US920267A

US920267A - Railway switch and signal.

Info

Publication number: US920267A
Application number: US45621808A
Authority: US
Inventors: William N Carroll
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1908-10-05
Filing date: 1908-10-05
Publication date: 1909-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 1926-05-04

Description

W. N. CARROLL. RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2'1, 190"]. RENEWED 0C1. 5, 1908.

920 267. Patented May 4, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WILLIAM N. CARROLL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL.

Application filed November 27, 1907, Serial No. 404,081.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909. Renewed October 5, 1908. Serial No. 456,218.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM N. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Switches and Signals, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway safety appliances, and more particularly to a novel and efficient signal mechanism for warning an engineer that he is running into an open switch.

Among the objects of the invention is to design a signal mechanism which is simple in its construction and operates efficiently on the darkest nights or in the stormiest weather, since there are no lights to be blown out or electric devices to get out of order.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a track having the switch mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the track showing the signal arms in proper position for actuating the alarm mechanism upon the train. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the track show.- ing the switch which the signal arms are mounted. Fig. 4 is a perspective view'of the alarm mechanism upon the train, portions of the latter being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views 0" the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings the numerals 1 designate the rails which are supported in the usual manner upon the cross ties 2, and 3 a switch of the conventional construction. The switch actuatin bar 4 is slidably mounted under the rails, one end of the said bar extending beyond a side of the track and being connected by a pitman 5 tothe crank portion of an upright shaft 6 journaled upon a switch stand 7 of the usual construction. For the purpose of rotating the operating shaft 6 to open or close the switch 3 a leverS is provided, one end of the lever having a and one of the standards upon handle 9 pivoted thereto and the said handle being designed to engage notches at opposite ends of a quadrant.

The op osite end of the bar 1 is s idably connecting a pair switch actuating mounted upon a guide 11 of ties 2 and carries a block 12 the two ends of which are beveled in opposite directions as indicated at 13. Pivotally mounted upon each side of the block 12 is a lever 14, the end portions of the two levers being extended inwardly so as to engage with the beveled faces 13 of the block 12. It may also be mentioned that these levers 14 are pivoted at points between their ends upon the two arms of a U shaped member 15, the cross bar of which extends across the block and tends to hold the same against vertical displacement. \Vith this construction it will be readily apparent that as the switch actuating bar 4 is moved back and forth to open or close the switch, the beveled faces 13 of the block 12 will cooperate with the inwardly extended ends of the lovers 14 to impart an oscillatory movement to the latter.

A standard 16 is disposed upon each side of the track and in opposite directions from the switch, a sufficient distance being provided between the standards and the switch to enable the engineer to bring his train to a stop after receiving the warning that the switch is open. Pivotally mounted upon each of the standards 16 is an arm 17, and the said arms are provided with extensions 18 which are pivotally connected thereto so as to swing laterally in both directions. For the purpose of holding these extensions 18 normally in alinoment with the arms 17 springs 19 are utilized, the said springs having one of their ends rigidly connected to the arms while their opposite ends pass loosely throu h guide loops 20 upon the extensions 18. t will also be observed that in the present instance these springs 19 have intermediate portions thereof coiled at 21 for the purpose of increasing the resiliency of the said members. Cables 22 are connected to the arms 17 upon opposite sides of the pivot points of the same and pass around guide pulleys 23 at the base of the standards 16. These cables 22 then pass around a second set of guide pulleys 24 and extend along the track, the

extremities of each pair of the cables being connected to opposite ends of the correspending lever 8. In this manner motion i transmitted from the levers 8 to the signa arm 17 and the various parts are so arranger. that when the switch is open the arms 17 ar moved into an approximately horizontal position, while v hen the switch is closed the said arms are swung downwardly.

Journaled upon the cab of the locomotive or other suitable part of the train is ahori- Zontal rock shaft 25 one end of which projects laterally beyond the cab, while the opposite end is disposed within the cab and carries a hammer 26 for sounding a gong 27. The outer end of the rock shaft 25 is provided with a crank arm 28 having the extremity thereof connected by means of a cable or flexible member 29 to a finger 3O projecting laterally from the lower portion of the cab. 1 This "linger 30 is shown in the present inj stance as pivotally connected to a bracket 31 1 so as to swing in a horizontal plane, and this finger 30 is caused to normally project outwardly by means of a spring 32 similar to the l before mentioned springs 19 upon the signal arms. These parts are so arranged that should the cable 229 meet with any obstruction such as would produce tension therein the rock shaft 25 is rotated and the h miner 26 caused to sound the gong 27. A spring 33 normally holds the hammer away from the ong.

Vi hen the switch 3 is closed the signal arms 17 are swung downwardly and the extensions 18 thereby moved out of the path of the cable 29. However when the switch 3 is open the 1 arms 17 are caused to assume such a position that the extensions 18 project within the path of the cable 29 and engage with the l same, causing the hammer to sound the gong and warn the en ineer of the fact that the switch is open. Attention is directed to the fact that the extensions 18 are yieldingly j held in position by means of the spring 32, such construction tending to break the imj pact due to the velocity of the train and to l prevent injury to the various parts of the 1 signal mechanism. l Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as. new is: 1. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of an alarm mechanism mounted train and having an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, adapted to engage the cable to sound the alarm mechanism. 1 2. In a railway safety appliance, the coml bination of an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train, a cable stretched upon the train and having an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, an arm, and a. yielding extension carried by the arm for en the cable to operate the alarm mechupon the train, a cable stretched upon the j 1 and an arm anism.

3. In a railway safety apphance, the comtrain and having bination of an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train, a cable stretched upon the an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, an arm for engaging the cable to operate the alarm mechanism, and means for moving the arm into and out of the path of the cable.

1. In a railway safety appliance, the CO1- bination of an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train, a cable stretchedupon the train and having an operative connection with the alarm mechanism, an arm for enthe cable to operate the alarm mechanism, a switch, and means for moving the arm into and out of the path of the cable when the switch is thrown.

5. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train and adapted to be actuated by a rock shaft, a cable stretched upon the train and having an operative connection with the rock shaft for turning the same, and an arm adapted to engage the cable to operate the alarm mechanism.

6. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an arm pivotally mounted upon the standard, a yielding extension for the arm, means for controlling the arm, a rock shaft mounted upon the train, an alarm mechanism adapted to be actuated by the rock shaft, and a cable for turning the rock shaft, the said cable being adapted to be engaged by the before mentioned yielding extension of the arm.

7. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an arm mounted upon the standard, a rock shaft journaled upon the train, an alarm mechanism adapted to be actuated by the rock shaft, a yielding finger projecting from the train, and a cable connecting the rock shaft and yielding finger and adapted to be engaged by the before mentioned arm to rotate the rock shaft.

8. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a standard, an arm carried by the standard, yielding extension for the arm, an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train, a yielding finger projecting from the train, and a cable connected to the yielding linger and adapted to actuate the alarm mechanism, the said cable being. designed to be engaged by the yielding extension of the before mentioned arm.

9. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switch operating bar, a block carried by the switch operating bar and having the ends thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one side of the block and having the ends thereof extended inwardly so that the lever is oscillated when the block is moved, an alarm mechanism mounted upon the train, and means c011- trolled by the before mentioned lever for actuating the alarm mechanism.

10. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switch operating bar, a block carried by the switch operating bar and having portions thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one side of the block 5 and adapted to be oscillated by the beveled portions of the latter when the switch bar is moved, an alarm mechanism upon the train, a standard, an arm upon the standard for actuating the alarm mechanism upon the train, and connecting means between the arm and the lever.

11. In a railway safety appliance, the combination of a switch, a switch actuating bar, a block carried by the switch actuating bar and having opposite ends thereof beveled, a lever pivotally mounted upon one side of the block and adapted to be oscillated by the beveled portions of the block when the switch is operated, a standard, an arm pivotally mounted upon the standard, a yielding extension for the arm, connecting means between the arm and the lever, an alarm mechanism upon the train, and a cable for actuating the said alarm mechanism, the said cable I being adapted to be engaged by the yielding extension of the arm.

12. In a railway safety ap liance, the combination of a switch, a bloc mounted to be moved when the switch is thrown, a lever mounted in cooperative relation to the block so as to be swung about its pivot when the block is moved, and a signal operated by the lever. 13. In a railway safety ap liance, the coml bination of a switch, a blocl mounted to be i moved when the switch is thrown and having a beveled portion, a lever mounted in cooperative relation to the block and engaging the beveled portion thereof so as to be swung about its pivot when the block is moved, and a signal mechanism controlled by the lever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM N. CARROLL. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

P. H. GUNoKEL, H. A. BOWMAN.