US1490015A - Railroad-crossing signal - Google Patents

Description

A ril 8, 1924 1,490,015

' F. LAHODA RAILROAD CROS S ING S IGNAL Filed June 22, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATI'ORNEY WITN E55:

April 8 1924.-

INVENTOR WITNESS:

Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

warren STATES 1,499,015 PATENT creme.)

FRANK LAHODA, or :onlvnuan,sasna'rorrnwan, cannon.

RAILROAD-CROSSIN G SIGNAL.

Application filed June 22, 1923. Serial no. 647,110.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK LAHODA, a subject of the King of Great Britain,'residing at Dundurn, in the Province of Saskatchewan and Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bailroad-Crossing Signals,of which the following is. a specification.

This invention relates to signal devices,

19 particularly, those of the mechanically operated type, and has for its object the provision of a novel device designed to be mounted at a railroad crossing or the like for the purpose of warning pedestrians and drivers of vehicles ofthe. approach of a train, the device thus actingto warn interested parties and consequently reducing likelihood of accident.

An important and more specific object is the provision of a signal device of this character which is operated automatically by a member depending from the locomotive, the action being consequently positive and rapid;

An additional object is the provisionof a signal device of thischaracter which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, easy toinstall, efiicientand durable in service and a generalimprovement in the art.

With the above and other objects and-advantages in'view the invention consists in the details of construction to be'hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a planview of a railroad track at a crossing showing my signal device installed,

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 showing an elevation of the signal member,

Figure 3 is a view taken longitudinally of the track onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking toward the signal device.

Figure 4 is a cross section on' the line 4:4: of Figure 1, 7

Figure 5 is a detailed section through the cow catcher of the locomotive showing the operating member mounted thereon,

Figure 6 is a detailv section through the spring tension device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the letter A designates a railroad track and B designates a road crossing the track. It is this crossing which my invention is designed to protect.

Mounted upon a suitable base 10, which might be merely a prolongation of adjacent ties C, is a signal device which is here illustrated as comprising a bottom plate 11 upon which is secured an upwardly extending bracket 12. The plate 11 and bracket 12 are provided with bearings for a vertical shaft 13 which carries a signal blade 1% bearing the legend Stop or any other desired matter. This signal blade is .here shown as being circular in shape though it maybe understood that it may be of any "other shape, any desired size and painted any preferred color so as to be conspicuous and it is also to be notedthat if desired it may contain illuminating means for instance an oil lamp or an incandescent bulb such as is illustrated at 15 in one of the detail views.

Mounted on the track at opposite sidesof the crossing B, and at any desired distance fromthe crossing are horizontally disposed shafts 16 mounted in bearings 17 which may be spiked down onto the ties or which may be carried by plates 18 secured to the ties bysome preferred'means or secured to the undersides of the rails Db Mounted on these shaftsare pulleys 19 and segmental gears 20.

On the lower end of the shaft 13 of the signal is a pulley 20 about which is trained a cable 21 which isin turn trained about guide rollers or pulleys 22 located inwardly of one rail and adjacent thereto. After passing over the rollers 22,. the cable extends through tubular guides or housings 22 mounted along the track at both sides of the road. The cable also passes over guide pulleys 22 and istrained about'the pulleys 19. Secured upon the frame of the locomotive at some convenient point but preferably beneath the cow catcher is a rack bar 24; so positioned as to engage with the segmental gears 20: when passing thereover. Interposed in the cable are spring devices indicated broadly by the numeral 25, each of which consists of a frame 26 having slidable therein a] rod 27 carrying a cross head 28 engaged by a spring 29 encircling the rod and'coniined between the cross head and one end of the frame. As these frames are interposed in the cable they provide resilience to prevent breakage of the cable under engageable with the adjacent rail for limiting the rotation of the pulley to an arc of 90 in either direction.

In the operation it will be seen that when the train approaches either side of the crossing, the engagement of the rack bar 2 1 will rotate the pulley 20 a quarter turn. Itv

should also be stated that all the pulleys are of the same size except that the guide rollers 22 may be of any desired size irrespective of the others. \Vhen the pulley 20 is turned of course the shaft 13 is correspondingly turned and the signal blade 14 is moved into a position parallel with the track so that both sides thereof will be clearly visible to pedestrians, drivers of vehicles or others having occasion to use the high way. After passing over the crossing and upon reachmg the operating mechanism at the other side,

the bar 24 engages the other segmental gear and rotates the other shaft 16 whereupon the cable 21 is moved in the other direction and this serves to return the signal to its initial or inoperative position. v

The spring devices interposed in the cable have a very important function. If they were absent rocking of either gear 20 by passage of a train would cause it to be left in such low position that it could not be engaged by a train coming from theother direction. hen either stop on the cable engages the rail it holds the cable against further movement while the spring devices interposed in the cable permit the gears 20 to be rocked to the full limit of throw. When the train has passed by, the tension of the springs will then restore the gears to normal position ready for reactuation.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings 1t Wlll be apparent that I have thus provided a purely mechan ical and automatically operated signal de-- vice which is easily installed at railway crossings and other places and which will efficiently perform all the functions for which it is intended. Owing to the simplicity and the fewness of the parts it is apparent that there is little to get out of order beneath the locomotive and engageable with so that the device should have a long life;

WVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatably mounted upright signal member located at the crossing to be protected, transverse shafts located along the track way at opposite sides of the crossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guide rollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging said guide rollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneous movement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned, and means on said shafts 00- operating with means on the locomotive whereby passage of the train will turn the shafts.

2. A. signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatably mounted upright signal member located at the crossing to be protected, transverse shafts located along the track way at opposite sides of the crossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guide rollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging saidguide rollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneous movement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned, and means on said shafts cooperating with means on the locomotive whereby passage of the train will turn the shafts, said means consisting of upstanding elements carriedbythe shafts, and a depending protection carried by the engine and engageable therewith.

3. A signal device for railroad crossings, comprising a rotatably mounted upright signal n'iember'located at the crossing to be protected, transverse shafts. located along the track way at opposite sides of the crossing, pulleys on said shafts, a pulley on said signal member, guide rollers, a cable trained about said pulleys and engaging said guide rollers, one stretch of said cable being crossed to effect simultaneous movement of both shafts in the opposite directions when one is turned, and means on said shafts cooperating with means on the locomotive whereby passage of the train will turn the shafts, said means consisting of segmental gears on said shafts and a rack bar mounted the segmental gears wherebyto effect movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK LAHODA.

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