US331854A - Lysandeb e - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

1.; E. WATS ON & n. H. HULIT.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

No. 331,854. Patented Dec. 8, 1885.

UNITED STATES PA'rnN'r @rrrcn,

LYSANDER E. YVATSOLK OF OCEAN GROVE, AND DAVID H. HULIT, OF ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY.

RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,854, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed May 15, 1885. Serial No, 165,604. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LYSANDER E. WYAT- SON, of Ocean Grove, and DAVID E. HULIT, of Asbury Park, citizens of the United States, residing at said places, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Signals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to signals for railroad crossings, curves, stations, and the like, to give warning of the approach of a train, the signal being worked automatically, both in setting and withdrawing, by the moving train. The construction is such that at any predetermined distance from the crossing or station one of the wheels of a moving train will strike a projection alongside the rail, so as to impart motion to a shaft to which the projection is connected, and through said shaft and a cable or chain connected therewith transmit motion to a staff located at the signaling-point and carrying a signal, so as to throw out the signal and thereby give warning that the approaching train is near to the crossing, station, or curve. When the train has approached the signaling-point-that is, the station, curve, or crossingone of its wheels strikes a projection located adjacent to the rail and connected with the signal-shaft so as to restore the signal to its normal position, and at the same time, through the cable connecting the signal with the setting devices, to bring said devices back to their first and normal position, for action when the next train comes along. There may be, and preferably there is, a gong or suitable alarm connected with the visual signal, to be sounded at the same time that the signal is both thrown out and drawn in, so that not only a visual but also an audible warning will be given at the same time.

Such is the general construction of the signal embodying our invention, which has for its object to construct such a signal with as few parts as possible to render the same practical, positive, and unerring in its action; and

to the accomplishment of the object in view the invention consists in the construction, and in the combination of parts hereinafter particularly described, and specifically defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a railroad with our signaling device applied thereto, the track and cable being broken away to show that the parts are contracted. Fig. 2 is an end view from the crossing end, showing certain parts at that end in their position when the signal is in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and at are detail views.

In the drawings, the letter A designates a railroad-track. To one side of the track, at a point which may be a curve in the road, a station, or a crossing, there is journaled in any suitable support, B, a shaft, 0, to one end of which is keyed or otherwise secured a gear, preferably a bevel-gear, D, having on one face a stud, a, adapted to strike against the upright portion of the support B, so as to limit the rotation of the gear, while to the other end of the shaft, in such proximity to one of the rails of the track as to be struck by a wheel of a passing train, is secured a projec tion or finger, E, the same preferably being secured to the shaft by means of a plate or disk, F, at the end of the shaft, and above which the finger projects. At a distance from the gear D is an upright staff or shaft, G, supported in any suitable manner so as to be free to turn. The manner in which we prefer to support this shaft is by means of an overhanging arm, H, of a post, I, the shaft passing through said arm and being by it braced and held in an upright position. To the lower end of this staff'or shaft is secured a wheel or pulley, J, having a grooved periphery, and above this pulley, so as to turn with it and the staff, is a gear, preferably a bevel-gear,K, which meshes with the gear D of the shaft 0. To the upper portion of the staff G is secured an outwardly-extending arm or signal, L, on which may be printed the words Train Coming, and there is also secured to the shaft a gong, M. To the same staff is secured a lateral finger or arm, 0, which in its back-and-forth movement,

caused by the rotation of the shaft or staff, will strike against first one side and then the other side of a rod, N, having at its upper end the gong-hammer (1, so as to cause the gong to be sounded when the signal L is thrown in either of two directions. The rod N is supported from an arm,O, extending from the post I. At some other point along the track, at any predetermined distance from the signal-staff -say half a mile, quarter of a mile, or other distance-there is located a second shaft, 0, journaled in any suitable support, 13. The shaft 0 has rigidly secured to one end a wheel or pulley, J, having a grooved periphery,and provided on one face with lugs or studs a, one upon each side of the upright portion, so as to strike against the same in the oscillation of the wheel or pulley to limit its movement. To the other end of the same shaft adjacent to the rail, so as to be struck by the wheel of a passing train, is a finger or projection, E, the finger being connected to the shaft, preferably by a plate or disk, F, secured to the end of the shaft. The face of this disk is formed with a recess, d, and the finger E fits in this recess, and is pivoted to the disk. Normally the finger bears against one end wall of the recess, which forms a lug or hearing for the finger, so that when the finger is struck and pressed in the direction of the signal the disk and its shaft will be turned, while if it be struck in the other direction it will move back in the recess toward the other shoulder without turning the shaft, at least until it comes in contact with the wall of the recess. hen pressure is taken off the finger, any suitable spring, P, bearing against the finger will carry it back to its normal position. a train can move in one direction-say run backwardwithout operating the signal.

The shafts O and O at the points where they have hearings in the supports B and B may be reduced in diameter, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to reduce friction, and that the sides of the removable caps a may bear against the shoulders thus formed, so as to prevent the shafts from moving endwisc.

The two wheels or pulleys J and J are connected together by a wire cable or chain, Q, one end being secured by a hook, e, or other means, to the wheel J, and the other end to wheel J in a similar manner, the cable at both ends filling in the grooves of the wheels, which grooves serve as a guide therefor.

In operation, the train coming toward the station strikes the projection or finger E and presses it down into the position shown in Fig. 1, and thereby turns the shaft 0 so as to draw on the cable Q, and thus turn the staff G so as to throw the signal L around a quarter of a revolution across the railway-crossing, or parallel to the track, and thus give warning of the approach of a train. At the same time that the signal is thrown out the arm a strikes the rod of the gong-hammer and sounds an alarm, and also at the same time the finger E By this construction,

on the shaft 0 is raised, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that when the train reaches the crossing the projection or finger will be struck by the wheels, so as to be depressed,and thusturn the shaft 0 and pull back the cable,so as to set the finger E as it was before, into the position to 'be acted on by the next coming train. The

same movement carries thesignal from across the road into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, at the same time sounding the alarm again and leaving the finger E in its depressed condition, as shown in Fig. 2.

The shafts, wheels, gears, and cable will be covered or inclosed by any suitable boxing, so as to protect them from the weather and to guard against damage to them. The boxing is omitted, so as to more readily and clearly illustrate the operative parts. It will also be understood that the shafts, wheels, and cable will be below the level of the track, although such is not necessary to the operation of the parts.

The construction not only adapts the device to railroads generally, but its simplicity and the few parts of which it is composed will render it particularly well adapted for use on elevated passenger-roads for use at the curves or turns in such roads, and also at their stations to indicate by the sign that the train may be expected in a few minutes.

We have described what we consider the best means for effecting the objects in view; but it is obvious that changes may be made in the details of the parts without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention and set forth its merits, what we claim as new is- 1. The combination of a revolving shaft having a finger or projection at one end adjacent to a rail, so as to be depressed by a passing train, a revolving staff carrying a signal located at a remote distance from said shaft and connected therewith, and provided with a gear at its lower portion, and a second shaft provided with a gear meshing with the gear of the staff, and having at one end adjacent to the rail a finger or projection to be depressed by the passing train, whereby as the projection to the first shaft is struck the signal is thrown out to give warning of the approach of a train, and at the same time the projection to the second shaft is raised, which is afterward depressed by the passing train, and thus moves the revolving staff to withdraw the signal and raise the projection of the first shaft, substantially as and for the purposes described.

' 2. The combination of the revolving staff provided at its upper end with a signal and at its lower end with a gear and drum or wheel,

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the shaft provided at one end with the gear I drum and at the other end with the projection or finger, and the cable connecting the two wheels or drums, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the revolving staff provided at its upper end with the signal and gong, at its lower end with the gear and wheel or drum, and between its ends with the lateral arm or finger, the gong-hammer and its rod adapted to be struck by the finger on thestaff, the shaft provided at one end with the bevelgear meshing with the gear of the staff and at the other end with the projection or finger, a second shaft located at a distance from the signal-stafi, and provided at one end with the wheel or drum and at the other end with the projection or finger, and the cable connecting the two wheels or drums, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the signal-staff pro vided with the gear at its lower portion, the shaft having the gear provided with the stud and meshing with the staff-gear, and the second shaft connected with the signal-staff and provided with the wheel or drum having lugs on one of its faces, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the signal-staff, the two shafts connecting therewith, and the projections or fingers E and E to the shafts, one of said fingers being depressed as the other is raised, and one of them being pivoted, so that it may be depressed without moving the shaft when moved in one direction and a spring, I, to restore the pivoted finger to its normal position after removal therefrom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aifiX oursignatnres in presence of two witnesses.

LYSANDER- E. WATSON. DAVID H. HULIT. Witnesses:

WESLEY B. SToUr, R. TENBROEOK STOUT.

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