US1464003A - Railway-car loader - Google Patents

Description

JOHNSON Agg. Y'7, 1923.

RAILWAY CAR LOADER Filed June 14'. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l l rO C.)

l l l 54 ucml'foc um Y@ MSL W f J3 Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,003

J. H, JOHNSON RAILWAY CAR LOADER Filed June 14,- 1922 5 Sheets-Sleeil 2 Aug. 7, 1923. v1,464,003

J. H. JOHNSON RAILWAY CAR LOADER Fled June 14, 1922 5 sheets-sheet i@ Zf/ f7 6v 6., y L

vAug. 7; 1923';

` J. H. JoHNsoN RAI LWAY CAR LOADER Filed June 14,

5 sheets-sheet 4 Aug. 7, 1923. 1,464,003

l J. H. JOHNSON RAILWAY CAE LOADER Filed June 14, 41922I 5 sheets-sheet 5 @ibm/1 my Patented Auw. 7, llFEliv JOHN l". JOHNSON, OF CHARLESTON, SUTLTTH CAROLINA, ASSGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO THOMAS NIARKS,

ARLESTON, SOUTH CARLNA.

RAILVYAY-CAR LOADER.

Application led June 14, 1922. Serial NQJEBSJGI.

To all whom t may concern:

rie it known that l, Jij/HN H, JoHNsoN, a cltircn of the United Sta-tes of America, re-

siding' at Charleston, in the county of 5 Charleston and State of South Carolina,

hive invented certain neiT and useful lmprovements in Railway-Car Loaders, of which the following' is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in railway Car loaders adapted especially for use with ditching machines, for scoopinov up or receiving' the plowed mate* rial and loading;- .Jaid material Vupon a dirt car from whence it is late dumped or otherwise emptied. The invention contemplates ar. equipment to be carried by any well known type of standard railroad dump car, and to follow a ditching' machine carried by receding railway car which is adapted to plow the dirt at the side of the railway road bei. in the formation of the standard ditches. Two or more of die dirt cars are utilized to follow the ditchingv car and the work train is pushed or pulled by a locomotive whereby the ditch is plowed, the material .is gathered by the :succeeding car loader', conveyed alongs side the ear and dumped or deposited in the interior of the car from the conveyer or conveyors carried by saidcar,

The equipment as utilized on the railway dump car is adapted to conform to the requirements as to dimensions of standard railroads; may be folded or stored within the required limits on the railwaycar for transportation. or to permit passage of the regular railway traiiic, and is operated by the nwving car which thus becomes self-loading, z d from which the material may be dumped or otherwise disposed of in suitable manner.

is embodied in my invention the construetion and operation of the equipment is greatly simplified over devices heretofore used for similar purposes, the cost of construction, operation and' maintenance are materielly reduced, and both time and labor are,

series have been omitted in the interest of convenience of illustration, but it will be understood that the invention embodies all the features necessary for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

ln the drawingsty Figure l is a viewin side elevation showing the general assembly of parts involving a ditching;` car and a rear loading car for plowing:` and gathering' the plowed material at the richt side of the railway track.

F ipgure 2 is a detail sectional view, transversely of a railway car, showing the con veyer carried at oneside thereof, and in inoperative position, as for transportation.

Figure 3 is a detail, top plan view partly in section of one of the Ll-shaped stirrups and its hinge for supporting the conveyor at the side of a car.

Figure 4 is `an enlarged, detail view in` side elevation, showingV the front end of the convever. the elevator, the front scoop and supper means therefor'carried by the ditching car in front of the loading car.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the parts of Figi. le, some parts being` omitted for convenience of illustration.

Figure 6 is an elevation at the rear end of the loading' car, showing the operating means for the conveyer.

Fin-ure 7 is a detail view at the front of the scoop, showingl the supporting frame in section carried by the plow or ditching car in front of the loadingy car.

l'iigure 8 is a view in side elevation at the rear end of the loading car, showing the truck and wheels in dotted lines.

Figure 9 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view atline 9 9 of Figure 8.

F igure l0 is an enlarged, sectional View of one of the conveyer-supporting brackets at line 10-10 of Figure 8.

F iguro ll is a detail view partly in section showing' the manner of mounting` the driving shafts for the conveyor. i

Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view at line l2-l2 of Figure l1.

in. the assembly view of Figure l the relation of parts may be understood and their functions ascertained by reference to the several parts as a whole which comprise the equipment. rlhe dirt loading car l is of standard form for a railway dump car, and of course has the usual trucks and wheels, as 2, one of the wheels, or rather its axle being utilizedV for operating the loading machine as will be described. The forward car designated as is a standard flat car with wheels l and the cars 1 and 3 are coupled together to be pushed or pulled by a locomotive for the ditching and loading operations. A plow is indicated at 5 and carried by the car 8, and this plow and connections form the subject matter of a copending application for patent Ser. No. 508,102, le'd J an. 1st, 1922, wherein the details of construction are more elaborately illustrated.

rlhe loading equipment comprises a front scoop 6V and hopper 7, supported from the ditching car as will be explained, an elevator designated as a whole by the numeral S and a conveyor carried by the loading car and designated 9. The scoop follows the plow 5 and gathers the plowed material, passing it to the hopper '7, where the niaterialis caught by an endless conveyor and elevated to the coni/*eye'r 9 and as the material passes longitudinally of the car it is dumped or guided to fall into the interior c of the dump car 1. The conveyor and elevator are operated from the driving mechanism designated as a whole by the numeral 10, at the rear end of the loading car.

One ortwo of the conveyors may be utilized as desired, one located at each side of the loading car, and these conif'eyers, which, when in wo'rl'iing position are supported and suspended along the top ofthe car at its sides, may be folded bodily, or lifted over into the cai by means of derricks or cranks 11, '11, near the ends of the car. The ditch ing car also carries derricks or cranes 12, 12, for manipulating the ditching plow and its supporting frame and the scoop and elevator. The hoisting mechanism of the derricks or cranes may be manually operated, or may be power operated, as by air engines.

inasmuch as the description of one loading equipment is the same as the other, reference will be made to the equipment illustrated as working at the right hand side of the car, it being understood that this description is applicable to the other loading and conveying mechanism.

rllhe endless conveyor which extends from the rear end of the loading car to the scoop i'ncludes an endless sprocket chaini of Y usual t ne vwhich is snoported at the o aerating end on the driven sprocket wheel or drum 14, and .its front 'end on the guide wheel 15 (Figj 7) within the hopper 7. The lower flight of the endless convey r the working flight and conveys the material 'to the rear or toward the rear of the loading ear, from Ithe elevator and hopper. le. suitable number of upright scraper blades 16 are carried by the chain 13 to perform the function of buckets, and it will be apparent that these blades are disposed. at an angleV to the path of travel of the blades, in order that the material conveyed may be shifted toward and into the inerior of the car 1. il. the front'of each scraper blade is attached by rivets a plate 17 and this attaching plate is fashioned with an upright rib 1S extending the full height of the scraper blade and coupled to the endless chain 13. t its outer end, or the end remote from the chain 13, said rib has an extension or projection 19, beyond the edge of the scraper blade. The endless conveyer passes through a longitudinally extending trough or housing 20 somewhat U-shape in cross section and provided with a bottom 21 through which a central groove 22 entends as a path and guideway for the projections or guide lugs 19 of the scraper blades in their working passage.

The trough is also provided with a continuous, centrally slotted sheet metal guide plate 23, near the top for the upper [iight of the conveyor, and intermediate diagonal, 'vertical and horizontal brace straps of metal form a lattice work as 24 for reinforcing the trough and maintaining it in working` position. The conveyer trough is thus fashioned as a strong, durable, and comparatively light, metallic structure that may with facility be moved from position of Figure tothe working position of Figure 9, by utilization of the de 1ricks 'l1 and their hoisting tackle.

When in working position of Figures 8 und i), the conveyor is suspended and sup'- ported at the side of the car, designa-ted as a whole by the numeral A series of U- shape stirrups 26 are utilized to suspend the conveyer, and these stirrups'are distributed or spaced at regular intervals. say 3 feet, along the side of the car as holders for the trough. The stirrups are all hinged to the car, and each is fashioned with a forked orV bifurcated head 27 that is perforated, and

adapted to straddle a guide beam 28. Each stirrup has a complementary guide beam, extending transversely of the cai' and alliccd thereto in suitable manner, and the guide beam'is fashioned with a longitudinally extending slot, which is disposed transversely of the car, and designated 29. l-linge pins 30 are passed through the bifurcated and perforated heads 27 and the slotted beams and Cotter pins or retaining pins 3l are used for holding the pins in place. @ne or more of the stirrups may be supplied with eye bolts 82 to which hooks of the hoisting tackle may be applied, and the cranes or derricks 11, 11, may be used for manipulating the conveyor. By use of the crane the .stirrups with their pins in the slots 29 may be slid horizontally and transversely of the carin position of Figure 2, and when the pins reach the ends of the slotted beams 28, the stirrups which now lll suspend the conveyor, swing over and downwardly into position of Figures 8 and 9, and the conveyor is thus suspended in working position.

The conveyor is also supported in working position by a series of spaced, independent brackets, loc-ated below the conveyor, and indicated by the numeral rlfhese brackets are foldable, and when not in use may be turned around parallel with the side of the car for transportation purposes and to remove any obstructions from the side ofthe car. Each bracket 33 is provided with a hinge sleeve for the hinge bolt or pin 35 which is supported on and in the spaced eye members 36 afiiXed to the car side. A suitable number of the foldable brackets are -provided beneath the conveyer, which receive the weight of the conveyer when lowered to working position, and relieve the stirrups of the strain of the entire load, thus distributing the weight between the suspending stirrups and the supporting brackets. When not in use the brackets are folded or turned around on their hinge pins parallel with the car side, and if necessary devices may be utilized for holding t-he brackets close to the car wall.

Each of the endless conveyers is actuated by movement of the loading car1 andthey may be operated either singly or in pair from a driving sprocket wheel 37 on one of the car axles as 38. A clutch device 39 is provided on the axle by means of which the driving mechanism may be connected and disconnected, and suitable operating means for the clutch will of course be provided. A driving` sprocket chain 40 passes around the driving sprocket 37 and over a driven sprocket wheel 4l on the power shaft The power shaft extends transversely of the car and is elevated above its deck with its journals in bearings 43 in a frame 44. Above the power shaft are two countershafts 45 and 46 for driving the right hand and left hand conveyors respectively, and these shafts are journaled in removable or universal bearings 47 in the frame 44. As' the main sprocket wheels and their shafts 45, 46, are foldable with the conveyor mecha-y nism. rlhe inner bearings 47 .for the shafts 45 have removable caps 47a and are provided with bushin es 47 b having trunnions 47 c in the bearing. The outer bearingr caps 47 are hinged, in order that, after these` caps are swung upwardly from the shafts and the caps 47aN removed, the shafts 45 and their respective sprocket wheels may be swung upwardly on the trunnions 47c as centers to bring` the sprocket wheels to inoperative position within the sides of the car. The conveyer may be disconnected from the sprocket wheels if necessary in such manner as is required to permit the swinging movement ofthe shafts.

The power shaft 42 has a pair of spaced,

Amain gears 48 revoluble therewith, and

these gears engagey pinions 49 forming members of clutch devices 50, 50 on the respective shafts 45, 46. rlhe clutch mechanisms 50 are provided with usual operating levers to throw them into and out of engagement in order that the short shafts may be revolved from the power shaft, and thus, in addition to the main clutch 39 on the axle 38, 'either of these two clutches 50 may be utilized, or both may be used to render the conveyers operative.

rlfhe conveyer extends alongside the car in an elevated position, and the elevator 8 declines from the forward end, where it is jointed to the conveyer by hinge joints 51 and52, which may readily be connected or disconnected for assembling the parts or for dismantling' the equipment. And the elevator" 8 through which the endless conveyor pas-ses is made flexible by the use of metal straps 53 with loose pivot joints 54 in order that it may be adapted with facility and maintained in proper working position for guid- .ing the endless conveyor. These metal suspension straps connect the upper portion of the elevator with the lower trough portion 55 to form a stable support for the traveling mechanism of the conveyer.

At the lower or front end of the declining elevator 8 a shaft 56 .is transversely disposed and journaled therein for the guide sprocket wheel 15 of the chain 13, and near the 'ends of this shaft guide wheels 57 may be used to guide t ie blades of the conveyer as they pass around the shaft and scrape up the material from the bottom of the hopper 7.

The material of course is gathered at the front open end of the scoop` and at its rear end the scoopl has a. pair of side wings 58, vertically disposed, to close the lateral opening and make connection between the rear end of the scoop and its hoppen thus preventingloss of material. hinge joint 59 is provided in the bottom of the scoop at rear endbetween the scoop and the connection 58 to the hopper5y in order that the workingl or forward end of the scoop may be elevated or lowered with relation to the Aaround surface for gathering the material.

The scoop isof lll-shape with an inclined bottom and is suspended from a set of suspending rods 60 located preferably at its four corners, and at their lower ends these rods are pivoted at 6l to the lower portion of the scoop, The suspending rods are vertically disposed and supported in brackets 62 through which the upper threaded ends of these rods pass7 and the threaded enos of the rods are equipped with hand wheels 63 by means of which the respective suspending rods may be raised or lowered. Thus by manipulating` the hand wheels the elevator7 hopper, and scoop may be adjusted7 and the -the ditchingVV car and after the loading mechanism hasv been detached therefrom, theV traine may be turned up over the side of the flat car 3.

At 66 in .Figure 4 a perforatedv lug is shown on the hopper 7 to which the hoisting -tackle of one ofthe cranes 12 be connected for raising or lowering the loading mechanism, and this tackle remains inplace to support the elevator and scoop while the equipment is working.

The material is carried to the rear by the angularly disposed scraper blades passing through the conveyer trough, and the action of the blades results in scraping or shoving theV material through an opening in the side of the car, where it is deposited in the bottom of the dirt car. This car may have the usual inclined bottom sections, and dump the material through open doorways at the sidesl of the car, or any other suitable type of dirt car may be utilized.

One or more of the dirt cars may be used to convey the material, and in such case the conveyers are connected between the cars to form a continuous conveyer from end to end of the train. As many cars may be loaded as the engine can pull, the last car, as the car designatedrl, being Vequipped with the driving mechanism for the conveyer. while the irst car of the train is provided with the scoop and elevator portion of the conveyer. lhile the plowing device which precedes the loading conveyer is shown herein as the subject matter of a co-pending application for Patent Ser. No. 568,102, iiled June 14, 1922, it will be understood that any suitable type of plowing or ditching' inachine may be used ahead of the loadingV cars, and in this manner Ythe ditch may be formed, the plowed material gathered, and

` loaded on the dirt train with practically one operation as the locomotive pulls the train ahead.

After the ditching and loading operations have been completed, the bearings for the shafts 45 and 46 may be released, the scoop and elevator disconnected from the conveyer after removal of bolts 51 and 52, and disconnection of the required links in the upper and lower flights of the chain conveyer and stowed away on the ditching` car 3 by meansof derrick 12, and then `the conveyer at the side of the car is swung onits hinge joints at27, to horizontal position, and slid inboard to clear the side of thecar as in Figure 2. Y

The cranes or davits 11 are of course removable and may be dismantled and stowedV the dirt car within the required dimensions forrailway traiic.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ,is:-

l. The combination in a railway car loading equipment with a hinged, foldable trough and endless conveyer, of a detachable elevator at the front end of said trough, and an adjustable scoop at the front end of said elevator.v j

2. The combination in a railway car loading equipment with a longitudinally extending, hinged conveyer trough and an endless conveyer therein, driving mechanism car-.`

ried by the car and actuated from an axle thereof, an elevator at the front end of the conveyer trough, and a scoop at the front of the elevator.

3. The combination in a railway ditching 4. In a railway ditching train the com-bination with a ditching `car and a loading` n car, or a hinged conveyer trough carried by the loading car, detachable elevator connected at the forward end of the trough between the two cars, an endless conveyer in said trough and elevator and driving mechanism for said endless conveyer actuated by movement of the loadingcar, a hinged scoop at the forward end of the elevator, and adjustable means on said ditching car for supporting said scoop.

5. The combination in a railway loading car with a side conveyer trough and conveyer mechanism therein, of spaced suspending stirrups each .having a hinged and sliding connection with the car, means for disconnecting the conveyer mechanism., land means for swinging the stirrups and trough y upwardly and over the car to'inoperative position. i

G. The combination in a'railway loading car with a side conveyer trough, of spaced U-shaped suspending stiri'ups each iaving hinged and sliding connection with the car, and means for swinging said stirrups and trough upward vand over the car to inoperative position.

7. The combina-tion in a railway loading car having slotted, transversely disposed guide plates, of a side conveyer trough, U-

shaped suspending stirrups for said trough having hinged sliding connection with said guide plates, and means for swinging said stirrups and trough upward and over 'the car to inoperative position.

8. The combination in a railway loading car having transversely disposed, slotted guide plates, of a side oonveyer trough, .foldable brackets attached to the car heneath the trough, suspending stirrups for said trough, hinged-sliding connections between said stirrups and guide plates, and means for swinging said stirrups and trough upward and over the car to inoperative 10 position.

9. rlhe combination with a railway loading car, of a hinged and oldahle conveyer trough at the side of the car, an endless conveyer in said trough including angularly disposed scraper blades 'for passing material into the car, and means on said blades coacting with the trough for guiding said endless conveyer.

ln testimony whereof l have aixed my signature.

JOHN H. JOHNSON.

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