Radiant gas-fueled railway switch heater

Claim 1

IN A RAILWAY SWITCH INCORPORATING A RAIL EMBODYING A FLANGED FOOT CONNECTED TO THE RAIL HEAD THROUGH A WEB AND MOUNTED ON SLEEPERS, A SWITCH HEATER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BURNER HOUSINGS OPEN ONLY ALONG ONE VERTICAL SIDE THEREOF, A PIPE INTER-CONNECTING EACH OF SAID BURNER HOUSINGS THROUGH WHICH PIPE A GAS-AND-AIR MIXTURE IS FED TO THE INTERIOR OF HOUSINGS EACH OF SAID BURNER HOUSINGS AT THEIR OPEN SIDES HAVING A VERTICAL DEPTH LESS THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE RAIL WEB AND BEING EACH ELONGATED IN A DIRECTION ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE RAILWAY TO BE HEATED, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PIPE FROM THE SLEEPERS, SAID PIPE MOUNTING EACH OF SAID BURNERS HOUSINGS BETWEEN LONGITUDINALLY ADJACENT SLEEPERS WITH THEIR OPEN SIDES DIRECTED TOWARD THE RAIL WEB AND WITH THEIR UPPER AND LOWER SIDES RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING BENEATH THE RAIL HEAD AND ABOVE THE RAIL FOOT WITH THEIR LOWER SIDES SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE RAIL WEB, A THICK CERAMIC BURNER PLATE DISPOSED WITHIN EACH OF SAID HOUSINGS AND FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES EXTENDING THERETHROUGH BETWEEN TWO OPPOSITE FACES OF THE PLATE ONE OF WHICH FACES IS DIRECTED TOWARD THE OPEN SIDE OF THE ASSOCIATED HOUSING AND IN WHICH PASSAGES THE COMBUSTION OF THE GAS-AND-AIR MIXTURE OCCURS TO HEAT TO INCANDESCENCE THE SURROUNDING MASS OF THE BURNER PLATE INCLUDING THE FACE THEREOF DIRECTED TO THE OPEN SIDE OF THE ASSOCIATED HOUSING, EACH OF SAID BURNER PLATES BEING ELONGATED IN A DIRECTION ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE ADJACENT RAIL, A SINGLE GAS-AND-AIR MIXING DEVICE DISPOSED ADJACENT TO ONE OF SAID BURNER HOUSINGS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID BURNER HOUSINGS BY SAID PIPE, SAID MIXING DEVICE HAVING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED AIR INTAKE OPENING, A HOOD EXTENDING OVER SAID AIR INTAKE OPENING, SAID HOOD BEING ADAPTED TO DEFLECT INTO SAID OPENING AIR CURRENTS FLOWING IN THE VICINITY OF SAID MIXING DEVICE AND SAID HOOD EXTENDING OVER THE BURNER HOUSING WHICH IS ADJACENT TO SAID MIXING DEVICE TO RECEIVE HEAT FROM SAID ADJACENT BURNER HOUSING AND DIRECT SAID HEAT TO THE VICINITY OF SAID AIR INTAKE OPENING.