Hinged derail with assisted manual lifting and method for constructing

Abstract

This invention relates to hinged derail assemblies used in the railroad industry as a safety device for derailing a wheel of an undesirably moving railed vehicle, such as a railroad freight car. The hinged derail assembly includes a base that is rigidly mounted on a pair of spaced railroad ties and is operatively positioned adjacent one rail of a pair of conventional railroad rails. A derail shoe is pivotally mounted on the derail base and is moveable between an operative or derailing position and an inoperative position when the derail shoe is moved away from the rail. When the derail shoe is on the rail, a deflecting member on the shoe is positioned to angularly deflect a wheel of the freight car or the like which is undesirably rolling along the rail. This causes the derailing of the wheeled vehicle and prevents harm to things or personnel in the area. In the present invention a biasing member, such as a torsion spring, is operatively secured to both the base of the hinged derail assembly and the derail shoe itself. The spring provides upward rotational force both when the derail shoe is in the inoperative position and in the operative position. This lifting force provides assistance to a worker in the manual lifting of the heavy derail shoe between both the operative and inoperative positions. The invention also relates to a method of constructing the hinged derail wherein the torsion spring is installed when the derail shoe is in a substantially upright position and when the spring is unstressed. In this way, the spring is in a stressed condition, that is, either in a wound condition or in an unwound position, to provide a lifting force for the operator whether the derail shoe is in the operative position or in the inoperative position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to safety equipment, namely, derails, which are commonly used for derailing railed vehicles, particularly powered and non-powered railroad cars such as box cars, flat bed railroad cars and the like, which are undesirably moving along railroad tracks. More specifically, the invention relates to hinged derails which may be selectively positioned adjacent one of a pair of railroad tracks for movement between an operating position for engaging and derailing a wheel of an undesirably moving railroad car and an inoperative position for allowing a moving railroad car to pass by the derail without undesirably engaging and derailing the moving railroad car. This invention also relates to a method for constructing the hinged derail of the invention.[0002]Derails of various types have been used for many years in the railroad industry, some derails being in excess of one hundred years old. Derails are commonly used as safety devi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The above mentioned need for assistance in manually moving the derail shoe both from the inoperative position to the operative position and from the operative position to the inoperative position is accomplished by providing a biasing member on both the derail base and the derail shoe wherein the biasing member provides lifting assistance to the manual lifting of the shoe when the shoe is in both the operative position and the inoperative position. Preferably, a torsion spring is physically positioned around a pivot shaft which is mounted on the derail base and on the derail shoe and which provides a pivot axis for the derail shoe. One end of the torsion spring is secured to the base and the other end of the torsion spring is affixed to the derail shoe. More preferably, the design of the torsion spring is such that it provides lifting force for assistance to the worker to relieve stress on the worker when the derail shoe is lifted and rotated. This is accomplished by designing the torsion spring to be in a stressed condition, that is, in a wound condition or in an unwound condition, where the derail shoe is in the full operative position or in the full inoperative position. In one embodiment, where the derail shoe is relatively light in weight, the torsion spring is in a stressed, unwound condition when the derail shoe is positioned on the rail and is in a stressed, wound condition when the derail shoe is in the operative, off-rail position. In another embodiment, when the derail shoe is relatively heavy in weight, the torsion spring is in a stressed, unwound condition when the derail shoe is in the inoperative, off rail position and is in a stressed, wound condition when the derail shoe is in the operative, on rail position. The spring is designed to be in a substantially relaxed position when in a generally upright position. The operator thereby has the benefit of the lifting force of the torsion spring both when the spring is in the stressed, wound position and in the stressed, unwound position with the spring being substantially relaxed or unstressed in the upright position. The use of the torsion spring adds no weight to the pivoted derail shoe, requires no external assistance such as from a powerized source, and is of economical design. The method for manufacturing the hinged derail with the torsion spring enables the spring to provide the desired lifting force for assisting the worker when the derail is in both the operative position and in the inoperative position.

Problems solved by technology

The derails are made of solid steel and are very heavy as they must derail a heavy, moving rail car.

Clearly, the heavy derail shoes are not easily manually rotated between operative and inoperative positions.

This action is physically difficult and can cause physical injury, such as to the back of the railroad worker.

Similarly, when the derail shoe with the deflecting block is moved by the worker in the opposite direction, that is, from the deflecting or operative position to the inoperative position, the same problem occurs, that is the heavy derail shoe must be movably lifted and rotated in the opposite direction to the inoperative position.

Again, the operator risks or may even encounter serious injury such as to the back.

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