US2254470A - Locomotive door construction - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 2, 1941. M. P. BLOMBERG h LOCOMOTIVE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l SePt- 2, w41- M. P. BLOMBERG 2,254,470

LOCOMOTIVE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filved Aug. 2, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jmaentor www @za/my y Sept- 2, 1941- v M. P. BLOMBERG 2,254,470

LOCOMOTIVE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g- I 7 Bu l w I f t/V 9i ttomegs Patented Sept. 2, 1941 I Unire LCOM'VE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Martin l?. Blomberg, Hinsdale, Ill., assigner to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,711

(Cl. 10d- 2) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a door construction particularly adapted for use in the front end of locomotive bodies of the Diesel-electric type, such as are used in high-speed passenger service. Such bodies are -usually made of stream-lined shape to lessen wind resistance and to improve their appearance.

It sometimes becomes necessary to couple a car or another locomotive to the front end of a locomotive of this type, and when this is done,vit is desirable to provide an opening in the front end of the locomotive body to permit passage into such car or other locomotivev coupled thereto. Provision must be made however for closing such opening when it is not to be used.

It is an object of my invention to provide a movable door frame which may be mounted in such an opening in the front end of a locomotive body, in which frame a door is supported for swinging movement. Normally the frame is held in a position wherein it and the door supported in it will conform to the shape of the front end of the locomotive body, so as not to destroy the stream-lined characteristics or appearance of the front end of the body. However, when the locomotive is to have a car or another locomotive coupled thereto, the frame may be swung outwardly to a position wherein it and the door will lie relatively close to and parallel with the end of the other locomotive or car, and when the door is swung to open position, the sides and top of the frame will serve to form a passageway through which entry may be made into the body of the next car. Sealing means are provided to tightly close all of the clearance spaces between the door and the frame, and between the frame and the body when the frame isv in either of the two positions. l

Other objects and advantages willbe apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front end of a locomotive body, showing my improved door construction applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the front end of the body on the longitudinal center line thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vsectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken through the front end of the body on the longitudinal center line thereof, at the top of the door, showing the parts on a larger scale.

Fig. l5 is a sectional view somewhat similar to Fig. 4 but showing the parts in a diiierent position with respect to each other.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line iof Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig, 2.

The numeral l0 -designates the body of a locomotive of the Diesel-electric type, the front end I2 of which is rounded and sloped rearwardly as shown in Fig. l. A rectangular opening is formed in the iront end of the body, and a door frame designated generally by the numeral I4 is located in this opening, being pivotally connected at its lower end to the platform I6 of the locomotive by hinges I8.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the bottom part of this frame is constructed of a plate 2U having an upturned flange 22 formed on it, and a plate 24 provided with a downturned flange 25, said anges being welded together. Spacing said plates apart and welded to each of them is a member 28, which is set at an angle so that it will extend parallel with the front end I2 of the body when the door frame is in the position shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, which will be designated the open position. The plate 24 extends forwardly beyond the member 28 and has welded to its front end a face plate 30 which extends vertically when the frame is in the open position. A relatively narrow plate 32 is Welded to the face plate 30 and to the member 28 at a point above the lower edge of the latter.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the sides of the door frame are formed of U-shaped side member 36 which have face plates 38 welded to their front edges and members lil welded to their rear surfaces, there being obliquely extending anges 42 formed on the members 49. As shown in Fig. 2, the members are of triangular shape, being of greater width at 'their upper ends, the flanges d2 extending at an angle with respect to the side members 36, for a purpose to be presently described. The lower portions of the side members 3B are welded to the ends of the plates 20 and 24 which form the bottom of the door frame.

The top portion of the door frame structure is best shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, and consists of upper and lower plates 44 and 45 having a face plate 48 welded to their front edges and an angularly extending narrow plate 50 welded to their rear edges, there also being a U-shaped brace' member 52 welded to the upper and lower plates at the intermediate portion thereof. A member 54 having an upstanding angularly extending flange 56 formed on it is secured to the rear por- A door indicated generally by the numeral 60 is mounted in the frame I4 for swinging movement therein. As shown in Figs. 3 and 7, this door is formed of a rear plate 62, the side edges of which are bent forwardly as at 64, then inwardly to form shoulders 66 and then forwardly again to form flanges 68, to the edges of which are welded a front plate 'I0 which is tapered rearwardly from each side of the vertical center line to conform to the shape of the front end of the body. At the top and bottom of the door, L-shaped members 6I are welded to the front plate 'I0 and to forwardly extending flanges 69 formed on the rear plate 62, the members 61 providing shoulders 1I. The door is pivotally connected to the frame by hinges 'I2 which are Welded to the rearplate 62 and to the side members 36.

To close the necessary clearance spaces between the frame and the door when the latter is in closed position, a sealing strip composed of a core 'I4 of any suitable resilient material such as rubber encased in a rubberized fabric sheath 'I6 extends all around the Ainside of the door frame, being held in place by a strip 'I8 which issecured to the door frame by fastening devices 80. At the bottom of the door, this sealing strip is held in a groove formed between the plate 24 and a rearwardly extending flange 82 formed on the face plate 30, at the sides of the door it is held in grooves formed between the side members 36 and rearwardly extending flanges 84 formed on the face plates 38, and at theY top it is held `in a groove formed between the lower plate 46 and a rearwardly extending flange 86 formed on the face plate 48. As shown, when the door is in closed position, the shoulders 66 and 'II bear against this sealing strip, compressing it slightly so that an absolutely weathertight seal is provided al1 around the edges of the door. rIhe door is held in closed position in the frame by a latch 88 operable from the outside by a handle 90 and from the inside by a handle 92. When the door frame is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1 and the door is not to be opened, it. may be locked in that position by bolts 93 which are carried by the door and which are slidable into openings formed in the side member 36. Y

Under ordinary operating conditions, the door frame I4 is held in the closed position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the front end of the locomotive is to be coupled to a car or to another locomotive, the door frame.

is pulled out to the open position shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7. In this position, its front face extends vertically and will lie quite close to the end of the body of the other locomotive or car, and when the door 60 is opened the space between the members 40 will form a passageway leading from the interior of the locomotive body into the interior of the body of the car or other locomotive coupled thereto, permitting passage from one into the other.

As shown in Fig. 4, a member 94 having a downwardly and forwardly inclined ange 96 formed on it is secured to the rear surface of the front end I2 of the body at the top edge of the opening through which the door frame projects. A spacer 98 is attached to the ange 96, and clamped between this spacer and a supporting bar |00 are the edges of a rubberized fabric sheath |02 which encases a resilient core |04 formed of soft rubber or other suitable material. Clamped against the other side of the bar |00 by a strip |06 are the edges of a rubberized fabric sheath I 08 which encases another resilient core IIO. The assembly consisting of the strip |06, supporting bar |00 and the edges of the sheaths |02 and |08 is secured to the spacer 98 by fastening devices II2. The same type of sealing unit is provided around the bottom and side edges of the opening in the front end of the body, being secured to a spacer II4 which in turn is welded to the inner surface of the front end I2 of the body.

When the door frame is in closed position, as shown in Fig. 5, in which position it may be held by any suitable means, the upper edge of the face plate 48, which projects above the upper plate 44, will bear against the sheath |02 and will compress the resilient core |04 to form a weather-tight seal at this point. A batten strip II6 welded to the outer surface of the face plate 48I projects beyond the edge of the latter and bears against the front end I2 of the body, covering up the crack between the edges of the latter and the face plate 48 to improve the appearance. Similarly, at the sides of the door frame, the edges of the face plates 38 which project beyond the side members 36 Will bear against the sheaths |02 at each side and will compress the resilient c'ores I 04 to form a tight seal at these points, there being batten strips II"I welded to and projecting beyond the face plates 38. At the bottom of the door frame, when the latter is in closed position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, the portion of the yface plate 30 which projects below the plate 32 bears against the sheath |02 and compresses the resilient core |04 to form a tight seal at this point, there being a batten strip |I8 welded to the face plate, the

lower portion |20 of the strip being bent outwardly so that water running down they sloping outer face of the door and frame will be prevented from entering the clearance space between the bottom edge of the face plate 30 and the plate beneath it which forms a part of the front end I2 of the locomotive body.

When the door frame is in open position, as shown in Fig. 4, the upstanding flange 56 bears against the sheath I 08 and compresses the resilient core IIO between it and the supporting bar |00 to form a weather-tight seal, while at the sides of the door frame, as shown in Fig. 7, the flanges 42 bear against the sheath |08 and compress the core I I0, while at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower portion of the member 28 bears against the sheath |08 and compresses the core I I0 forming a tight. seal at these points.

From the above it Will be seen that I have provided a door construction for locomotives which may be moved to closed position when itis not to be used, and while in that position will conform generally to the shape of the front end of the locomotive. When the locomotive is to have a car or another locomotive coupled to its front end, the door and its frame may be pulled out to open position, wherein they will extend relatively close to the end of the car or other locomotive, and when the door is swung to vopen position in the frame, the side walls of the frame will form a passageway through which entry may be made to the car or other locomotive. In either position, the necessary clearance spaces between the frame and the front end of the body are tightly sealed to prevent the admission of water or air and likewise wh'en the door is held in closed position in the frame, the spaces -between it and the frame are tightly sealed for the same purpose.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. 'Ihe present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as merely illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening` formed in the front end thereof, a door frame movably supported in said opening, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially iiush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly frorn the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had t the interior of the body, and a door swingably mounted in said frame.

2. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the front end thereof, a door frame mounted in said opening and pivotally connected at its lower end to said body, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially flush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, and a door swingably mounted in said frame.

3. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the front end thereof, a door frame movably supported in said opening, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially fiush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior .of the body, means adapted to seal the clearance spaces between said frame and the edges of the opening, and a door swingably mounted in said frame.

4. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the front end thereof, a door frame mounted in said opening and pivotally connected at its lower end to said body, said frame having its outer surface .arranged to extend substantially ush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, a door swingably mounted in said frame, and a resilient sealing strip carried by said frame and adapted to'be engaged by said door when the latter is in closed position.

5. In combination with a locomotive bodyhaving an opening formed in the front end thereof, a door frame movably supported in said opening, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially iush with the front end of the body when in retracted position', and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, means adapted to seal the clearance spaces Ibetween said frame and the edges of the opening, a door swingably mounted in said frame, and means adapted to seal the clearance spaces between said frame and said door when the latter is in closed position.

6. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the front end thereof, a door frame supported in said opening and movable to two positions therein, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially flush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, means adapted to seal the clearance spaces between the edges of the opening and said frame when the latter is in either of the two positions, and a door swingably mounted in said frame.

7. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the front end thereof, sealing means secured to said body around the edge of said opening, a door frame supported in said opening and adapted to be moved to two positions therein, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially flush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure throughwhich ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, and inner and outer projecting surfaces formed on said frame, said inner projecting surface being adapted to contact said sealing means when the frame is in one position and said outer projecting surface being adapted to contact said sealing means when the frame is in the other position.

8. In combination with a locomotive body having an opening formed in the frontend thereof, a pair of sealing strips secured to said body around the edge of said opening, a door frame supported in said opening and adapted to be moved to two positions therein, said frame having its outer surface arranged to extend substantially flush with the front end of the body when in retracted position, and being adapted when moved to extended position to project outwardly from the body to form an enclosure through which ingress or egress may be had to the interior of the body, and inner and outer projecting surfaces formed on said frame, said inner projecting surface being adapted to contact one of said sealing strips when the frame is in one position and said outer projecting surface being adapted to contact the other of said sealing strips when the frame isv in the other position.

MARTIN P. BLOMBERG.

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