US870437A - Torpedo-placer. - Google Patents

Description

No. 870,437. PATENTED Nov. 5, 1007.

F. JAMES.

TORPEDO PLACER. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 1e. 1007.

gym

ATTORNEYS- No. 870,437. i PATENTBD 1707.5, 1907. RJAMES. TORPEDO PLACER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1907.

2 SH ETS-SHEET 2.

Bmw/r.

A TTU/WEYSl FREDERICK JAMES, OF LANESBORO, PENNSYLVANIA.

TORPEDO-PLACER.

No. 870,437. y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application sied May 16, 1907. semi No. 373 961.

To all whom it may concern: il

Be it known that I, FREDERICK JAMES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lanesboro, in the county of Susquehanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Torpedo-Placers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

I The purpose of the invention is to provide a device fonplacing a torpedo on the track in position to be exploded, and for automatically exploding the placed torpedo by the passage of a train should the engineer run-.by a semaphore set against him.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a compact," simple and durable device capable of containing a number of torpedoes, and having means for feeding the torpedoes one by one as required to the position where the torpedo can be automatically struck and exploded under predetermined conditions, and also to provide the device with means for automatically tripping the striking mechanism when set and passed by the train.

It is another piupose of the invention to operate the torpedo feeding mechanism and the mechanism for setting the striking device, from the same lever employed to operate the signal.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set -forth and pointed out in the 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 l is a plan view of the torpedo placer, with its cover' broken away, illustrating its position relatively to the track and a semaphore; Fig` 2 is an enlarged transverse section through a rail of the track and through the forward end portion of the device, the section being taken practically on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken practically on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; Fig, 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the casing of the device, taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. l, the section being taken directly through the hammer shaft of the mechanism only, Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the lever for operating the feed mechanism and for setting the striking mechanism; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the side of the device presented to the track, illustrating the hammer raised and a torpedo in position to be struck thereby.

A represents a rail of a track, B a semaphore, B' a shifting lever therefor, and B2 the wire or rod connection between the shifting mechanism and the operating mechanism for the semaphore. The casing C for the device is usually made rectangular, as is shown, with a rear extension l0 that may be termed a magazine chamber, and thekdevicegis sot-placed on the sleepers of the rail as to present a side of the magazine chamber or extension 10 parallel to the rail, as is shown in Fig. l.

The casing is provided with a cover Il so placed thereon that it may be readily removed to expose the inclosed mechanism. The floor or bottom l2 of the magazine `chamber l0 is of greater thickness than the floor of themain portion of the casing, with the exception of that portion I3 that is at the rear portion of the casing, as is shown in Fig. l, and in this raised bottom section 13 of the casing a recess 14 is produced, that extends practically from the outer side of the casing to the inner side, or that which is parallel with the rail, and this recessed portion 14 of the bottom of the casing is made to extend out through an opening l5 in the inner side of the casing to provide an anvil 14u for the reception of the torpedo to be struck, as is shown in Figs. l and 6, The upper face of this anvil extension 14EL from thel frame, is flush with the recessed surface 14, and in the bottom portion l2 of the magazine chamber l0 a longitudinal recess 15L is made in its upper face, the bottom wall of which recess 152L is in the same hori- Zontal plane with the recessed surface 14of the thicker bottom section 13 `of the casing, as is indicated in Fig. 3.l

A feed bar I6 is mounted to slide upon therecessed portion of the bottom section 13, and is adapted inits outward movement to travel practically to the end of the anvil extension 14, as is shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. This feed bar 16 is provided with teeth 17 upon its inner longitudinal edge, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1, and at ,its outer end portion an opening or pocket 18 is provided, adapted to receive the innermost torpedo 19 of a series that is located in the recess l5a of the magazine chamber, the torpedoes being arranged one back of the other, the voutermost one being engaged by a follower 20 and the followeris pressed inward by a spring 2l at the rear of it. Thus when the magazine chamber 10 is loaded with torpedoes and the feed bar 16 is in its inner position, a torpedo 19 will always be in the open pocket 18 of the said feed bar, and as the feed bar 16 is carried outward it takes the torpedo that is in its pocket upon the anvil extension 14a, holding the torpedo in position to be exploded by means to be shortly' described, and at such time the remainder of the torpedoes are held in place by the engagement of the outermost one of the series with the outer edge of the feed bar 16.

A shaft 22, which I term a hammer shaft, has its ends reduced, and the said reduced ends are journaled one in the inner side face of the casing, extending outJ beyond said face, the other reduced end being journaled in a suitable bearing 23 in-the casing, as is shown in Fig. 2. The handle 24a of a hammer 24, is secured in any approved manner to the outer end of the shaft 22, as is particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The shaft 22 adjacent its inner end has loosely mounted thereon the hub 25 of a segmental gear 25, the teeth whereof are D is' provided with teeth 38, and these teeth 38 are beveled, and adjacent the outer face of the said hub 25EL I of the segmental gear, a wheel 26 is secured to the shaft 22, and this wheel is provided with a marginal flange 27, and in saidr flange a notch or recess 28 is produced. A spring 29 is coiled around the hammer shaft and one end of this spring is secured to the wheel 26, while the other end of the spring is attached to the casing, and the tendency of this spring is to throw the hammer 24 down to striking engagement with the anvil extension 14u.

A segmental dog 31 is pivoted at what maybe termed its upper end, at the upper portion of the segmental gear 25 upon the outer face ofsaid gear, as is shown best in Figs. 3 and 4, and this dog 31 is provided with a tooth 3'0, which is adapted to enter the notch or recess 28 in the' flange of the wheel 26 secured to the hammer shaft 22. The dog 3l extends some distance around the periphery of the Wheel 26, as is best shown in Fig. 4, and its tooth 30 is held normally in engagement lwith the flange of the wheel 26 by a suitably mounted spring 32 carried by the gear and having bearing on the dog. When the hammer is to be carried to an upright position so' asto deliver a blow, the spring 29 is placed under tension and this is accomplished by moving the segmental gear 25 forwardly or in direction of the signal B, at which time the tooth 30 of the dog 31 will enter the notch or recess 28 of the wheel 26, and the said wheel will be carried with the said gear, and the twowill continue to rotate in a direction described until the hammer is in the upright positionshown in Figs. 2 and 6, and the spring 29 is placed under sufficient tension to cause the hammer to deliver a strong blow on the placed torpedo 19 when the wheel 26 is released from the dog 31, which is accomplished through the medium of a simple mechanism to' be shortly described` The feed bar 16 and the segmental gear 25 are both opera-ted simultaneously by a single operating lever D, one form of which is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. This lever consists of a segmental horizontal body section 33, having an eye 34 formed about centrally of its straight edge, which eye receives a pivot post 35 located in the said casing, and at the convexed edge of the body section 33 of the lever, teeth 36 are produced, adapted to mesh with the teeth 17 on the feed bar 16, and furthermore the said operating lever D is provided with an extension segmental section 37, integral with what may be termed the inner end of the body and the two sections 33 and 37 are in the same horizontal plane, but one in advance of the other, and the' two sections are connected by a substantially vertic'al connecting member 39. The convexed edge of the elevated or extension section 37 of the operating lever beveled, since they are adapted to mesh with the teeth of the' segmental gear 25 when the teeth 36 mesh with the' teeth of the feed bar 16. Thus if the operating lever is turned in one direction, it will carry the feed bar 16 outward, the latter taking a torpedo with it, and at the same time the segmental gear 25 will be rocked in the direction to cause the shaft 22 to be turned to elevate the hammer, and the two said parts 16 and 22 will be held in their set positions by reason of the two contacts of the said lever -D. The lever D is provided with a shank 40, that extends out through an opening 4l in what may be termed the outer face of the casing of the device, and this shank 4() has a link connection 42 or a sliding connection of any description, with the connecting rod or medium B2 between the signal B and the shifting lever Bf for the signal, and when the signal is set for danger the lever D is simultaneously operated to carry out a torpedo onto the anvil 14El and to set the hammer 24 for a blow.

The trip for the hammer operating mechanism may be of different formation, but a simple and preferred form is shown best in Figs. l, 3 and 4, wherein a rod 43 is journaled partly upon a sleeper and partly within the casing of the device. This rod is provided with a crank -arm 44 at its inner end, having a nose 45 at an angle to said trip plate or shoe 47 is supported by a crank arm 48, of the same formation as the crank arm 46., the crank arm 48 being pivotally mounted on the sleepers only', as is also shown in Fig. 1. The nose 45 of the trip' arm 44 of the pivot rod 43 is of sufficient length to extend in thev path of the lower end of the dog 3l as the gear' 25' is turned in a downward direction, and therefore the lower end of the dog 31 striking the nose 45 of the crank arm 44 will carry the said crank arm down to a substantially horizontal position at the bottom of the casing of the device, as is illustrated in Figs. l and 4, and since the crank arms 44 and 46 extend in substantially opposite directions, as the crank arm 44 is pressed downward the outer crank arm 46 is elevated and the trip plate or shoe 47 is carried upward beyond the tread of the rail, so that when a train passes along the track the engine wheel will strike the plate 47, depress the same and cause the inner crank arm 44 of the releasing device to be carried upward and outward, whereupon since it is in engagement with the dog 3l, it will carry the" dog with it and cause the tooth 30 of the dog to leave the flange 27 of the wheel 26 of the hammer shaft, thus freeing said shaft and permitting its spring 29 to act to force the hammer to strike a blow upon the exposed torpedo. ln the' event the torpedo is not exploded through a re"- verse movement of the lever D, the torpedo and its feed bar 16 can be drawn inward to their normal positions and this is accomplished automatically when the signal is set for safety. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,`

l. 1n a device for placing torpedoes, a casing, an anvil at the exterior of the casing, a feed device for torpedoes,

movable to and from the anvil, means for supplying to'r-y pedoes to the r'eed device, a hammer operative to andfrom the anvil, a setting mechanism for the hammer, means for simultaneously operating the feed device and setting mechanism, and a trip for the latter.

2. In torpedo placers, a feed device for' torpedoes, a hammer mounted to act upon a torpedo fed by said device, a setting mechanism for the hammer and means common t0 both the feed device and setting mechanism for simul` taneously operating both, and a trip for the setting mechanism adapted to be acted upon by a passing train.

3. In torpedo placers, a feed device for torpedoes, a hammer mounted to act upon a torpedo fed hy said device, a setting mechanism for the hammer, an operating lever common to and having simultaneous operation upon the feed device and setting mechanism, a signal controlling mechanism connected with the said lever, a trip for the setting mechanism, and means for operating the trip by a passing train.

4. In a torpedo placer, a feed device for torpedoes, a tension-controlled hammer for exploding a torpedo, a setting mechanismfor the hammer, a signal operating mechanism, means for operating the feed device and the setting mechanism by the movement of the signal controlling mechanism, and a trip device for the hammer setting mechanism.

5. In a torpedo placer, a feed device for torpedoes, a tension-controlled hammer for exploding a torpedo, a setting mechanism for the hammer, a signal operating mechanism, means for operating the feed device and the setting mechanism by the movement of the signal controlling mechanism, a trip for the hammer setting mechanism set by said mechanism, means for operating the said -trip by a passing train, and means for consecutively supplying torpedoes to the said feed device.

G. In a torpedo placer, a casing provided with a magazine chamber' for torpedoes, a follower within said chamber and an anvil at the outer side of the casing, a torpedo feed har receivingtorpedoes from the magazine chamber, a support for the said feed bar, the bed of which support is in horizontal alinement with the upper face of the anvil, a spring-controlled shaft, a hammer secured to said shaft adapted for movement to and from the anvil, a setting' mechanism for the said shaft of the hammer, a locking device for the shaft when in set position, an operating lever having simultaneous operative connection with the setting mechanism for the Ihammer and the feed bar, and a trip for the locking device for the hammer shaft, adapted to be operated from a point outside of the casing.

T. In a torpedo placer, a casing provided with a magazine chamber, a follower therein, a torpedo feed device operating across and receiving material from the said magazine chamber, a hammer, a spring-controlled shaft therefor, the hammer being adapted for striking engagement with the torpedo fed by the said feed bar, a segmental gear loosely mounted on the said shaft, a dog carried by the said gear, adapted for controlling engagement with said shaft, a lever mounted within the casing, having teeth for engagement with the teeth on the feed bar and teeth for simultaneous engagement with the teeth of the said segmental gear, and a trip device for the said dog operative from a point outside of the casing.

8. In a torpedo placer, the combination with a casing having a magazine chamber for torpedoes formed therein, a follower in said magazine chamber, a bed crossing the said chamber and located Within the casing, Which bed is continued out beyond a side of the casing to form an anvil, and a feed bar mounted to Slide upon the said bed t-o and from its anvil projection, the said bar being provided with an opening or pocket at one end to receive torpedoes from the said magazine chamber, of a spring-controlled shaft located Within the casing and extending beyond a side thereof, a hammer secured to the said shaft, adapted for movement to and from the anvil, a Wheel secured to the shaft. having a peripheral recess, a segmental gear loosely mounted on the shaft, a dog carried by the gear, engaging mounted within the casing, having a toothed surface for engagement with the teeth of the feed bar, and a second with the peripheral surface of the said Wheel, a lever toothed surface for engagement With the vsegmental gear, a switch-controlled mechanism, a connection between said mechanism and the said lever, a trip for the dog, located within the casing, and means for operating the said trip by a passing train, which means are at the exterior of the casing.

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

, FREDERICK JAMES.

Witnesses:

ALBERT CLARKE, H. R. JAMEs.

Images