Year: 1889

page_text: I, THOMAS BROUGHTON ROGERS, Machinist, of 82 Hope Street, in the City of
Brooklyn, in the State of New York, and 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 :-
This invention relates to that form of chocks to be placed upon the rails of a
railway for the purpose of blocking the car-wheels and preventing thereby an accidental
movement of the car when left standing upon the track, in which two plates or jaws
fitted to embrace the rail between them, are firmly clamped thereby by the action
of a lever operating to draw the plates together.
The object of said invention is to obtain a more effective leverage upon these
clamping plates and a stronger and more secure railway chock than has heretofore
been known, and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the clamping-
plates, cams, lever and locking parts constituting the complete device, as hereinafter
described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1, is a view in perspective of a railway-rail having the improved chock
secured thereto and locked thereon.
Figure 2, is a horizontal transverse section in linex of Figure 1 above the
pivotal axis of the lever, the lever being in locking position.
Figure 3, a side elevation of the device with the lever in its vertical position to
permit of a removal of the plates from the rail.
Figure 4, a horizontal section in line y-y of Figure 2.
Figure 5, a side elevation similar to Figure 3, illustrating a modification in the form
of the clamping-plates and the use of a pin for locking the lever.
Figure 6, a detached detail, illustrating a modification in the locking device for the
lever.
Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the Figures.
A A', represent the clamping-plates having one edge thereof bent longitudinally
either in a curved form as at B, or an angular form as at B1, Figure 1, 10 embrace
laterally the head of the rail W, and obtain a firm hold thereon whilst the body of
each plate A and A', shall extend up vertically above the top of the rail parallel with
the body of the corresponding plate on the opposite side of the rail, as shown in
Figure 1.

page_text: The two clamping-plates when thus applied to a rail, are firmly bound thereto and
clamped immovably thereon by means of a lever C, forked at its lower end to embrace
the two plates, and which is pivoted thereto by means of a stout transverse bolt D,
passing loosely through apertures in the arms of the fork and corresponding apertures
in the two plates A, and A¹.
The inner face of each arm of the fork encircling the pivot-hole therein, is
enlarged and fashioned to present two inclined faces e, e, forming an outwardly-
projecting angle more or less obtuse, whose apex is coincident with a line drawn
parallel with the length of the lover and passing through the axis of its pivotal bolt,
as shown in Figure 4. "A boss or projection G, preferably circular in form, is also
formed upon the outer face of each plate to encircle the bolt-hole therein and the
outer face of each boss is fashioned to form an angular recess h the counter part of
the opposite angular projection on the lever, its re-entrant angle being made to
intersect vertically the axis of the bolt-hole, as shown in Figure 4.
Hence, when the lever is in a vertical position as shown in Figures 3 and 5, and
the two plates A A', are moved apart or separated sufficiently to permit them to
pass over the head of the rail W, said opposed inclined faces will be parallel with
each other and will contact throughout their whole extent, as shown in Figure 4. If
however the lever be swung over-upon-its-pivot so as to change the relation of said
inclined faces, the faces will act as cams or wedges operating to force the plates
together, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outward thrust of the cams being resisted
by the heads and nut ton the ends of the holt D. It will be observed that, by
means of thedouble inclines, two, diametrically-opposite points of contact i, i, Figure 2,
one on each side of the central pivot, will be constantly maintained, whereby all
lateral pressure or strain and consequent binding upon the pivotal bolt D is avoided.
and a direct, transverse pressure is produced by the lever upon the two plates in
lines parallel with said pivotal bolt, whilst the bolt itself affords effective support to
the two arms of the lever tieing them together and protecting them from the
separating strain which would otherwise operate to force them apart and break them.
The front ends r, r, of the two clamping-plates A, A', are preferably made
straight, to project up vertically from the rail W, upon which they are secured and
thereby offer an effective block to a car-wheel rolling against them. The opposite,
rear ends of the plates are preferably rounded off upon an are having the bolt as a
centre, see Figures 1 and 3, so that the inner end of the fork of the lever may
sweep readily over the same as the lever is swung upon its pivot, although the device
may be constructed with both ends of the plates carried straight up, as shown in
Figure 5, so that either end of the device will serve as a chock.
The lever may be locked when adjusted by means of a latch or hook 'L, pivoted
at one end upon the lever C, to swing laterally into engagement with a series of
noiches m, m, in the edges of the plates, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and the latch
may be secured to prevent its withdrawal when thus in engagement with either
notch, by means of a padlock N, secured in a hole in the edge of the lever so as to
be in contact with the rear edge of the latch L, and thereby prevent its backward
movement.
As a modification in this locking-device, a straight latch P, may be pivoted to
swing transversely into the marginal notches m, m, of the clamping-plates A A', see
Figure 6, and to be locked by means of a padlock N, whose bow is passed through a
hole in the end of the latch and a corresponding hole in the lever brought into
register therewith when the latch is dropped, as shown in Figure 6. Or the lever
may be secured in the customary manner when set, by means of a pin L passing
through one of a series of apertures j, j, j, formed transversely through the two plates,
as shown in Figure 5.
It is evident that instead of forming corresponding inclined or cam surfaces upon
both clamping plates and both arms of the fork of the lever, the cams need only he
formed on one side of the device, that is upon the boss on only one of the plates and
on the arm of the lever opposite thereto, leaving the face of the boss on the other
plate plain and parallel with the plain face of its opposite lever arm.

page_text: In the operation of the device, the clamping-plates A, A, are left free to be opened
or spread apart for removal or replacement upon a rail W, by turning the lever C
into a vertical position, as shown in Figures 3 and 5. By this means the opposed
cams or inclined surfaces on the plates and lever arms are brought into parallelis n,
as shown in Figure 4, permitting a wide movement of the plates from each other
upon the transverse bolt 1).
After the plates have been adjusted upon the rail of a switch, side-track, or other
portion of a railway at which it is desired to hold a car, or train of cars, the lever ()
is swung back as shown in Figure 1, and the opposed faces of the cams are, by this
movement, brought into forcible contact at diametrically opposite points i, i, on each
side of the bolt D, as shown in Figure 2, and at one or both ends thereof, and by the
leverage obtained by means of the opposite inclined surfaces in their movement one
over the other, with the heads and nut at the ends of the bolt as fulera, the plates
are drawn powerfully together upon the rail until a grip is obtained which will
firmly hold and secure them thereon. When this end is reached, the lever is made
fast by dropping its latch into the appropriate notch in the margin of the two plates,
as shown in Figures 3 and 6, or by passing a pin through one of the transverse
apertures in the plates, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 5, and may then be
locked with a padlock N to prevent an unauthorized or malicious removal of the
device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. The combination in a chock or stop-block for railways, with the clamping-
plates to embrace the rail, of a forked lever whose arms embrace the plates; a pivotal
bolt passing transversely through the arms and plates and whose head and nut afford
bearings for the outer faces of said arms; an angular projection upon the inner face
of one of said arms having its apex bisected by the bolt; and a counterpart angular
recess in the outer face of a projection upon the proximate plate having its re-
entrant-angle in like manner bisected by the bolt; whereby the arms of the lever
are in constant contact with the plates each at two diametrically opposite points; one
on each side of the transverse pivotal bolt, substantially in the manner and for the
purpose herein set forth.
2. The combination, substantially as set forth, with the forked lever, the clamping
plates embraced by the lever and adapted to embrace a railway-rail, the transverse
loose holt upon which the lever is pivoted, the opposed cams formed upon the
opposite faces of either lever-arm and the proximate plate, of a swinging latch pivoted
to the lever to drop transversely upon the outer edges of the plates into engagement
with notches therein, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the forked lever, the clamping
plates embraced by the lever and adapted to embrace a railway-rail, the transverse
loose bolt upon which the lever is pivoted, the opposed cams formed upon the opposite
faces of either lever arm and the proximate plate, a swinging latch pivoted to the
lever to drop transversely upon the outer edges of the plates into engagement with
notches therein, and a padlock fitted to an aperture in the lever in position to
prevent a movement of the latch out of the notch, substantially in the manner and for
the purpose herein set forth.
Dutal this 92nd day of March 1889