US916817A - Switch-operating means. - Google Patents

Description

W. J. & O. J. WILLIAMS.

'SWITCH OPERATING MEANS. l APPLICATION r1LBDsBPT.1,19os.

9 1 6, 841 7 Patented Mar.l 30, 1909.

T 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. J. & 0. J. WILLIAMS. SWITCH OPERATING MEANS. A PPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 1,'1908.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

-z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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f main track.

UNITED STA iS PATENE 11i-@FICE j WALTER `l. WILLIAMS AND OSCAR J. WILLIAMS, OF PITTSFIELD, ILLINOIS.

SW ITCH-OPERATING ME ANS.

T 0 all Awho-m it may concern: l Be it known that we, WALTER J WiLLrrrns j and OscAnJ-WrLLrArrs, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, in the county of Pike and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switcli-0perating Means, of which the following'is a specilication. j

The present invention relates to improvel ments in railroad switches and the object of j the invention is the provision of a device of this character embodying a novel construction whereby the switch can be thrown into an open or a closed position from a moving car without the necessity of stopping the car and dismounting therefrom.

The invention further contemplates a switch mechanism which is durable and inexpensive in its construction and which will admit of a car running through the switch in either direction.

`ldor a 'full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a l knowledge of the details of construction and j the means for effecting the result, reference is accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch provided with a switch operating mechanism embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same showing the switch in the act of being operated by a car,Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation'of the base located between the rails of j the track looking at the same from the oppo- 1 site side to that shown in Fig.y 2, Fig. L't is a i horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, 1Eig. 5 is an end view of a car showing the trip member mounted thereon, and, Fig. 6 j is an enlarged detail perspective view of the i cam member.

.Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated j in all the views of the drawings by the same j reference characters. l,

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 l, designates the main track, 2 the branch l track, and 3 the switch point which operates i in the usual manner between one of the rails of the main track and a guard rail 4. 'ihis switch point 3 is connected by a switch bar 5 to one end of a lever 6 which is pivotally mounted between its ends upon a block 7 and is disposed longitudinally with respect to the The opposite end of this lever 6 carries a roller 8 which is designed to be envto be had to the following description and j Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 1, 1908.

cular disk 11 which is rigid with Patented March 30, 1909.

Serial No. 451,204.

gaged by a cam member 9 to swing the lever' and throw the switch point into an Vopen position, the said switch point being normally held in a closed position by means of a spring 10.

The cam 9 projects from one side of a cira horizontal shaft 12 journaled in a base 13 located be tween the rails of the main track. Rigid with this shaft 12 upon. the opposite side of the base, is a segmental plate 141 one of the ends of which is provided with a radially extending tongue 15 while the opposite end is connected to a spring 16 which normally tends to turn the segmental plate and move the disk 11 so as to hold the earn 9 out of engagement with the roller 3. When in this position, the tongue 15 is moved downwardly and projects within the contracted end of a guide groove 17 formed in an extension ofthe base 13, the opposite end ofthe guide groove being lared. When the tongue 15 is swung upwardly, the segmental plate 14 and disk 11 are moved against the action of the spring '16 and the cam 9 is caused to engage the roller 3 and move the lever 6 to throw the switch point from a closed to an open position. For the purpose of holding the switch point in such position until the rolling stock shall have passed from the main track upon the branch track, a detent 18 is provided which engages a notch 19 in the edge of the segmental plate 14. This detent 18 is Vformed with an extension 18a which projects beyond the pivot point thereof and is engaged by a spring 20 which normally tends to throw the detent in an operative position. It will also be ob served that the extension is connected by a rod 21 to a releasing lever which extends upwardly along one side of the segmental plate and has its lower end pivoted to the base 13 at 22. This releasing lever is formed of a lower' section 23' to which the rod 21 is connected and an upper section 23h which is hinged to the lower section and provided with an extension 2d adapted to engage the said lower section to limit the swinging move-- ment of the upper section and prevent it from being swung beyond a position in alinement therewith. Then the segmental plate is turned as previously described to open the switch, a projection 25 upon one side thereof engages the section 23b of the releasing lever and moves it into alinement with the section 23a of the releasing lever, the detent 18 their entering the notch 19 to hold the segmental plate against backward movement. lVhen. the upper section 23b of the releasing lever has thus been swun upwardly into alinement with the lower section 23a it projects upwardly above the tongue 15 into the path of a trip member 26 upon the rear end of the car and after the wheels of the car have been guided upon the branch track, this trip niernber engages the releasing lever and moves the same so as to pull upon the rod 21 and move l the detent 18 out of the notch 1 rihe l 1 l l 1 trip rod is moved downwardly to the lower end of the slots, it will engage the upper end I 23b of the releasing lever, while when it is moved to the upper end of the slots it is in an inoperative position and will pass over the releasing' lever. Swinging plates 38 which are pivoted uoon the hangers 37, are utilized for holding the tri rod 23 in an inoperative position, the sai plates being provided with the notches 3Sffor engaging the rod and holding it at the upper end of the slots. 1t will thus be apparent that the switch can be set from the car to guide the car upon the branch track if desired and that the switch may either be left in this position or moved back to its original position; Should a car be traveling in the opposite direction upon the branch track it will be en tirely obvious that the pressure of the wheel flanges against the switch point would move the same against the action of the spring 10 and permit the car to move from the branch track to the main track without the necessity of setting the switch.

aving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination of a main track, a branch track, a switch point, a base, a plate pivoted upon the base and having an operative connection with the switch point, means adapted to be operated from the rolling stock to move the plate to throw the switch spring 16 then moves the segmental plate back to its original position and the spring l0 moves the switch point back to a closed position. Aft-er the trip member 26 slips over the upper end of the releasing lever, the latter is swung backwardly for a short distance by the spring 20 of the detent 18, the upper section 23b of the Y releasing lever gaining a sufficient momentum to swing it downwardly into a substantially horizontal position liush with the top of the base 13.

ln the present instance, a car 27 is shown as mounted to travel upon the track, and pendent from the platform of this car, is a switch operating bar 28. The upper end of this bar passes through the platform of the car and is pivotally connected to the car at 29. The bar itself is normally inclined rearwardly so that the lower end thereof is elel vated into an inoperative position and for the purpose of holding it in such position the pivot end thereof is formed with an arm 30 the extremity of which is designed to engage a notch or depression 31 in a foot lever 3,2. This foot lever 32 is pivotally mounted at an intermediate point between the ears 33 and the opposite end thereof to that pro- -vided with the depression 31 and is normally forced upwardly by a spring 34 so as to hold the depression in engagement with the arm 30v of the bar. l/Vhen it is desired to open the switch and cause the car to travel upon the branch track, the upwardlyT spring pressed end of the foot lever 32 is forced downwardly Vand the toot lever thereb r moved to release the arm 30 from the depression 31. The lower end of the switch operating bar 28 then drops into the guide groove 17 and as the car advances, the loop 35 in the end of the switch operating ban-engages the tongue 15V and swings the same upwardly so as to turn thel segmental plate and open the switch as heretofore described. After the wheels of the car have been guided upon the branch track, the trip member 26 at the rear end of the car if set in an operative position, will l engage the releasing lever and disengage the ,l detent 18 from the notch 19, thereby causing l the switch point to be moved back into a closed position. This trip member 26 as shown on the drawing, is in the form of a l horizontal bar the ends of which are loosely Il l backwardmovement, and a eleasing lever formed in hinged sections, one of the sections being pivoted to the base and having an operative connection with the detent, while the opposite section normally assumes an inoperativeV position but is swung into an operative position when the plate is moved to throw the switch point.

2. The combination of a main track, a branch track, a switch point, a lever having an operative connection with the switch point, a cam for moving the lever to throw the switch point, means for holding the switch point in the position to which it has been thrown until the rolling stock has passed, and means for automatically mov ing the switch back to its original position after the rollin stock has passed.

3. The com Y branch track, a switch point, a lever having an operative connection with the switch point, a disk rovided with a cam adapted to engage the ever to swing the same and throw the switch point, a plate rigid with the disk, means for swinging the plate, a detent for preventing backward movement of the plate after it has been swung to throw the switch, a releasing leverformed in hinged sections, connecting means between one of the sections ot' the releasing lever and the detent, and means for engaging the opposite 3 section of the releasing lever to swing the received within vertical slots 36 inV hangers 37 upon opposite sides of the car. When the ination of a main track, a

point, a detent for holding the plate against Y releasing lever and disengage the detent from the plate.

4. The combination of a main track, a branch track, a switch oint, a lever pivoted between its ends and raving an operative connection at one end with the switch point, a base, a disk journaled upon the base and formed with a cam adapted to engage the free end of the lever to swing the same and throw the switch point, a segmental plate rigid with the disk, means for turning the segmental plate to throw the switch point, a pawl for holding the segmental plate against backward movement after the switch oint has been thrown, a releasing lever ormed of hinged sections, the outer section being provided with means wherebyT it cannot be swung into a position beyond that in alinement with the inner section, connecting means between the inner section of the releasing lever and the pawl, a projection upon the segmental plate for engaging the outer section of the releasing lever to move it in alinement with the inner section when the switch is thrown, and means for engaging the outer section of the releasing lever and moving the lever to disengage the detent from the plate after the car has passed the switch.

5. The combination of a main track, a branch track, a switch point, a base, a plate pivoted upon the base, an operative connection between the plate and the switch point, means for turning the plate to throw the switch point, a detent for holding the plate against backward movement after the switch point has been thrown, a releasing lever having an operative connection with the detent, and means upon the rolling stock 'for engaging the releasing lever for moving the same and disengaging the detent from the plate.

6. The combination of a main track, a branch track, a switch point, a base, a plate pivoted upon the base and having an operative connection with the switch point, means for moving the plate to throw the switch point, a detent for holding the plate against backward movement, a releasing lever having an operative connection with the detent, and a trip bar mounted upon the rolling stock and adapted to be moved either into an operative or inoperative position, the said trip bar when moved into an operative osition being adapted to engage the releasing lever and move the detent out of engagement with the plate.

ln testimony whereof we a'Hix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER J. WLLIAMS. OSCAR J. WILLIAMS.

[L. s.] [L. s.]

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