US926210A - Train-actuated rail. - Google Patents

Description

H. F. ROACH.

TRAIN AGTUATBD RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED 920.16, 1907.

Patented June 29, 1909. 2 SHEETS- SHEET l.

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TRAIN ACTUATED RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED 1320.16, 1907,

926,210. I Patented June 29,1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY F. ROACH7 OF ST ..LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 'l`O CONTINUOUS RAIL et SAFETY SWITCH CO., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRAIN-ACTUATED RAIL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY F. RoAoH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Train-Actuated Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being .had to the accom anying drawings, forming part of this speci cation, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of my improved actuating member and its support 3 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said member and support; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4 4 oi' F ig. 2; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, this 'ligure also illustrating the actuating member as being provided with depending flanges or plates that prevent the accumulation ci' snow or ice on the portions of the support which said member rests upon when in its depressed position; Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the actuating member and Fig. S is a perspective view o'll the support for said member.

This invention relates to train-actuated rails designed particularly for actuating switch frogs of the type described in my pending application, Serial No. 403,959, filed November 26, 1907. The 'frog described in said application comprises a i'iivotally mounted tongue arranged at the point where one of the rails of the siding crosses over or intersects one of the rails of the main line, and means for moving said tongue so that it will form a continuation of said rails. The means shown and described in said application for actuating the movable tongue consists of depressible bars or members arranged longitudinally of one rail of each track and slightly above the treads of said rails so that when a wheel approaches the frog the pressure of the wheel will depress said bar or member and move it longitudinally, the longitudinal movement of said member being transmitted to the movable tongue by a system of links and levers.

My present invention consists in a longie tudinally movable bar or member for actuat- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 16, 1907.

l l l l l l r Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. 406,808.

device, as the case may be, and the main object ol my invention is to provide an actuating member of novel construction which will not be liable to become accidentally displaced.

Another object of my invention is to provide a member for the purpose described having means for preventing snow, dirt or other foreign matter from accumulating on the support on which said member rests when it is depressed.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, l designates a portion of a track rail, and 2 designates a portion of the pivotally mounted tongue that is adapted to be shifted to form a continuation of one rail of the siding or mainline as described in my pending application above referred to. The device that is employed for actuating said tongue consists of a member A mounted on links Bnpivotally connected at their lower ends to a stationary support and of such length that a portion of the member A will project above the tread of the track rail when said links are in an upright iosition, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, thereby causing said member to be depressed and moved loi'igitudinally toward the tongue 2 when it is engaged by a wheel that is approaching the frog. It is obvious that the member A might be guided in its movement by slots, and in this way the links would be dispensed with. A rod 4l is secured to the rear end of the member A for transmitting the longitudinal movement of said member to levers or other suitable mechanism connected to the tongue 2. After the member A has been depressed by a wheel 'passing over same, it is returned to its normal elevated position by means of a. spring 4 that is secured to the rod 4, as shown in Fig. l. The support for the member A )referably consists of pressed steel, though I have shown a casting having a base 5 and a vertically disposed web 6 which for part of its length is provided with a head 7 conforming in cross section to the head on the track rail l against which it abuts, and a half-head S forming a continuation of the head 7. The remaining portion of the web 6 is not provided with a head so that the casting ren ing the movable tongue of the frog, or other l sembles a T-rail having its entire head removed for a portion of its length and half of its head removed from its adjacent portion. The member A consists of' a straight shank 9 that is adapted to lie against one side of the vertical web 6 of the support and thus form a bearing surface that cooperates with, the half head 8 to form a complete tread for a wheel7 and at the rear end of said shank is an inverted channel-shaped portion or head 10 which embraces the portion of the web 6 of the support that is not rovided with a head, said inverted channe -shaped portion cooperating with the heads on the support to form a continuous tread or bearing surface for the wheel. r1`he member A is provided with laterally projecting trunnions 11 that enter 0 enings in the upper ends of the links 3 and t ie base 5 is provided with blocks 12 having trunnions 13 that enter openings in the lower ends of said links. The blocks or lugs 12 are adapted to form bearing surfaces for the member A when it is depressed, as shown in broken lines in l? ig. 2, and 1 also prefer to form additional lugs or projections 12a on the base so as to firmly support the member A throughout its entire length.

The base 5 of the support is cut out adjacent the blocks 12 to provide clearness for the lower ends of the links 3, and a lug or flange 14 projects upwardly from the base 5 so as to contact with the outside face of the front end of the shank 9 or' the member A an d prevent it from moving laterally away from the web of the support, the inverted channel-shaped head 1() on the rear end of the member A embracing the web 5 of the support and thus performing the same function.

As shown in Fig. 8, the support is provided with convexed surfaces 15 and 15EL and the front end of the inverted channel-shaped head 10 of the member A is provided with cooperating concaved faces 16 and 17. `When said member A is depressed and moved longitudinally toward the tongue 2 the concaved surface 17 on the head 10 comes into engagement with the convexed surface 15 of the supporting member, and the central web of the inverted channel-shaped portion 1() of said member A bears throughout its entire length on the upper edge of the portion of the web 6 which it embraces, as well as its legs bearing on the blocks 12 and 12a. vffith a construction of this description there is no liabilityT of the actuating member A becoming accidentally displaced for it is securely supported in both its elevated and depressed positions. Furthermore, as the member A forms part of the rail on which the wheel travels, there is no possibility of the wheel not engaging said member and thus failing to operate the tongue 2. Another advantage of this construction is that the actuating member A and its support can be built as a single unit and then shipped to the point where it is to be installedr the support being connected to the track rail by means of fish. plates 18. Instead of casting the support for the member A 1 can form said support from a rolled T-rail by removing the entire head ol' the rail for a portion of its length and half of the rail head from the adjacen portion. li' desired, the head 10 of the actuating member can be provided with depending hanges or plates 1 9 that telescope overthelugs or blocks 12 and 12a, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus prevent snow or ice from accumulating on said lugs.

1 do not deem it necessary to show the switch tongue or element to be moved in the accompanying drawings, as the same forms no part of my present inv ntion. 1 consider that the rod 4 which is retracted by a spring and which is connected with the element to be moved, is a movable element, and in the following claims 1 have employed the expression movable element in its broad sense, whether the element to be moved is a switch, tongue, rod, or other device.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for the purpose described, comprising asupport having vertically disposed web having a con-,vexed bearing surface, a dcpressible actuating member having a shanl; that extends longitudinally of said web and a head of approximately inverted channel-shape that embraces said web, and concaved bearing 'faces on said head which are adapted to engage the convexed bearing surface on the web ot the support when said actuating member is in its elevated and depressed positions 5 substantially as described.

2. A device for the purpose described, comprising a support having a base and a vertically disposed web, a depressibic actuating member arranged longitudinally of said support and liavingahead that embraces said web, and means for preventing snow or ice from collecting underneath the lower edge ol the head of said actuating member 5 substantially as described.

3. A device for the purpose described, comprising a support of approximately inverted'i'shape, a depressible actuating mem-Y ber having a head of inverted channel-shape that embraces the vertically disposed web of said support, lugs on the base of said support on. which said actuating member' rests when in its depressed position, and depending flanges on the head of said member which telescope over said lugs 5 substantially as de scribed.

L1. A support for an actuating member consisting ol a casting that comprises a base and a vertically disposed web provided for a portion of its length with a rail head and having a half head on its adjacent portion, an actuating member, blocks on the base of said l support which form bearing surfaces for said actuating member, trunnions on some of said signature in the presence of two Witnesses, blocks which form fulcrums for devices that this fourteenth day of December 1907.

carry said actuatino' member, and means on 1 the base to prevent said aotuatin member HARRY F' ROACH' 5 from moving laterally; substantially as de- Witnesses:

scribed. F. R. CORNWALL,

In testimony whereof Ihereunto nflix my GEORGE BAKEWELL,

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