A Car Replacer.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
A Car Replacer.
I, ROBERT ELLISON ALEXANDER, of the Town of Forest City, in the County
of Susquehanna, in the State of Pennsylvania of the United States, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to devise a car replacer which will be less
liable to turn over or jump out of place when struck by the car wheels, and which
will lower the wheels gradually upon the rail without allowing them to slide down
in a lateral direction and land with a sudden jar. Such sudden descent often
injures the wheels or axles or damages the car. This action of the wheels is
particularly undesirable when the top of the rail lies flush with the ground or
ballast, for then the distance from the top of the replacer to the top of the rail
would be so great as to increase the jar and aggravate the consequences.
To obviate these difficulties, I provide a replacer having the general contour
of the segment of a circle with two peculiarly formed grooves which extend
longitudinally inward from base to submit, intersecting each other at the latter
point and continuing, pass over and down to the top of the rail, so that when the
wheel reaches the summit it will not slide or drop off laterally, but will be
confined and made to pass over the summit and be continued on down until safely
deposited upon the rail without any jar whatever.
The replacer is also given a novel outline, and is provided with a peculiar kind
of gripping teeth on the bottom edges and shaped to insure a better hold on the
ties, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
:
Figure 1, denotes a top view of my device as applied to an ordinary railroad
having the common T-rails, a pair of wheels being on the point of striking the
replacers.
Figures 2, and 3, are perspective views showing the replacers in position and
the location of the wheels thereon when they have reached the highest point.
Figure 4, a side elevation of one member of the replacers in which dotted lines
denote the rails and wheels. Arrows indicate the direction and course pursued 'in
traversing the replacer.
Figure 5, is a top view of one member of the replacer, and
Figure 6, a transverse section through x-x of Figure 4.
:
The numerals 1, and 2, represent a pair of my replacers oppositely disposed
alongside rails 3. Both these members are alike in general outline, each being
curved in the shape of a bow.. The central portion or apex rises above the rail
and is adapted to lie close to the latter, with its side 7, sloping to the lower edge
so as to extend under the tread 4, and overlap the base 5, take in the head 6,
of a spike and prevent the member from slipping away. This curving of the
replacer is to project its extremities outward from the rail to prevent the replacer
from overturning laterally when struck by the heavy weight of the wheel. The
upper surface slopes upward from the opposite extremities 8, and 9, of the replacer
to a point midway thereof, which point will, for convenience, be termed the apex 10.
From this apex the lateral sides slope downwardly and outwardly like a cone.

page_text: In the upper surface of each member and sloping up to the apex are two wide,
longitudinal, concaved grooves 11, and 12, which converge toward and intersect at
the apex. The depth and width of the grooves are such as will not allow the
flange of the car wheel to pinch or bind therein when turned across or out of
coincidence with the grooves. Each of these grooves is continued to form down-
ward extensions 111, and 12', which guide the wheel over the apex, and on down
to the rails, as shown by the arrows, instead of allowing it to slide off laterally.
Thus each member is provided with two longitudinal grooves crossing at the
summit and terminating a short distance beyond. The only difference between the
two replacers is, that in the right-hand member 2, the grooves are shallower, and
at the apex there is no upwardly projecting lip, such as 14, on the other member,
but a plane horizontal surface 141, is made instead. This difference is provided
so that the lateral draft upon the wheels, caused by the more accentuated form of
the grooves of the left-hand member, will allow the right-hand wheel 15', of the
truck to slip a little laterally. The extremities of each member are squared and
provided with sharp edged integral calks 16, made oblong in order to sink into the
ties with the grain when pressed upon by the derailed wheel. Additional calks 17,
are distributed along the edge in order to still further insure the member against
slipping.
The operation of my device can be briefly described by stating that when the
two replacing members are set on the ties so that their rounded sides will fit snugly
against the two rails, as seen in Figures 2, and 3, and the car is moved toward the
observer, the left-hand wheel striking the bed of the member 1, will, after forcing
the calks down into the top of the tie on which it is placed, enter the grooves with
the treads of the wheels climbing the ridges 18, and the flange rolling and sliding
upon either the right or the left wall as the case may be. When the apices are
reached both wheels roll past the apex and on down in the extensions 11, and are
deposited on the top of the rails without the slightest jar or injury to the rolling
stock or track.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In a car-replacer, a bow-shaped replacing member having an elevated central
portion 10, and provided with grooves extending longitudinally upward and crossing
each other at the top of said elevated portion, and thence extending downward,
and a lip 14, located opposite the intersection of the grooves, as and for the purpose
specified.
2. In a car-replacer, a member having a curved side adapted to lie next the
rail, a wheel-guiding surface sloping from brace to apex thereof and provided with
a longitudinal concavity or groove, in combination with a lip such as 14, located
opposite the apex whereby the wheel is prevent from slipping off laterally,
substantially as described.
Dated this Winst day of Ontabon 1900
ROBERT ELLISON ALEXANDER.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.