Year: 1886

page_text: We JOHN HENRY CLUEVER (a Priest) of 63 Second Avenue, Albany, Albany
County in the State of New York and NICKOLAS THELEN (mechanic) of State
Street, Schenectady, Schenectady County, also in the State of New York, United
States of America do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide gates for protecting railway crossings
which shall be opened and closed automatically by passing trains; and it consists
in the employment of pairs of horizontal arms (each pair constituting a gate)
placed at each side of the track and provided with mechanism which is acted on
by the wheels of the approaching train so as to withdraw the support which holds
the arms in their raised or open position, thereby closing the gate and with means
whereby the locking devices which maintain the gate in its closed position are
released by the train as it leaves the crossing, and the gate opened. The free ends
of the gate arms when closed meet at the middle of the crossing and are pivoted
at the other end to the top of standards or posts fixed in the ground, and are
raised by means of vertical bars sliding in guides on the posts, said bars being
provided with springs which raise them when the locking device which secures
them in their lower position is released. The upper ends of the bars carry friction
rollers which bear against the underside of the gate-bars, so that the gate arms will
be raised or opened by the upward movement of the bars. The mechanism for
closing the gates consists of pivoted levers which project so as to be struck and
pressed down by the wheels of the train, and of a transverse shaft which extends
the full width of the track and is connected by a wire or chain with the vertical
arms on the posts or standards at each side of the track. The levers are held in
position by means of springs which yield and allow the levers to be forced away
out of their operative position on the passage of a train in the reverse direction the
free ends of said levers being bent outwards so as to allow the flanges of the wheels
to pass between them and the rails. The transverse shafts carry arms at either
end, to which the wire or chain is attached, said wire or chain passing over guide-
pulleys to the lower end of the bars on the posts. Around the upper parts of the
sliding bars are formed annular grooves with which engage the inwardly bent
forked upper ends of latches which are pivoted at their lower ends to the posts.
The lower ends of the latches are bent outward, and to them are attached the ends
of wires or chains connected with the releasing mechanism, so that a downward

page_text: pull upon the said wires will withdraw the engaging ends of the said latches from
the sliding bars and allow the springs to force the bars upward and open the gates.
The engaging ends of the elbow latches are held forward against the sliding bars so
as to engage automatically with the grooves of the said bars by springs attached
to lugs on the bars, as soon as the said grooves come opposite the said ends, and
hold the said bars down until the said latches are withdrawn. The wires from the
latch pass around guide pulleys and then are attached to horizontally projecting
arms on a rock shaft placed beneath the rails. This rock shaft carries a horizontal
arm to the outer end of which is pivoted the lower end of a short rod which is
guided vertically and has a cross-head at its upper end, the upper surface of which
cross-head inclines downward from the centre toward each end. With this con-
struction, as a train of cars approaches the gate, the flanges of the engine wheels
strike and press down the inclined lever, which causes the wires to draw down the
sliding bars, allowing the gate bars to swing down by their own weight and closing
the gate. The descent of the gate bars is controlled by stout plate springs coiled
around the pivots of the gate bars at either side of the same and attached at their
inner ends to said pivots or to the gate posts. Their free ends bear against the
under sides of the gate bars, so that when the latter are released they partially
uncoil the springs, and are thus prevented from descending too rapidly. As the
engine passes the gate the flanges of its wheels strike and press down the double
inclined cross-head which causes the wires to withdraw, the latch from the sliding
bars and the gate bars to be forced upward by the springs, thus opening the gate.

page_text: We JOHN HENRY CLUEVER (a Priest) of 63, Second Avenue Albany in the
County of Albany and State of New York and NICKOLAS THELEN (Mechanic) of
State Street Schenectady in the County of Schenectady, also in the State of New
York, United States of America, 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:—
The object of this Invention is to provide railroad gates for protecting railway
crossings, so constructed that they shall be automatically opened and closed by
passing trains and which shall be of simple construction and not liable to get out
of order.
The Invention consists in the construction and combination of various parts of
the railroad gate, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
Reference is to be bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification; in which figure 1 is a plan view of our improved railroad gate,
partly in section and parts being broken away. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the
same, the gate posts being shewn in section and parts being broken away. Figure 3
is a sectional side elevation of the same taken through the line x-x, figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A are the sleepers, and B the rails, of a railroad track. C are shafts placed upon
the opposite sides of and at suitable distances from the crossing or other place
where a gate is required. To the shafts C at the inner side of a rail B are rigidly
attached horizontal arms D upon the upper sides of which projections E, formed
upon or attached to the levers F, bear. The ends of the levers F farthest from the
gate are pivoted to the sleepers A in such position that the said levers will be struck
and pressed downward by the flanges of the wheels of a train approaching the gate.
The free ends of the levers F are bent away from the rails A so that the flanges of
the wheels of carriages leaving the gate will pass in between the rail and the said
ends of the levers F, force the said levers away from the said rail, and pass along
without operating the said levers. The levers F are held in place at the side of
the rails A by spiral or other springs G confined between the levers and blocks H
attached to sleepers A, or set in the ground.
To the ends of the shafts C, at a little distance from the outer sides of the rails B,
are attached horizontally projecting arms I to the free ends of which are connected
the ends of wires or chains J which pass over guide pulleys K pivoted to supports
attached to the sleepers A, or set in the ground. From the guide pulleys K the
wires J pass to the gate posts L set in the ground at a little distance from the
track, and at the opposite sides of the crossing or other place to be guarded where
the said wires J pass around guide pulleys M placed within and pivoted to the said
posts L and are attached to the lower ends of vertical sliding bars N. The posts L
are formed of two parallel upright bars or plates kept at the proper distance apart
by upright bars O interposed between and secured to the said bars or plates. The
bara N are guided by passing through lugs P upon the adjacent sides of the inter-
posed bars O. The upper ends of the sliding bars N are forked, and to them
are pivoted small rollers Q which bear against the lower sides of the pivoted gate

page_text: bars Rat a little distance from their pivoted ends so that the said gate bars will be
raised or opened by the upward movements of the said sliding bars N. The sliding
bars N are provided with spiral springs S which are attached to the said bars at
their upper ends, while their lower ends rest upon the bottom lugs P. The springs S
must be strong enough to press the bars N upward with force sufficient to raise the
gate bars R and thus open the gates
Around the upper parts of the sliding bars N are formed annular grooves T with
which engage the inwardly bent forked upper ends of latches U which are pivoted
at a little distance from their lower ends to lugs V formed upon the lower parts of
the bars O. The lower ends of the latches Ŭ are bent outward, about at right
angles and to them are attached the ends of wires or chains W, so that a downward
• pull upon the said wires will withdraw the engaging ends of the said latches U
from the sliding bars N and allow the springs S to force the bars N upwards and
open the gates. The engaging ends of the elbow latches U are held forward against
the sliding bars N so as to engage automatically with the grooves T of the said
sliding bars by springs ✗ attached to the lugs V of the bars O as soon as the
said grooves come opposite the said ends, and hold the said bars down until the said
latches are withdrawn, in the manner hereinafter described.
The wires W pass around guide pulleys Y pivoted in and to the lower parts of
the posts L and pass around guide pulleys Z pivoted to supports attached to the
sleepers or set in the ground. The ends of the wires W are attached to the ends of
horizontally projecting arms a attached to the ends of the shaft 6 placed beneath
the rails B and rocking in bearings attached to the sleepers or other suitable
supports. To the shaft b at the inner side of a rail of each track is rigidly attached
a horizontal arm c to the outer end of which is pivoted the lower end of a short
upright bar d which moves up and down in a perforation in a guide plate e attached
to a sleeper A or other support. Upon the upper end of the bar d is a cross-head f,
the upper surface of which inclines downward from the centre toward each end.
The shafts Cb are made of such a length as to extend across as many tracks as
there may be at the crossing or other place where gates are required. In the
drawings they are represented as extending across two tracks.
As a train of cars approaches the gate, the flanges of the engine wheels strike
and press down the lever F which rocks the shaft C at that side of the gate and
causes the wires J to draw down the sliding bars N allowing the gate bars R to
swing down by their own weight closing the gate. The descent of the gate bars R
is controlled by stout plate springs R¹ coiled around the pivots of the gate bars at
either side of the same and attached at their inner ends to said pivots or to the
gate posts. Their free ends bear against the under sides of the gate bars R as
shewn in figure 2, so that when the latter are released they partially uncoil the
check springs R' and are thus prevented from descending too rapidly. As the
engine passes the gate, the flanges of its wheels strike and press down the double
inclined cross-head f which rocks the shaft b and causes the wires W to withdraw
the elbow-latch U from the sliding bars N, and the gate bars R to be forced
upward by the springs S opening the gate. The levers should be placed at such
a distance from the crossing that the gates will be closed in time to prevent any
one from attempting to cross the track with the engine so near that the said person
would be liable to be run over. Any suitable aların devices may be connected with
the gate bars if desired; so as to be sounded by their fall.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; we declare that what
we claim is ;-
1. In a railroad gate, the combination with the gate posts L and the pivoted
gate bars R of the rock shaft C having arms D and I, the pivoted lever F engaging
with the said arms D, the wires J attached to the arm I, the vertical bars N sliding
within the said gate posts and connected with the said wires, and the spring pressed
latches U engaging with the said sliding bars, substantially as herein shewn and

page_text: described, whereby the mechanism will be operated by the wheels of an approaching
train to permit the gate to close, as set forth.
2. In a railroad gate, the combination with the gate posts L and the pivoted
gate bars R of the rock shaft b having arms c and a, the bars & pivoted to the said
arm c and provided with a double inclined cross-head f the wires W connected with
the said arm a, the spring pressed elbow latches U pivoted to the said posts, and
connected with the said wires, the sliding bars N held by the said latches and
engaging with the said gate-bars and the springs S connected with the said sliding
bars, substantially as herein shewn and described, whereby the said latches will be
withdrawn from the said sliding bars by the wheels of a passing train, allowing
the gate to be opened, by the action of the said springs as set forth.