US800454A - Railroad weed-burning device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. A26, 1905. W. W.VLAMB & F. G. GLUETT.

RAILROAD WBED BURNING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 24,1904.

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No. 800,454. PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905. W. W. LAMB a E'. G. CLUETT. RAILROAD WEED BURNING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OGT. 24, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILERT IV. LAMB, OF SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NEBRASKA, AND FRANCIS G. CLUETT, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed October 24, 1904. Serial No. 229,826.

To {LZ 107mm/ 'it '1n/(ty concern:

Be it known that we, WILBERT W. LAMB, residing in South Sioux City, in the county of Dakota and State of Nebraska, and FRANCIS G. CLUETT, residing at Sioux City, in the county of INoodbury and State of Iowa, citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad Weed- Burning Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad weedburning device; and the ob]- ect of the invention is to provide an effective appliance of this character which can be quickly moved along a raih'oad-track in order to burn the weeds therealong and which when necessity occasions can be readily moved from off said track and onto a branch or auxiliary track, for example, to get the apparatus out of the way of an approaching train.

The weed-burning means, as will hereinafter appear, involves a plurality of Bunsen burners so mounted that they can be readily raised or lowered to regulate their distance from the road-bed, such burners being adapted to effectively destroy weeds and without the possibility of injuring the ties.

The device includes in its organization a car or vehicle carrying a motor of some suitable kind whereby the same may be operated, and we provide means whereby the car with its appurtenances can be readily and quickly lifted from a track and swung around at any angle thereto to be run onto a branch or auxiliary track ordinarily simply temporarily laid.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification w'e illustrate lclearly one simple and convenient adaptation of the invention which will be fully set forth in the following description; but we do not limit ourselves to the showing thus made, for certain variations may be adopted within the scope of our claim succeeding said description.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railroad weed-burning device involving our invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the different views.

The different parts of the apparatus are mounted upon a suitable car or vehicle, as 5, which car or vehicle, as will hereinafter appear, is self-propulsive, it carrying a motor of some suitable kind to furnish the necessary driving power. R We have not deemed it necessary to show any of the common means for reversing the motion of the car, for the same may be of any desirable character. The motor illustrated for driving the car 5 is designated by 6 and is a steam-engine, it receiving its necessary supply of steam from a boiler 7 of some desirable kind mounted on the deck or platform of the car and the fuel to supply the furnace of which may be carried in'a covered box, as 8, also on said deck or platform. The motor or engine 6 is represented as operatively connected with the rear axle of the car, and for this purpose sprocket-gearing (denoted in a general way by 9) is illustrated. As previously indicated, we do not represent any means for effecting the reversal of the motion of the car, as this is a common feature in the railroad art.

The weed-burning means per se is supported upon a frame of some suitable kind, the one represented including in its makeup the parallel side bars or beams, as 10, pivoted at their inner ends to the forward portion of the car, said side bars or beams being arranged to be swung `upward and downward through the intervention of manually-controlled means, as will hereinafter appear. The arallel side bars or beams 10 are united by t e supply-pipe 11, from which the tubes 12 extend oppositely, said tubes being connected at their outer ends with Bunsen burners, as 13, each having a valve. The burners 13, of which, it will be understood, there are two rows, each row comprising a multiplicity, are located at opposite sides of the supply-pipe 11. Above the supply-pipe 11, which, it will be understood, sup lies the necessary hydrocarbon or other fluid to the burners, are what we term feedpipes 14 of oval form, connected together at their inner ends and each at its opposite ends to the supply-pipe 11. To the connection between the two feed-pipes 14 are connected the pipes 15, which extend from the feedtank 16, suitably mounted upon the deck or platform of the car-for example, at the rear end thereof. Each of the pipes 15 involves in its make-up a swivel-joint or portion 17 whereby by reason of the flexible portions of the pipes the forward portions thereof can be freely raised and lowered with the Bunsen-burner frame. Each of the pipes IOO 15 is provided with a handevalve 18, by which the supply of the hydrocarbon or equivalent fluid to the two series of burners 13 can be regulated, The fluid to be supplied to the Bunsen burners to provide the necessary flame throughout may be of any desirable kind. lVe have found gasolene well adapted for such purpose.

Mounted upon the forward portion of the Bunsen-burner frame and connected thereto in any desirable manner is a hood or shield 19 of arched or segmental form and which extends over the two rows of burners in order to confine the heat generated by said burners within the area where it is most required. The hood or shield also serves as a guard to protect the attendants.

From the forward portion of the deck or platform of the car the parallel uprights 2O rise, the same being suitably strengthened by diagonally-disposed braces, as 21, and serving as a support at their upper ends for the roller 22, over whichrthe branches of the hoisting-cable 23 run. The inner ortion of the cable 23 is connected with ant is adapted to be wound on the drum or roll 24, the shaft of which is supported by suitable bearings on the upper side of the platform of the car, while the outer portion of the cable is connected with rods, as 25, connected at their outer ends with the supply-pipe 11. lt will therefore be apparent that when the drum or roll 24 is turned in one direction the cable or rope 23 will be wound thereon to elevate the two rows of Bunsen burners 13, while when the roll is turned in the opposite direction the cable will be paid off in order to lower said burners. The distance of the burnersvfrom the track can be thereby readily regulated and in an easy simple manner. Extending from the rods 25 to the uprights 20 are safety-cables 26, which prevent the burners from dropping onto the ground should they be accidentally released by the hoisting mechanism.

Fulcrumed on the shaft of the drum or roll 24 is the lower end of a hand-lever 27, while said shaft fixedly carries a ratchet 28, with which the pawl 29, pivoted on the lever 27, is adapted to cooperate. On the hand-lever are the customary devices for effecting the elevation or lowering of the pawl 29 out of or into contact with the teeth of the ratchet 28, whereby the latter can be operated to effect the wind'ing or release of the hoistingcable 23.

The car suitably supports a tank 3() for containing water to supply the boiler 7 by way of the piping 31.

On the car is an air-pump 32, adapted to be operated by steam from the boiler, the two parts being connected by piping, as 33, for such purpose. The primary function of the air-pump 32 is to supply air to the hydrocarboirtank 16, ainsupply piping, as 34,

leading from the said pump to said tank. Under the car is arranged an air-tank 35, also connected with the air-pump by means of piping, as 36, the air tank or cylinder 35 being adapted to contain an amount of air necessary to operate the braking mechanism, which may be of the usual kind, of the car. All the pipes are provided with valves of some suitable kind by which the flow of the necessary fluid therethrough can be controlled. The hydrocarbon-tank 16 is equipped with a gage of some suitable kind, as 37, serving its customary function.

Upon the supply of gasolene or equivalent Huid to the burners 13 the gasolene or equivalent fluid will be ignited and by the means hereinbefore described will be adjusted the proper distance from the road-bed, following which the car by its own power will be run along the track in order that the heat from the burners can be utilized for consuming the weeds and other similar growths.

As previously indicated, the car and its appurtenances are adapted. to be bodily lifted from the track and to be swung at any desired angle thereto in order to run the same onto a temporary track to get such car and its appurtenances out of the way of approaching trains, and we will now describe the means illustrated for securing this result.

Bolted or otherwise suitably fastened to the upper side of the deck of the car is a fixed nut 38, through which the jack-screw 39 passes, said screw serving as a means for raising and lowering the car, as well as a pivot upon which the same can turn. Swiveled in some desirable way to the upper end of the said jack or feed screw 39 is a handlever 40, carrying a pawl 41, adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet 42, rigidly connected with the top of the said screw. The hand-lever and pawland-ratchet means therefore serve as a means for rotating the said screw whereby the car can be raised or lowered. The screw has a base, as 43, of some suitable kind. The base is shown as consisting of a spider-like part having four arms adapted to engage the track-rails or other suitable part. The arms of the spider have depending lugs, as 44, adapted to engage the outer sides of said track rails. Normally the base 43 is situated above the rails and road-bed, so that the car 5 can be readily propelled along the track without possibility of the base striking the road-bed or obstructionsthereon. Vhen it becomes necessary to remove the car from the main rails, the feed-screw is turned in such a manner as to feed it downward and to carry the base 43 against the rails, the feed being continued until the car or wheels thereof are lifted off said rails. When this is done, the car can be swung at an angle to the main rails and then lowered by the operation of the feed-screw onto temporary rails and then IOO IIO

caused to travel along the latter either by hand or by its own power. To return the car to the main rails, the procedure just outlined is reversed.

Wve do not of course limit ourselves to the parts constructed as hereinbefore described, for other and equivalent parts may be substituted therefor within the scope of our claim.

We have termed the apparatus constituting the subject-matter of our invention a Railroad weed-burning device, as it has been found particularly advantageous in this connection. The title, however, is used for convenience, as the apparatus may be used in other connections. For example, it may be employed for drying the ground in ballparks or race-tracks or for melting snow on street-car tracks or for thawing the ground so that the same can more readily be eX- cavated. These are some of the uses to which the apparatus may be put.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- The combination of a wheeled car, bars having a vertical swinging connection with and extending outward beyond the car, a

supplypipe uniting the bars beyond the car,

unsen burners in communication with and at opposite sides of the supply-pipe, feedpipes above and in communication with the supply-pipe, a tank on the car for containing hydrocarbon liquid, pipes leading from the tank to the feed-pipes, each having a forward portion swiveled to the rear portion and arranged to swing up and down with said bars, uprights on the car, a roller supported between the uprights, a Windingdrum located below the roller, a cable arranged to be wound upon said drum and having outwardly-diverging branches, rods connecting the cable branches and the supply-pipe, safety-cables connected with the rods and car for preventing the burners Jfrom dropping onto the ground, and means for rotating said drum.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VVILBERT W. LAMB. FRANCIS G. CLUETT. l/Vitnesses:

J. E. LARsoN, S. P. MARSH.

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