US1487814A - Platform support for railway cars - Google Patents

Description

Mach 25 i924.`

L. F. SEELAR RM SUPPORT FOR RMLWAY CARS Patented ar. 25, 1924.

htt'lld law LUTHER F. SEELAR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ST. LOUIS CAR COMPANY, l0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOUR, A. CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

PLATFORM SUPPORT FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed August 11, 1923. Serial No. 656,771.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LUTHER F. SEELAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Platform Supports for Railway Cars, of which the following is a speci- Afication.

This invention relates to railway cars, and more particularly to a side sill or sill ex# tension for the platform at the end of a car.

The side sill extension on which the car platform is mounted is generally referred to as a platform knee.

As the platforms are generally on a different plane from the car body floor, it is necessary to deflect this knee downwardly and as a rule inwardly at the same time. The usual method of constructing a platform knee for trolly cars is to employ a large structural angle which is bent into the proper shape and reenforced at the bend by flat bars.

Another method of forming platform knees is to employ a heavy structural channel of the type generally known as a ship channel, bendedv into shape, and reenforce the web of the channel with flat plates.

The necessity of bending the metal to the desired shape and then reenforcing it calls for a large amount of labor in the construction of these articles.

In order to simplify the construction and obtain the desired results with the minimum of labor and material, l form a cast steel knee of the desired shape in which the parts are proportioned to resist direct load and torsional strains. The knee is further constructed so that it increases in strength with increase of Stress, and the labor of fabrication and attachment to the car is reduced to a minimum.

In the accompanying drawings, l have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of the frame of a car body,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the platform knee,

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on line 4 4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a similar view on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral l designates the side sills of a car body which are arranged over the truck and connected at intervals by transverse members 2. The end of the car body is rounded and is provided with an end sill 3 shaped to fit under the platform. As shown, the side sills terminate inwardly on the ends of the car and a platform knee or side sill extension et is arranged between the end sill and the side sills of the car. This knee is formed of cast steel and is shaped to t the car body to which it is attached. As shown, the inner end 5 extends at an angle to the body portion and is deflected upwardly, the door of the car body being elevated above the platform of the car. The outer end of the knee is provided with a flat face 6 for the attachment of the bumper. Adjacent the outer end, the knee is provided for the dat portion 7 adapted to form a support for the crown of the trolly car. The upper face beyond this portion is substantially flat as at 8, and side walls 9 extend downwardly there from. The lower face 10 extends at an angle to the upper face, increasing the cross sectional area of the knee toward the center at the point where the greatest strength is required Adjacent the bend connecting the offset portion 5 to the main portion 4 of the knee, there is provided a transverse web l1, furnishing a reenforcement. Rearwardly of this web, the sides are extended upwardly, as indicated at l2, above the top and these extensions continue to a point beyond the bend. The extensions are provided with flattened upper portions 13, forming a substantially T-shaped cross section at the point of the bend, adapted to receive the adjacent transverse sill 2, arranged at the junction of the car body and the platform. As shown, the web l1 extends slightly above the horizontal portions 13, forming a lip 14: against which the side of the sill rests. The inner end of the knee is provided with an extended flattened face l5 to which the side sill l of the car is secured.

The advantages of this device will be ap parent to one skilled in the art. By providing a cast steel knee, the labor incident to the construction of platform knees is reduced to a minimum. The knee may be cast the proper size for a given type of street car body with the rear end 5 deiiecting the proper distance both horizontally and vertically and readily placed in position by merely fastending the end sill to the extension 13 of the knee and the side sill to the flattened face 15 by means of bolts, rivets or the like. The increase in the cross sectional area. of the sill intermediate its ends provides the necessary support at the desired point to resist the increased stress and the web 11 and extensions 12 reenforce the knee at the point of the bend, eliminating the necessity of attaching separate pla-tes When the device is assembled.

It is to be understood that the forml of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrange-ment of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A cast knee for car platforms compris ing a body portion having one end extending at an angle thereto, and integral reenforcing means adjacent the junction of the body portion and said end.

2. A cast knee for car platforms comprising a body portion having one end extending at an angle thereto, and integral reen'forcing means adjacent the junction of the body portion and said end, the cross sectional area of said body portion increasing toward the center thereof.

3. A cast knee for car platforms comprising a body portion having its outer end rounded to permit it to Vbe secured to the bumper sill of the car, said body portion beingertended at an angle at a pointadjacent the center thereof, and integral reenforcing means formed on said body portion adjacent said angle.

4. cast knee for car platforms comprisinga body portion having a rounded outer end adapted to be secured to the bumper sill of a car and a flattened portion formed on the inner end adapted to be secured to the side sill, said. body portion increasing in cross sectional area intermediate. its ends.

5. ."t cast knee for car platforms comprising a body portion having one end arranged at an angle thereto, a transverse web formed on said body portion adjacent the junction of said end, and extensions formed on said body portion and extending longitudinally thereof at the junction of said body portion and end.

In testimony whereof, I aifix my signature y in the presence of two Witnesses.

LUTHER. F. SEELAR.

Witnesses:

C. E. BLEIKAMB, WM. F. SGHWEIKERT.

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