US351319A - Railroad-signal - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. H. GIBSON.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

Nv PETERS. Photo-Lilnogmphm. Wnsllmg'clh D c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. GIBSON.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.' N0. 351,319. Patented 001;. 19, 1886.

J. HARPER GIBSON, OF NEW YORK,

PATENT FFICEC N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN RAILWVAY SIGNAL COMPANY OF ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,319, dated October 19,1886.

Application filed October 31, 1885. I Serial No. 181,446. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J. HARPER GIBsoN, of New York, in the county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Opening and Closing Electric Circuits by Deflections of Railway-Rails,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact descripzo tion.

This invention consists in simple, effective, and reliable devices for automatically operating signals by the deflections of the rail of the railway, and which devices are applicable to r 5 the rail of the track, so as to be actuated by the downward deflection of said rail incident to the passage of an engine or train over the saine,and thus signal in advance the approach of said engine or train,and are also applicable to a switch-rail to be actuated by the lateral deflections thereof in opening and closing the switch,and thereby signal the condition of the switch and guard against the-running of an engine or car oif the open switch.

The invention is fully illustrated in the anneXed drawings, wherein Figures I and II are respectively vertical and horizontal transverse sections of my invention as applied to the rail of the main track of a railroad. Fig. 0 III is a vertical transverse section showing the invention in connection with a railroad-switch and in its normal position, and Fig. IV is a detached verticaltransverse section showing the invention in its operative position.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a standard,which is firmly secured at a proper and safe distance from the rail R,either of the main track or of aswitch. This standard is provided with a cap, d, having a central aperture, 6. Upon said cap are mounted a series of flexible metallic arms, a a, which are secured thereon in such positions as to cause them to stand with their free ends around a common center directly over the aperture 6. These arms are arranged in sets,constitutin g positive and negative poles, connected with the electric circuit, hereinafter explained. The object of employing a series of said arms is to insure the closing of the circuit with the plunger P, which is arranged vertically in the center of the standard A,and projects with its upper end between the free ends of the arms a a, and is composed of wood or other nonconductor of electricity, but is encompassed at or near its upper end by a metallic band, I), which is secured thereon in position to be can ried in and out of contact with the free ends of the metallic arms a a by the raising and lowering of the plunger, said metallic band constituting a series of connected electric contact points, as will hereinafter be made apparent.

\Vhen my invention is to be applied to the rail of a main track, I pivot to the side of a prolongation of a cross-tie, or to some other suitable support, a lever, Z, one end of which is suitably connected with the rail to be actuated by the same when vertically depressed or deflected by an engine or train traveling over it. The opposite end of said lever is con nected with the plunger P, hereinbefore described, and thus transmits motion to said plunger.

S represents an electric signal, which may be located at any desired point on the road, and constructed in any suitable manner.

The style of signal here selected for anillustration of my invention consists of a plate, D, having an orifice, O, and two pivoted arms, it, carrying at one of their ends semicircular disks h h, respectively at opposite sides of the center of the orifice O, and connected at their'opposite ends to pivoted armatures n n of electro-magnets m m. These magnets are electrically connected with each other in the usual and well-known manner, and are brought within the electric circuit by the wire 0, running from one of the magnets to the battery B, the wire 0, running from the battery to one of the sets of arms a a, and the wires 0 0, extended, respectively, from the other sets of said arms and from the other magnet, m, to the ground, the circuit being complete when the contact-points b of the plunger P are in contact with the metallic arms a a. The signal S is arranged to cause the disks to be carried by gravity over the orifice O, The lever and the plunger P, with its metallic band or contact-points b, are so arranged in relation to the rail R and the metoo tallic arms a a that when said rail is relieved from the downward pressure, and is in its nor-- mal position, the metallic band b is in contact with the arms a a. and the circuit is thus closed. The electric current, passing through the magnets m m, causes them to attract the armature n n, and thereby throws the disks h h away from the orifice O of the signal S, as represented in Fig. I of the drawings.

In case an engine or train passes over the rail R the latter is depressed or deflected downward by the weight of the former, and this deflection of the rail causes the leverl to push up the plunger P, and thereby carry the metallic band or contact-points b clear above the metallic arms a a, as represented by dot ted lines in Fig. I of the drawings, and when this is effected the electric circuit is broken, and the disks h h are allowed to drop over the orifice Oby gravity of the said disks. The presentation of said disks through the orifice serves as a signal for the approach of the engine or train.

When my invention is to be applied toa switch,I employ a bell-crank lever, l, one arm of which is connected with the plunger P, and the other arm is connected with one of the crossbars f, by which the two switch-rails are tied together, as illustrated in Fig. IV of the drawings. The metallic band I) is placed on the plunger P in such a position as to carry said band between the free ends of the arms a a when the switch is set in line with the main track. thereby keeping the circuit closed, and causing the armatures n n to draw the disks h h away from the orifice O of the signal S, thus showing that the switch is in proper position forthe passage of an engine or train on the main track. In shifting the switch-rail away from the main track, the bell-crank lever Z draws down the plunger P, and thereby brings the insulated portion of the plunger in contact with the arms cm, as shown in Fig. IV of the drawings, and thus breaks the circuit and allows the disks h h to drop across the orifice O, to indicate danger to engines or cars running on the main track toward the switch.

A denotes a case or housing inclosing the standard A.

sired, I attach to the arms a, to which the ground-wire is connected, a rod, T, which is extended through a slot in the case or housing 7 A, and is provided with a hook or suitable catch, to, by which it engages with the exterior of the case when said rod is retracted. In drawing the rod 9 outward, the arm a,connected therewith, is held out of the path of the plungerP, and thus the latter can play up and down without affecting the electric circuit.

To furtherinsure the operation of my invention, I bifurcate or slit longitudinally the free ends of the arms a a, thereby multiplying the points of contact,which complete the circuit."

The plunger P-, I prefer to provide with an insulated abrupt projectiom t, at the end of the metallic band I), as shown in Fig. I of the drawings, said projection serving to throw the arms aa away from the metallic band b, as the end of said band is moved between said arms by the plunger, thereby preventing tailing or dragging of metal over the end of the band,

and insuring a positive release of the arms as new is'- 1. The plunger P, having its head composed of a non-conductor of electricity and provided with the projection t, and the metallic band I), embracing the head of the plunger adjacent to the said projection, in combination with the flexible metallicarms a a, arranged around the plunger and maintained in contact with the head thereof, and electric conductors connected with said arms, substantially as described and'shown.

2. In combination with the plunger P and flexible arm a, normally in contact with said plunger, the rod 1', connected with the said arm for withdrawing the same from the plunger, substantially as set forth and shown.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name and affixed my seal, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 22d day of October, 1885.

J. HARPER GIBSON. [n s.]

Witnesses;

G. BENDIXON, F. H. GIBBS.

Images