USRE3841E - Improvement in railroad-station indicators - Google Patents

Description

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AMOS C. RODGERS AND LEWIS SHAFFER, 0F FORT WASHINGTON, PENN- SYLVANIA, AssIeNnEs or A..c'.1 RoDGERs.

Letters Patent l\'0.795,0l6, dated September 21, 1863; reissue No'. 3,841, dated February 15, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT nv RAILROAD-STATION INDICATORS.

The Schedule referr'edt in these Letters Patent and making part of the same- To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that A. C. RODGERS, of -Fort Washington, in the county ol' Montgomery, and State of Pennsylvania, did invent au Improvement iii-Railroad-Station Indicators; and we, AMos C. RoDeuus and LEWIS SHAFFER, of Fort Washington, Moutgomcry county, Pennsylvania, and sole assiguces .of the said AMOS C. RODGERS, de hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of tLe said invention.

Nature and Oly'ect of the Invention.

Ihis invention relates to a new apparatus for displaying within railroad-cars the name of the station which` the car is approaching, or at which it ,haarui- Description of lthe Accompanying Drawing; ]i`igure s heet 1, is afront elevation of the improved railroad-station indicator,

Figure 2, sheet 2, a vertical section ofthe same on the line a: fig.'1.

Figure 3, sheet l, a detached sectional view of part ofi-the apparatus on the line y y, lig. 2.

General Description.

The frame A of the indicator may be constructed of wood or other. suitable material, and is arranged in the corner or in any other convenient part of a. railroad-car, and is intended Vto the roof of the said car.

In theI upper part of the frame are formed bearings for a horizontal shaft, B, which has near one end a wheel, C, notched on its"periphery,and having on its.

oppos'te faces ratchet-teeth, aand b, inclined in oppo site directions, as best observed in iig. 2.

The notches c on the edge of the wheel are equal in number to the teeth a or b, andare arranged to receive the lower endof a sliding rod, D, which is so acted on bya spring, d, th`at, until otherwise o erated, it will remain in one of the said notches, and Vlus prevent the wheel C from turning.

E and E' are two levers, so pivoted to the frame A that their inner ends shall fit under a shoulder, e, of

the sliding-rod D, as Shown in tig. 3.

extend from the floor to The lever F, by which the apparatus is operated, is suspended ionl a rock-shaft, G, which has its bearings in the lower portion ofthe frame A, and from which two arms f and j' project in opposite directions, as shown in fig. `1.

To the frame, directly beneath these arms f and f of the shaft G, are pivted `two levers, H and H.

When the said shaft is swung inthe direction-of thearrow 1, its arm f will bear against the lever H, and will canse the same to turn upon its pivot g.

To the outer end of the lever H are hung two vertical rods, I and J, the former of' which is hooked at its upper end, so as to form a pawl adapted to the ratchet-teeth a ofthe wheel C. The bar J has also ahookedupper end, which projects over the end of` the leverE. As soon, therefore, as the lever H is swung downward, as aforesaid, the hooked rod J will catch and depress the end of the lever E, and will thereby cause the rod D to be raised out of the notch c, when the pawl I will catch a tooth a., and .turn the wheel C and its axle B in the direction of the arrow 2.

soon. as the .suspended lever-'Ii strikes the stop which ism-ranged upon or adjacent to the railroadtrack, (the car moving in the direction ofthe arrow. 3,) the said lever will be swung in the direction of -the arrow, and will impart motion to the wheel C, as aforesaid. 'lhe lever H is, in a. similar' manner, connected witlr a. vertical rod-or pawl, I', and catch, J

The pawl I meshes into the teethjb of tllewlieel c, I -while the catch J engages with the lever E', so that, when the lever F is swung in the direction of the arrow 2 din-ing the motion of the ca -r in the direction of the arrow 4, the lever H will be swung so as to release the rod '1), and turn the wheel in the direction of the l arrow 1.

Inclined guides t t are so arranged upon the frame lA as to laterally withdraw the pawls I and I', when elevated, from between the teeth of the ratchet-wheel,

this preventing either of thesaid pawls from interfering with the ii'ee operation of the other.

1 Thefpaw'ls I and I should be jointed at s, asl shown,

while the bars J and J should be reduced in thickness near the top, so4 that their hooked upper ends may serve as spring-catches for the levers E and Both vthe pawls I I and catches J J are drawn upward after each movementby springs h h.

The operating-lever F is made longitudinally'adjustable, as' best observed iu lig. 2, so 'that it may be adapted to stops oidiliferent heights. p

An arur, i, to which is aixed a hammer, ,7, projects from the sliding-rod D, said hammer being arranged to strike a bell, K, whenever the rod D is forceddownward into a notch, c, by the spring d after it has been elevated ,by the action of one of the lspring-catches J or J 0u the shaft B is' mounted a drum or polygonal disks, L, over which a chain or belt, M, is placed, as

i lshown in the drawing.

' "Ihis chain or belt contains the names of the several stations along the line of the road, and displays one of these naines through an aperture in a easing which surrounds' the frame A.

' Whenever the lever F strikes a stop on -the ground, it causes the shaft B to be so turned as to displayanother name through the aperture, and, at the same time, the bell is struck bythe hammer,.to call attention to the change.

The names on the belt or chain should be removable, for which purpose I prefer to print, paint, or otherwiseaffix the naines on plates, ll, which are slipped into grooves` provided in the chain, as is clearly shown in the drawing.

C laz'ms.

1. The combination of a notched wheel, devices for rotating the same, operated by a lever, F, and a sliding-liar, D, operated by said devices so as to he elevated before the movement ofthe wheel, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the wheel @having ratchets inclined in opposite directions on its opposite faces or sides, and pawls I I', arranged at opposite edges of the wheel, and operating substantially as described.

3. The combination ofthe Wheel C, its ratchet-teeth and notches, the pawls I I', lever F, catchesJ J', le: vers E il', and lock-rod D, all arranged and operating substantially as described,

4. Ihe combination ofthe vibrating arms f f', lever F, or its equivalent, levers H H', and the pawls and catches I I', J J', or their equivalent-s.

e 5. Ihe arrangement in respect to the pawls I I and ratchet-wheel C of the inclined guides t t, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names tc,

this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AMOS C. RODGERS.

LEWIS SHAFFER.

. Witnesses:

J ons WHITE, LOUIS BosWuLL.

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