US898325A - Railway-signal. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908.

J. P. COLEMAN.

RAILWAY SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1906.

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I RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20 1906.

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PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908.

J. P. COLEMAN. RAILWAY SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN, OF EDGE WOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Application filed March 20, 1906. Serial No. 307,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN PREssLEY COLE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway signals, and particularly to the signal device or devices employed for giving indications of traffic conditions during the day and night. These devices are arranged so that they may assume or be made to assume several posi tions of indication, or to display different colors to indicate roceed or safety, stop or danger, an may be constructed and arranged to give only two indications, viz.: stop or danger and proceed or safety.

In the present invention the blade employed for giving the day indications is mounted on one support and the means for giving the night indications is mounted upon a second support though the blade and the means for giving night indications are so connected that a movement of the blade from or to its horizontal position (the position of the blade which indicates danger), produces a corresponding movement of the means for giving the night indications. The blade is so supported that if left free to move it will return to its horizontal position by its own weight. It therefore may be said to have a normal bias to its horizontal position. The blade is moved above the horizontal for other indications and it Will be seen, therefore, that should the operating connections be broken for any cause the blade would return, by its own weight to its horizontal or danger position.

I will describe a signal device embodyin my invention and then point out the nove features thereof in claims.

My invention being susceptible of many modifications and variations 1n the practical accomplishment of the desired results, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of the same.

'In said drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of one construction of a signal device embodying my invention. In this'view the signal device is illustrated in dotted lines in the two ositions of indication,viz.: safetyand anger. Fig.2isa

caution or they transverse section thereof taken on the line 2, 2, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of another embodiment of my invention showing in dotted lines the signal device in the position indicating danger. Fig. 4 is an elevation of still another embodiment of my invention, illustrating the signal device in a position indicating danger, the signal device bein also shown in dotted lines in a position indicating safety. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 4, illustrating the means for operating the signal device. Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 4 and 5, and embodying a substantially similar construction of my invention.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to said drawings, A designates an upright or post which may be of any desired height, configuration or construction. As shown in the drawings it comprises a tubular body of metal, for the support of a signal device. The signal device, as usual, comprises a blade O, for giving indications during the day, and a means D, for giving indications at times when the blade is not discernible. These means D may, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprise a spectacle having 0 enings (1, d d therein, for the reception of diflerent colored disks or lenses, through which the rays of light from a suitable lantern will pass to give indication by night; or as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 it maycomprise a revolving, or rather an oscillating member, adapted to move with the semaphore blade or arm to bring into proper position a light indicative of the position the blade has assumed. In both constructions the means D is moved u on a movement of the blade, so that as the atter moves by its own gravity in one direction, or by the signal operating mechanism in the other direction, the proper lens or glass will be brought into position to display a color corresponding to the position of indication of the blade.

I will now describe my invention with particular reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, premising, however, that in the type of signal device therein shown, it has heretofore been customary to secure a spectacle directly and rigidly to the blade or arm and to use it as a counterweight to bring the blade into a horizontal position indicating danger, whether such movement be from an upright verticalv position or from an inclined and downwardlyprojecting position.

It will be noted by reference to the drawings that the blade C, is secured to a casting E, which is mounted on a shaft 6, supported in the post or upright A, while the spectacle is secured to a separate and independent shaft similarly supported in the post A. An arm 6 is secured to the shaft 6, a pulley or sheave f is secured to the shaft f, and a link connection between them as shown in Fig. 1 or each of the shafts e and f may be provided with a sector 6 f respectively, which engage with the teeth of a rack h, formed on the (13nd of a signal operating rod H, as shown in In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a chain, wire or other analogous flexible connection H may be provided between the pulley or sheave f and the signal operating mechanism (not shown) and it will be obvious that as the shaft 6 is rotated, when the blade falls to a horizontal position indicating danger, the chain, wire, etc. will be wound around the pulley or sheave ready to be unwound in bringing the blade back again to the vertical position indicating safety.

The downward movement of the rod H, in Fig. 3, will, through the engagement of the teeth of its rack h, with the teeth, and by a rotation of the sectors e and f rotate the shafts e and f and cause simultaneous move ment of the spectacle and blade, the one being moved to the vertical upright position to indicate safety by day, and the other to bring the proper lens or disk in position to give an illuminated and corresponding indication by night. Thus it will be seen that in the operation of the signal device illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the blade and s ectacle will move simultaneously, and in tie same direction, when they rise or fall from one position of indication to another, 1 0. when the blade is moved to its vertical or upright position, the ipectacle will rise with it (see dotted lines X ig. 1) and when the blade gravitates to the horizontal position, the spectacle will likewise travel in a downward direction.

Referring to Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, it will be noted that the blade C is secured to a casting E, similar to that previously described and which is similarly supported on a shaft 6 in turn supported in the post A. The arm e is, in each mstance, provided with bevel gear teeth t, adapted to engage the teeth of a bevel ear 7, which is secured to a shaft 9 which Iatter is vertically supported in the post A. In Figs. 4 and 5, the bevel teeth t are preferably located below the shaft e and to the left thereof, and the shaft g is connected to a cap or spider 9 which in turn is connected to a hood J, preferably cylindrical in form and in which are provided a plurality of o enings adapted to receive different colored isks or lens 1', 3' etc. Within the hood, and supported by a suitable bracket K, on the post A, is a lamp or lantern L, normally displaying at night a white light the different colored disks or lens are brought in front of the lamp. As the signal device has assumed its difierent positions. In the position shown, the blade has fallen from its vertical upright position, indicating safety, to the horizontal position, indicating danger, and in doin this, it is obvious that the bevel teeth twill impart rotative movement to the bevel gear g, thereby turning the shaft 9 and with it, the hood J so as to bring the roper colored disk or lens usually a red co ored disk or lensin position to indicate danger by night, or under other conditions where the blade would not easily be discernible.

In Fig. 7 it will be observed that the bevel teeth 15 on the arm 6 are located above the shaft 9 and that the shaft is connected with a table or plate P to which is secured in any convenient manner, a lamp or lantern L having a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive different colored disks or lens Z, Z for purposes of giving illuminated indications, at night, of the position of the blade. In this instance, it will be noted, that the hood J is dis ensed with and the lamp itself turns with t e table or plate P as the blade moves from one position to the other.

Obviously the hood J could be dispensed with in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the lamp or lantern itself provided with the different colored disks or lens, and any removable connection between the shaft g and lamp or lantern, that would suggest itself to those skilled in the art, may be used for the purpose of holding them in proper relation with each other. It is still further obvious that a removable, but stationary hood, may be provided for covering the lamp or lantern L, having a single opening therein with which the disk or lens Z, Z will register as the blade assumes its different positions.

Rods H, which are connected at one end to the arms e and similar to those previously described, are employed to return the signal to the position indicating safety, and other rods H on flexible connections H H may also be used, which will extend from the signal controlling mechanism up to one or ,more signal devices located above the blade C, when the post or upright A is equipped with more than one signal device.

It will be understood, of course, that one signal device alone may be employed and the operating mechanism so arranged as to cause it to assume two or three positions of indication, as may be desired.

In all of the forms of my invention the blade is moved upwards from the horizontal to give indications other than the danger indication, and the tendency of the blade when moved above its horizontal position (which is its danger position) is to return I to the horizontal position. Thus if the operating connections should break while the blade is in any position above the horizontal, for example, when the blade is in its clear or caution position, it would return by its own weight to its horizontal or danger position. As the blade is mechanically connected by gearing with the spectacle or other device for giving night indications, the movement of the blade to its danger position, would also cause the spectacle or other device to move to a position to give a danger indication. In the form of invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the spectacle is moved upwards at the same time as the blade but in a reverse direction, and it also has a tendency to move downwards to its lowermost position in which position it indicates danger. Thus the spectacle in this form may be availed of to assist the blade to return to its horizontal or danger just as in the ordinary practice in vogue for the past ten years.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

The combination with a signal comprising a blade for giving day indications and having a normal bias to danger position by its own weight, means for giving night indications, a pivot for the blade, a support for the said means adjacent said pivot, gearing between the blade and said means, whereby a move ment of the blade from or to its biased position will cause the said means to be operated to give the same indication as the blade, means for moving the blade upward from its biased position, and a casing for the gearmg.

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

JOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

A. HERMAN WEGNER, J. A. RENNIE.

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