US782152A - Railway-switch. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

G. E. MADBLEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

aftoznug witnesses No. 782,152. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. G. E. MADELEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1904.

2 SHEBTSSHBET 2.

55am: for 6. 1 M0 (2 12 l vihwsoeo M attorney UNITED STATES Patented February 7, 1905.

GEORGE E. MADELEY, OF KAUFMAN, TEXAS.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,152, dated. February 7, 1905.

Application filed June 14, 1904. Serial No. 212,528.

To (all who/it it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE E. )laIncLuY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kaufman, in the county of Kaufman and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Imp rovements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in railway-switches; and its object is to provide means whereby the switchtongues are held normallyin position with the main line unbroken.

A further object is to provide means whereby the switch can be shifted so as to direct cars upon a siding. said switch being held in such position by the wheels of the cars during their movement over the switch.

Another object is to provide mechanism whereby the switch-tongues will promptly assume their normal positions subsequent to the passage of a car or cars onto the siding.

\Vith the above and other objects in View the invention consists of connected switchtongues which are adapted to be moved in unison and which are held normally in such position as to keep the main track clear and unbroken. A guard-rail is located along the inner side of one rail of the siding and adjacent switch-tongues, and this guard-rail contacts with the rail of the siding and is held thereagainst by resilient means. One end of the guard-rail contacts with one of the'switchtongues. Mechanism is provided for opening the switch so as to direct cars upon the siding. After the firstwheel of the car contacts with the guard-rail said rail is pressed laterally thereby and holds the switch-tongues in the positions to which they have been adjusted manually, and therefore it becomes unnecessary to continue holding the switch-tongues in position by the means tirstemployed for that purpose,as the guard-rail will prevent them from moving back to their normal positions as long as one or more car-wheels are interposed between it and the adjoining rail of the siding. After the lastcar-wheel has passed from between the siding and the guard-rails the resilient devices connected to theguard-rail will return it to its normal position. and the switchtongucs will also be returned to their normal positions by means employed for that-purpose. lt will thus be seen that the main line is kept open or clear at all times, except when the switch-tongues are shifted manually. It is unnecessary to readjust the switch-tongues after a car has passed on the siding, as they will automatically assume their normal posi' tions thereafter.

The invention also consists of the further novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred form of my in vention, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a plan view of one of the casings of the rail-operating devices, the rails being detached therefrom. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 Fig. 4E; and Fig. (5 is a plan view of the switch-operating rod.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 and 2 are the rails of the main track of a railway, and. 3 and t are the rails of the siding, rail & being merged into the main rail 2, as ordinarily. A switch-tongue 5 is pivoted to one end of rail 3, and a switch-tongue 6 is pivoted to rail Qand is adapted to normally contact with rail *1: and close the siding, thereby forming an unbroken main track. The tongues 5 and 6 are connected adjacent their free ends by means of a rod 7, having a slot 8 in one end, in which is mounted a pin 9, which extends through the forked end 10 of a pitman 11. This pitman is mounted upon the crank 12 of a shaft l3. revolubly mounted within a frame 1%. An arm is secured to the shaft 13 and extends therefrom at right angles, and this frame has a lever 16 pivoted thereto, which is adapted tobe swung into engagement with the periphery of the top plate 17 of frame Li, thereby locking the shaft 13 against rotation. A casing 18 is located under the rail t and under and adjacent the free end of tongue (5. This casing has a sliding cover 19, which is provided with guide-rods 20 upon its lower face to prevent lateral movement. A lug 21 extends downward from cover 19, and one end of a coiled spring 22 is bolted thereto, while the other end thereof is bolted to one end of casing 18. This spring 22 serves to hold the sliding cover normally in contact with an immovable or integral coversection 23, which extends partly over the casing 18. edge of the fixed cover portion 23, and a similar flange 25 is located at the outer edge of the sliding cover 19. Apertures 26 are formed within the fixed cover 23 for the reception of bolts 27, which are adapted to extend through the base-flanges of rail 4, and apertures 28 are formed in sliding cover 19 for the reception of bolts 29,which are adapted to engage the base-flanges of the switch-tongue 6.

A guard-rail 30 of suitable length is arranged along the inner face of rail 4 and has outwardly-curved ends, one of which normally contacts with the tongue 6 at a point removed some distance from its pivot. Arranged under this guard-rail 30 and the rail 4 are a desired number of casings 31, each of which is similar to the casing 8, before described, and has a spring therein which is secured at one end tov a sliding cover similar to the cover 19 and on which the guard-rail 30 is secured. It will be understood that all of the springs in the casings 18 and 31 serve to hold the spring-tongue 6 and the guard-rail 3O normally in contact with the rail 4.

When it is desired to open a switch, so as to direct cars onto the siding when operating the switch in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the lever 16 is raised, and arm 15 is turned by means thereof, so as to press the tongues 6 and 5 laterally and in unison, tongue 5 moving into contact with rail 1. This will cause the spring 22 to become tensioned. The cars will thus move onto the rails 3 and 4, and the flanges of the wheels thereof will pass between rail 4 and guard-rail 30, thereby tensioning the springs within the casings 31 and moving the guard-rail 3O laterally and into contact with the tongue 6, which, as above stated, has been subsequently swung laterally away from rail 4. The lever 16 and arm 15 can then be released; but the tongues 5 and 6 will not return to their normal positions as long as the flange of any one car-wheel is interposed between rail 4 and guard-rail 30. It will thus be seen that the switch will be held in its adjusted position until the last wheel of the train has passed onto the siding and from between the rail 4 and guard-rail 30. Subsequent to this operation all of the springs within the casings 18 and 22 will contract automatically and will draw the tongues 5 and 6 backward to their normal positions and will clamp the guard-rail 30 against rail 4. It thus becomes unnecessary to return the parts to their normal positions manually, and therefore the main line is kept open at all times, except during the actual operation of a car or cars passing onto a siding. When a A flange 24 is located at the outer train approaches the main line from the siding, the flanges of the wheels will first pass between rail 4 and guard-rail 30, and said guard-rail will (as is obvious) force the switchtongues 6 and 5 laterally, with tongue 5 in contact with rail 1. This operation is permitted in view of the fact that rod 7 has the slot 8 therein.

By referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the sliding cover 19 is retained against displacement by one of the flanges of rail 4, which extends thereover. The same is true also of the sliding covers of casing 31.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form of my invention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a switch, the combination with the rails of a main line and the rails of a siding; of a tongue for directing cars from the main line to the siding, resilient means for holding the tongue normally in contact with a rail of the main line, and means separate from the tongue adapted to be engaged by the flanges of car-wheels for holding the tongue removed from the rail of the main line continuously during the passage of a train onto the siding.

2. The combination with the rails of a main line and the rails of a siding; of a switch-tongue normally closing the siding, a guard-rail normally contacting with the switch-tongue, and resilient means for holding the guard-rail normally in contact with the inner face of a rail of the siding.

3. The combination with the rails of a main line and the rails of a siding; of a switch-tongue adapted to close the siding, a laterally-movable guard-rail normally contacting with the switch-tongue, and resilient means for holding the guard-rail normally in contact with the inner face of one rail of the siding.

4. The combination with the rails ofamain line and the rails of a siding; of a switch-tongue adapted to close the siding, a laterally-movable guard-rail normally contacting with the switch-tongue, and a spring for holding the guard-rail normally in contact with the inner face of one rail of the siding.

5. The combination with the rails of amain line and the rails of a siding; of a switch-tongue normally closing the siding, a laterally-movable guard-rail normally contacting with the tongue, casings thereunder, sliding covers upon the casings and connected to the guardrails, and springs connected to the casings and sliding covers, respectively, to hold the guardrail normally in contact with a rail of the siding.

6. The combination with the rails of a main ICC line and the rails of a siding; ofa switch-tongue normally closing the siding, a casing under said tongue and one rail of the siding, a laterally-movable guard-rail normally contacting with the tongue, casings thereunder, slidable covers secured to the tongue and to the guardrail, respectively, and mounted on the easings,and springs rigidly secured at one end and connected to the slidable covers whereby the tongue is held in normal position and the guard rail is normally held in Contact With one face of a rail of the siding.

'7. The combination with the rails of a main line and the rails of a siding; of switch-tongues normally closing the siding, a slotted rod conneeting the tongues, mechanism connected to the rod for operating the tongues manually, a

laterally-movable guard-rail normally contacting with one of the s\vitch-tongues,and resilient means for holding the tongues in their normal positions and for holding the guardrail normally in contact with the inner face of one rail of the siding.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. MADELEY.

Witnesses:

M. O. SrIKns, WVooD NASH.

Images