US1125283A

US1125283A - Car-haulage plant.

Info

Publication number: US1125283A
Application number: US79235913A
Authority: US
Inventors: Presly J Fickinger
Original assignee: MCMYLER INTERSTATE Co
Current assignee: MCMYLER INTERSTATE Co
Priority date: 1913-09-29
Filing date: 1913-09-29
Publication date: 1915-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1932-01-19

Description

P. J. PIGKINGBR.

CAR HAULAGE PLANT. APPLICATION IILEUSBPT. 29, 1913.

Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

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" the approach to the car UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

PRESLY J. FICKINGER, OF CONNEAUT, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCMYLER, INTER- STATE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CAR-HAULAGE PLANT.

To all 107mm it may concern Be it known that I, PRESLY J. FICK- INGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Conneaut, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car- Haulage Plants, of'which the following is a. full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to car haulage plants of the general type used in connection with the various kinds of car handling apparatus, such as car dumpers.

At the present time, loaded cars are brought up onto the cradle of a car dumper, dumper being usually upwardly inclined, by a haulage car adapted to be moved by a suitable haulage cable along a narrow gage haulage track arranged between the rails of the main track and terminating in a pit arranged a suitable distance in advance of the car dumper approach. The haulage car is run into the pit when it is desired that a loaded car be moved forward to a point in advance thereof, so that when the haulage car is removed from the pit, it will be at the rear of and can thence push the car up onto the cradle of the car dumper. This system while satisfactory in some respects, does not admit of the most advantageous handling of the cars, for it is obvious that a loaded car can not be spotted, that is, brought to a position in advance of the pit, until after the haulage car is in the pit. It is especially disadvantageous in those systems wherein the loaded cars are run by gravity down an inclined portion of the track to the base of the car dumper approach, for the reason that it is often the case that the cars cannot be stopped on the incline in their descent until after they pass a pit. Hence, it is necessary, or at least advisable to start a car down the incline only after the haulage car is in the pit. This results in loss of time in the shifting of the cars.

The object of the present invention is to provide a haulage system which will enable the cars to be handled in a more economical manner, and in such a way as to avoid the delays incident to the shifting of the cars, with the haulage plants generally in use at the present time.

In the car haulage plant or system which I have devised, the haulage track is located Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1915, Serial No. 792,359.

adjacent and preferably beneath themain track, and the haulage car which is adapted to run along the haulage track is provided with a movable car shifter device preferably in the form of a pivoted arm, which can be moved to a. position such that when the haulage car is moved forwardly, said device will engage an appropriate part of the car to be moved, and to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track.

My invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel de tails of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the accompanying claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown one embodiment of my invention adapted to be employed in connection with the car dumper, Figure l is a side view on a reduced scale showing ay portion of the main track, a portion of the pusher car track, and showing the pusher car in the act of pushing a car up the inclined section of the track; Fig. 2 is a slightly enlarged view showing the upper part of the approach, and a portion of the car dumper onto which the pusher car is adapted to move a loaded car; Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the main and car haulage tracks, showing the haulage car and a p0rtion of the main car in elevation; Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing a portion of the main track and a portion of the friction devices used in connection with the pusher arm to elevate and lower the same and to hold the same in elevated position.

eferring now to the drawings, 10 represents the main track for a main car ll, said track constituting in this case the inclined approach to a car dumper, a portion of which is shown at l2. At the base of the inclined portion is a horizontal section 13 to which the car ll may move by gravity, or otherwise, so that it can be engaged and moved up the inclined approach by the pusher car.

The pusher car which is designated as a whole by the reference character 14, is adapted to travel along a narrow gage pusher track l5, which is located below the upwardly inclined and horizontal portions of the main track, and between the rails of the latter. It is essential to my invention that the haulage track be at least at one point a sufficient distance below the main track that the haulage car may run beneath and ass to the rear of the main car to be moved, although perhaps it is not essential that it be the same uniform distance below the main track, in advance of that point. Preferably, however, the haulage track is at all points the same distance below the main track.

The haulage car which may be of any suitable construction, includes a frame 17, and supporting axles 17ZL to which are attached track wheels 17h. Supported by the side members of the frame 17 between the front and rear wheels and nearer the front wheels than the rear wheels is a transverse shaft on which is pivoted a pusher arm or ram 18 which projects forwardly a considerable distance beyond the pusher car as shown in the drawings, and at its rear end is provided with a counterweight so that the arm as a whole will be substantially balanced on the supporting shaft. This arm has a range of movement such that when it is swung upwardly, it will be in position to engage a suitable part of the car, to move the latter up the inclined track, and when swung downwardly, the haulage car as a whole, may in moving rearwardly, pass beneath and tothe rear of a car which is standing on the main track in position to be moved up the inclined section 10.

In the present case, two expedients are utilized for raising and lowering the arm and for holding the same'. in its operative position. One of these expedients consists in attaching the haulage cable 19 to the lower part of the arm below the pivotal axis of the latter, so that when tension is placed in the cable, to move the haulage car forwardly, the cable itself will tend to rock or swing the arm to its upper position. This cable extends from the haulage car up to and about a sheave 20 which is located adjacent the cradle of the car dumper 12, and thence extends rearwardly to and about an idler sheave 21 and thence passes to a winding drum 22.

While the cable itself can, in many instances, be relied on to maintain the arm in its upper operative position, it may not answer in all instances, as for example, if for any reason, the main car should be given a forward impulse, or if the haulage should be momentarily retarded, so as to cause the car and the pusher arm to separate somewhat so that the previous tension on the cable would be relaxed.

To prevent the arm swinging down on occasions such as that just stated, I provide additional means for swinging the arm, and for maintaining it in its upper position as long as the haulage car 1s not moving rearwardly, but which will positively swing the arm downwardly at the start of the rearward movement. This consists in this case of friction devices in the form of channels 25, which, as will be observed, are supported substantially in the plane of the rails of the main track, and which normally stand back to back with a suitable space between them, and are adapted to receive between them the shank of the pusher' arm. These channels are supported for slight horizontal movement inward and outward, and are pressed inwardly toward each other by springs 26, the tension of the springs being such that the channels offer some resistance to the movement of the pusher arm, as the latter moves along between them. It will be understood that these channels extend centrally between the rails of the main track, throughout the length of the haulage track. The pusher arm at all times extends upwardly into the slot between these channels, which will tend either to elevate the pusher arm or to lower the same, depending upon the direction in which the haulage car is moving. As these channels engage the pusher arm at a point above the pivotal axis of the arm, when the haulage car is moving forwardly, they will rock the arm is a clockwise direction, as the same is viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, and hence will elevate the arm, but when the car is moved rearwardly, they rock the arm in a counterclockwise direction so as to lower the same. They not only positively swing the arm upwardly or downwardly, as the case may be be, but they keep the arm in its upper position, even though the tension of the cable is slackened, as in the instance above stated, as long as the haulage car does not actually move rearwardly.

Any suitable means may be provided for limiting the movement of the pusher arm, such as cross members extending between the side members of the frame above and below the arm. I may utilize for this purpose plates, such as plates 27 supported at the forward end of the frame, and provided with slots engaged by the projecting ends of a suitable member 28 carried by the arm 18. In the drawing, the plates 27 are shown as attached to vertical guide members 29 which are provided at the forward end of the frame to guide the arm 18 in its vertical swinging movements.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, said haulage car having a movable device adapted to be shifted to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track, and to be shifted to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track, and means f age car is moved in the "i such that the haulage car i main track and whereby the movement of said haulage car causes said device to be shifted.

ln a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, said haulage car having a movable device adapted to be shifted to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track, and to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track, means for shifting said haulage car, and means for automatically shifting said device when the haulage car is moved.

3. In a. car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adja cent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable device carried by said haulage car and adapted to be moved to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track when the haulage car is moved in one direction, and to a position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track when the haulopposite direction, and means controlled by the movement of the car for shifting said device.

a. ln a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable device carried by said haulage car and adapted to be moved to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track and to another position as a whole may pass car on the main track, and a haulage cable connected to said haulage car for shifting the same.

ln a haulage plant, a main track for a car to bemoved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a. haulage car on said haulage.

track, a movable device carried by said haul age car and adapted to be moved to a posi` tion such that it will engage a car on .the to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track, and means for controlling said device from a remote point, comprising a cable attached to said device.

6. In a haulage plant, a main track for a. car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable shifter device carried by said haulage car, and adapted to be moved to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track, and to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track, and means for controlling said device from a point distant from the haulage car.

7. ln a haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable shifter device carried by said haulage car and adapted to be moved cgis u:

to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track and to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main trac and means for controlling the movement' of said haulage car and of said device from a point distant from the haulage car.

In a haulage plant, a main tack for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable shifter member carried by said haulage car and adapted to be moved to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track, and to another position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track, means for shifting said haulage car, and means comprising a friction device for moving' said member.

9. In a haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track adjacent the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable shifter member carried by said haulage car, and means whereby when said haulage car is moved in one direction said member is automatically moved to a position such that it will engage a car on the main track, and when the haulage car is moved in the opposite direction said member is automatically moved to a position such that the haulage car as a whole may pass a car on the main track.

l0. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track eX- tending beneath the same, a haulage car on said track, said haulage car having a movable part adapted to be moved upward so as to engage a car on the main track and to move downward so that the haulage car as a whole may pass beneath a car on the main track.

ll. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a. movable device carried by said haulage car adapted to be moved upward so as to engage a car on the main track and to move downward so that the haulage car as a whole may pass beneath a car on the main track, and means for elevating the said device to operative position.

l2. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable pusher device carried by said haulage car adapted to be moved upward so as to engage a car on the main track and to move downward so that the haulage car as a whole may pass beneath a car on the main track, and means governed by the movement of the car for shifting said device.

13. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable pusher arm carried by said haulage car adapted to be moved upward so as to engage a car on the main track and to move downward so that the haulage car as a 'whole may pass beneath a car on the main track, and means arranged along the track for raising or lowering the arm.

14. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track eX- tending beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a movable pusher arm carried by said haulage car, and means comprising a friction device for moving said arm.

15. In a car haulage plant, for a car to be moved, a track for a haulage car extending beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a pusher arm pivotally supported by the haulage car, and means controlled by the movement of the haulage car along its track for raising or lowering the pusher arm depending upon the direction in which the haulage car is moved.

a main track Copies of this patent may be obtained for pusher arm adapted five cents each, by addressing the 16. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a track for a haulage car beneath the same, a haulage car on said haulage track, a pusher arm pivotally supported by the haulage car, and means eX- tending along the main track adapted to frictionally engage the pusher arm for shifting said arm.

17. In a car haulage plant, a main track for a car to be moved, a haulage track beneath the main track, a haulage car on said haulage track provided with a movable to be moved upwardly to engage a car on the main track and to move downward so that the haulage car as a whole may pass beneath the car on the main track, a cable for shifting said haulage car, said cable being attached to said arm.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses. PRESLY J. FICKINGER. Witnesses:

E. B. GriLcHRisT, L. I. PORTER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.