US1958945A

US1958945A - Railway car door

Info

Publication number: US1958945A
Application number: US603605A
Authority: US
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1932-04-06
Filing date: 1932-04-06
Publication date: 1934-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1951-05-15

Description

Snnentor Cittornegs RAILWAY CAR DOOR Original Filed April 6, 1932 May 15, 1934.

2 P z a1 F m an inward movement.

Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT RAILWAY CAR DOOR Foss, deceased Application April 6, 1932, Serial No. 603,605 Renewed April 10, 1934 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway car doors, and has for an object to provide an improved car door and hanger, whereby the door may be easily moved. into and out of a closed position, and when closed, will be lodged in an efiectively tight engagement so as to prevent sparks, dust, rain, etc., from gaining entrance into the interior of the car.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an improved track and hanger arrangement for doors which will largely eliminate friction and the force necessary to shift the door along the car.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a novel form of door hanger in which the door will be first moved outwardly from its snug engagement flush within a countersunk door frame of the car, and thence may be easily slid along the car to expose the door opening for loading and unloading of the car.

With the foregoingand other objects in View, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and. will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the railway freight car showing the improved door in the closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 also in Figure 1, and

Figure i is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 in Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing 5 designates generally a railway car having in the side thereof the usual door opening 6 for the loading and unloading of the car.

In accordance with the invention a countersunk door frame 7 is made extending all about the opening 6 with a shoulder 8 against which the car door 9 is forced in closing the door by This

countersunk door frame

7, 8 extends along the top of the door as shown in Figure 2 and along both sides of the door as shown in Figure 4 and along the bottom of the door as indicated in Figure 2. The wall '7 and the edges of the door as to the top and sides are preferably made on a slight bevel or inclination in order that the door may have a snug lit in the door frame.

The door is supported preferably by a single the line hanger from an overhead track preferably of metal and including a central track or web portion 10 having an inner upstanding flange 11 secured by bolts or other fastenings 12 to the side of the car 5; and having further an outer downwardly projecting flange 13 which is spaced from and parallel to the side wall of the car.

The door receives its support preferably from a single central hanger bracket which consists of a plate 14 bolted, riveted or otherwise secured to the outer wall of the door 9 adjacent its central portion. This plate 14 overlies a reinforcing strip 15 of metal or other suitable material which is disposed along the upper exterior edge of the door 9. At its upper end the plate 14 is flanged outwardly at 16 upwardly at 17 and again inwardly at 18, thus forming an offset overhead support carrying at its upper part a bearing socket 19 for a ball or roller bearing 20, which rests and rolls upon the rail web 10 thus supporting the car door 9.

At the upper corners of the door are brackets 21, riveted, bolted or otherwise secured in place and carrying sockets 22 at the upper ends thereof in which are placed ball or roller bearings 23 bearing against the under surface or the rail web 10.

The reinforcing plate or strip 24 is efiixedalong the lower outer edge of the door. At the central lower portion of the door opening is a socket 25 which extends up within the lower edge of the door 9 and opens outwardly. In this socket is a releasing pin or member 26 engaging back of the lower edge of the door and adapted to swing outwardly for loosening the door or forcing the same outwardly.

The pin 26 may be pivoted. or otherwise movably mounted, for instance as indicated at 27 and may have a tail piece or handle 28 projecting below the pivot point for manipulation of the releasing pin.

The door is provided with any desirable type of locking means. For instance pivoted latches 29 may be aflixed to the side of the car in order to cooperate with keepers 30 mounted upon the door. In the instance shown the keepers 30 may be pro-- vided with wedge shaped sockets 31 for receiving the lateral wedge bills or hooks 32 of the swinging catches whereby, when the catches are forced downwardly into the sockets 31 the door 9 will be forced home against the shoulder 8.

In the use of the device, the door may be dislodged from its closed position by use of the pin 26 at the central bottom of the door, the door being forced by the pin outwardly to the dotted line position indicated in Figure 2. In accom- .door both at top and bottom, I :ments for the upper and lower portions of the plishin'g this movement, the upper single supporting bearing 20 will roll outwardly upon the track web 10 but will be restrained from leaving the track by the arresting engagement of the brackets 21 with the downwardly extending flange 13 of the track rail.

After the door is moved to the outer position it may be slid along the rail, moving freely and easily by reason of the anti-friction bearings and by reason of the fact that the support is substantially centered in one central bearing 20, the end bearings 23 being more for the purpose of preventing the tilting or see-sawing of the door upon the central single support 20. When the door is moved back opposite the door opening 6, it will strike a stop 33 and it then may be pushed back inwardly within the

countersunk door frame

7, 8. The latches 29 may then be swung over and engaged with the wedge shaped sockets 31, whereupon the door will be tightly closed and latched. If desired a seal, indicated at 34 in Figure 1 may .be engaged through alined openings in the sockets 31 and catches 32.

.To install the device one ball bearing 23 is placed under the track rail 10, the door is pushed along until the center ball bearing hanger 20 rests on the top of the track 10; then the door is pushed along until the second ball bearing 23 comes beneath the track 10. Thereupon the door can be readily moved to its position at the center of the car.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the door will make an exceedingly tight fitting closure safe from dust, sparks, rain, etc. One or more locks may be provided for the door and these locks may be of any construction desired.

The improved door and its support may be easily installed on any cars new or old with little expense and it will eliminate to a large extent the damage caused by fire from sparks, and the damage caused by the elements, dust, rain, etc.

In order to assist in opening and closing the provide attachdoor. To an eye bolt or an eye or opening in the web 40, there is swivelly attached a ring 4l'formed on the upper end of a rod 42. This rod extends down to the lower portion of the door where it is fashioned into, or carries, a handle 43 spaced above a fixed handle or hand grip 44 along the lower portion of the door. The rod 42 may be held in fixed position against the door by a spring clip or some other suitable holding means Lidicated at 45.

At 46 is shown a guard attached to the door for limiting the outer movement of the door and also for guiding the longitudinal sliding motion of the door.

At 47 is represented a spring locking device to hold the door secure when left open transit.

When the door is to be moved into or out of the door opening, the handle 43 is grasped and pulled outwardly to disengage the rod 42 from the holder and to cause the rod 42 to swing about its ring 41 away from the door. ihe handle 43 is grasped in one hand and the hand grip 44 in the other hand and force is thus applied manually to push the door into the opening or pull it out of the opening, such force being applied at both the upper and lower portions of the door so as to cause the door to move evenly and snugly into and out of its opening.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:-

What is claimed is:

1. In a' railway freight car having a door opening, a track extending above and beyond the opening and consisting of a substantially horizontal web portion having upper and lower surfaces and a downwardly projecting flange at the outer edge of the web portion spaced from the side of the'car, a door for moving transversely into and out of the opening and longitudinally of the car, a single supporting bracket secured to a central portion of the car door and being offset about and above the track web, a hemispherical socket carried by the upper portion of said bracket, a spherical ball rotatably mounted in said socket and resting revolvably for both transverse and longitudinal movement on said web whereby to support the entire weight of the door at substantially one point, brackets secured at the upper corner portions of the door and extending up therefrom within said flange and adjacent theunder surface of said web, hemispherical sockets carried by said corner brackets, and spherical balls carried revolvably in said sockets and having both transverse and longitudinal movement beneath the under surface of said weband said corner brackets confined by said flange to prevent the disengagement of the upperweb-supporting ball from moving off the upper surface of the web.

2. In a railway freight car having a side door opening, a door supported on said car'for transverse movement into and out of the door opening and longitudinalmovement ofthe car, said car having a socket in its-lower portion underlying the lower edge of the door, the rear portion of the socket extending up a short distance within the inner edge of the door when fitted in said opening, a short pin pivoted horizontally to the carand having its upper portion above the pivot extending into said socket and swingable in a vertical plane therein, the upper end portion of the pin engaging in the portion of the socket lying above and behind the edge of the door, said pin having adownwardly: extending handle portion exposed below the body of the car for manual operation to force the door out of the door opening.

3. In a railway freight ca-rhaving a side door opening, a door supported to move in and out the opening in a transverse direction and also longitudinally of the car, a handle on the lower central portion of the door for pulling the door outwardlyof'the opening, an elongated rod pivoted to swing in a substantially vertical plane outwardly from the door, said rod being pivoted at its upper portion toan upper central portion of the n: add

door and having a handle at its lower portion 3 said handle and the lower portion of the rod.

EDMUND FOSS.