the character set forth constructed in such manner that all of the parts thereof may be located beneath the surface of the road-bed and consequently out of the path of vehicle wheels and the like.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical section through the roadbed and through portions of a car, Fig. 2 is a plan View of the track and of the switch operating members illustrating a casing which incloses said members, in section, Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section upon line ca; of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section upon line y,y of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a rear end elevation of the car, illustrating a switch closing yoke hereinafter described, and, Fig. 6 is a plan view of the truck frame illustrating a rocking bar hereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

The numeral 5 (see Figs. 1 and 2) designates a grooved plate, the side wall of which is cut through as at 6 for the reception of a tongue 7 of a lever 8. This lever 8 is pivoted as at 9 in a casing 10 and is secured at its outer end to the end of a rod 11. This rod passes through a casing 12 and has an elongated slotted portion 13 at its opposite end. pin 14 which is carried by a rocking lever 15 engages this elongated slotted portion of the rod 11. The rocking lever 15 is pivoted as at 16 in a casing 17. A link 18 connects the opin the county of Knox and State of posite end of this rocking lover with a switch tongue 19, said switch tongue being normally forced toward the right in Fig. 3 by a spring 20. A second link 21. connects the l rock lever 15 with a switch closing lever 22 which is pivoted as at 23 in a slotted plate 24. By referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the J link 21. is pivoted as at 25 to the switch throwing lever in such manner that its pivot point lis below the pivot point 23, by virtue of j which the switch throwing lever 22 may be ,1 thrown to the dotted line position illustrated j at 26 in Fig. 4 when the lever 15 is rocked. Carried upon the front truck 27 of the car is a rocking bar 28. This rocking bar carries a i rearwardly extending hooked rod 29, the hooked end 30 of which is adapted when depressed, to engage the tongue 7 of the lever 1 An upwardly extending arm 30 which is coni nected to the rocking bar 28 is connected by i a rod 31 with a bell crank lever 32. This bell crank lever is pivoted as at 33 and is adapted to be depressed by a foot-piece 2 4 wlnch pro ects ll'ltO tllO motornians vestibule. A spring 35 normally tends to hold the hooked rod 20 in an elevated position. A yoke 36 (see Figs. 1 and 5, is pivoted between the side members of the rear truck 37. A spring 38 normally holds this yoke in an elevated position. An arm 39 of the yoke is connected by a rod 40 with a bell crank lever 41 which is pivoted at 42. A second foot plunger 43 is adapted to actuate the bell crank lever to throw the cross portion 36 of the yoke downwardly.

The operation of the device is as follows: WVhen the car is moving in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, if it be desired to throw the switch to direct the car on to the side track, the motorman presses upon the foot piece 34. He presses the left end of the bell crank 32 downwardly against the tension of the spring 35. This in turn throws the i hooked end 30 of the rod 29 down into such position that it rides through the grooved portion of the plate 5 and engages the tongue 7, throwing said tongue to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. This in turn, rocks l the lever 15 u on its pivot 16 and brings said lever and the ink 18 into alinement with each 1 other, thereby moving the switch tongue 19 1 over to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be apparent that when the link 18 and the lever 15 are in direct alinement with each other, it will be impossible l for the switch tongue to be moved over accirocking bar journaled in said truck, manually operable members controllable from the motormans station adapted to rock said bar, a switch throwing hook carried by said bar, a grooved plate, a lever projecting into the grooved portion of said plate and adapted to be engaged by said hook throwing bar, a switch tongue, connections between said lever and said switch tongue, a switch closing member adapted to be thrown up abovethe road-bed when said lever is actuated, and a manually operable member carried by the car and adapted to strike said switch closing member.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a switch tongue, of a rocking lever, a link connection between the switch tongue and said rocking lever, a

dentally, for these parts are then on a dead center with relation to each other. WVhen l the rocking lever 15 is rocked in the manner just described, the switch closing lever 22 is thrown upwardly by the link 21 to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1. If the car i l following is also to be directed upon the side track, the motorman permits the car to pass on without actuating the yoke 36, but if the car following is to proceed along the main track, the motormanr depresses the foot- 1 piece 43, rocking the bell crank lever 11 upon its pivot and throwing the cross portion of the yoke 86 downwardly, thereby bringing the yoke into such position that it will strike the switch closing lever 22 and throwing said lever back to the full line position illustrated 1 in Fig. 1, thereby returning the switch parts l to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. switch closing lever, a link connection be- It will be noted that the switch engaging tween said switch closing lever and said rockrod 29 is carried upon the truck instead of ing lever, a switch closing hook carried by a being carried by the car body. By virtue of 1 .car, a lever adapted to be engaged by said this construction said rod is always held in l switch closing hook, and a connecting member between the last named member and the proper alinement with the grooved plate 5.

It will also be noted that the yoke 36 is carrocking member. ried upon the truck and is consequently held in proper position to engage the switch closing lever.

From the foregoing seen that simple and eflicient means are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while the elements shown and described are well adapted to serve the the combination with a switch tongue, of mechanism connected to said switch tongue description, it will be and adapted to be actuated from a car, a switch closing lever adapted to be elevated. when said mechanism is actuated, a yoke car i ried by the rear truck of the car, and manu- 1 ally operable means for depressing a portion purposes for which they are intended, it is to l of'said yoke, said yoke being adapted to enbe understood that the invention is not limgage and depress the switch closing member. ited to the precise construction set forth, but 1 In testimony whereof I affiX my signature includes within its purview such changes as l in presence of two witnesses. may be made within the scope of the append- ORLEY A BIRD ed claims. l

What I claim, is: i 1. In a switch operating mechanism, the combination with the truck of a car, of a Witnesses:

WM. D. SToUcHToN, LILLIE B. STOUGHTON.

3. In a device of the character described,

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