US611353A - Railway-gate - Google Patents

Description

Patented Spt. 27,1898. F. M. CARDERfi. 6.4-. PICKIN'PAUGH.

m i a RAILWAY GATE. plication filed No. amass.

(No Model.)

HPEEF,

NITFD STATES FRANCES M. GARDER AND GEORGE J. PICKINPAUGH, OF UNIONVILLE, .MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,353, dated September 27, 1898.

Application filed October 30, 1897.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCES M. CARDER and GEORGE J .PIOKINPAUGH, citizens of the United States, residing at Unionville, in the county of Putnam and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Gates; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in railway-tracks, and particularly refers to a railway-gate designed to be mounted at any point in the track and be automatically controlled or operated, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of our automatic railwaygate in its complete operative position. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the inner face of one of the gate-posts. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of Fig. 1, showing the appearance thereof from the opposite side.

In materializing our invention we provide certain details of construction and arrangement of parts to be located in and form part of the road-bed of the railway-track. At any point where it is desired to locate a gate of the character specified, as upon the division-line separating a field from the road or carriage way, we locate and suitably ballast a series of transversely-disposed sleepers or beams 1, upon which we lay and secure in any preferred way the sleepers or beams 2, disposed parallel with the rails of the roadway. After these parts have been thus disposed of and properly embedded in the earth to correspond in height with the remaining section of the track at either end thereof we secure in position, preferably by hinges 3, track-beams 4:, connected with each other by a series of transverselydisposed intermediate pieces 5, upon which the track-rails 6 and 7 are mounted in the usual or any preferred way.

The movable sections or rails 6 may be pivotally or otherwise suitably attached to the main rail-sections? in order that the free ends 8 thereof may be elevated and lowered, as de- Serial No. 656,867. (No model) sired. The track-beams designed to support the rail'sections 6 are supported upon their inner ends and normally held in a slightlyelevated position by the spring-supportsf), the free ends thereof being held in pivotal union with each other by the axlelor shaft 10. The rail-sections 6 are of sufficient length that the inner ends thereof'will snugly contact or aline with each other when the inner ends of the supporting-platform formed by the beams 4 and cross-sections are forced downward into the same plane with the remaining part of the track.

It will be understood that the apertures provided in the ends of the beams 4 are to be slotted in order that the ends thereof may be readily pressed downward without being obstructed by the shaft 10,- or said apertures may consist of suitable notches formed directly in the ends of said beams.

The shaft lOis of sufiicient length to extend beyond the track-beams 4 into cooperation with the spirally-disposed slots 11, formed upon the inner faces of the gate-posts 12, said posts being rotatabl y mounted in position by suitable journals 13, located at either end thereof, and taking into suitable bearings provided for their lowerends in one of the sleepers and into bearings provided for their upper ends formed in the retaining-plate 14, the latter being sustained in position by being connected to the anchoring-post 15.

By the construction just described it will be seen that an inclined plane is provided for the ends of the shaft 10, and as said shaft is normally held in an elevated position by the springs 9 a downward pressure upon the track at this point will cause the ends of the shaft to ride downward in the slot 11, and thus instantly force the gates in an open position. It will be further apparent that when the weight is removed from the track the action of the springs 9 will force the track upward at this point, incidentally taking with it the shaft 10, the ends of whichwill ride upward in the spiral groove 11 and thus promptly force the gates into a closed position.

In order to overcome the tension of the springs 9 and lock the gates in an open position and incidentally leave the track level and unobstructed,we provide the controllinglever 16, pivotally mounted in substantially the usual manner upon the ratchet-plate 17. The controlling-lever being substantially of the usual construction is provided with the manually-controlled detent 18, designed to engage one of the ratchets 19, provided upon the periphery of the plate 17.

The lower end of the lever 16 is connected to the rock-shaft 20 by means of the link 21, said rock-shaft being suitably connected to one of the sleepers 1 and provided near the central portion of the track with a crank or arm 22,",which provides means for connecting said shaft with one of the cross-pieces 5 by means of the chain 23. By this construction it will be observed that the upper end of the lever when drawn downward will turn the rock-shaft 20 and draw the ends of the track at this point downward in the same plane with the remaining portion of the track and incidentally leave the gates in an open position.

It is thought that in practice the hinges 3 may be dispensed with if suitable means is provided to hold the beams 4 against longitudinal and lateral movement. This question, however, is one to be determined by the builder and does not materially bear upon the merits of our invention.

It will be readily apparent that any suitable form of spring may be employed for holding the gates in an open position. It will be further apparent that any equivalent of the construction set forth may be used without materially departing from the spirit of our invention.

After thus setting forth the construction and advantages the operation of our improved automatic gate may be stated to be as follows: The gates being normally in a closed position and the track at that point being elevated are ready to be acted upon by the moving train, which riding upon the railsections 6 from either direction will fore the gates in an open position out of theway After the train has passed over this seetior of the track the action of the springs 9 wii force the track-rails at this point upward ant result in instantly closing the gates, in whicl position they will remain until the operatior is repeated by a moving train oruntil the controlling-lever 16 is manipulated, when, as previously set forth, the elevated ends of the rail-sections 6 are drawn downward and locket in such position by the detent 18.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In railway-gates, frames having elevated meeting ends supporting the rails, a twoleaved swinging gate, devices connecting each gate-leaf with the frames and hand-operated means to depress said frames and open the gate and lock the parts in that position, as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. As an improvement in railway-gates, frames having elevated meeting ends supporting the rails, a two-leaved swinging gate, devices connecting each gate-leaf with the elevated frames, a crank-arm mounted upon the base supporting said frames, a link attached to said crank-arm and an operatinglever pivotally connected to said link whereby said crank-arm may be manipulated by said lever and the frames depressed, and suitable means for holding the lever in an adjusted position, substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCES M. OARDER. GEORGE J. PIOKINPAUGH. Witnesses:

MARK W. MAIRS, T. L. BASKETT.

Images