US876577A - Safety appliance for railway-switches. - Google Patents

Description

No. 876,577. PATENTED JAN. 14,- 1908. J. W. MOMANAMA- SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1907.

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PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908. J. w. MoMANAMA. SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MCMANAMA, OF WALTIIAM,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BOSTON SAFETY SWITCH COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed May 10, 1907. Serial No. 372,935.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OIIN W. MOMANAMA, of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex and. State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances for Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a two-point railway switch, comprising fixed rails and a pair of movable switch rails or points which are connected to move in unison, means being employed for moving the switch rails to open and close the switch.

It not infrequently happens that a switchman fails to fully throw the switch, and leaves the movable switch rails or points slightly separated from the inner sides of the fixed track rails between which they are located, the separation between the switch rails and the fixed rails being sufficient to permit the flanges of wheels of an engine or car approaching the switch, to run between the points of the switch rails and the adjacent inner sides of the lived rails, the result being the derailment of the wheels, this derailment being often attended with serious damage.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple attachment for a railway switch of this character, whereby in case the switch is left incompletely thrown, the front wheel of an engine or car approaching the switch'on one of the fixed rails, will act to throw the switch to an extreme position before the wheel reaches the switch, so that derailment of the wheel, through an improper position of the switch, will be impossible.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now preceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification :*Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a portion of a railway track, including a switch and a safety appliance embodying my invention, the switch being shown in its closed position with the main track continuous. Fig. 2 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the switch in its opened position, connecting the main track with a branch track. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of one of the fixed rails, and a safety appliance embodying my invention associated therewith, the push bar herein after described being in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, showing the switch partially, but not completely, moved to its closed position. Fig. 5 represents a view similar to a portion of Fig. 3, showing the position of the push bar when the switch is in the position shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a view similar to a portion of Fig. 2, showing the switch moved partly, but not completely, to its opened position. Fig. 7 represents a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the position of the push bar when the switch is in the position shown in Fig. 6.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 12 12 represent the fixed track rails, and 13 13 the movable track rails or switch points constituting the usual twopoint switch, the switch rails 13 being adapted to occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 to make the main track continuous, and the position shown in Fig. 2 to connect the main track with a branch. The switch rails 13 are connected and caused to move in unison by a cross bar 1.4, and are moved by suitable mechanism which, as here shown, includes a switch lever 15 connected with a vertical rock shaft, which is connected by a link 16 with the cross bar 14. The construction above referred to is common and well known, and is here shown for the purpose of illustrating my invention hereinafter described.

In carrying out my invention I provide a push bar 17, which is located beside one of the fixed rails 12, and preferably at the outer side thereof, the push bar being in close proximity to the rail, and supported in such manner that it is capable of moving endwise, and is given a rising and falling movement as a result of its endwise movement, the arrangem ent being such that when the push bar is at either extreme of its movement, its upper edge is substantially flush with thetread of the rail 12 beside which it is located, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, and when the push bar is in an intermediate position, its upper edge is raised above the said tread, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The means for permitting endwise movements of the push bar and for causing the described upward and downward. movements thereof, are preferably links 18 pivoted at 19 to fixed sup ports, and. at 20 to the push bar, the links having a swinging movement when the push movements,- that is to say, when they are either fully opened, as shown in Fig. 1, or fully closed, as shown in Fig. 2, the push bar will be held by said connections at one extreme or the other of its movement, its upper edge being therefore flush with or slightly below the tread face of the adjacent fixed rail 12. When, however, the switch rails 13 are carelessly or accidentally left in an intermediate position that is, between the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the said connections will hold the push bar also in an intermediate position with its upper edge raised above the tread of the adjacent rail 12, so that the front wheel of an engine or car running on the rail 12 toward the switch, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, will strike the raised portion of the push bar farthest from the switch, and impart movement to the push bar, said movement being imparted through the said connections to the switch rails, and causing the latter to be thrown to an ex treme position before the said front wheel can reach the points of the switch rails.

The direction of movement imparted by a wheel to the push bar, will depend on the ex tent of the improper adjustment of the switch. The end of the push bar farthest from the switch, and the one which is first encountered by a wheel approaching the switch, is preferably inclined, as shown in Fig. 3. If the switch is leftincompletely opened, as shown in Fig. 6, the position of the push bar will be as indicated in Fig.7, and the wheel will strike the inclined upper edge of the push bar, and press the same downwardly, causing the links to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 00 in Fig. 7, the push bar being thus depressed, and at the same time moved endwise in the direction required to move the switch rails,

as indicated by the arrows at in Fig. 6, and thus completely open the switch. If the switch is left incompletely closed, as shown in Fig. 4, the position of the push bar will be as indicated in Fig. 5, and the approaching wheel pressing downwardly on the push bar will move the links in the direction indicated l by the arrow y (Fig. 5), the push bar being l thus depressed, and at the same time moved endwise in the direction required to move the switch rails, as indicated by the arrow y (Fig. 4), and thus completely close the switch. In either case the contact of the wheel with the push bar, acts to throw the switch to one of its extreme positions, and prevent any damage as a result of failure of the switchman to completely throw the switch.

The connections between the push bar and the movable switch rails, as here shown, include a bell crank lever 22, pivoted at 23 to a fixed support, and adapted to swing h0rizontally, one arm of the lever being connected by a rod or link 24 with the push bar 17, while the other arm of the lever is connected. by a link 25 with an ear secured to the movable switch rails 13, said ear being, in this case, an extension of the cross bar 14 which connects the switch rails.

It will be seen that the push bar supported as described, and the described connections between the push bar and the movable switch rails, insures absolutely against derailment of engine or car wheels by an improper adjustment of the switch, for the reason that if a switch is left improperly adjusted, the first wheel that approaches the switch will act on the push bar to throw the switch to such position that it cannot cause the derailment of the said wheel.

I do not limit myself to the details of con-. struction above described, and the same.

may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a railway switch, in combination, a single track portion, a branch track portion, the latter including movable switch rails, a hand-operated switch-throwing lever connected with the switch rails, and a switchthrow-completing mechanism, adapted to be actuated by a wheel moving on one of the single track rails toward the switch, to complete the throw of the switch rails in either driection when they have been left incompletely thrown, said mechanism comprising a longitudinally and vertically movable push bar located beside one of the rails of the single track portion, and supported with its upper edge flush with the tread of said rail when the switch is completely thrown, and connections between said bar and the switch rails, organized to support the bar with its upper edge above the tread of the adjacent rail when the switch. rails are left incompletely thrown in either direction, and thus cause the bar to be engaged by a wheel approaching the switch, the bar being movable endwise in one direction by the wheel when the switch is nearly closed, and in the opposite direction when the switch is nearly open, and the said connections being also organized to convert an endwise movement of the push bar into a lateral movement of the switch rails, whereby when the switch rails have been left incompletely thrown in either direction, the throw will be completed by the action on the push bar of the first wheel approaching the switch on the single track portion.

2. In a railway switch, in combination, a single track portion and a branch track portion, the latter including movable switch rails, a hand-operated switch lever connected with the switch rails, a longitudinally and vertically movable push bar located beside one of the rails of the single track portion and having the main portion of its upper bar being first engaged and cooperating with the wheel in causing a movement of the bar away from the switch rails make the switch are nearly thrown to one position, and toward 2O edge flush with the tread of said rail when the switch when the switch rails are nearly the switch is fully opened or fully closed, the i thrown to the opposite position, the said end portion of the upper ed e of said bar connections being also organized to convert u p u 0 which is farthest from the switch belng man endwlse movement of the push bar 1nt0 a lateral movement of the swltch rails.

clined, and connections between said bar and the swltch rails, orgamzed to support In testimony whereof I have aihXed my signature, 1n presence of two witnesses.

the bar with the main portion of its upper JOHN WV. MGMANAMA.

edge above the tread of the adjacent rail when the switch rails are left incompletely thrown in either direction, and thus cause Witnesses BRADSHAW S. T LMAN, JOHN A. TOLMAN.

the bar to be engaged by a wheel approaching the switch, the inclined edge of the push

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