US400657A - Railway-switch stand - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

` GEORGE F. GAGE, OF IIUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAI I wAY-swlToH STAN D.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,65*?, dated April 2, '1889.

Application filed November 9, 1888. Serial No. 290.362. (No model.)

To aZZ'wz/om/z't may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE YF. GAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntingdon, in t-he county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in c Railway- Switches; and I do 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 appertains to make and use the same,

referencebeinghad to theaccompanying draw- Y the prior construction, to'dispense with the cogs, and to otherwise simplify and improve upon the same.

To the above ends, and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists in the peculiar combinations, and in the novel construction, arrangement, and adaptation of Vparts, all as more fully hereinafter described,

shown in the drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference maiked thereon,form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the main track, switch-rails, and switch -stand suflicient to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is an edge View.

Reference now being. had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates portions of the rails of the main track, and B those of a siding, all of which are secured to thev crossties, and maybe of the form andI con struction common in devices of this kind.

OO are the switch-rails, having their fulcrum at a, and connected by the cross-braces l) in the usual manner.

c are metal wearing-plates on the cross-ties, and on which the switch-rails move. The brace connecting the 4ends of the switch-rails farthest from their fulcrum extends beyond one side of one of the rails, and has pivotally connected thereto one end of the link D, the other end of which is pivotally connected to 011e end of the switchlever E. The pivotal connections may be formed in any well-known way for instance, by forming the ends of the links with reduced portions d,which lit in the slotted end of the brace-rod and lever, and are there retained by the pivot-pins e and e.

Secured to a suitable base-plate or other suitable support, F, is the bracket G, formed with lugs or ears f, by which it is held in position, and in an enlargement, g, of this bracket is pivoted, as at h, the switch-leverE. The said lever works in a slot, i", of the bracket G, as shown, and is provided at a point between its free end and its fulcrum with a notch or a plurality of notches,

His what I term a safety-lock. It is pivoted at one end, as at 7e, to the upper end of the bracket G, and works in the above-described slot of said bracket. Itis preferably slightly curved to conform somewhat to the curvature of the front portion of the bracket, and at its lower end is formed or provided with the jaws or fingers l, to embrace the switch-lever, and between said jaws with a detent or tooth, m, to engage the notch of said lever. The said safety-lock is also provided with a suitable handle, n, by which it is operated.

To lock the lever in its normal position against meddlesome persons, I provide the lock and hasp I and J, as seen in the drawings; but of course other fastenings may be employed, `if desired.

For use on side tracks a catch-lever, K, is provided, which is pivoted on the bracket G, near the upper end thereof, and curved, as shown, with its free end beveled, as shown at 0, for the purpose of holding said lock in an elevated position.

The operation is simple and apparent. lV ith the parts in the position shown in Fig. l the switch-lever is locked. Then it is design ed to switch a train onto the siding, the safety-lock is lifted up until its detent is disengaged from IOO the notch of the switch-lever, when the said switch-lever is free to be manipulated to move the switch-rails. The safety-lock follows the switch -lever in its upward movement, and when the said leveris lowered or allowed to fall the safety-lock falls with it, and as soon as it reaches its lowest position the detent engages the notch of the lever and locks it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with the main track and the switch-rails, of the operating incollatiism for said switch-rails, and a safety gravitylock for the operating-lever of said mechanism, pivoted in a higher plane than said lever, and moving over the lever and engaging and locking the same when it is in the substantially horizontal position, substantially as described.

The combination, with the main track andthe switch-rails, of the operating mechanism for said switch-rails, the operating-lever of which works through a slotted bracket, and the gravity safety-lock, also working through said slot and pivoted at its upper end,with its lower cnd embracing the lever, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the main track and the switch-rails, of the operating mechanisni for said switch-rails, and a gravity safetylock pivoted at its upper end above the lever of the operating mechanism, with its free end riding on said lever, and adapted to engage said lever below the pivot thereof when the lever is in a substantially horizontal position and lock the same, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

,L. The combina-tion, with the main track and switch-rails and the operating mechanism for said switch-rails, of a safety-lock for the operatinglever, and a pivoted catch working at right angles to said safety-lock, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with the main track and the switclrrails, of the operating mechanism for said switch-rails, the gravity safety lock riding over the lever of said operating mechanism and provided with a handle, n, the lock and hasp I J for locking said handle, and a pivoted catch workin g at right an glcs to the safety-lock, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with the main and switch rails and the operating mechanism for the switch-rails, the operating-lever of which is formed with a notch, of a gravity safet lock pivoted to the rear of the pivot of said operating-lever and on a higher plane and moving over and lwith the same, and formed with a detent to engage said notch and with jaws to embrace the lever, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination, with the support F and the brackets G, secured thereto and provided with a slot, as described, of the operating-lever pivoted on said bracket and working in the slot thereof, and connected at its cud to the mechanism for operating the rails, and the safety-lock pivoted at one end to said bracket and working in the slot thereof over said lever, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the switch-rails, the support F, and the bracket G, secured to said support and formed with curved slotted portion, as described, of the operating-lever pivot-ed to said bracket and the curved safetylock pivoted at one end to the apex of said bracket and working in said slot over and with the operating level', substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. GAGE.

'itnesses:

WM. P. OnBisoN, J. A. GREENLEAF.

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