US1404810A - Crossing bridge for railway rails - Google Patents

Description

H. TOPPING.

CROSSING BRIDGE FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 24, I92I.

1,404,8 1 O, Patented J an. 31, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- S14/vento@ Heiz/y fog/vz' 129 HENRY Terrine, or ASHLEY, rLLrnors.

CRCSSING'BRIDG FOR .RAILWAY RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 31, 1922.

Application filed October 24, 1921. Serial No. 510,008.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY TorrrNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashley, in the county of Vashington and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crossing Bridges for Railway Rails, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object the provision of means for bridging the spaces left at the crossings of railway rails, for the purpose of permitting the passa e of the flanges of the car wheels, and the o ject is to provide an exceedingly simple structure, which will operate to bridge the spaces for the tracks in either direction, while leaving the spaces in the other direction free and unobstructed. i

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway crossing, showing the mechanism in place therein,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of a pair of the bridge plungers and their operating means,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view.

The railway crossing may be of any well known character, and includes sets of rails, respectively designated i and 5, with the usual guards 6, leaving spaces 7 and 8 for the iianges of the car wheels. At the intersection of these spaces are mounted vertically movable plungers 9 and 10, constituting bridges and so arranged that either may be raised to the level of the rails, while the other is depressed, thereby forming a continuous trackway at the crossing in either direction, as desired. i

As shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3, each 'set of plungers is mounted in a suitable boXing 11, and is rotatably as well as vertically movable therein. Said plungers are provided with screws 12 having engagement with internal threads 13 formed in the boxing. The two plungers are furthermore connected by gears 14 having keys 15 engaged in keyways 16, one of the plungers furthermore having keyed to it a worm wheel 17 that is engaged by a worm 18 on an operating shaft 19. Two of these shafts 19 are provided, each operating as will be understood, on a pair or set of plunger bridges, and said shafts may be operated from any suitable source and by any desired power. Thus in the present embodiment they are shown as geared at 20 to a main shaft 21 that may be extended to operating means in a tower or the like.

lVith this construction, it will be evident that if the main shaft 21 is rotated in one direction, each of the plungers, as 9, will be elevated to form a continuous trackway in one direction, while the others are depressed. The car wheels will thus pass over the crossing without shock or jar and without obstruction. Vhen a train is to pass at right angles it is only necessary to rotate the shaft 21 in the opposite direction, whereupon the other set of plungers will be elevated while the rst set will be depressed.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, with- .out further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages ofthe invention.

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

1. The combination with crossedrailway rails having iiange-receiving spaces at their crossing points, of vertically movable plungers for bridging the spaces, threaded mountings for the plungers, and means for simultaneously moving the plungers in opposite directions.

2. rIhe combination with crossed railway rails having flange-receiving spaces at their crossing points, of vertically movable plungers for bridging the spaces, threaded mountings in which the plungers are adjustably screwed, and means for simultaneously effecting a, relative rotation between the plungers and their mountings to eEect the movements of said plungers in opposite directions.

3. The combination with crossed railway rails having iiange-receiving spaces at their crossing points, of vertically movable plungers for bridging the spaces, threaded mountings in which the plungers are rotatably screwed, gearing connecting the plungers for rotating them in opposite directions, and means for eifecting their rotation.

4. The combination with crossed railway rails, having flange-receiving spacesa at their crossing points, of vertically movable plungers for bridging the spaces, threaded In testimony whereof, I affix my signature mountings l which the plungers are rlotan the presence of two Witnesses.

tabl sorewe, rearing connectno' the p un- Y gersy for rotatlg them in oppste drec- HENRY TOPPING' tions, a Wonu Wheel on one of the plungers, 1Witnesses:

and an actuating shaft having a Worm mesh- C. H. BROWN,

ing with the Worm Wheel. JOHN HoLRooK.

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