Apparatus for Automatically Marking and Registering Unevenness in Railway Tracks.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Automatically Marking and Registering Unevenness in
Railway Tracks.
I, JOSEF LIVTSCHAK, Engineer and Professor, of Wilna, in the Empire of Russia,
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:-
1
The object of the present invention is a device for automatically marking the
defects in a railway track, by means of which both workmen and traffic officials
are enabled to determine irregularities in the level and the officials placed in a
position to control the work. The new device consists in the combination of a
marking apparatus and a registering apparatus on a railway truck, arranged in
such manner, that the jolting occasioned by passing over defective places on the
line, causes a jet of colored fluid to indicate such spots and further causes indi-
cations on a definite scale to be received upon the strip of paper of a registering
apparatus.
The truck constructed for this purpose must have two axles, with as short an
intervening space as possible. The carriage should be so loaded, that there is a
minimum of weight on the front axle and a maximum on the rear axle: the con-
struction being such that the pressure on the latter remains constant also when in
rapid motion. This is best attained by arranging a number of heavy plates with
interposed elastic layers.
The accompanying drawing shows the invention, Figs. 1 to 5 illustrating the
arrangement of the marking apparatus. Fig. 1 is a front view of the arrangement
on a railway truck. Fig. an end view of same. Fig. 3 a partial upper view of
the marking apparatus on a larger scale. Fig. 4 a side view of same. Fig, 5 a
part plan view supplementary to Fig. 3. Figs. 6 to 9 show the arrangement of
the registering apparatus. Fig. 6 being a side view and Fig. 7 a plan view of
same. Fig. 8 shows a piece of the paper strip and Fig. 9 the arrangement of the
color rollers.
The marking apparatus consists of two angle iron rails A B hung each on two
axleoxes, which rails are secured to the axles by the framing a b c d and joined
together to form a rigid frame at a certain distance above the track by means of
cross bars. Inside and close to the rails A B axles J K running from B to the
point G are mounted on each side in brackets as shown in Figs. 3 to 5. Each of these
axles carries three fixed arms L M, N and O P of which L M and O P are mounted
in approximately horizontal position, whilst the arm N runs vertically upwards.
The horizontal arm L M carries at its end a conical roller R rotating upon a ball
bearing. The position of the roller R above the rails is seen from Figs. 2 and 5.
A conical form is selected on account of the conical form of the trailing wheels, so
that on passing round curves the distance from the surface of the railhead may not
be altered even when the truck sways to and fro. The arm OP (Figs. 3, 4 and 5)
has the purpose of regulating the flow of the colored liquid from the reservoir k,
where it is under certain pressure, through the rubber piping op and nozzle r.
The regulation is effected by means of the short arm OP a tooth at the end of

page_text: which, under action of the spiral spring S, presses the end of the rubber pipe thus
preventing the flow of the fluid. The arm N has the purpose of transmitting
the oscillations of the axle J K to the registering apparatus.
The operation of the marking apparatus is as follows:-
The apparatus is adjusted upon a thoroughly rigid horizontal track, so that the
rollers R R are about 2 to 5 millimeters from the rails, which can be effected by
laying thin metal plates in the separable arm L M. The truck with loaded axle
rearwards, is then hitched on as last truck of a train. In passing over the track,
where the rails under the load are equally depressed, the rollers R R remain out of
operation and there is no flow of coloring fluid. If however the rear wheels of
the truck pass over a place where in consequence of bad bedding the track is defec-
tive, the part B of the rail A B sinks together with the wheel, the rail A B thus
taking up a position deviating from the horizontal line. The small roller R thus
comes in contact with the railway track and causes partial rotation of the axle J K,
whereby the nozzle rubber pipe is opened and a flow of the coloring fluid takes place.
It is obvious that the quantity of the fluid distributed will under constant pressure
and uniform speed, correspond to the degree of sinking at the place in question.
The amount of color distributed may thus be taken as a measure of the sinking of
the track.
The loading of the rear axle by means of heavy plates with intermediate elastic
layers is only necessary where there is great speed such as in the case of express
trains.
The registering apparatus which receives the markings for both rails upon one
continuous strip of paper is shown in Figs. 6 to 9. Fig. 8 shows a piece of such a
strip of paper in full size. On the same there are provided two rows of longitud-
inal lines of unequal thickness and at varying distances apart. These lines indicate
the unevenness in the railway track, as recorded by the marking apparatus. One
row of lines shows on a definite scale the unevenness on one rail, the second row
those on the other rail. The degree of unevenness at any spot is shown by the
length of the corresponding line.
The registration shown is effected by the paper strip proportioned to the distance
to be travelled during the running of the train being led over two inking rollers
as shown in Fig. 9 which from time to time come in contact with the strip.
The operating mechanism is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 in side and plan views
respectively.
The axle A carries three toothed wheels 7 72 and 73 of which Z' and 73 are spur
wheels and 72 a ratchet wheel. A wheel Z on the axle B engages with the wheel Z³.
The axles A and B are, in addition, provided with rubber rolls G¹ and G2, which
through their rotation draw the strip of paper between them and thus unwind the
paper from the paper roll on the axle C. The axle D with reel S¹ receives the paper
strip again, the axles B and D having strap pulleys S3 S3 at their lower ends, the
former being keyed to its axle, whilst the latter is mounted loosely upon its axle
and transmits its movement of rotation received from the band R by means of the
friction of the spiral spring F to the paper roll mounted on said axle, in such a
degree as the paper strip being wound on admits. There is further provided an
axle E covered with rubber over which the paper strip is guided. All the axles
are set in operation for winding or unwinding respectively, as soon as the axle A
is rotated. The latter receives its motion by means of a chain wheel A¹ Fig. 2 on
the axle of the truck which transmits its motion to the axle W of the registering
apparatus Figs. 6 and 7 by means of a chain, the motion being further transmitted
by a worm wheel U engaging in the wheel Z. Backward rotation is prevented by
the ratchet wheel and click Zª.
The two registering rollers are operated by means of a particular arrangement of
levers likewise as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. On the framework of the registering
apparatus there are two levers X'Y' and X2 Y2 having their fulcra at O and O¹. The
ends Y and Y of each lever have rectangular notches Figs 6 and 9 and fit into one
another. On the overlapping ends are mounted the little rolls o¹ 03 03 and o4, the

page_text: olls o¹ and of being ink rolls whilst o³ and o³ are contact rolls for effecting the mark-
ng on the paper. The two rolls o² and o³ lying one above the other they are adapted
emark in the same vertical plane simultaneously and thus record the depressions of
ach rail. The two levers receive motion through the oscillations of the lever arm N
Figs. 3 to 5, the outer ends X1 X2 being provided with wedge shaped blocks V1 V2
gainst which the said lever arms N push thus imparting motion. The adjustable
locks V1 V2 are provided for the purpose of fixing exactly the position opposite
o the lever arms N. The levers X1 Y1 X2 Y2 are again brought back to their
riginal position by means of springs fl fa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
nd in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. On a railway truck having two axles, the combination of devices for auto-
natically marking and registering the depressions in railway lines consisting
a. Of an arrangement on both sides of the truck of spring mounted conical
rollers (RR) which transmit to a system of bent levers the lateral shocks
received through jolting of the truck, said lever system opening a nozzle
arrangement (l') and further standing in connection with two marking
levers (XY X2 Y2) by means of a lever (N) and two wedge shaped
blocks (V1V2) whereby through the marking rolls situated above each other
on each marking lever, the marking is effected on a paper strip.
b. The uniform feeding of the paper strip at a rate corresponding to the speed
of the train, on the marking rolls, the axles B and D being connected by
band gear and the band pulley S3 connected to the pulley S by a spring
in order to adjust the speed to the tensions on winding on the paper, all
substantially as set forth.
2. In the device as claimed in Claim 1, the arrangement of heavy plates having
lastic interposed layers above the rear axis for the purpose of producing a constant
pressure on same during rapid running of the train, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of November 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.