US2077339A - Apparatus for controlling railway track skates - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1937. J. w. LIVINGSTON I 2,077,339

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRACK SKATES Filed Oct. 14, 1933 ZSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John laLz'uz'ngstozz BY 581W- HIS A TTORNEY A ril 13, 1937. J. w. LIVINGS TON 2,077,339

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRACK SKATES Filed Oct. 14, 19 3 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Insulation INVENTOR Jolm lliLz'vz'ng szon BY QJZW Ego? 111s ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1937 7 2,077,339 APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING "R PATENT OFFICE LWAY TRACK SKATES A John W. Livingston, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa'., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 14, 1933, Serial No. 693,615

Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for controlling railway track skates.

As is well-known, in connection with gravity or hump yards for classifying cars it is frequent- 5 ly desirable to employ a track skate to stop runaway cars. The skate is placed on one of the track rails by means of suitable mechanism usually termed a skate machine, and a wheel of the car rides up onto the skate and carries it along with the car, the skate acting to stop the car by sliding the first pair of wheels and also by virtue of the friction between the skate and the rail. Prior to mypresent invention the control of the skate machines has generally been effected by an operator located at a remote point, which operator was also required to control a large number of track switches, car retarders and other devices incident to hump yard operation. With the skate machines controlled by an operator in this manner, it sometimes happened that when a car ran away, the operators attention was, at that moment, occupied with the operation of other devices under his control, or else he failed to see the runaway car due to his vision being cut off 5 by fog, smoke, or snow and the like, and as a result, the skates were not always placed on. the rail when they should have been. One object of my present invention is to prevent such a condition from happening by providing means for 3Q automatically operating the skate machine to place a skate on the rail in advance of a car if the speed of the car exceeds a predetermined speed. I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings,Fig. 1 is a view, partly in top plan and partly diagrammatic, showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged side and end views, respectively, of the device D shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in all three'views.

Referring first to Fig. l, the reference character'l designates the right-hand track rail of one of the tracks in a yard for classifying cars, over which track'traflic normally moves from right to left. This track rail is supported on crossties 5 in. the usual manner, and has associated therewith a track skate S and a skate machine SM for placing the skate S onto and removing it from the rail l. The skate S and skate machine SM in themselves form no part of my present invention,

,55 except in so far as they are used in combination with the remainder of the apparatusand these parts may be of any. of the well-known 't'ype's. As here shown, the skate S and skate machine SM are similar in all respects to those described in detail in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,641,178, granted to Edwin G. Little, on'Sept. 6, 1927, for Railway skate operating apparatus, and it is believed, therefore, that for purposes of the present disclosure the following brief description of these parts and their operation will be sufficient. I

The skate machine SM, as here shown, is of the electropneumatic type and is controlled by a magnet valve V. When this valve isenergized, fluid pressure is admitted to a fluid pressure motor M forming part of the device, which causes the piston of this motor to move from a retracted position to a projection position. This movement of the piston is transmitted to the skate S through the medium of suitable mechanism which is fully described in the above-referred to Little patent, and causes the skate to move from its inactive position in which it is shown in full lines in the drawings to an active position on the rail l in which it is shown in dash lines in the drawings. The skate S is provided with a suitable channel on the underside to receive the rail and with an inclined tongue 2 overlying the head of the rail upon which tongue the tread of a car wheelis adapted to run. The tongue 2 merges into a curved surface 3 so proportioned as to fit the rounded surface of the wheel tread and to form an abutment against which the wheel engages. The skate S is also provided with a channel 4 to receive the flange of the wheel. When the skate occupies its active position, if a car attempts to to its active position, it may be returned to its inactive position by deenergizing valve V. This operation interrupts the supply of fluid to the fluid pressure motor M of the skate machine and connects the motor with atmosphere. When the motorbecomes connected with atmosphere, the piston of the motor is returned to its retracted position by a spring, and this movement of the piston acts, throughthe mechanismwhich connects the piston with the skate, to lift the. skate from its active position on the rail and carry it downwardly away from the rail until the parts are returned to their original positions.

In accordance with my present invention,the

valve V is controlled by a relay R which, in turn,

is controlled by a push button P, a manually operable lever L, and a car controlled speed responsive contact device D. The circuit for valve V passes from a suitable source of current here shown as a battery B through wire 6, the winding of valve V, wire I, front contact 8 of relay R and wire 9 back to battery B. This circuit is closed when and only when relay R is energized, and it will be apparent, therefore, that valve V will be energized when and only when relay R is energized. It follows that the skate S will occupy its active or its inactive position according as relay R is energized or deenergized.

The push button P is of the conventional type, and need not therefore be described further. This push button will usually be located in or adjacent to the skate machine SMF The manually operable lever L is capable of assuming a normal position 11. and a reverse position r, and is provided with two contacts I and II which are closed only when the lever occupies its normal position, and with a contact I2 which is closed only when the lever occupies its reverse position.

Referring now also to Figs. 2 and 3, the car controlled speed responsive device D in the form here shown comprises a supporting block I5 which is rigidly bolted to the inside of the rail I some distance to the right of the skate machine SM, and which has attached thereto a laterally projecting headed pin I6. Journallect on the pin I6 is an arm I! and a sleeve I8 which is secured at one end to the arm H. The arm I! is biased by means of a spring I 9 to an upper position in which its left-hand end projects above the head of the rail I as shown, and is so disposed that each time a car wheel'passes the device D, the flange of the wheel will engage the arm and rotate it downwardly, thus rotating the sleeve in a counterclockwise direction. The engaging surface 20 of the arm I! is curved as shown so that when the arm is rotated by engagement with a car wheel, the sleeve I8 will be rotated at a uniformly accelerated speed which depends upon the speed of the car. Thelimits of rotation of the arm are determined by a stop pin 2| which is secured to the supporting block I5 and which extends into an arcuate slot 22 provided in the arm IT. The outer surface of the sleeve I8 is screw threaded as shown, and has mounted thereon an inertia member 23, the inside of which is provided with screw threads which cooperate with the screw threads on the sleeve. The screw threads on the sleeve and in the inertia member are so arranged that if the inertia member is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, about the sleeve, it will move along the axis of the sleeve toward the rail I. A spring 24 surrounds the sleeve l8 between the arm I I and the inertia member, and constantly biases the inertia member to an outer position on the sleeve inwhich position a stop pin 25 attached to the inertia member engages a stop lug 26 provided on a stop 2! which is secured to the pin I6. A ring-shaped cam 28 of insulating material is secured to the inertia member on the side nearest the rail, and this cam cooperates with a roller 29 carried by a flexible contact finger 3B. The contact finger 3B is secured to an insulating block 3| which, in turn, is secured to the supporting block I5. Cooperating with the finger 30 is a fixed contact finger 32 which is also secured to the insulating block 3I.

The finger 30 is constantly biased to a position in which the roller 29 engages the cam 28, and the finger 32 is so disposed that when the inertia member 23 occupies the position to which it is biased by the spring 2 4, the contact finger 30 will be out of engagement with the contact finger 32. With the contact device D constructed in the manner just described, it will be apparent that if, when a car passes the device D, the sleeve I8 is accelerated at a rate in excess of a predetermined rate which depends upon the proportioning of the parts, the inertia of the inertia member will prevent the inertia member from becoming accelerated as rapidly as the sleeve, and as a result, the inertia member will move inwardly along the sleeve in opposition to the bias of the spring 24, and will thus move the contact finger 30 into engagement with the contact finger 32, thereby closing the contact 3032. If, however, when a car .passes the device D, the

. sleeve I8 is accelerated at a rate which is less than said predetermined rate, the force exerted by spring 24 will be sufiicient to overcome the inertia of the inertia member and keep it in the position in which the pin 25 engages the lug 26 of the stop member 21-, and under these conditions the contact 30-32 will remain open. As was previously pointed out, the speed at which the sleeve I8 is accelerated when a car wheel passes the device D is proportional to the speed of the car, and it follows that by properly proportioning the parts, the contact -32 may be made to become closed for all car speeds above a predetermined speed and to remain open for all car speeds below said predetermined speed. In accordance with my present invention, the

parts will usually be so proportioned that said predetermined speed is the highest speed at which cars can pass the device and not cause damage to the car or its contents, or to other cars and their contents, due to impact with such other cars when the car reaches its destination on the classification track.

The contact 3032 of the contact device D is included in a pickup circuit for relay R which pickup circuit passes from a suitable source of current, here shown as a battery A, through contact ID of lever L, wire 33, contact 30--32 of device D, wire 34, winding of relay R, and wire back to battery A. It will be apparent, therefore, that if contact 30-32 of device D becomes closed when lever L occupies its n position, the pickup circuit for relay R will become closed, and relay R willbecome energized. As was previously pointed out, when relay R becomes energized, valve V becomes energized and causes the skate machine SM to place the skate S in its.

operative position on the rail I. It follows, therefore, that if a car travelling at a speed which is higher than the speed at which the contact SCI-32 of the device D becomes closed, passes the device D when lever L occupies its n position, the skate machine will be automatically operated to place the skate S on the rail.

When relay R once becomes energized, it is subsequently maintained in its energized condition until push button P is operated, by virtue of a stick circuit which passes from battery A through wire 36, front contact 31 of relay R, wire 38, push button P, winding of relay R, and wire 35 back to battery A. It follows that when a skate has been placed on the rail, it will remain on the rail until it is removed by the action of the car, and the skate machine will remain in its energized condition until the maintainer operates push button P to interrupt the stick circuit for relay B. When he does this, the resultant deenergization of relay B will deenergize valve V, thus causing the skate machine to return to its normal position.

It is undesirable that the apparatus should function when a locomotive passes the device D,

and it is for the purpose of rendering the apparatus inoperative while a locomotive is passing the device that lever L is provided. If it is desired to permit a locomotive to pass the skate machine at a higher speed than the safe speed for cars, lever L is moved to its 1" position. When the lever occupies this position, the pickup circuit for relay R is interrupted at contact ll! of lever L, and it follows that under these conditions, relay R will remain deenergized regardless of the speed at which the locomotive passes the. device D, so that the skate machine will then remain in its retracted position.

Theapparatus also includes means for indicating to an engineman when the apparatus is in proper condition to permit a locomotive to pass the skate machine. As here shown, these means include a proceed lamp C and a stop lamp G which lamps will usually be incorporated in a suitable signal located some distance to the left of the device D. Lamp C is provided with a circuit which is closed when and only when lever L occupies its 1' position and relay R is deenergized, and which passes from battery A through 30 wires 36 and 42, back contact 43 of lever L, lamp C wire 44, contact l2 of lever L, and wires 45 and M back to battery A. It will be seen, therefore, that when the circuit for lamp C is closed and this lamp is lighted, it is safe for locomotives 35 to pass the device D, since lever L then occupies its 1 position.

Lamp (3 is provided with a circuit which is closed when and only when lever L occupies its n position and which passes from battery A 40 through wire 35, lamp C wire 40, contact ll of lever L and Wire M back to battery A. It follows that lamp C will be lighted when lever L occupies its n position, and that when this lamp is lighted it is unsafe for a locomotive to pass 45 the skate machine.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within 50 the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

55 1. In combination, a contact, means controlled by a car traversing a track rail for closing said contact if the speed of the car exceeds a predetermined speed, means efiective when said contact becomes closed for maintaining said contact means effective when said contact becomes closed for automatically placing a track skate on said track rail.

2. In combination, a relay, a skate machinecontact, and a stick circuit for said relay including said push button and a front contact of said relay.

3. In combination, a skate machine for at times placing a skate on a track rail, a relay for controlling said skate machine, a first contact, means controlled by a car approaching said skate machine for closing said first contact if and only if the speed of the car exceeds a predetermined speed, a manually operable lever having normal and reverse positions and provided with normal and reverse contacts which are closed according as the lever occupies its normal or its. reverse position, a normally closed push button; a pickup circuit for said relay including said first contact and a normal contact of said lever, a stick circuit for said relay including said push button and a front contact of said relay, two indication lamps, a circuit for one of said lamps including a normal contact of said lever, and a circuit for the other lamp including a back contact of said relay and a reverse contact of said lever.

4. In combination, a relay, a skate machine controlled by said relay and effective for at times placing a track skate on a track rail, a first contact, means for operating said first contact if the speed of a car approaching said skate machine exceeds a predetermined speed, a manually operable contact, a push button, a pickup circuit for said relay including said first contact and'said manually operable contact, and a stick circuit for said relay including said push button and a front contact of said relay.

5. In combination, a relay, a skate'machine' controlled by said relay and effective when said relay is energized for placing a track skate on a' track rail, means for energizing said relay if the speed of a car approaching said skate machine exceeds a predetermined speed, and means effective when said relay becomes energized for subsequently retaining said relay energized until said relay is manually deenergized.

JOHN W. LIVINGSTON.

closed until said contact is manually opened, and

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