US909682A - Railway-switch. - Google Patents

Description

E. RUSH.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

AYPLIOATION 1711.21) am. 25, 190B.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909. 2 SHEETs-SHEET 1.

[WK/[Kiwi lvihwamzy E. RUSH. RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12'. 1909. sum 2.

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EUGENE RUSH, OF VINCENNES, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed January 25, 1908. Serial No. 412,664.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enenxn RUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vincennes, in the county of Vincennes and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Railway-Switch, of which the following is' a specification.

This invention relates torailway switches and its object is to provide a switch of this character which dispense with the use of the usual frog, said switch being provided with means wherebya car or train while passing onto the siding will travel above the rail of the main track so that it becomes unnecessary to break the rail of the main track at the point where the switch is located.

Another object is to provide a switch the movable rails of which are provided with means for elevating them so that one of said rails can assume a position over one of the rails of the main track when the switch is open and can move downward to or below the level of the rails of the main line when the switch is closed.

A further object is to provide simple mechanism for actuating the switch in a positive manner, said mechanism being designed to securely hold the switch after it has once been shifted.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings: Figure l is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line aa, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line b-b, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line 0-0, Fig. 1, showing the switch open. Fig. 5 is an elevation of that end of the switch rail shiftable above the rail of the main track. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section on line d-(Z, Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a section on line ec, Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a section on line f/, Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 and 2 designate the inner and outer rails respectively of the main track and 3 and 3 designate the corresponding fixed rails of the siding. The rail 3 is disposed with its head in a plane above the head of rail 1 and abuts against said rail 1 and has its head cut away as at 4 so that the web of the rail 3 constitutes a bearing surface flush with the upper portion of rail 1. Arranged upon the ties 5 and between the rails 1 and 2 are lifting blocks 6 having their upper faces beveled as shown particularly in Fig. 2 and designed to support one of the movable rails 7 of the switch. This rail is pivotally mounted at one end close to the rail 2while the base and web of said rail at its other end are cut away. The head of the rail thus forms a tongue 8 designed when rail 7 is in its elevated position, to extend over the rail 1 and rest upon the cut away portion 4 of rail 3.

A point 9 extends from the rail 7 close to rail 2 and is secured to said rail 7 by means of a fish plate 10. This fish plate is bolted to the rails 7 and 9 in the usual manner, one of the bolts extending through a vertical slot 11 in the rail 7 so as to permit said rail 7 to swing upwardly relatively to the rail 9. This arrangement of the parts has been shown in detail in Fig. 7. The other movable rail 12 of the switch extends from the rail 3 to which it is connected and with its point close to the rail 1 and this point and the point 9 are connected by a rod 13 fastened to them in any suitable manner. As indicated in Fig. 1 a guard rail 14 is fastened to the point 9 and movable therewith. The rail 1 is preferably provided with a groove 15 in its head close to the point of rail 12 so that the flanges of the car wheels will be free to cross the rail 1 when the switch is open.

Secured to the movable or tongue end of rail 7 is a draw bar 16 which extends under the rails 12 and 1 and is connected to a crank 17 forming a part of a vertical shaft 18 which is journaled in cross strips 19 fastened to the adjoining ties. This shaft has oppositely extending arms 20 fastened to one end thereof. Extending from one of the arms 20 is a cable 21 connected to a chain 22 which passes partly around a sheave 23 supported adjacent the switch, another cable 24 connecting said chain with a crank arm 25 which extends from an operating shaft 26. Another arm 27 extends from this shaft in a direction opposite to the arm 25 and has a cable 28 extending from it to a chain 29 mounted on a sheave 30 disposed adjacent the switch. A cable 31 extends from this chain to a coupling plate 32 from which another cable 33 extends to the other arm 20. The cables 21 and 33 are both switch is open.

preferably provided with turn buckles 3i whereby said cables may be conveniently tightened should they become unduly slack.

' dicated in Figs. 1 and 2. This chain is connected by a cable 39' with an arm 40 rigidly fastened to the rail 7 near the tongue 8. Cable 39 and arm 40 operate below the rails 1 and 12. A turn buckle or other suitable means is used in connection with the cable 35, so, that slack therein may be conveniently t ken up.

Shaft 26 heretofore referred to has a crank 42 to which the rod 13 is connected and a lever 43 extends from one end of this shaft and constitutes means whereby the shaft can be actuated to operate the parts connected thereto. A semaphore or other suitable signal device, not shown, may be connected to. the shaft 26 and operated'there' by so as to indicate whether or not the Whenever it is desired to open the switch so that a car or train can pass onto the siding lever {L3 is swung toward; the rails and crank 42 will push 7 against rod 13 and press the point 9 and the point of rail 11 aga1nst rails'2 and 1 respectively, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. At the same time arms 25 and 27 will operate to slacken cable 24 and to pullon cable,

28 simultaneously. Arms 20 will therefore be actuated so as to, partly rotate crank 17 and cause the bar 16 to pull on rail 7. This rail will be further actuated by cables 35 and 39 which receive motion from the cable 31. As rail 7 is drawn toward the rail 1 it rides upwardly on the beveled faces of the blocks 6 so that tongue 8 is brought into position over rail 1 and the cutaway portion 4 of rail 3. It will thus be apparent that when the car a proaches the switch it will be deflected by the point 9 onto the rails 7 and ll and as the head of the rail 7 is disposed above the rail 1 it will be apparent that the car wheels can, pass over saidrail 1 without coming into contact with Itbecomes unnecessary therefore to break the rail 1 at the point where the frog is usually located and as a result the mishaps usually resulting at this pointare practically pre vented. It will of course be obvious that when the lever 43 is shifted into an opposite direction the switch rails will be moved 7 into their normal positions as indicated in Fig. 1 whereupon the car can travel along the continuous main rails without danger to be understood that the rails 3 and 3 are immovably held elevated'above the rails 1 and 2 so that a car can pass smoothly upwardly on the inclined rails 7 and 11 and onto the rails 3 and 3.

hatisclaimed is:

.1. In a railroad switch the combination with immovable main line rails and immovable siding rails, one of said immovable siding rails terminating closetobut being ele,

'vatedabove one of the main line rails;;of a

movable, switch rail extending 7 from the other siding rail and beside the. main line rails, a second movable switch rail between thev main line rails and pivotedat one end adjacent one of the main line rails, the other 'movable switch rails, a crank shaft, a draw bar connecting the crank of the shaft and.

one of the movable switch rails, arms movable with said crank shaft, an arm extending from said switch rail, an operating crank shaft, and; flexible connections tween the operating shaft and the arms of the draw bar, crank shaft, and the arm of the switch rail respectively.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my slgnature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVitnesses:

LOUIS A. MEYER, J OHN GATTo.

EUGENE RUSH;

of derailment at the switch. It is of course 1

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