US916405A - Railway-car-control apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

J. B. ATWOOD.

RAILWAY GAR CONTROL APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 16. 1906.

' 91 6,405. Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1900.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

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N\ W: .Er w w Wit JOHN BAIRD ATWOOD, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-CAB-CONTROL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed August 16, 1905. Serial No. 330,917.

cu. whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN BAIRI) Arwoon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Tm provements in Railway-Car-Control Apparatus, of which the following is a specificaof a moving car to stop it on the track at a predetermined point, said brake being regulable; to provide a series of automatic track brakes capable of manipulation from a distance and of adjustment in power; to provide improved brake operating mechanism, and to generally improve and cheapen the constructionof track brakes. These ob jects and other advantages to appear hereinafter. are attained by the structures illustrated in one form in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a plan and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of the tracks of a railway switch yard. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the track brakes. Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line- (4) in Fig. 8, showing the car wheels in place in the brake. Fig. 5 is a section on line (5) in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a sketch showing a modified means of operating the brakes. Fig. 7 is a detail section of the shaft of the actuating motor in Fig. 3.

.It is customary in railway practice to provide a switch yard having a summit of elevation, from which branch out the several tracks for shifting cars and making 'up trains, the switches being on an incline so that the cars may be moved by gravity and run down any switch track desired, to its proper place. It has been customary to stop the single cars at the positions desired by means of hand brakes, which is expensive andhas various evident dangers and disadvantages. My apparatus provides for automatic control and stoppage of such cars, and the operation of all is accomplished from a distant central observation tower. Thus, at various points on each of the branch tracks 9, 9, are placed pairs of stationary brakes 8, 8. These are all' operated, preferably, by electrical means,from a centrally located observation to'- .1 ii. The preferred form of this brake in detail, as shown in Figs. 3, 4-, and .3, comprises next .to each rail 9. presser bars 10 which are mounted to slide on guide plates 11. bolted to a board 12 resting upon the tie l3 inside the rails, moving to and from the raiLand opposite to each other. Bar 10 is connected by bolts l-i and springs 15 to the supplementary bar 16, which also slides similarly. so as to vary the pressure on the springs 15 and move pro r bar 10. or vary the distance between these two bars. .l n order to accomplish this movement I preferably provide a series 0?" togglelcvcrs 17 which are operated by con tral rod 15 by any convenient means. l

have shown them in this instanccas oper ated by means of hell crank lever 19 and a threaded rod 20 which is in turn rcciprooatcd by a motor 21 provided witha revolving nut threaded so as to operate on rod 20. The motor is energized by wires 23 from the central tower station 9-1, where are provided proper switches to reverse the motor and also to turn it at whatever speed may be desired.

Normally the pressure bar 10 Stands at proper distance from the rail 9, to clear the inside of the car whecl'zfi. The springs 15 allow the bar to yield when the bar is moved against the wheel. and the amount of pressure thus induced on the wheels depends upon the position of the supplementary bar 16; the fixed position, as well as the movement oi this bar is regulated by the motor as before described. Thus when the car reaches the spot at which it is desired to stop it the. presser bar 1.0 is shoved against the car wheels with whatever force is necessary to either slow it up or to stop it. as may be desired. The construction of the operating screw is such that thd brake can not. itself move the motor, and consequently is locked in any position against movement by the brake. The brake is released by reversing motor 21.. and its pressure on the wheel is also regulated by the turning of the motor shaft and actuating nut 22 (Fig. 7). The brake bars taking effect upon the inside of the wheels with equal pressure do not affect the track alinement, and they should engage the wheel a little above the top level of the rail, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 so as to bc-in contact with a rapidly moving part of the wheel.

lVhen desired a series of the brakes 8 may 4' be laced throuph some of which. tlie wheels l P 7 as may pass under pressure, and thus gradually be brought to stand. The tracks t being on an incline any 0: l may be released from position in one brake'and allowed to run down farther by gravity and be stopped again at another point, by another brake.

In Fig. 6 is shown a slightly modified means of operating the actuator rod 18 which may be similar to any of the usual operating means for switches, but preferably means are provided so that the brake bar is locked in any position in which As here shown the bar 26 has a rack 27 which is encased b a worm wheel 28 to reciprocate it, and this may be turned by a sprocket and chain from the wheel 30 in the central tower. Otherwise simple levers may be used and by this means the op erator may feel the etlort of the first wheels of the truck in the brake and may regulate the pressure at will.

The various advantages these devices Will readily occur those familir with the art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use; what I claim as new and desire to secure by ilett rs Patent, is the following:

l. The combination. with railway track of sliding brake-bars located near the rails to engage car wheels thereon, and means to move and lock the bar in place, said means being operated from a distance, substantially as described.

2. In a railway traclr brake the combination with a pair of sliding brake bars adapted to engage car whee's on the track, of pair of supplementary slidina' bars attached to the first bars by spring and means to move the supplementary oars and vary the pressure on said springs operated from a distant observation point.

3.1%. track brake comp presser bars mounted to s1v pair of the tree,

it is placed. 7

sienna bars, a. d locking means to fix the latter in.

any position, substantially as described.

l. The combination. with a railway track,

of a presser bar operable upon car wheels on the track, actuating links and-a thrust rod to more said pres are bar, and fixed reversible motor having a revolving member thread ed on said thrust rod, whereby the oresser bar may be moved by electric connections from a distance and be locked in place.

The combination with brake bar, of an actuating bar attached thereto, and means to reciprocate the actuating bar and lcck it in any position placed, substantially as described. i 6. The combination with a series of inclined railway switches, of sets of track brakes on the switches and electric means to operate and lock all the switches from a distantcentral station, substantially as describe l. I 7. The combination with a series of inclined railway switches, of track brakes on the several switches, a central station and means operating from the central station to' close and lock any or all'of the brakes from a distance. 1

8. The combination with an inclined yard having a series of branch tracks, of a plurality of track brakes on each of the several branches and means to operate all the brakes from a central operating tower, substantially f p as described.

9. The combination. with a track brake ofelectric means to operate it and lock it in closed position.

In witness whereof I have hereunder presence of the two"

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