Improvements in and relating to Means for Operating Railway Signals, Crossing-gates, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Means for Operating Railway
Signals, Crossing-gates, and the like.
We, LABAN JOSEPH EVEREST, Merchant, and WILLIAM BOOTH WOOD,
Gentleman, both of Omaha, in the County of Douglas, and State of Nebraska,
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 has relation to a new and improved motor, to be used in railway
equipments.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of the motor as secured to an ordinary railway
rail; while
Fig. 2 shows a view of the actuating bar used.
The invention relates to that class of motors which are driven by means of a
train passing over an actuating lever.
Ordinarily, the housing containing the train of gearing to be actuated is placed
adjoining the rail, but not directly connected thereto. This is objectionable in that
the lever movement, at best, must be limited to a small movement and it often
occurs that the rails and ties spring and curve upward away from the housing,
making the device inoperative. Or, on the other hand, owing to rain, sleet,
thawing snow or a flooding of the road bed, the housing is very apt to sink and
drift away from the rails and operating lever so as to make the device inoperative.
In this invention we first shackle the operating lever pivotally to the rail itself
and then also adjustably shackle the housing to the rail so that if the rail should
curve and be carried upward, it will carry the housing with it and in no way can
the housing be detached from the rail, so that the two are practically in one piece,
and hence the device is never out of operation excepting through the breaking of
parts.
A, represents a railway rail secured to the tie, a, as is usual, and to which the
housing, B, is secured by means of the upwardly extending arms, 1, 1, which give
support to the set screws, 2, 2, so that the housing can be raised or lowered.
This housing comprises a suitable water tight casing and which is below the
rail, A.
Secured to the rail, A, is a shackle, 3, to which is pivotally hinged the operating
lever, D, by means of the ear, 4. This lever; D, is loosely secured to the
shackle, 3, and comprises a straight bar having a curved end, 5. The remaining
end of this bar, D, is further provided with the ear, 6, by means of which this
lever, is hinged to the operating bar, F, by means of a pin, 7. The bar, F, is
provided with a stop, 8, by means of which the pivotted, hinged lever, D, is
checked when thrown outward, though this lever, D, is normally held against the
ball of the rail, A.
In the housing is a shaft, 9, which gives' support' to a lever, H, provided with a
nosing, 10, adapted to hold' the bar, F.
Within the casing are: mounted the shafts, 12; 13 and 14. The shaft, 12, is
provided with a ratchet wheel, 15, secured thereto; this shaft also supports a gear
wheel, 16, and the drums, 17.
Winding about the shaft, 12, is a chain, 19, secured to the lever, H, while
winding about the drum, 17, is a chain, 20, secured to the weight, 21, by means of
Price 81

page_text: which the train of gearing is actuated. The gear, 16, works loosely upon shaft, 12,
and meshes with a smaller gear, 22, secured to shaft, 13. A second gear, 23, is
also secured to the shaft, 13, which meshes with a gear 24, upon shaft 14, the
shaft, 14, being provided with a bevel gear, 25, and a transmission pulley, 28, to
which a belt or chain may be secured. To the gear, 16, is further secured a
pawl, 18, adapted to mesh with the ratchet, 15, which is necessary as the weight 21,
only drives the gearing in one direction. The operation of the instrumentalities
would be as follows:
The operating lever, D, has one end downwardly curved, the other end being
outwardly curved, and is shackled at one end by means of the shackle, 3, to the
rail, A, this pivoted end of the lever being secured below the ball of the rail. It
should be remembered that this lever, D, is both hinged and pivoted to this
shackle, 3, permitting a letting down of the forward end while at the same time
permitting the lever to be thrown or tilted outward until checked by the stop, 8,
the forward end of this lever being outwardly curved, as is shown in Fig. 2.
When properly arranged the lever, D, projects a suitable distance above the ball
of the rail, as is shown in Fig. 1. Now, should a train of cars pass over the rail
in such a way as to first pass over the downwardly curved end of the lever, D, the
tread of the car wheels would gradually ride upon the lever, D. As the lever, D,
is carried downward, it carries with it the bar, F, which in turn carries the
long end of the lever, H. upward to wind up the motor which can be either a
spring motor or be worked by means of a weight, 21, which is wound upon the
drum, 17.
As the drum, 17, is securely fastened to the shaft, 12, which is also secured to
the ratchet, 15, this weight is carried upward without disturbing the train of
gearing.
Now, as the lever, H, is carried upward the chain, 19, is unwound and the
weight is promptly carried upward, and it should be stated that this weight is
made heavy enough so that the train of gearing will drive the signal, semaphore,
gate or any other railway device. It might be stated here that an immense weight
can be raised, as practically, the full weight of the railway car is utilized in
depressing the lever and bar to raise the weight, 21, which in descending actuates
the train of gearing. In winding up, the ratchet, 15, escapes the pawl, 18, but as
soon as the movement of the lever, H, which carries this ratchet, under the pawl,
is checked, the pawl catches the ratchet and the weight, 21, can only return in
actuating the train of gearing forming part of the power shaft, 16, to which. the
transmission is connected. Should, however, a train come from the opposite
direction, the tread of the wheel would first encounter the outwardly extending
curved end, 5, of the lever, D, and instead of riding upon the same would throw
the same outward so that the train of gearing would not be actuated.
It will be noticed that the essential features of this invention are the following:
First, the main operating lever is both pivotted and hinged directly to the rail.
Secondly and finally, the motor actuated by said main operating lever is also
directly shackled to the rail to practically make a solid integral combination.
As shown and described, the gearing is simply actuated when the train comes
from one direction.
Secured to the shaft, 14, is a bevel gear, 25, meshing with a gear, 31, upon the
vertical shaft, 32, secured within the standard, 33. Fixed to the shaft, 32, is an
arm, 35, provided above with a disk, 36. Hung to the arm, 35, are two pivotted
arms, 37, the upper end projecting and provided below with the weights, 38, and
the pulleys, 39. Working upon this shaft, 32, is a sleeve, 40, the upper head of
which is adapted to come above the pulleys, 39, and be supported by the weighted
arms, 37, while at rest. Below this sleeve is provided with an electrical
conductor, 41, leading to the poles of a battery, 42. Surrounding the shaft, 32,
below is an insulation, 43, upon which rests the disk, 44, in electrical connection
with the battery, 42. An ordinary electric alarm bell can be positioned at any

page_text: point within the electric circuit, so that normally there is provided an open circuit
which, when said circuit is closed rings the alarm. As soon as the clock work is.
started the arms, 37, fly outward, in revolving so that the spool drops and makes a.
connection. When the clock work stops the arms ride under the sleeve head and
lift the sleeve to break the contact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the saine is to be performed, we declare that what we-
claim is :-
1. The combination with a railway rail of a housing suspended therefrom, all'
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with a railway rail of a lever pivotally secured to said rail
at one end the free end curving outward, all substantially as and for the purpose.
set forth.
3. The combination with a railway rail of a lever pivotally hinged to said rail
at one end the free curving end projecting above said rail the pivoted end being
shackled below the top of said rail, all substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4. The combination with a railway rail of a lever pivotally hinged at one end to.
said rail the free end of said rail curving outward and a bar movably secured to
said lever to normally hold said curved end above the top of said rail, all
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The combination with a railway rail of a lever pivotally hinged at one end to
said rail the free end of said lever projecting above the top of said rail a bar-
movably connected to said lever at the free end and the pivotted lever arm of said
lever being adapted to receive said bar, all substantially as and for the purpose set.
forth.
6. The combination with a railway rail of a lever pivotally hinged at one end to
said rail the free end of said lever projecting above the top of said rail a bar
movably connected to said lever at the free end one arm of said lever being adapted
to receive said bar the remaining arm of said lever being adapted to wind a train
of gearing, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. The combination with a railway rail of a lever movably secured to said rail:
at one end said lever being curved in a vertical plane and lying adjoining to said.
rail the highest portion of said curved rail projecting beyond the top of said rail a
bar secured to said lever a secondary lever adapted to receive said bar at one end.
a train of power gearing being secured to said railway rail said train of power
gearing being adapted to normally hold said pivotted lever in its upper position, all
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a railway appliance the combination with a suitable train of gearing, said:
gearing being in connection with a starting head said head being actuated by
means of a car wheel a contact point normally held in open position the movement.
of said contact point being controlled by the said train of gearing a second contact.
point below said first contact point said second point forming the terminal of a
suitable electric circuit said first contact point being adapted to be released to
close the circuit when said head is actuated, all substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
9. In an electric alarm signal, the combination of a spring actuated gearing, an
actual lever said lever being in connection with said train of gearing said gearing
being normally in an unwound coudition said lever being so arranged to wind said
train of gearing when actuated by a car wheel said train of gearing terminating in
a gear fixed to a vertical shaft said shaft being provided with an arm swinging
rectangular levers secured to said arm a contact point normally suspended by the
said arms said contact point comprising a spool mounted upon said vertical shaft a
second contact point below said suspended contact point said contact points forming
electrical terminals in connection with a suitable electric circuit said instrumentalities.

page_text: being so arranged that as the train of gearing is actuated the suspended electric
terminal is permitted to drop and complete the circuit, all substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.