US1099402A - Extensible platforms for railway-cars. - Google Patents

Description

E. H. SIGKELS. EXTENSIBLE PLATFORMS FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAILZS, 1914. 1,099,402. Patented June 9,1914,

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BXTBNSIBLE PLATFORMS FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 23, 1914.

1,099,402. Patented June 9,1914.

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' Ewe/(Z37? fl I z 500 ELLWOOD H. SIGKELS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

EXTENSIBLE PLATFORMS FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1914.

Application filed March 23, 1914. Serial No. 826,569.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELLwoon H. SIoxnLs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible Platforms for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby 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.

This invention relates to extensible platforms for railway cars, and has for its object to provide extensible parts associated with the car and operated in the manner hereinafter described.

It is sometimes necessary to run a car of less than the standard width, such for instance as a subway car, on a right of way intended for cars of standard width and to stop such cars at stations primarily intended for the standard width cars. When the station platform is of the elevated type, t. a, one located at substantially the same level as the car platforms, the car of less than standard width will not come into as close proximity with the station platform as the car for which the station platform was intended, and a gap will, therefore, result.

The present invention consists in providing means on the cars of less than the standard width to bridge such gap, and thereby insure the safe ingress and egress of the passengers.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the extensible parts and the means for actuating the same; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of the car platforms shown in Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which .the extensible part is actuated; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. 4.; and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the car platforms with the floor of the platform removed to show the operating mechanism for the extensible part.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 1 designates, in eachinstance, an exit for the passengers or the platform of the car. In the present instance, the car illustrated is of that type having three exits on either side, and the term platform, as used herein, is to be understood as meaning the center exits as well as those at the ends of the car.

The extensible part is indicated at 2 and is hingedly associated with the platform of the car by means of the hinge or the like 3. Such an extensible part is hingedly associated with the car at each platform, as shown in Fig. 1. Means is provided for manually operating the extensible parts, such means preferably being adapted to simultaneously actuate the three extensible parts on one side of the car. This means, in the present instance, takes the following form. Under each platform, adjacent the extensible part 2, is a shelf-like support 1, preferably secured at its outer two corners to the underface of the side sill 5 of the car, such as by means of brackets 6 and secured at its inner two corners to the bottom of the car platform by means of the longer brackets 7. Each shelf-like support 4 constitutes a bearing and also a support for a bell-crank lever 8, which is provided with a short depending portion 9 at the junction of the two arms of the bell-crank lever, said portion 9 beingjournaled in a suitable bearing boss 10, provided on the shelf-like support f. The bell-crank lovers are, therefore, mounted on the supports 4 for turning movements in a horizontal plane about the portion 9 as an axls.

The outer arm 8' of each bell-crank lever is connected by means of a link 11 to the under side of the extensible part 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the link 11 being connected to the extensible part 2 and connected to the arm 8 of the bell-crank lever, preferably by means of ball and socket joints 12.

The inner arms 8" of the three bell-crank levers, on each side of the car, are connected by links 13, whereby all three of the bellcrank levers may be actuated simultaneously, (Figs. 1 and 4;).

An actuating handle 14: is provided at each end of the car, which is operable by the conductor to simultaneously actuate the three extensible parts on one side of the car. For this purpose, thehandle 14 is connected to a vertical rod 15 passing through a suitable supporting post 16, on the upper end of which the handle 14 is mounted. The lower end of the rod 15 is bent at right angles, as shown at 17 in Fig. 3, such bent portion assuming the position shown in Fig. 4, when the parts 2 are in their extended position. Links 18 are pivoted to the extremity of the bent portion 17, as shown at 19 in Fig. 8, and also to the extremity of the arm 8 of the adjacent bell-crank lever 8 at the point where it connects with the link 13. The handle 14 may be locked against rotation by means of the catch device 20, the longitudinally movable element 21 of which is adapted to engage in any one of a series of perforations provided in the post 16. When the handle 14 is gripped to actuate the same, the part 22 is lifted to shift the member 21 longitudinally, and thereby unlock the handle from the post 16. The former may, therefore, be turned with respect to the latter to actuate the extensible parts 2.

The handle 14, when turned from. the position indicated in Fig. 4, through 180, causes the extremity 17 of the rod 15 to turn through 180, and thereby shift the links 18 and 13 longitudinally, and this will result in a turning of the bell-crank levers 8 about their axes 9 to the position represented by dotted lines shown in Fig. 4. The links 11 connecting the arms 8 of the bell-crank revers with the extensible parts 2, will also be moved inwardly to thereby lower the extensible parts 2 until they assume the substantially vertical position, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The actuation of the handle 14, in the opposite direction, causes the reverse operation, and the extensible parts 2 are shifted to their extended positions, the handle 14 then being locked in position As the three bell-crank levers on each side of the car are interconnected by means of the links 13, it is obvious that the three bellcrank levers will be simultaneously shifted, and that the turning of the handle 14 through 180 will simultaneously raise or lower the three extensible parts provided at that side of the car at which the handle 14 is located.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a car provided with three exits on each side, it is obvious that the invention is equally applicable to cars having exits only at either end, or, on the other hand, to cars having any number of exits.

When the car stops at a station platform located at the same level as the platforms of the car, and when primarily intended for cars of the standard width hereinbefore referred to, the proper actuating handle 14 is actuated to raise the extensible parts 2 to bridge the gap between the car and station platforms.

What I claim is 1. In a railway car, the combination of a plurality of extensible parts associated with each side of the car and mounted to swing about horizontal axes, and manually operable mechanical connections adapted to simultaneously actuate all of the extensible parts onone side of the car.

2. In a railway car, the combination of a plurality of hinged extensible parts associated with each side of the car, connections between all of the extensibleparts on one side of the car comprising interconnected bell-crank levers each connected with one of the extensible parts, and means to actuate said connections to simultaneously operate all of the extensible parts on one side of the car.

3. In a railway car, the combination of a plurality of hinged extensible parts associated with each side of the car, connections between all of the extensible parts on one side of the car comprising interconnected bell-crank levers each connected with one of the extensible parts, and means at one end of the car to actuate said connections to simultaneously operate all of the extensible parts on one'side of the car.

4. In a railway car, the combination of a plurality of hinged extensible parts associated with each side of the car, connections between all of the extensible parts on one side of the car comprising interconnected bell-crank levers each connected with one of the extensible parts, and means comprising an actuating handle located at one end of the car to actuate said connections to simultaneously operate all of the extensible parts on one side of the car.

5. In a railway car, the combination of an extensible part hingedly associated with the car, a bell-crank lever to operate said .extensible part, a connection between said bell crank lever and the extensible part, and means to actuate the bellcrank lever comprising an actuating lever comprising an actuating element mounted to turn about a fixed axis, and connections between said element and said bell-crank lever whereby the turning movements of the former actuate the latter.

6. The combination with a car having three exits on each side thereof, of hinged extensions for said exits mounted to swing about horizontal axes,.and means for simultaneously actuating the three extensions on one side of the car.

7. The combination with a'car having three exits on each side thereof, of hinged extensions for said exits mounted to swing about horizontal axes, and manually operable mechanical connections adapted to simultaneously actuate the three extensions on one side of the car.

8. The combination with a car having three exits on'each side thereof, of hinged extensions for said exits mounted to swing In testimony whereof I affix my signature, about horizontal axes, mechamcal connecin presence of two Witnesses.

tions between the three extensions on one side of the car for simultaneously operating ELLWOOD SICKELS' the same, and manually operable means 10- Witnesses:

cateol at one end of the car for actuating said H. A. BRIGHTON,

connections. W. B. MommLL.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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