Improvement in Railroad-gates.
Year: 1889

page_text: Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1889-Accepted, 17th Aug., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Railroad-gates.
I, DAVID CORDELL THOMAS, of Trimble, in the county of Athens and State of
Ohio, one of the United States of America, Mining Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-GATE and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in automatically-operating railroad gates or
doors; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement or combination of
the parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.
The object of my invention is to provide a railroad gate or door adapted for use
on the track running through open country, or in connection with a roundhouse or
other purpose, having mechanism automatically operated by the wheels of the cars to
open and close said doors. I attain this object by the construction illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like letters of reference indicate similar parts in the
several views, and in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved apparatus shown applied to a section
of railroad.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the improved apparatus.
Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of a part of one of the levers and their
connecting pintle-rod.
B B represent two uprights secured to two of the ties and connected by a top
cross-beam. The said uprights are braced by beams B₁, attached to each side
thereof and resting on the ground. Hinged to said uprights are doors A and A¹,
which clear the rails R and R', passing between the uprights B and under said
doors. The upper part of the door A' has an angle-iron, a², secured thereto, one
end of which is formed with a vertical pin, a². The upper part of door A has a
vertical pin, a, secured thereto. The said pins a² and a are engaged and the doors
connected by a curved bar, A³, having apertured ends. The lower hinge of door A
has a projecting arm, A³, the outer end of which is apertured, and in this aperture
a ring, a³, or its equivalent, is mounted.
Between the ends of rails R', on each side of the gate or door, slotted bars r
are mounted on ties T and T, which project outward from one side of the said bars.
On the outer ends of said ties blocks or strips t are mounted on the outside edge
of a buried shield or guide-box, 61, which runs from one block or strip t to the
other. Levers L are mounted in the slots of and pivoted to said bars by the
reduced ends of rods 1. The said reduced ends of the rods 7 project through to
and beyond the inner flat sides of said levers L, for a purpose hereinafter set forth.
The reduced ends l' of said rods have lugs 12 on each, which engage with lugs 1³,
arranged on each side of the aperture for said reduced ends of the rods in the said
levers L. The lower ends of the levers L depend into and are partially inclosed by
a buried box, b, situated below each of the bars r. The rods project outward, and
their opposite reduced ends pass through and pivotally attach levers L¹ to the blocks
or strips t. The lower ends of the levers L depend down into and are partially

page_text: inclosed by the box 61. By this means of connection the pairs of levers L and L'
are simultaneously and similarly operated or thrown down in either one of two
directions.
Between the bars r, on the inside of rail R¹ and close thereto, a long metallic
strip, C, is located and pivoted to levers c, which in turn are pivoted to the said
rail. The strip C should be somewhat longer than the distance between the rear
set of wheels of the forward truck of a car and the front set of wheels of the rear
truck, and its two ends should be bent downward, as shown, to allow the wheels to
ride or travel thereupon. The two levers c depend below their pivotal points, and
are inclosed and work in boxes C₁, situated thereunder. The lower ends of said
levers c are connected by cords or cables 3 to the extended reduced ends of the
rods . The top end of one lever L' has a cord or cable, 7, secured thereto, which
runs down through box 6', and is secured to the lower end of the other lever L'.
The lower end of the lever L', to the upper end of which the cord or cable lis
secured, has a cord or cable, 2, connected thereto, which runs upward and is con-
nected to the ring a³ of the arm A³, formed with the lower hinge of the door A,
and continues on and is attached to the upper end of the opposite lever L'. By
means of these cords or cables the several levers and door A are connected and caused
to act simultaneously.
In operation, if a train or car runs toward the gate or door in the direction of the
arrow, the levers L are thrown down by the forward wheels of the front car-truck
and simultaneously therewith the levers L'. The cords or cables 1 and 2 are drawn
taut on one side and slackened on the other, and, acting on the arm A³ of the
lower hinge of door A, the said doors A and A' are thrown open. As soon as
the door A¹ begins to open, the bar A2, connected to door A, by drawing on the
angle-iron a¹, secured to the door A³, simultaneously opens the latter door. By the
same means said doors are simultaneously closed. The wheels of the trucks passing
over the right-hand lever L will immediately strike the metallic strip C, and thereby
continue to hold the doors open. The rear set of wheels of the last truck passing off
of the strip C will allow said strip C to rise, as the levers c thereof are constructed
heavy enough at their lower ends to overcome the weight of the said strip and of
the levers L and L'. This rising of the said strip C will cause the levers L
and L' to rise, and the rear set of wheels of the last truck after leaving the
strip C will strike the left-hand lever L and throw it down in the opposite
direction, and thereby close the doors through the several connections, as before
set forth.
Gates or doors of this form are especially useful in aiding to run live stock off
the track, as, coming up adjacent to the closed doors, they will turn from the track
upon seeing their progress blocked.
I do not limit inyself to the form of doors shown, as open-work gates may be as
readily and efficiently used and operated.
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:
1. In an automatically-operated railroad-gate, the combination of the doors or
gates having a top connection, and one of which has an outwardly-projecting arm
from the lower hinge thereof, the rails having slotted bars therein, the levers
mounted in said slotted bars and connected to similar levers arranged at a distance
from and parallel therewith, the cords or cables running from the outer levers to
the arm of the one door, and the metallic strip on the inside of one track-rail
attached to levers which are connected to the aforesaid levers, substantially as
described.
2. In an automatically-operating railroad door or gate, the combination of the
double doors connected to operate simultaneously, one of which has a projecting arm,
the slotted bars arranged on each side of the doors in one line of rail, the double
throw-levers, one of each pair of which is mounted in said slotted bars, the metallic

page_text: strip inside of one rail between the throw levers, attached to and supported by other
levers, and the cords or cables connecting the several levers with themselves and the
projecting arm of the one door, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of May 1889.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.