GB1132557A - A toy vehicle track set - Google Patents

Abstract

1,132,557. Toy vehicle track set. A. EINFALT and J. EINFALT [trading as GEBR. EINFALT BLECHSPIELWARENFABRIK]. 20 July, 1967 [8 Feb., 1967], No. 33440/67. Heading A6S. A toy vehicle track set comprises two different tracks 5 and 7 for toy vehicles driven by rotating coil springs 9, 9<SP>1</SP> respectively set into the tracks and engaged by driving pins 10 projecting from the vehicle undersides, track 5 is traversed by carrier vehicles 6, and track 7 is traversed by transportable vehicles 8. The latter vehicles 8 can be loaded and unloaded onto the carrier vehicles 6 at a loading and unloading station, 16 and 15, respectively. The loading station 16 has an access ramp 19 at one end and the unloading station 15 has an exit ramp 17 at the other end of track 5 which carries the carrier vehicles 6, and the other track 7 runs at one end onto the access ramp 19 of the loading station 16 and at the other end onto the exit ramp 17 of the unloading station 15. The carrier vehicles may be a train comprising a locomotive 31 and railway platform wagons 30, 30<SP>1</SP>, 30<SP>11</SP> and the wagons are interconnected and coupled to the locomotive by coupling strips 36, and the transportable vehicles may be toy motor cars. The loading platforms 32 are roughly flush with the ends of the ramps 17 and 19, and like the ramps, have a slot 33 for accommodating the driving pins 10. The platforms also have tracks 34 for the wheels 35 of the toy cars 8, and the rear ends 52 which cooperate with the access ramp are slightly flared and the tracks near the leading end curve to the side to register with the end of the exit ramp. The front end of the leading wagon 30<SP>1</SP> and the rear end of the last wagon 30<SP>11</SP> are provided with catches 37 and 38 respectively to prevent the cars from rolling off the wagons. The catch is released when the horizontal lever arm 41 of the cranked lever is raised since this causes the vertical end 40 to be lowered to clear the slot 33 for the pin 10. The rear catch is released by an abutment 53 which projects into the path of the catch when the rear wagon is backed against the access ramp, and the front end catch is manually releasable. For controlling the loading and unloading operations each ramp is provided with a catch 24, 25 for intercepting the motor cars and comprises a manually tiltable lever 28 having two relatively spaced projections 29 which are alternately tiltable into the slot 21 in the ramp for intercepting the driving pins 10 of the cars. The coil springs 9 and 9<SP>1</SP> may be rotated by a miniature electric motor and a source of power in a housing 11. A lever 12 permits the motor to be started and stopped, whereas levers 13 and 14 permit the drive to be selectively applied to one or both of the coiled springs.