IMPROVE- MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE REMOVAL OF SNOW FROM LINES OF RAILWAY."
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Israel Leon Rosenfeld at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1877.
*
ISRAEL LEON ROSENFELD, of Braila, in the Principality of Roumania, but at
present of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS TO FACILITATE THE REMOVAL OF SNOW FROM
LINES OF RAILWAY."
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus to facilitate
the removal of snow from lines of railway. For this purpose I employ a travelling
carriage which is provided with a platform, the front edge of which is in close
proximity to the surfaces of the rails but so as to run freely over them. This platform
is made of any convenient length and somewhat broader than the carriages, trucks,
and other vehicles running on the railway. The carriage is provided on each side at
the rear of the aforesaid platform with doors or clearers extending from the platforn!
to the upper part of the framing of the apparatus. These doors or clearers are
hinged on vertical hinges, and are provided with catches or fastenings by which
they can, when the apparatus is being run into the snow, be fixed in an inclined
position and thereby press the snow outwards; but when running out of the snow
these doors or clearers are closed so as to lie close against or parallel to the framing
to enable the apparatus to run free of interruption from the suow.
The framing of the apparatus and a suitable standard or standards carry bearings,
in one pair of which are mounted the ends of two shafts or axes having a number
of spades or blades fixed thereon. In the other bearings are mounted the necks or
collars of bevilled toothed wheels which are connected by universal couplings to the
aforesaid shafts or axles.
These bearings are all capable of being raised and lowered, and retained in
position as may be required by means of one or more crank levers, or hand wheels
operated by the attendant.
The arrangement I propose for this purpose is as follows:-I cause the bearings
for the bevilled toothed wheels to work in suitable ways formed in the framing.
I connect each of these bearings to a chain passing over wheels at the upper and
lower part of the framing, the lower pair of wheels being formed with projections
or recesses to fit the chains so as to give motion thereto. On the axis of each of
these lower wheels I fix a crank lever or hand wheel by which they can be operated,

page_text: and I also fix on each of such axis a sprocket or chain wheel around which the lower
part of an endless chain is passed. The upper parts of these endless chains are passed
around other sprocket or chain wheels fixed on an axis on which is fixed a drum or
pulley to which one end of a chain is fixed. This chain passes over suitable guide
wheels, and is connected at its other end to the bearing for the ends of the axis
carrying the spades or blades. By these means the said axis can be raised and
lowered simultaneously as desired.
The aforesaid bevilled toothed wheels receive motion from other bevilled toothed
wheels mounted on vertical shafts or axes with capability of moving up and down
thereon, whilst compelled to rotate therewith, and these vertical axes receive motion
from the axis of one pair of the supporting wheels by means of bevilled gearing
capable of being thrown into and out of gear as may be required.
If desired, in order to obtain greater power, two pairs of the supporting wheels
may be coupled together.
To the framing of the apparatus is pin-jointed a frame consisting of two sides
and an end corresponding in dimensions with the sides and end of the platform.
This frame is connected by a chain to a barrel, the axis of which is provided with a
crank handle by which the frame may be raised when required, and the axis of this
barrel has a ratchet wheel fixed thereon which acts in combination with a catch or
stop by which the frame may be retained when required in a raised position, but by
removing the catch or stop the frame may be allowed to fall and rest upon the platform
when it acts as sides and end thereto.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The frame last described is raised to
its highest position; the carriage is then run into the snow until the platform is full;
the said frame is then lowered on to the platform when it severs the mass of snow
on the platform from the great body surrounding the same. The carriage is then
run back to a suitable position for discharging the snow, when the frame is raised
and the rotating spades or blades, which have been previously placed in their
highest position, are put into gear with the driving axle, by which a rapid rotary
motion is imparted to such spades or blades during the continued further motion of
the carriage. The bearings of these rotating spades or blades are gradually lowered,
during the rotation of the latter, until the snow is completely removed from the
platform. By these means the snow is thrown from the platform to a considerable
distance therefrom.
When running the carriage into the snow the vertical doors or clearers are
inclined outwards; but when returning out of the snow these doors or clearers are
closed upon the framing.
I would here remark that the means employed in communicating motion to
the various parts of the said apparatus may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of my Invention.