US1383287A - Convertible gondola ballast-car - Google Patents

Description

A. CAMPBELL.

CONVERTIBLE GONDOLA BALLAST CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. 1920. 1,383,281. Pflwllted July 5, 1921.

4 SHEEIS-SHEE? 2.

Ill/62210;

A. CAMPBELL.

CONVERTIBLE GONDOLA BALLAST CAB.

APPLICATON rILEDJUNE28,152;).

1,888,287. Patented uly 5, 1921.

4 SHEE'; S SHEET 3.

A. CAMPBELL.

CONVERTIBLE GONDOLA BALLAST CAR.

APPLICAT ON ILED JUNE 28, 1920 Patented July 5, 1921,

UNITED STATES ARGYLE CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY CONVERTIBLE GONDOLA. BALL AST-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paten d duly 5, 1921.

Application filed .Tune 28, 1920. Serial No. 392,203.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARGYLE CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Convertible Gondola Ballast-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in convertible gondola ballast cars.

In the operation of railroads, it is highly essential that all cars belonging to the rail road company be utilized for as great a part of the time as possible. Frequently, freight cars are loaded and shipped in one direction, and, because of the particular type of the car, they cannot ordinarily be loaded for the return trip and consequently are sent back empty with resulting loss, so far as earnings for those cars are concerned. Furthermore, the railroads have use for ballast and plow cars at certain-periods of the year, which cars must be of special design for said purposes. During other parts of the year, such cars are not required for plow or ballast service and it is highly desirable that said cars be utilized in other productive service.

One object of my invention is to provide a freight car which can be readily converted to use as either a low car, a gondola, or a ballast car and wherein the design is economical in first cost, large carrying capacity is obtained, and the various parts of the car easily operable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified and economical door operating mechanism for the general type of car indicated'in the foregoing paragraph.

The invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices herein shown, described and made the subject of claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this s ecification, Figure 1 a side elevation of slightly more than one-half of a car embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a car showing slightly more than a half thereof, the section being taken to one side of the center sill. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View corresponding of the hopper section.

substantially to the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, the left hand half of Fig. 3 showing the positlon assumed by the various movable arts of the car when the latter is adapte for gondola service or as a plow car, the right hand half of the figure showing the position of the parts when the car is adapted for use as a ballast or hopper car. Fig. 4 is a top plan of one end of a car with the end wall moved to a position immediately adjacent the end Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional view corresponding sub stantially to the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 1s a detail sectional view corresponding sub,- stantially to the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. And Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 3,illustrating another embodiment of my invention.

In said drawings and referring first to Figs. 1 to 6, the improved car is shown as having a pair of heavy built-up side girders A-A; a single built-up center sill permanent end oor sections 0; fixed longitudinally extending side floor sections D; four pivoted floor doors E; eight pivoted hopper doorsF; removable and adjustable end walls G; and side walls each'composed of a top rail H, side stakes I and eight side swinging doors J.

As clearly appears from Fig. 2, the hopper section of thecar is disposed betweenthe trucks and extends from points approximately over the inner axle of each truck. Said hopper section is defined at each end thereof by downwardly sloping end he per boards 1212 to'the inner lower en s of which are united vertical pressings 13, as shown in Fig. 2. The sides of the hopper section are defined by permanent or rigid downwardly and oppositely inclined be per boards 14-14 located on opposite sides 0% the center sill and having their u per edges in line with the inner edges of t e fixed floor sections D. Transversely arranged diaphragms are employed in connection with the underframe, the same preferably being in the form of pressed steel plates 15-15 hereinafter 116 and 17 having an upper inclined section as indicated at 18 and a lower vertically extending section, all as clearly shown in Fig. 2. To the bottoms of the shedding plates 16 and 17 are secured downwardly extending plates 19-19 which, together with the shedding plates 16 and 17, form a housing for portions of the door operating mechanism, described. To the diaphragms on either side of the middle diaphragm and to the shedding plates 116 are secured similar depending plates 19-19 also forming housings for portions of the door operating mechanism. Similar plates 19 are secured to the pressed plates 13 at the. ends of the hopper, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. The various plates 19-19 are suitably strengthened by gussets 20-20 and reinforcing angles 12012O are employed at'some of the joints as shown in Fig. 2. As indicated in Fig. 5, the various plates 19 are of substantially triangular shape and form the lower portions of the ends of different hoppers.

The pivoted floor doors E, as heretofore indicated, are four in number, each door therefore being adapted to cover one-fourth of the hopper section. Each of said doors E is pivoted along its outer edge by means of suitable'hinges as indicated at 21 to the side floor sections D. When in horizontal position, the floor doors E extend to the center line of the car and are supported on the dia-- phragms and upper angles of the built-up center sill. Each of said doors E is provided with angle iron battens 22 on its under side as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. As shown in the righthand half of Fig. 3, the doors E may be swung up so as to lean against the side doors J and form a continuation of the sides of the hoppers, and thereby adapt the car for the carrying of gravel or other materials in bulk, which may be discharged, from the bottom of the hoppers.

When the car is arranged for ballast service or the carrying of other material in the hopper, it is'desirable to concentrate the load to the hopper section of the car and for this purpose the end walls Gr are displaced. or adjusted to the position indicated in Fig. 4. Each of said end walls G is provided with vertically extending angles 23 on its outer side to help secure the boards together and also to act as stakes adapted to enter suitable iron sockets 24 provided in the end floor sections C of the car. The upper parts of the end walls G are detachably bolted to the rails H as indicated at 25 in Fig. 4. As

. will be understood by those skilled in the art,

the end walls G' may be held in lace at the extreme end of the car, when t e latter is being used for gondola service, there being suitable iron sockets 26 to accommodate the anglestakes 23 when the end wall is in said position.

The side doors J of the car, sixteen in numher, are pivotally supported along their up per edges to the rails H, as indicated at 27 and at their lower edges, each door J is provided with one or more, preferably two, loop-shaped camming projections 28 preferably formed out of suitable strap iron bent to the requisite shape. Said cam loops project below the floor level of the car and are adapted to cooperate with rectangular loops 29 rigidly associated with a longitudinally extending shaft 30, each shaft 30 extending the full length of the car. In this connection, it will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 3, that the side girders A are offset inwardly'with respect to the side walls of the car so as to provide corners within which to receive the shafts 30, the latter being protected by the overhanging sections of floor when the load is being plowed or dumped to the sides of the car. The cooperating sets of loops 28 and 29 are so arranged that, as loops 29 are swung upwardly, they will slide over the peripheries of the loops 28 and gradually cam the doors J into full closed position and retain them there. The doors J may be suitably braced by Z-bars 31 applied to the outer sides thereof, in line with the hinge butts and cam loops 28.

The hopper doors F, eight in number, have their free edges meeting beneath the center sill. Each door F is pivoted along its upper edge by suitable hinge connections as indicated at 32 in Fig. 3 and beneath angle irons 33 secured to the under sides of the hopper boards 14;.- The doors F are braced by suitable angle irons 3 1 and the lower edges of the doors on each side of the center sill are united in pairs by longitudinally extending angles 35.

To operate all of the doors F simultaneously and also to maintain any desired discharge opening for the delivery of ballast, I employ the following mechanism. Near one end of the car, as shown in Fig. 1, a transversely extending short operating shaft 36 is employed having a suitable pawl and ratchet arrangement for effecting rotation thereof as indicated conventionally at 37 in Fig. 1. Said shaft 36 passes through the corresponding side girder A, said shaft 36 being positioned directly beneath the sloping end 12 of the hopper section so as to be fully protected from the load of the car. The shaft 36 is provided with a worm 38 adapted to cooperate with a' worm gear 39. i

' as well understood.

views. F, ho per doors 114, center sill section D, the hopper side boards 14 and the corresponding side girder A so that the shaft 42 and associated linkages are fully protected against injury during discharge of the load.

All of the doors are operated simultaneously from the single shaft 42 and to accomplish this result, the following system of flexible connections is employed. A lurality of drums 142 are secured to the s aft 42 at spaced points therealong, there being pivotally' connected to each of said drums a link 43. Pivotally connected to each of the links 43 is a short shouldered link 44 hav-- ing shouldered engagement with the shaft or drum when the doors are in closed position, as indicated in Fig. 3. Connected to each of the links 44 is a hook-shaped link 45, the free end of the latter being rov'ided with two perforations 4646 by w ich the ends of two chains 47 .and 48 are attached. Each of the chains 47 passes over an idler 148 to the edge 49 of the hopper door nearest the shaft. Each of the other chains 48 goes directly to the free ed e of the more remote door and is connecte thereto as indicated at 50. The idlers 148 are mounted in suitable brackets 51 secured to the depending plates 19 as shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the chains 47 and 48 pass within'the housings formed by the plates 19 where the same are located intermediate the ends of the hopper section, and the end chains are disposed outside of the end plates 19, as shown in Fig. 2.

With the construction just described, it is evident that I materially reduce the cost of the door operating mechanism since the number of parts is reduced to a minimum, all doors bemg operated from a single shaft and there being only one set of heavy links for each pair of doors. Furthermore, be-

cause of the worm and worm gear, the doors may be held in any adjusted position since the worm and worm gear are self-locking,

Referriiig now to the construction illustrated in 'i 7, the sides of the car are indicated at the same being rlg'id and. not

in the form of ,pivoted doors as in the case of the construction illustrated in the other The arrangement of hogper doors pivoted floor oors E and diaphragms 115 is substantially the same as that shown in the other construction and need not be described .in detail. In the construction shown in Fig. 7, however, in order to permit dumping to the sides of the car, the side floor sectlons are in the form of ivoted doors as indicated at D, said doors being ivoted as indicated at 121' and supported rom intermediate longitudinally extending sills 60. It

will be noted that theside girders are omitted so as to avoid interference with discharge of the load to the sides of'the car.

For operating the doors D, I provide on each side of the car a longitudinally extending shaft 61 and a plurality of linkages for the doors D As shown, each of these linkages comprises a-drum 62, a link 63 pivoted thereto, alink 64 pivoted to the link 63, another link 65 pivoted to the link 64, a shouldered link 66 pivoted to the link 65, and a horizontally extending link 67 pivoted to the link 66. Each link 67 slides back and forth in a housin 68 secured to the under side of the door the sliding movement being facilitated by rollers 69 carried by the link 67. In the case of the linkages just described, as also in the case of the inkages associated with the shaft 42, the arrangement is self-locking so that the shafts 1. A convertible car of the character de-' scribed, said car having: a hopper section intermediate the trucks; side walls; permanent end floor sections, each extending from theend of the car to the adjacent end of the hopper section; removable and adjustable end walls adapted to be positionedat either the extreme end of the car or at the end of the hopper section; relatively narrow floor sections extending between said end floor section's along each side of the car and outside of the hopper section; pivoted, longi tudinally extending floor doors arranged to either cover the hopper section when in horizontal position or to be inclined outwardly and upwardly against the side walls; sets of oppositely swinging hopper doors having. their free edges meeting at the bottom of the hopper section; and mechanism for controllin the movements of said hopper doors, sai mechanism including a longitudinally extending shaft at one side of the hopper section, a plurality of links cooperable with the shaft, a direct flexible connection from one of said links to one of said doors, a flexible connection from said' link to an opposed hopper door, and an idler over which said last named flexible connection passes.

2. A convertible car of the character described, said car having: an underframe including side girders, a relatively deep single center sill, and diaphragms of substantially the same depth as saidcenter sill; side walls; permanent end floor sections at each end of the car; a hopper and between the trucks;

end floor sections removable end walls; longitudinally extending floor doors pivoted along their outer edges and adapted to form either a part of the floor or to be inclined upwardly and outwardly against the side walls to form part of a hopper; sets of oppositely swinging pivoted hopper doors hinged along their. up per edges at points between the center sill and respective side girder; and operating mechanism for the hopper doors.

3. A convertible plow gondola and ballast car of the character described, said car having: permanent end floor sections and side relatively narrow floor sections extending between said end sections; a hopper section including fixed downwardly converging side and end walls disposed below the floor level of the car; sets of oppositely swinging hopper doors hinged along their upper edges to the lower edges of the respective converging sidewalls of the hoppers, the hopper doors having their free edges meeting beneath the longitudinal center of the car; displaceable floor sections adapted to either cover the hopper section or be placed in an upwardly and outwardly inclined position to form continuations of the hopper side walls; pivoted side doors; means or locking said side doors in closed position; operating mechanism for the hopper doors and including a single shaft disposed on the outer side of one of said fixed side walls of the hopper and below the level of the corresponding said narrow side floor section, and

removable end walls.

4. A convertible plow gondola ballast car, said car having: an underfrarne composed of side girders, a single center sill, and diaphragms; permanent end floor sections; permanent longitudinally extending relatively narrow side floor sections, the latter extending outwardly beyond the girders and forming corner recesses therewith; side walls each including a plurality of pivoted side doors; a locking shaft extending lengthwise of the car on each side thereof within said corner recesses; cooperating means on each of said shafts and the adjacent side doors to lock the latter in closed position; a hopper section intermediate the trucks; ho per doors; operating mechanism for said oors adapted to hold the latter in any adjusted position; and displaceable floor sections adapted either to cover the hopper section or assume inclined positions in continuation of the sides of the hopper section.

v 5. A convertible plow gondola ballast car, said car having: an underframe including side girders, a single center sill, and diaphragms; a hopper section intermediate the trucks, said hopper section having fixed converging end walls and fixed converging side walls, the latter being spaced inwardly from doors; mechanism for operating said adJuStable end the side girders; relatively narrow side floor sections bridging the space between the side walls'of the hopper and the respective side girders; hopper doors pivotally supported along their upper edges to the lower edges of the side walls of the hopper; operating mechanism for said doors including, a longitudinally extending shaft and flexible connections therefrom to all the hopper doors, said shaft being located in the space defined by a side girder, side fioor section and hopper side wall; pivoted side doors; means for lockin said doors in closed position; displacea le floor sections arranged to either cover the hopper section or form continuations of the side walls thereof up to the side walls of the car; and removable end walls.

6. A. convertible plow gondola ballast car, said car having: an underframe including a single center sill and diaphragms, phragms being in the form of pressed plates and of a depth approximating the depth of the center sill; a hopper section intermediate the trucks; shedding plates secured to the sides of the diaphragms within the hopper section, each shedding plate having an inclined top and a vertically extending lower section; plates located below the diaphragms within the hopper section, said plates being of substantially triangular form in end elevation and having the corresponding shedding plates united thereto; hopper doors; pivoted floor doors; and walls. p

7. A convertible plow gondola ballast car, said car having: an underframe including a single center :ill and diaphragms, said diaphragms being in the form of presse plates and of a depth approximating the depth of the center sill; a hopper section intermediate the trucks; shedding plates secured to the sides of the diaphragms within the hopper section, each shedding plate having an inclined top and a vertically extending lower section; plates located below the diaphragms within the hopper section, said plates being of substantially triangular form in end elevation and having the corresponding shedding plates united thereto; hopper doors; mechanism for operating said doors; pivoted floor doors; and adjustable end walls, said operating mechanism for the hopper doors including a longitudinally extending shaft, and flexible connections from said shaft to' all the hopper ble connections passing between said lates.

8. In a car having a longitudinal y extending hopper section, the combination with hopper doors pivoted along their upper edges on opposite sides of the center lme of the car, the free edges of the ing at the bottom of the hopper; of mechanism for operating all of said doors simuldoors, said flexidoors meettaneously, said mechanism including, a longitudinally extending shaft at one side of the hopper, and a plurality of sets of flexible connections associated with said shaft, each set of flexible connections including a flexible member connected to the free edge of the door on the side of the hopper nearest said shaft, a flexible element connected to the free edge of the opposite door, common elements between the opposite ends of said flexible elements and the shaft; and an idler over which only said first named flexible element passes.

9. In a car having a hopper section, the combination with a pair of pivoted hopper doors, said doors being hinged along their upper edges and having their free edges meeting at the bottom of the hopper, of mechanism for operating said doors simultaneously, said mechanism including, a shaft located at one side of the hopper and extending lengthwise thereof, a plurality of links cooperable with the shaft, an idler disposed at the ends of the doors, a flexible element connected at one end to said links and -passing over said idler and connected at its other end to the free edge of the door nearest the shaft, and a second flexible element connected at one of its ends to said links and extending directly to and connected at its other end to the free edge of the other door.

10. In a car having a hopper section, the combination with a pair of pivoted hopper doors, said doors belng hinged along their upper edges and having their free edges meeting at the bottom of the hopper, of mechanism for operating said doors simultaneously, said mechanism including, a shaft located at one side of the hopper and extending lengthwise thereof, a lurality of links coiiperable with the sha t, an idler disposed at the ends of the doors, a flexible element connected at one end to said links and passing over said idler and connected at its other end to the free edge of the door nearest the shaft, and a second flexible element connected at one of its endsto said links and extending directly to and connected at its other end to the free edge of the other door, said links being self-locking when the doors are in closed position.

11. A convertible car, said car having: an underfra-me including side girders and diaphragms; fixed end floor sections; longitudinally extending relatively narrow side floor sections extended outwardly beyond the side girders and forming corner recesses therewith; side walls each including a plurality of pivoted side doors; a locking shaft extending lengthwise of the car on each side thereof within said corner recesses; cooper-- ating meanson each of said shafts and the corresponding adjacent side doors arranged to lock the latter in closed position; a hopper section intermediate the trucks; hopper doors; and operating mechanism for said doors.

12. A car of the character described, said car having: an underframe including a center sill and diaphragms of plate formation and of a depth approximating the depth of the center sill; a hopper section intermediate the trucks; shedding plates secured to the sides of said diaphragms within the hop-per section, each shedding plate having an inclined top and a vertically extending lower section; plates located below the diaphragm within the hopper section, said plates being of substantially triangular form in end elevation and united to the corresponding shedding plates; hopper doors; and mechanism 'for operating said doors.

13. A convertible car, said car having: a hopper section intermediate the trucks, a center sill, and diaphragm-s; fixed end floor sections; longitudinally extending relatively narrow side floor sections along, each side of the hopper section; side walls; oppositely downwardly and inwardly inclined fixed hopper side walls disposed below the floor level on opposite sides of said center sill; oppositely swinging hoppervdoors vpivoted along their upper edges to the lower portions of said hopper fixed side Walls; an operating shaft for said hopper doors located in the space included between one of said hopper side walls and one of said side floor sections, a plurality of links cooperable with the shaft, a flexible connection from one of said links directly to a hopper door, a flexible connection from said link to an opposed hopper door, and a sheave wheel over which said last named flexible connection only passes; and displaceable floor sections adapted either to serve as a portion of the car floor in covering the hopper section or to assume inclined positions in continuation of the sides of the hopper section.

\ In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day of June, 1920.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

CARRIE GAILING, UNA C. Gmessx.

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