USRE11261E - Railway-switch - Google Patents

Description

A A S T R 0 M.

Assignor to the STROM MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

RAILWAY SWITCH. Reissued Aug. 16, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC AXEII STROM, OF AUSTIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Reissued Letters Patent No; 11,261, dated August 16, 1892.

- Original in. 457,904, am: August 18,1891. -Applioaticnforreiss11e liledd lym, 1892. $erial1l'o.440,l)40- To all whozm it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL -A. STROM, a ci-tizen of the United Statesresiding at Austin, in'the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and nsefullmprovement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of rail- Way-switches'known as split switches, being those formed with point-rails located between main rails and tied together to be simultaneously thrown laterally against one orthe other of the main rails by a suitable switchoperating device. F

One object of my improvement is to stiffen the point rails lengthwise by reinforcing means applied laterally to the inner sides of the rails, but adequately spaced therefrom to preventits acting as a guard-rail and adapted to rest on their foundation laterally of the point-rails. As to this feature of my invention, I may state'th'at'fknowl it to be old 'to reinforce the point-rails of split switches by means ofsT-bars fastened to the inner sides of their webs. This construction, however, not adapting the reinforcing means to rest on a foundation-plane lateral to that of the poin trails, does not serve, as does 1nine, to hold up the point-rails.

A common defect in split switches is that the poin trails are liable to be or become bent, and from that or some other cause to fail to meet the main rails toward which they are thrown, thereby producing liability to accident. My object in this connection is to provide a split switch having the point-rails connected by a tie-bar with a horizontal extension. from the inner side of each or either point-rail or from thereinforcing means, if provided, the extensions inclining toward each other and having, preferably, elongated or longitudinal series of transverse holes, and a plate to fit against the web of each pointrail, having a bolt-hole, and towhich the tiebar is fastened. I secure the tie-bar in position by bolting the aforesaid plates to the rails at the proper points to maintain them so spread apart that the limit of their throw will be against the main rails, and to gage the throw, it disarranged from any cause or requiring readjustment, I slide the plates fareffecting readily adjustment of the gage of the point-rails are shown and describedin my United States Letters Patent, No.457,905,

grantedAugust 1S, 1891.

In the accompanying drawings,'Figure 1 is a plan view representing'a railroad-track having a splitswitch provided with my improvements constructed in accordance with mypreference as to details.

. taken on theline 2 of Fig.1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3 of Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is an enlargedbroken view in perspective,

showing in detail my improved point-rail-ad-' justing device, 4

A A are main rails in a railroad-track, and

Fig. -2 is a section B B are the'point-rails of a split switclu'n the track, the point-rails being fastened, respectively, at m 0:. Along the inner side of each point-railsay for about fifteen feet (more or less) of its lengthI extend a reinforcing nar C, (preferably having the form of a guardrail, although not acting as a guard-rail,) secured to thepoint-rail by bolts 1, passed through them and through-interposed spacing-blocksp, provided atdesired intervals,and which maintain the heads of the connected rails B and O sufficiently far apart to prevent the latter acting as guard-rails and the adjacent edges of their flanges together throughout the greater-portion of the length of the bar O. The ends of the reinforcing-rails 0 should be bent inward, as shown, whereby they are caused to resemble guard-rails. Inclining horizontally inward from the inner sides of the rails B and toward each other and preferably but not necessarily extending from the rails G and from the ends thereof to project beyond the points of the rails B are the sections D I), each provided in its web with a horizontal series of bolt-holes q and with a plate E, adapted to fit against the web of the rail in a' manner to permit it to be readily slid back and forth, and provided with ah'ole for a bolt 0.

v struction illustrated or any other suitable construction. The tie -'bar shown is provided near its opposite endswith rigid opposing aws n, affording seats for .the rails B, and which fit at their opposing extremities against opposite sides of the webs of the rails, aslot in being provided in the base of eachadjusting-plate E to permit the adjacent side. of the respective jaw n to pass through it against the web and cause the jaw to be engaged by the said plate. At opposite sides of the seats n the bar F is depressed, as shown at l, to pass under the bases of the main rails A, and one end of the bar F is pivotally connected with one end of a switch-connecting rod F',t he

opposite end of which leads to a switch-stand,

(Not shown.) 1

From the foregoing description of the construction 'it will be apparent that the reinforcing-bars C, though resembling guard-rails,

' are in no sense guard-rails, but, in addition to owing, practially, to the expansion they aftheir function ofstiffening and straightening (if bent) the point-rails, hold up the points,

ford of the bases of the switch rails, and that the gage of the rails B may be readily adjusted by'securing the plates E at proper holes q or places on the sections D, (whether the latter e on reinforcing-rails C or at an y suitable pointon the switch-rails,) accordingto whether the effect to be produced be that of spreading the rails apart or bringing them closer together. y Y

I realize that if only one of the inclined sections D were provided the adjustment would be effective, and I therefore desire to be understood as includingsa-id construction as within the meaning of my claim.

What I claim as new; and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of reinforcing-bars secured to and extending alongthe'irinnersidesand having their bearing-bases laterally beyond those of the point-rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of gage-adj ustinghorizontallyinward-projecting sections inclining inward from the point-rails anda tie-bar connecting the point-rails at and adjustable on the said sections lengthwise thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of gage-ad j ustin g horizontallyv inward-projecting sections inclining toward each other from the point-rails and provided with .bolt-holes, perforated plates fitting against the sides of the said sections and bolted thereto, and a tie-bar connecting the point-rails atthe said sections and held by the said plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of guardrail-shaped reinforcing rails bolted to and extending along the inner sides of the point-rails and spacers interposed between the point-rails and reinforcing-rails, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

5. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of reinforcing-bars secured to .the innersides of said rails and extending beyond the points'thereof. and a-tie-bar' connecting the point-rails at the said extensions, substantially a'sdescribed.

6. 'In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails B, of guardrail-shaped reinforcing-rails C, bolted to and extending along the inner sides and beyond the points of the rails B, bent sections D at the ends of the reinforcing-rails, having holes q, perforated plates E, bolted to the said sections through holes q, and'a tie-bar F, connecting the pointrails at the sections D and engaged by the adjustable plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth;

, AXEL .A. STROM.

. In presence of I M. J. FROST, LN." Hanson.

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