Improvements in Machines for Clearing Railway Tracks from Snow and Ice.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Clearing Railway Tracks from Snow
and Ice.
We, RICHARD ALBERT HEALY of 5 Madison Terrace, Mechanical Engineer
EDWARD DEAN CUNDELL of 85 Park Avenue, Book Keeper and JOHN
HINCHLIFFE State Senator all of the City of Paterson in the County of Passaic
and State of New Jersey, 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 our invention is to provide a new and improved machine which is
so mounted that it can run on the railway tracks and is provided at both ends and
below its floor with devices for loosening and melting snow between the tracks by
means of an air and hydrocarbon mixture flame, very rapidly and thoroughly and
at a small expense.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view of our machine for cleaning the snow from railway
tracks;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;
Figure 3 a view of one end of the same;
Figure 4 is a view of the opposite ends, parts being broken away on the central
longitudinal line;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the gas heated pilot shoe ;
Figure 6 is a detail view of the boiler fire box showing the gas burner;
Figure 7 is a detail end view of the gas heated brush.
On
The entire mechanism is mounted and supported on a suitable car platform A
which in turn is mounted on suitable wheels to run on tracks. The car may be
arranged to be propelled by a steam motor, gas motor or electric motor on the
car, or it may be pushed by a motor car or propelled by any suitable means.
one end of the platform A a tank B is fixed which is to contain gasolene, benzine
or any other suitable hydrocarbon, that can readily be evaporated, and this tank
is provided on its top with a gas receiver B¹. The tank and gas receiver have
safety valves B' and pressure gauge B³ of the usual construction. On the other
end of the platform a steam boiler C is mounted which supports two steam
engines D and E of which the former by means of the endless chain D₁ drives a
The other
wheel on one of the car axles and thus serves for propelling the car.
engine E is coupled with a rotary blower F which it operates, said blower having
the pressure gauge F. The boiler C is provided with the safety valve C¹, the
pressure gauge C and such other attachments as is necessary for a steam boiler.
The live steam passes through the pipes C³, & C4 to the two engines and the
exhaust steam passes through the exhaust pipes C5 and C6 to the smoke stack of
the boiler. A pipe G passes from the boiler C to the oil tank B, forms a worm
or serpentine G in the same and is provided at its end outside of the tank with
a cock G for drawing off the water of condensation. Tanks I and I arranged on
the platform at the sides of the tank B, contain the feed water for the boiler and
are connected by the pipes I' with the injector I³ and the injector is connected by
the pipe I' with the boiler.
Centrally and transversely under the car is mounted a suitable cylindrical
brush H composed of a cylindrical shell H' mounted on spider frames H* fixed on
an axle H which is driven by an endless chain H* and pulley H' from a pulley H
on one of the car axles. The bristles H' of the brush are composed of a series of
Ushaped heavy steel wires passed through holes in the shell and which are held
in place by plates H8 bolted to the inner surface of the shell H'.

page_text: A semi-cylindrical hood J surrounds the upper part of the cylindrical brush, all
as shown in Figure 7.
On each end of the car platform a pilot shoe K is suspended which is constructed
in the following manner. Two heavy wings K' project from the end of the car
and to each a triangular piece K is pivotted at its apex and each piece K' is
provided with an upward handle extension K³. A curved guide piece K* has a
series of holes K for receiving stop pins for holding the pieces K' at different
elevations. Each piece K provided at its bottom with a bar K having a
slot Kat its front end, which slot extends up and down. To each wing K' an
approximately triangular sheet metal wing L is pivoted at its upper corner as
shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. A pin L' passes through the slot K7 of the
bar K into the side of the adjacent wing .M. The front end of the two wings L
on each end of the car are connected by a cross bar L' and the upper edges of
the wings L.are connected by a curved plate L' forming with the wings a box
or hood. The bottom of the pilot shoe is curved up toward the end of the car
and is composed of, the, side bar; M, the front lower edge bar Mand the rear
upper edge bar M³ and a series of alternating longitudinal bars M³ and M*
rivetted at their lower ends to the front bar M and at their upper ends to
the side bar M and the rear bar M' as shown in Figure 5. The, side...bars. M
and the bars M. and M', are also. connected by a transverse rod Me at.. about
half the length of the bottom of the shoe and the ends of said rods .M..are
mounted pivotally in the rear ends of the bars K so that the bottom of the shoe is
thus supported pivotally from the rear end of said bars K. A screw. N. having a
handle wheel, N on its upper..end is screwed through the cross bars Land its
lower end rests upon the front bottom bar M' of the bottom of the pilot shoe.
Pipes having valves 0 0¹.extend. from the gas, receiver B¹to a pipe O³ extending
longitudinally along one side of the car platform, and from the pipe, O, branch
pipe O extend downward and from the same pipes. O extend horizontally under
the car. at both sides of the rotary brush H.and in two sets behind .and below each
pilot shoe, which pipes O extend through larger pipes P having burner tips Q
projecting slightly downward toward the brush and towards the pilot, shoes, the
pipes O having burner tips in line with the .burner tips Q. The pipes P are
connected by vertical pipes P³ with a horizontal air pipe P along the car floor and
connected by the pipe Phaving valves P' with the rotary blower F.. A gas pipe R
leads from the receiver B' to the box S of the boiler and a compressed air pipe T
extends from the, blower F. also to the fire box. S. In said fire box S the pipes R
& T form a gas and air. burner U. A guard plate V lined with asbestos. is attached
to each side bar of the car and extends down to within a short distance from the
ground as shown in Figure 1 parts being. broken away.
W. are chains for operating the. brakes W'. X is a, rotary pump and Y a pipe
for pumping oil into the tank B.
The operation is as follows:-
:-
Steam is generated in the boiler, by means of a. wood,fire until sufficient pressure
is obtained to work the blower. Then steam is admitted. in the pipe G. and worm G¹
to evaporate the oil in tank B and the blower is operated by the engine E. Gas
and compressed air are, now admitted to the burner U in the fire box S. and are
ignited to continue the producing of steam. Then the suitable valves are opened
to admit gas and compressed air to the burners, under the front, pilot shoe and if
necessary to the rotary brush. The pilot, shoe at the front end of the car.is
lowered so as to be directly above the rails. The bottom bar. M', the front of
which is bevelled, cuts into the. snow and guides the same upon, the curved bottom
of the shoe where it is acted upon by the flame issuing from the burners and
melted instantly. The heat, from the flame is confined to. a certain extent in
proximity to the snow on the shoe, as, the, cover, plate L³ of the wings, L retains the
game. Furthermore the bars M up to the. rod, Mare inverted V shaped in cross
section so as to catch the heat and form a wide .heated surface on which the snow
can rest. The upper parts of the bar M' are arranged on edge and the bars M³

page_text: are arranged on edge throughout. The lower half of the shoe thus has very
large heated surface to melt the snow very rapidly, the third quarter has less
surface and the upper quarter still less. In case any snow passes beyond the pilot
shoe it is disintegrated and melted by the heated metal bristles of the brush Hand
should it even pass this brush it can slide upon the rear pilot shoe which is so
adjusted that its rear bar M2 is lowered and its front bar M¹ raised, the bar M'
being also bevelled so as to readily guide the snow upon the shoe. According to
the depth of the snow, the mouth or opening of the box formed by the wings L
and the top plate L³ is enlarged or decreased by turning the screw N to raise or
lower the cross bar L' and front edge of the plate L'an adjustment being possible
as the wings L are pivoted to the wings K'.
In case the front bar M' of the shoe encounters a stone or other obstruction it
can swing upward sufficiently to pass the same. The guard plate V on the side
of the car confines the heat and prevents the same from escaping without acting
upon the snow. The person in charge can at all times regulate the flame by
admitting more or less gas or compressed air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A device for melting snow on railway tracks, composed of a vehicle, gas
burners below the vehicle and pilot shoe at the one or both ends of the vehicle,
the burners being adjacent to the pilot shoe.
2. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a pilot shoe at one or both ends of the same, a rotary brush below
the vehicle body and gas burners adjacent to the pilot shoe and to the brush.
3. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a gas generator on the same, an air compressor on the vehicle and sets
of burners for a mixture of gas and compressed air arranged below the vehicle.
4. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a rotary brush below the same, a hood over the brush and gas mixture
burners adjacent to said brush.
5. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a gas generator of the same, and air compressor on the vehicle, a pilot
shoe having a curved bottom and pivotted on the end of the car, means for
adjusting said shoe in different positions and burners below and behind the pilot
shoe.
6. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a gas generator and air compressor on the same, a pilot shoe pivotted to
the end of the same and composed of a curved grated bottom, side wings and a top
plate, and gas burners and air burners at said shoe.
7. In a machine for melting snow on railway tracks, the combination with a
vehicle of a gas generator and an air compressor on the same, a pilot shoe composed
of a curved grated bottom, side wings, and a top plate uniting the side wings and
means for adjusting the front edge of the top plate a greater or less distance from
the front of the shoe.
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1000