Improvements in and relating to a Combined Railway Switch and Lock.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 13th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in and relating to a Combined Railway Switch
and Lock.
I, ORSON WILLBERT BRENIZER, residing at 512, 7th Avenue, in the City of Duluth,
County of St. Louis, and State of Minnesota, one of the United States of America,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
I have improved the railway switch in which provision is made for operating the
switch automatically by the passing train so as to prevent the latter from running off
the track from a misplaced switch, and in rendering the train safe in passing the switch
from different directions and from different tracks.
The accompanying drawings illustrate my improvements in connection with a single
side track, as I will now describe, and at the conclusion of such description, I will
specially point out the features claimed as my improvements.
Referring to the drawings
Figure 1, represents a top view of so much of a railway bed and track as illustrates
my improved switch operating and locking connections, the switch being shown as
closed with the main track.
Figure 2, is a similar view showing the switch as being closed with the side
track.
Figure 3, is a side view of one of the lever devices shown depressed and a piece of
the rail to which it is attached and by which device the switch is changed by the action
of the wheels of the locomotive of the passing train, and
Figure 4, is a similar view the lever device being shown raised.
Figure 5, is a transverse section showing the slides arranged between the ends of
the fixed rails at the switch points for crossing such points and locking the switch
when set for either the main or side track.
Fig. 6, is a top view of the switch locking slides and their operating plate.
Figure 7, is a detail of the hand lever switch operating device.
A, A, are portions of the rails of the main track; B, B, are portions of the rails of
the side track, and C, C, are the switch rails, and D, is the bar which connects their
free ends and by which the switch is shifted. To the inner side of one of the rails of
the main track and one of the rails of the side track, and in opposite relation to each
other, are pivoted a pair of levers, E, E', preferably of bell-crank form and to the
upper ends of the short arms, e, of each set on each rail, which stand toward the switch
is pivoted a bar, f, f¹, so that its rising and falling movements will be parallel to the
surface of the said rail. The long arms, e², of each pair of these bell-crank levers,
stand downward and are connected at their lower ends to a rod, G, which extends
forward by the side of each rail to the cross-tie, H, at the junction of the rail with
the switch. Upon this junction cross-tie are firmly secured two bell-crank levers, I, I',
one end of each being connected to the switch shifting bar, D, and to the other end
of each bell-crank lever being connected to rods, G, and G¹, of the said rail levers, so
that when the switch is shifted one of the said rods will be moved backward from the
switch junction and depress its lever connected bar, f, flusb with the rail of the side
track by a pushing action upon the rail levers. The bar, 1, by this action is simul-
taneously raised above the surface of the rail of the main track by the pulling action
of the connecting rod, G¹, upon the rail lever of said bar. The end of the rail bar,
which stands away from the switch junction is hevelled so as to receive the action of
the wheels of the locomotive and thereby depress it and instantly shift the switch to
the proper track.
It will be noticed that the ends of the rods, G, G¹, which connect with the switch
connecting bell-crank levers, I, I', are formed with cranked ends, g, g', the
purpose of

page_text: which I will now state. As a means for locking the switch bars and holding them
securely in their positions during the passing of the train, I provide locking
sliders, L, L, placed between the ends of the rails of the main and side tracks at their
junctions with the switch rails so as to be confined and permitted to slide freely
between the said main and side rails, and to be projected out across the joint of the
switch rails with the main and side rails, and to be retracted free of said joint by
means which I will now describe. By the side of the junction cross-tie a plate; j, is
centrally pivoted and extends at each end under the ends of the main and side rails
and has a pivotal connection with the said locking slides by pins, J', which extend
through cross slots, s, s, in the said locking slides.
At the angles of the cranks of the said rods, G, G₁, there is a connection, r, with
the said pivoted plate so that the movement of the rods must vibrate the plate upon
its central pivot and move the locking slides in position across the switch joint at one
sido and retract the other slide from said joint at the other side of the track, according
to the position of the switch and thus form a bar to the movement of the switch
during the passing of the train.
It will be seen that the plate has a slot, a, at its pivotal connection and slots, b, bat
its connection, r, with the rods, g, g, and that the locking slides are also formed with
slots, s, s, and this is to give perfect freedom from binding in the movements of any of
the connected parts. The relation of the several parts, their arrangement and con-
nections, are such that one of these locking slides will be projected across the joint of
the rails at one side of the track in whatever position the switch may be shifted, and
that upon the movement of the switch the said locking slide will be instantly retracted
from the position across the joint back between the rails which confine it and which
form the ways upon which it is free to slide. The switch is provided with stops; t, u,
at the junction cross-tic whereby to limit its movement. The switch may be operated
by the usual hand lever under the control of the switch tender.
It is obvious that the switch and the locking slides are effective in their operation
by operating the switch by hand and the rods and their connected rail lever bars may
be dispensed with when the automatic connections are not desired, but I prefer to use
the switch operating and locking devices together as shown because their connection is
such as to render them simultaneously operative, and in which the movement of one
is controlled by the movement of the other. In Fig. 1, the slide, L, is shown in
position to lock the switch with the main track, and the slide, L', is shown out of
Jocking position while in Fig. 2, this position of the locking slide is reversed and the
switch is shown in locked position with the side rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a self-acting railway switch, the combination of the rail levers, E, E', their
connected bars, ff, the rods, g, g', the cross-tie bell-crank levers, I, 1', the pivoted
plate, J, the locking slides, L, L, and the switch substantially as described.
2. In a railway switch the combination with the switch and means of operating it,
of the pivoted plate, J, locking slides connected to the ends thereof, and the bell-crank
levers, I, I, and the crank arms, y, g', connecting the said bell-crank levers and the
said pivoted plate substantially as described.
3. A railway switch locking device consisting of the pivoted plate, J, the locking
slides, L, L', pivotally connected to each end of the latter, the crank-arms, g, g', con-
nected to said plate and the bell-crank levers connecting the latter with the switch
shifting bar, the said plate, J, having the slots, a, b, b, and the said locking slides
having the cross slots, 8, 8, substantially as described.
L
1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.