US846339A - Safety third rail for railway-tracks. - Google Patents

Description

No. 846.339. I PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907. V J. MORAVEN.

SAFETY THIRDRAIL FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

APPLIOTION I'ILED FBB. 27. 1906.

lNv'EN'roR.

JOHN MQRAVEN.

JOHN MGRAVEN, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

SAFETY THIRD RAIL FOR RALWAY-TRCKS.

hic. &46,339.

Specification of Letters Paten a.

Patented March 5. 1907.

Application filed February 27.1906- Serial Ne 303.279.

To (Li/l whom it 'Ina/y (JOFLOBT'L:

Be it known that I, JOHN MCRAVEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvenents in Safety Third R ails for R ailway-Tracks, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to a safety third rail 'for railway-tracks; and the object of my invention is to arrange a third rail or guard in the center of a railway-track and to arrange a grooved wheel upon the center' of each of the car-axles, which grooved Wheels engage upon the third rail, and thus prevent the derailment of the car-wheels as a result of spreading or broken rails.

T o the above purposes my invention consists of certain novel 'features of Construction and arrangement of p arts, which will be hereina'l ter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accoinpanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of my improved safety third rail. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the rails oi" a railway-track with my safety third rail i'n position between the track-rails and the grooved wheel in position upon the car-axle. Fig. 3 %s a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Referring by numerals to the acconpanying drawings, 1 indicates the cross-tie, and 2 the ordinary track-rails, which are spiked to the cross-tie in the usual manner.

3 designates the car-axle, and 4: the carwheels 'fixed to said axle and running upon the rails 2 My improved safety third rail, which is located inidway between the track-rails 2 and extends parallel therewith, is A shape in cross-section, with the inclined side portions 5, the lower ends ot which are bent outwardly into horizontal planes to form fianges 6, which rest directly upon the crossties 1 and upon the edges of which the spikes are arranged which fix the third rail to the crossties. The upper ends of the side portions 5 extend vertically upward, as indicated by 8, which portions are parallel with each other and are united at their upper ends by the integral section 9, which is horizontally disposed. This third rail so construeted is very light in weight and owing to its peculiar shape is very strong and can be easily manufactured.

Loosely mounted upon the center of the axle 3 is a grooved wheel 10, the periphery of which is immediately above but not in contact with the top surface of the upper end of the third rail, and integral with the sides of this wheel 10 are the fianges 11, the innertaces 12 of which are beveled or formed onangles correspondng to the inclined side sections 5 of' the third rail. 'When the carwheels l are on the track-rails 2, the fianges 11 on the lower side of the wheel extend downwardly over the upper portion of the third rail, and the space between said ilanges is such that the side faces of the third rail do not bear against said fiarges. The wheel 10 is held upon the axle 3 against lateral motion by means ot the collars 13, which are locked to said axle by the set-screws 14. As long as the car-wheels 4: ride in proper position upon the 'flat rails 2, the grooved wheel 10 travels over the npper portion of the third rail without engaging thereon; but should the tracl rails 2 spread or break, so as to allow one or both of the car-wheels i to drop or shift to either side, the upper portion of the third rail will be engaged by the wheel 10 and its ilanges, and thus the car-wheels will be carried in proper position past the spread or broken rails, and without accident to the car beneath which the wheels are arranged.

My improved safety-rail is a alicable for all car-tracks, is easily and quic (ly placed in position, and greatly reduces the liability of accidents due to spreading or broken rails.

The center rail is somewhat higher than the ordinary track-rails, and the grooved wheel 1.0 is loose upon the car-axle, so that it can travel on top of the third rail when engaged there on. The center rail may be discontinued through switches, as trains generally slackcn speed while traveling onto or past a switch.

l. claim- 1. The combination with a rail arranged between the track-rails of a rai'lway-track, and a grooved wheel loosely mounted on the car-axle above said rail substantially as specified.

' 2. The conbination with an A-shaped rail positioned between the usual track-rails ot a railway-track, of a grooved wheel loosely mounted upon' the car-axle, and which grooved wheel extends downwardly IOC IIO

over the top of the A-shaped rail; substanf flanges of the wheel; substantially as spec- IO tially as specified. fied.

3. The combnaton With a ear-axle, of a In testimony Whereof I have signed my pair of eollars 'gidly held On the center name to this speeificaton in presence o two thereof, a grooved wheel arranged for rotasubseribing witnesses. ton on the car-axle between said collars, and JOHN MCRAVEN. en A-shaped thrd rail fixed to the tes between the ordinary track-mile, and the upper end of said thi'd rail extendng between the /Vtnesses:

M. P. SMITH, JOHN C. HIGDoN.

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