US873536A

US873536A - Railway-switch.

Info

Publication number: US873536A
Application number: US36278307A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert F Gilmore; William C Cook
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1907-03-16
Filing date: 1907-03-16
Publication date: 1907-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1924-12-10

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT F. GILMORE AND WILLIAM G. COOK, OF MONTPELIER, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT F. GILMORE and WILLIAM C. 000K, citizens of the United States, residing at Montpelier, in the county of Blackford and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic street railway switches, the object of the invention being to provide means under the ready control of the motorman for throwing a switch at any given point while standing in his usual position on the car platform, the switch emodying a switch rail operating device mounted in the road-bed and adapted to be automatically raised and lowered by the movement of the car to bring the same to a position where it is operable by another device carried by the car.

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 hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car and railway showing the invention ap lied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the roa -bed. Fig; 3 is a similar view with the cover of the pit removed, showing the mechanism arranged in the pit. Fig. 4 is a vertical tranverse section through thepit and railway. Fig. 5 is a detail cross-section showing the latch mechanism. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation showing the presser rail. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the switch rail shifting bar.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, 1 designates the main rails and 2 the siding or switch rails, while 3 designates a pivoted and shiftable switch rail section, the same being pivotally mounted at one end, as shown at 4, while the opposite end thereof is free to be swung laterally to one side or the other to guide the wheels of the car either along the main track or the switch as may be desired.

In carrying out the present invention, a pit is constructed below the plane of the tops of the rails, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said pit being inclosed by a suitable casing repre sented at 5, which casing is adapted to contain the greater part of the operative mechanism of the switch-throwing device. The to of the pit is inclosed by a cover plate 6 an the central portion of said plate is provided witha manhole 7 having a manhole cover 8, the upper side of which is recessed as shown at 9, to receive a head-piece or trip 10 which is operable by a rojection on the car to be hereinafter descri ed.

' The trip 10 is mounted on the upper end of a rock-shaft 11 which extends through the manhole cover and is adapted to be raised and lowered as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4.. Beneath the cover 8, the shaft 11 is provided with a crank 12 to which is connected one end of a switch rail shifting bar 13 which extends laterally toward one of the rails and connects with the pivoted switch rail 3, above referred to, for the purpose of shifting the point of said shift rail to one side or the other. v

The means for raising and lowering the rock-shaft 11 embodies a trip-raising lever 14 fulcrumed intermediate its ends at 15 within the pit, one end of said lever being connected by a joint to the lower end of the shaft 11, while the other end has pivotally connected thereto a link 16 which extends upward and is pivotally connected at its opposite end to a presser rail 17 extending along one of the track rails, as shown in Fi s. 2, 3 and 6. The presser rail 17 is pivotal y connected at one end as shown at 18 to the track rail so as to lie within the lane traversed by the flanges of the whee s at one side of the car and as the car approaches the switch, the wheels bear downward upon and de ress the presser rail 17 which, through the ink connection 16, rocks the lever 14 and elevates the shaft 11 until the trip device or crosshead 10 is raised high enough to be struck by a projection on the car, which projection acts to turn said head in one direction or the other, thereby rocking the shaft 11 and pushing or drawing the shifting bar 13 to correspondingl shift the switch rail 3.

The rai shifting bar 13 has its outer end slotted as best illustrated in Fig. 7 and'within said slot 19 is arranged a sliding box or bearing 20 which receives a stud 21 projecting downward from the lower side of the switch rail 3. At opposite sides of the bearing or box 20 are arranged cushioning springs 22 which are strong enou h to adapt the bar 13 to move the switch ra1 from one side to the other but which will also yield to admit of the necessary rocking movement of the shaft 11 to enable the projection on the car to pass by the trip or cross-head 10.

In order to hold the switch rail 3 locked in either of its two extreme positions, I employ a latch consisting of a spring bar 23 which is secured to the lower side of the switch rail and provided at opposite ends with latch teeth or shoulders 24 adapted to engage rocking dogs 25 mounted on parallel shafts 26 on opposite sides of one of the rails, as shown in Fig. 5. Each of the dogs has a shoulder which normally stands vertically as shown in said Fig. 5, being held in that position by means of a'coiled spring 27 with the assistance of

stop pins

28 and 29, one of which is carried by the shaft of the dog and the other secured to a fixed point on the rail, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. The spring bar 23 yields to permit the latch teeth to pass over the points of the dogs and in the reverse movement, the dogs yield by means of the springs 27 to permit the latch teeth to pass out of engagement therewith. The springs 27 are of sufficient strength to hold the switch rail to one side or the other as the case may be, until the tension of said springs is overcome by the rocking of the shaft 11 and the pulling or drawing action of the shifting bar 13.

In order to operate the trip or cross-head 10, a pair of plungers 30 are mounted on and carried by the car, as shown in Fig. 1, and arranged to project downward from the car at opposite sides of the line of draft of the rock shaft 11, one plunger being adapted to throw the tripping head 10 to the right and the other to the left. These plungers or projections are normally upheld by means of springs 31 which work beneath foot pieces 32 on the upper ends of the plungers as shown in Fig. 1. By depressing one of said plungers, the car is allowed to continue on the main track, while by depressing the other plunger and releasing the first-named plunger, the switch is operated and the car is guided off the main track.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen thatthe switch operating mechanism is entirely under the convenient control of the motorman while standing in his usual position on the front platform of the car. The mechanism in the pit is rendered easily accessible by simply removing the manhole cover 8.

If desired, a spring 33 may be arranged under the outer end of the lever 14 to normally uphold such end of the lever and maintain the presser rail 17 in position to be operated upon by the car wheel flange.

I- claim:

1. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination of a switch rail, a stud extending therefrom, a longitudinally slotted bar, blocks engaging the said stud and slidable on the bar, springs acting on the blocks, a crank shaft connected with the bar and for moving the same, and a device controllable from the ear for rocking the said shaft.

2. In a switch tl'lrowing mechanism, the combination of a switch rail, a stud extending therefrom, a spring connected with the stud and having latches oppositely disposed, and yielding members cooperating with the latches for yieldingly holding the rail in either of its operative positions.

3. A railway switch comprising a laterally movable switch rail, an automatic locking device for yieldingly holding the rail in either of its operative positions, a vertical rockshaft mounted in the road-bed, a tripping head on said shaft, means operable by the car for moving said shaft lengthwise to set the tripping head thereof in position to be operated upon by a suitable device carried by the car, and a shifting bar connecting said shaft with the switch rail, said shifting bar being provided with cushioning means, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A railway switch comprising a laterally movable switch rail, a vertically extending and longitudinally movable rock shaft mounted in the road bed and adapted to be operated by a suitable device carried by the car, a shifting bar interposed between said rock-shaft and the switch rail and yieldingly connected with the latter, and latch mechanism for holding the switch rail in either of its two operative positions.

5. A railway switch comprising a laterally movable switch rail, a crank shaft mounted in'the road-bed operable by a suitable device carried by the car, an operative connection between said crank and the switch rail, and latch mechanism for holding the switch rail in either of its two operative positions embodying a spring bar, latch teeth thereon, and spring-sustained dogs adapted to engage the latch teeth to hold the switch rail to one side or the other and also adapted to yield to allow the latch teeth to be disengaged therefrom under the action of the switch rail shifting mechanism.

In testimony whereof, we afliX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT F. GILMORE. WILLIAM C. COOK. Witnesses:

JULIA A. Moonn, DE WITT C. OniPMAN.