General Railway Signal Corporation

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

George E Ludwick

Charles M Eggebrecht

Daniel W Van Alstine

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

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

A variable vane assembly is disclosed which entails a vane arm which integrally engages with a vane stem without the use of threaded fasteners. The vane stem has a tip with parallel slots on opposite sides which are spaced below the end of the tip. At the end of the tip is an end slot which is perpendicular to the parallel slots. The tip of the vane stem has a ramped side parallel with the end slot. The vane arm is a flat wide metal strip that serves as the vane blade and integrally connects with the vane stem using two ears, which are turned inwards to engage with the parallel slots in the wave stem. Additionally, a central leaf exists between the two ears which turns downwards to fit in the end slot in the tip of the vane stem. The central leaf thereby acts as an axial retainer and allows the vane arm to be rotated with the rotation of the vane stem.

Super gripper variable vane arm

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Tequesta, FL, United States of America

George E Ludwick