US1146073A - Bottom door-guide for freight-cars. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. HOPKINS.

BOTTOM DOOR GUIDE FOR FREIGHT CARS.

APPucArm FILED FEB. 23. 1915.

1,146,073. Patented July 13, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CAMEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

:eoTToM noon-GUIDE FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented July 13,1915.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 10,028.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES M. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottom Door-Guides for Freight-Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates in general to freight cars, and more particularly to an improved bottom door guide for freight car doors.

Considerable force is required, and often much trouble experienced, in opening and closing the sliding side doors of freight cars. This fact is due to the weight of the doors; to the warping or distorting of the doors which impedes their free sliding on their guides; and to the necessity of the doors tightly engaging the frames around the door openings in order to render the cars weather and dust proof.

The primary object of my invention is to v reduce the power required to open and close the sliding side doors of freight cars, and to avoid much of the trouble'often incident thereto, by providing an improved bottom door guide which will reduce the frictional resistance to the movement of the doors and will at the SvIIIlB time efficiently guide the doors in their movement from open to tightly closed positions, and vice versa.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved bottom door guide for freight cars which will not only support the doors against lateral-movement away from the car sides but will, when the door sags, vertically support it with a minimum of re-' sistance to its opening and closing movements.

A still further ob ect of my invention is to provide an improved bottom guide for freight car do0rs-which will be simple in construction, durable in use, efficient in operation, and convenient in applicationto the cars- My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form and in-which:

Figure l is an enlarged vertical central section through the center of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is an elevational view looking from the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line ll: of Figs. and2; and Fig. l is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view showing the relation of the flange on the bottom of the car door to the series of guides secured to the car.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Reference character 13 designates a sliding door for controlling a door opening in the side of a freight car.

C designates the side sill of the car, and D a portion of the car floor at the bottom of the door opening.

The construction of the freight car does not in itself form part of my invention, and hence need not be more fully described and illustrated in order that my invention may be completely disclosed.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited in its use to a car of any particular construction, but may be used for guiding the bottom of the sliding door of a freight car of any construction. v

My improved guide comprises a vertical base plate H adapted to be secured to the car side below the plane of the door opening, by any suitable fastening means, such for instance as bolts 2' passing through lugs h at opposite sides of the base plate H.

Projecting outwardly from the top of the base plate H is a liorizontal portion K having projecting from the outer edge thereof a vertical trunnion L. Supported upon the trunnion L is a roller Z having a depression in its upper end within which is inclosed a washer L fixed to the reduced u-p per end of the trunnion for retaining the roller in position upon the trunnion. The

roller L engages the outer surface of the flange G depending below the bottom of the door, such flange being preferably a part of a Z-bar F secured to the bottom of the door B by any suitable means, such for instance as bolts I r Extending above the horizontal portion K of the guide are inwardly converging curved flanges K and K located on opposite sides of the roller L, such flanges'serv-' ing to guide the flange G into engagement with the roller L.

My improved guide may also be provided with a horizontal roller M projecting up wardly through an opening in the horizontal member K immediately below the flange The roller M is rotatably supported upon an axle N, the inner end of which is ging of the door, which frequently occurs in supported by a circular prothe usage of frei lit cars, the of the} jectm from the base plate e inner flange engages door guides, the end 0. the axle N is provided with ahead mentIof-tht? doonwill be facilitated by 4 5 11. seated in a recess formed 'in the inner horizontal rollers which then vertically slip; 70 surface of the base plate H. The outer port the bottom of the door. Whilesucll: end of the axle N is supported in a circulafhorizontal rollers "are. preferably-prof bearing P. n indicates a head formed on yht my invention may also jbepracti' the outer end of the axle N'to overlie. the embodied without them, as indicated in 1 outer surface of the bearing P r 4'; in which the horizontal rollers are 1101175 The base plate H, horizontal portion K, provided on the guides. trunnion L, and bearings O and P, are all From the fore ing description-it will be preferably formed in a'single casting which? observed that I ive invented an improved may have the requisite *tre'ng'th .bottoni guide for the doors of freight cars}- it by means of reinforhing webs 7p 76' which reduces the friction incident to the 8'? and is. I f movement of the rel'a.t.ivel. tq'the. Any desired number of m improved guides and hence renders theexertion of 1 guides may be secured to the si e of thecar powernecessary in. the opening and closing-sq to engage the flange G on the door 111 of thedoors. go'sures the proper guiding of the of] Itg-igfartherefident tliat hyth, woof ,85

the door during its movementsinto open myimproved-guide the opening andcloslligiand closed position. In Fig. II have shown of doorswhich have sagged in is r one of my improved brackets H' located adfacilitated: 133 the of "such. jacent the front of the door 0 lung and anrest andaresupported j other H located adjacent t 6 rear of the rollers. p door opening. Another 'de H 'is located WhilejI-have described in more below the center of the cor o m Win16 detail the'specific embodiment of my. a third H4 is located at one si e of e doortionv h r in illustrated, 'yet it opening to guide and support the bottom ofstood'thatl' do not wish to be a, the door when a is m open pcsiti'on.["l'he m, but contemplate "changesin the)? flange G depending below the bottom of the p o ti f p t d th s b tit tion,

door B is preferably provided with mitof equivalents as occasion Wardly p i i s Portmns and y i ai asmay be deemed expedienh in position to engage the rollers of the WhatIclaim is:

guides H and H when the door is in closed 1'. A bottom door guide for position, thereby insuring the door, when comprising supporting means adapted to be closed, being; orced' tightly against the secured. to the car below the plane of the frame aroun the door opening. In order door opening a horizontal plate projecting-1.

, that the outward projection g on the flange outwardly in said means, a vertically I to G adjacent the front edge of the door may disposed roller'mounted upon'said'hori zon not impede the free opening and closing of 1 l t d d' p dl j the door through eng g ment with the roller supporting means in position to be on the guide H such roller is preferathliv b th outer f f the both)!!! of spaced outwardly from the car side a s door, and guide flanges mounted upon sud.

cient dista'nce'to permit the projection 9 horizontal plate on opposite sides of and '11! to freely pass the same. The roller on the. alinin with the axis o sai d roller to proguide H is also preferably spaced away. tect t e roller' from in ur ous contact of from the car side a sufiicient distance to bethe door, said flanges converg ng inward] freely passed by the outward projection g and terminating in a vertical plane outs e as on the flange G adjacent the rear edge of of the inner, surface of said roller to per-. llt

the. door. This arrangement of the ides mit the engagement therewith of the outer with relation to the flange G is 0 early surface of the bottom of the door. shown in Fig. 4. 2. A bottom door guide for freight cars The enga ement of the outer surface of comprising supporting means adapted to he the flange V during t'heopening and closmgmovements door opening, a vertlcally roller of the door serves to reduce resistance to spaced outwardly from said so iortmgthe movement of the door, and thereby renmeans and adapted to be engaged y the der it unnecessary to exert the same power outer surface of the bottom of the door, and in order to open and close the door as is a horizontally disposed roller adapted to 135 necessary when the bottom of the door enunderlie the lower edge of the door. ages fixed surfaces on the guides. The 3. bottom door guide for freight cars a horizontal rollers on the guides are norcomprising support ng means adapted to be mally located slightly below the lower edge secured to the car below the plane of the of the flange G, but when through the sagdoor opening, a vertically disposed roller 1..

with'the rollers of the guides secured to the car below the plane of the 1:.

25 said flange.

spaced outwardly from said supporting means and adapted to be engaged by the outer surface of the bottom of the door, inwardly converging guide flanges on the opposits sides of said roller, and a horizontally disposed roller adapted to underlie the lower edge of the door.

4. The combination with a freight car having a sliding side door, of a depending flange along the bottom of the door projecting below the door opening and a guide fixed to the car comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outer surface of said flange, and a horizontally disposed roller underly- 1 ing the lower edge of said flange.

5. The combination with a freight car having a sliding side door, of a depending flange along the bottom of the door and a guide fixed to the car below the plane of the door opening comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outer surface of said flange, inwardly converging guide flanges at side of said roller, and a horizontally disposed rollerunderlying the lower edge of 6. The combination with a freight car having a sliding side door, of a depending flange along the bottom of the door projecting below the door opening, and a guide fixed to thecar'comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outer surface of said flange, said flange having an outward projection thereon in position to engage said roller when the door is closed and thereby force the door tightly against the frame around the door opening.

7. The combination with a freight car 'havinga sliding side door, of 2. depending position to engage the rollers on the guidesadjacent the front and rear of the door opening when the door is closed.

8. The combination with a freight car havinga sliding side door, of a depending flange along the bottom of the door, a plurality of guides fixed to the car side below the plane of the dooropening, one located adjacent the front and another adjacent the rear of the door opening each of said guides comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outer surface of said flange, the rollers on the guides adjacent the front and rear of the dooropening being located nearer thecar side than the rollers on the other guides, outward projections on said flange in position to engage the rollers on the guides adj acent the front and rear of the door opening when the door is closed, and a horizontally disposed roller on each of said guides underlying 'the lower edge of said flange.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

. JAMES M. HOPKINS. Witnesses: I I

Gno. L. W ILnINsoN, HENRY A. PARKS.

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