General Railway Signal Corporation

Charles M Eggebrecht

Daniel W Van Alstine

George E Ludwick

Mark Alan Hager

George A Bonner

Keith J Gordon

Allen Baughman

Barry A Taft

There is provided an electric motor driven switch machine for positioning a railroad track at a switching point having rail point detection and indication mechanism. In particular, the detection and indication mechanism has a latch out mechanism that identifies a latch out condition when the railroad tracks are not at, or near, their proper positions before or after switching the railroad tracks. The detection and indication mechanism includes a four bar linkage which comprises a point detector bar, two cam followers, and a link arm assembly. The cam followers, supported in part by the link arm assembly, are connected to two point detector switches, so that the switch machine is operating when either one of these switches is closed or the railroad tracks are being switched. The latch out mechanism, located on the link arm assembly, may produce and indicate a latch out condition, thereby causing the two point detector switches to be held open until the railroad tracks are switched again from a remote location or at the switch machine. Optionally, a latch out switch may be added to the detection and indication mechanism in order to sustain the latch out condition and prevent the railroad tracks from being switched from a remote location until a safe condition is restored manually at the switch machine.

Point detection and indication with latch out means

There is provided a cam bar of a railroad track switch machine for locking a lock bar at a particular position. Specifically, a cam bar latch interconnects a locking section, for interlocking with the lock bar, to a positioning section, for controlling the position of the locking section. For normal operations, the cam bar latch holds the two sections together. For abnormal conditions, when the cam bar is not able to lock the lock bar into position, the cam bar latch allows the two sections of the cam bar to separate and reconnect interchangeably. Thus, the positioning section may continue to move freely regardless of whether the lock bar is locked or not, and yet, control the position of the locking section when a normal condition returns. Also, the cam bar prevents an indicating means of the switch machine from indicating a 'safe condition' when the two sections are separated, i.e., when an abnormal condition exists.

Switch machine cam bar

A switch machine for railroad tracks is provided having a low vertical profile without increasing the axial length of existing switch machines. Also, the capability of being operated by an electric motor, hand crank or hand throw operation has been retained within these new dimensional constraints. A particular electric motor and gearbox combination permits a low overall profile due to its compact size. A worm gear shaft serves the dual purpose of driving a worm wheel and coupling to a hand crank, thus maintaining the low profile while increasing the functionality of the shaft. In addition, a hand throw drive shaft is provided adjacent to a crank drive shaft in order to provide a hand throw operation while further maintaining the low profile of the switch machine.

Low profile switch machine with hand throw or motor throw selector device

Growing community of inventors

Churchville, NY, United States of America

Charles M Eggebrecht