US852354A - Railway-gate. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED APR. 30, 1907. W. L. SMYTH.

RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

v atto'rmugo PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

'W. L. SMYTH. RAILWAY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\VILLIE L. SMYTI-I, OF DUDLEYVILLE, ALABAMA.

RAILWAY-GATE.

are. 852,354.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed September 19, 1906. Serial No. 335,300.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIE L. SMYTII, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dudleyville in the county of Tallapoosa and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailwayGates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in that class of railway gates which are designed to be automatically actuated to swing open upon the pas sage of a train over the rails adjacent to the gates, the said gates being held open while the train is passing through the gateway and being automatically returned to the closed position as soon as the train shall have left the gates a predetermined distance in the rear.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved automatic railway gate of this type which will be sure and efficient in operation; which will embody few and simple parts that may be readily constructed and durable, and which will further embody an automatically actuated door between the rails arranged to be operated simultaneously with the gates as the latter are opened and closed, and intended to fill up the space between the rails when the gates are in closed position so as to prevent the smaller animals from passing underneath the gates.

\Vith this and other objects in view as will more fully appear as the description 'procoeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved railway gate. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sec tional view, the section being taken between the rails and one gate being shown in open position.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The supporting frame work of my improved gates comprises side sills 1 ranging alongside of the track, and cross sills 2 sei latch 20 is provided with a vertical slot cured to and supported upon the side sills at the ends and passing underneath the rails as shown. The fence posts 3 which are preferably of steel or similar strong material are securely bolted at their bases to the side sills l and preferably extend below said. side sills a suflicient distance to be securely embedded in the earth. They are preferably strengthened by means of braces t secured thereto near their upper ends and extending obliquely as shown and secured also to the 1 cross sills at a sufficient distance from the rails so as to interfere in no wise with the proper running of the train. The gate pintles 5 extend vertically and turn in a horizontal plane in suitable hangers embedded in the posts, and the gate frames 6, preferably of steel are embedded or otherwise rigidly secured to the pintles 5 and they may be filled up with mesh 7 of either straight or barbed formation.

Miter segments 8 are rigidly secured to the pintles 5 and mesh with substantially similar segments 9 secured to the ends of an actuating shaft 10. This shaft is journaled in suitable metallio bearings in blocks 11, which are secured to crossties outside of the rails and are preferably provided with depending portions 12 so as to fit snugly between the cross ties. The shaft 10 is provided near one line of rails with a crank 13 carrying a wrist pin 14. This pin works in a slot 15 formed in a link 16, and said link is secured to and between the mceting ends of two oppositely extending actuating bars 17 that extend away from the gates a predetermined distance and are pivoted at their outer ends to securing blocks 18. These blocks extend across two adjacent cross ties and are securely spiked or bolted thereto. The actuating bars 17 extend close to the rails at one side of the track in position to be actuated by the flanges of the car wheels, as the train passes over this section of the track, and a spring or springs 19 are arranged as shown so as to serve the purpose of returning the actuating bars 17 to their normal position after they have been depressed by the passage of the train. A latch 20 is pivotally secured to one of these actuating bars 17 and is provided with a notch 21 designed to receive the lower edge of one of the gates so as to lock the gates closed, with a pin 21" serving as a stop to limit the movement of the gates in one direc'-' The tion, that is, when they are closed.

and a pin 23 works in said slot and is secured to the inner face of the bar 12 which carries the latch and a spring 24 serves to hold the latch in the uppermost position with respect to the actuating bar which carries it. Hence by this arrangement, the latch may yield when the gates close so as to allow one of the gates to ride into the notch 21. Then the actuating bars 12 are depressed, the pin 23 will cause the latch to move downwardly with the bars so as to free the gates. As the link 16 is provided with the slot it is evident that the actuating bars 17 may be moved downwardly for the initial portion of their swing without effecting the shaft or other actuating parts of the gate, this'initial movement being provided for so as to effect the unlocking of the gates before they are swung or moved toward their outer or open positions.

A door extends transversely between the rails and underneath the gates, and is preferably hinged at one edge to supporting arms 26 which are rigidly fastened to and ex tend from one of the cross ties.- A crank 27 on the actuating shaft 10 is connected by means of a link 28 to the door 25, and consequently the door will be swung downwardly to open position when the gates are swung open, and will conversely be raised so as to close the space between the rails when the gates are closed.

In describing the practical operation of my improved automatic railway gate, it will be assumed that the gates are in their closed positions. As a train approaches the gates from either one direction or the other, the flanges of the wheels will ride upon one actuating bar or the other and cause said bars to, move downwardly. This will result in moving the link 16 downwardly without at first affecting the actuating shaft 10 and will ac complish the downward movement of the latch 20 so as to free the gates. In the continued downward movement of the actuating bars 17 the upper end of the slot 15 in the link 16 will bring up against the wrist pin 14 and thereupon the shaft 10 will be turned and the gates will be opened and the door 25 depressed. As soon as the train shall have moved off of the section of the track where the latch bars 17 are located, the springs 19 will raise the bars again and return the parts to the normal closed position.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a simple and efficient construction of automatic railway gate which will effectually maintain the track closed until the train approaches from either direction and which provides efficient -means for the automatic actuation by the train of the gate operating devices so that the gates will open and the door between the rails will be simultaneously opened and closed so Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An automatic railway gate comprising a gate arranged to swing across and away from the track, actuating bars adapted to be depressed by the passage of a car along the track, means whereby the depressing of said bars will open the gate, a latch carried by one of said bars and adapted to engage the gate, the latch being moved out of engagement with the gate when the bar that carries it is depressed, and means whereby the initial movement of said bars is independent of any movement of the gate.

2. An automatic railway gate, comprising a gate arranged to swing across and away from the track, actuating bars adapted to be depressed by the passage of a car along the track, means whereby the depressing of said bars will open the gate, a latch carried by one of said bars and adapted to engage the lower edge of the gate, said latch being spring pressed or yielding, and means whereby the initial movement of said bars will carry the latch out of engagement with the gate and impart no movement to the gate.

3. In an automatic railway gate, the combination with a gate arranged to swing across and away from the track, an actuating shaft therefor provided with a crank and a wrist pin secured on said crank, of actuating bars adapted to be depressed by the passage of a car along the track, a link secured to said bars and provided with a slot receiving said wrist pin, and a latch carried by one of said bars and arranged to engage the gate to hold the same closed, the pin and slot connection between the crank and link permitting the initial movement of the bars to unlatch the gate before the link will move the crank and turn the shaft.

4. In an automatic railway gate, the combination with the gate arranged to be swung across and away from the track, of an actuating shaft operatively connected to said gate to move the same, said shaft being provided with a crank, a link provided with a 'slot, a wrist pin secured to said crank and working within said slot, oppositely extending actuating bars both secured to said link and extending alongside one of the track rails in position to be depressed by the flange of the car wheel, a latch pivotally secured to one of said actuating bars and provided with a slot, a spring for holding said latch elevated in position to engage the gate, and a pin secured to the actuating bar which carries the latch, said pin working in the slot' of said latch, for the purpose specified.

5. In an automatic railway gate, the combination with the gate arranged to swing across and away from the track, of automatically actuating means for the said gate, said means including a shaft, a door pivoted at its lower edge between the rails, a crank secured to said shaft, and a link connected to said door, and to said crank as and for the purpose set forth.

6. An automatic railway gate, comprising a supporting frame work embodying side sills and cross sills secured together, gate posts supported on said side sills, gates mounted to swing in a horizontal plane and provided with pintles having a pivotal connection with said post, miter segments secured to said pintles, a shaft extending transversely of the track underneath therails, bearing blocks supported between adjacent cross ties and in which said shaft is journaled, miter segments secured to said shaft and meshing with the first named segments, a crank secured to said shaft and provided with a wrist pin, a link provided with a slot receiving said wrist pin, oppositely extending actuating bars arranged alongside of one of the track rails and connected at their meeting ends to said link, said bars being pivotally mounted at their opposite ends and being adapted to be depressed by the flange of a car wheel, a spring designed to return said bars to their normal raised positions, a latch pivotally connected to one of said bars and provided with a notch designed for engagement with the lower edge of one of said gates, said latch being also provided with a slot, a pin projecting from one of the actuating bars and working in said slot, and a spring arranged to swing said latch upwardly with respect to the actuating bars.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature in presence of two witnesses,

WILLIE L SMYTH.

\Vitnesses A. A. SMITH, DAVID HENDERSON.

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