Year: 1886

page_text: I, WILLIAM THOMAS SHANNON, of the City of Brooklyn, County of Kings, and
State of New York, 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 by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a railroad crossing, so constructed that no jar is
experienced as the cars on one track pass across the other track. The crossing
is of the kind in which the treads or rims of the car wheels are made to leave the
tread of the rails, and to travel with their flange on the stringer or lower rail
flange.
The object of the invention is to so construct the crossing, that the car is always
on a level, and that should either the wheel flange or rim wear to some extent, the
wheel will smoothly pass from the rail tread to the stringer.
The invention consists in the elements of improvement hereinafter more fully
pointed out.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a top view of my improved railway crossing. Fig. 2 is a vertical
section on line x fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line y y fig. 1. Fig. 4 a
vertical section on line sz fig. 1. Fig. 5 a vertical section on line ww fig. 1, and
fig. 6 is a perspective view of the crossing.
"
The letters a a a a represent eight rails meeting at right or other angles to form
the crossing of two tracks.
.
The rails a may be ordinary Trails or L rails, or they may be of other form.
b are the stringers that support rails a, such stringers being made of wood or
metal. Each rail a terminates at a point where it meets the intersecting rail, as
shown.
The end portion a¹ of each rail a is curved downward, as more clearly shown at
fig. 2, thus meeting the stringer on a gradual incline. The stringers b are extended
beyond the ends of the inclines a¹, and intersect each other on the same plane, so as
to form a continuous flat square. At a short distance beyond the square, the
stringers b are curved downward, as at 61 fig. 2 so that the square is placed on a
higher level than the main lengths of the stringers.
The point where the stringer b reaches its maximum height, should be in line
vertically with the point where the rail a begins to slope down, or in other words,

page_text: the incline 6¹ terminates opposite to the point where the incline a' begins. This
point is marked c in figures 1 and 2, and from it the inclines a¹ b¹ slope down in
opposite directions, as shown.
The operation of the device is as follows:
The tread or rim of the car wheel d travels on the tread of rail a, as usual, until
it reaches the incline a¹, the flange of the wheel in the meantime clearing the
stringer (fig. 3).
As soon as the wheel has reached the point c, the stringer 6 having reached its
maximum height, and the rail a being still at its maximum height, both the tread
and flange of the wheel are supported (fig. 5), the former on the rail and the latter
on the stringer.
A further motion of the wheel causes the wheel tread to leave the rail, as the
latter curves downward, and to travel with its flange upon the stringer (fig. 4) over
the crossing and up to the point c on the opposite side, when the wheel tread again
engages the rail, while the wheel flange leaves the stringer, fig. 3. Thus the car
passes the crossing without leaving its level, and therefore the horses will not have
to pull the car up hill for any distance.
In order to take the strain from the wheel flange during the time the wheel has
passed the first and before it reaches the second rail of the intersecting track,
projections a' may be placed upon stringers b between such rails. These
projections are inclined towards opposite sides and constitute, short rails upon
which the tread of the wheel may travel.
Another advantage of this construction is that there will be no jar, as the
bearing surface of the wheel is transferred from the tread to the flange, even
should the flange or the tread become somewhat worn. Thus, if the flange is
worn, the wheel will, on approaching the crossing, continue to travel on the tread
to a short distance beyond the point c and along the incline a¹, until the height
of the worn flange is equal to the distance between incline a¹ and stringer b when
the flange will engage the stringer.
On the other hand, should the tread of the wheel have become worn, its flange
will engage the incline 61 before the point c is reached, and thus again the transfer
is made without a shock.
I have termed the parts 6 6¹ in this specification, stringers, but the same result
may be obtained by shaping a lower rail flange in the same way as the stringer
has been described to be shaped. This is particularly applicable to L rails, and
also to U rails and Trails having a flat or channeled lower flange.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1st The combination of rails a, having inclines a¹, with the stringers b, having
inclines b¹, the inclines a¹ and b¹ descending from a common point to the opposite
sides, substantially as specified.
2nd The combination of rails a a, that form a crossing, and terminate in inclined
portions a¹, with the stringers b, having inclined portions 61, and forming an
elevated continuous square beyond the ends of the rails a, substantially as
specified.