US2281581A - Dining car - Google Patents

Description

R. H. HORTON May 5, 1942.

DINING CAR Filed March 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR' Reizbenff HOI'ZOTI/ BY %4; 2%

ATTORNEY- DINING GAR Filed March 28, 1940 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 BMW .MN M.

INVENTOR Reubehfifforiom ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1942 irso TES Phi? Pi DINING CAR Reuben H. Horton, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company,

Philadelphia, Vania Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to vehicles.

More specifically, it relates to dining cars and the like for accommodating and serving a relatively large number of passengers at one time, extra capacity being provided by a particular arrangement of the available space within the said vehicle, namely, arranging the equipment at difierent levels, by providing two decks.

In a preferred form of the invention, the car has at each end a floor placed slightly above the tops of the wheel trucks, and between these end section the car is increased in vertical extent, by providing a depressed floor at as low a level as may be safely accommodated over the rails, and a raised roof, thus forming a central section which may be divided horizontally into two decks, the lower of which preferably accommodates the kitchen and its appurtenances, while the upper deck is provided with tables and seats, communication being established between the two decks by a dumb waiter, whereby the dishes may be conveyed up and down as required.

In a modified form, the upper deck may be furnished with counters running along the sides of the car, with seats adjacent thereto. In either form, a serving counter will preferably surround the dumb waiter and the patrons may be served therefrom by waiters, or may serve themselves, according to the system in use.

In both forms of the car the end sections, which are located above the trucks, also provide space which may accommodate tables and seats of various kinds for any desired serving of" food and/or beverages.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out particularly in the present specification, while still others will be self-evident from the disclosures.

In order to make the invention clear, it will be described herein as embodied in two specific examples, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a diner, partly broken away and in vertical longitudinal section at one end, to show the arrangement of the equipment;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional plan view of the diner, the section being made on the plane indicated by the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a further diagrammatic sectional plan view thereof at a lower level, the section being made on the planes indicated by the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional plan view showing a modified form of car equipment, the

section being made on a plane corresponding to' that indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional plan view of said modified form, the section being made on planes corresponding to those indicated by the broken line 33 of Fig. 1.

In all the figures, similar elements are designated by corresponding reference characters, and it will be observed also that the difference between the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and that shown in Figs. 4 and 5 resides solely in the arrangement of the equipment within the car, the structural features of the car itself being substantially identical in both forms.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a railway car I mounted on the wheel trucks 2 and having at each end what will be called an intermediate or mezzanine floor 3, which is at a level sufiicient to clear the tops of the wheel trucks 2, and which constitutes a floor level corresponding to the conventional railway car floor, so that when the diner is placed in a train this fioor will be on the same level with those of the adjacent standard cars.

Between the wheel trucks 2 is the central section of the car, which has a depressed floor 4 at a level considerably below that of the said mezzanine floors 3. .It will be noted that the car has a roof 5 considerably higher than that of a standard car, the reasonfor this increased height being to make it possible to provide a horizontal ceiling 6 for the lower deck, having the floor 4, said ceiling 8 also serving as a floor for the upper deck, which extends substantially to the roof 5.

The lower deck in the central-section is designed to accommodate solely the kitchen and associated equipment for the storage and preparation of food and for the storage and cleaning of the linen and tableware. This kitchen equipment is not disclosed, inasmuch as it is preferably of the conventional type. It is accommodated in the space I, having the doors 8 and windows 8 as illustrated.

In order to transport dishes and food from the kitchen to the section Ill located immediately above the same, preferably dumb waiters H are provided as indiated in Fig. 2. At each side of the dumb waiter shafts, may be located the exhaust flues l2 and I3, to provide ventilation for the kitchen and adjacent the exhaust flue l2 there may be a smoke stack I for the cooking stoves used in the kitchen.

A counter or bar 15 may be disposed as shown, approximately in the center of the upper deck,

and preferably its ends will be bent as illustrated.

Lockers l6 may be placed between the ends of the bar l and the adjacent flues l3 and M.

Four small tables I! are arranged adjacent the counter l5 as shown, each of these tables having two seats l8 adjacent thereto. The tables I! are made small solely to prevent undue obstruction of the passage between the bar I5 and the other side of the car. Other tables 49 which are larger than tables I! and which may be considered as standard or full-sized tables, are also provided, each table it having four seats l8 adjacent thereto. In the particular embodiment illustrated the upper deck accommodates eight standard tables and four small tables, thus seating a total of forty patrons.

Additional standard tables l9 are accommodated on the mezzanine floors, four such tables being shown at each end of the car, thus adding thirty-two more seats, and giving a grand total of seventy-two seats for the entire car. Economy is attained here by reason of the fact that substantially the entire horizontal sectional area of the car is available for tables and seats, since the kitchen does not encroach upon the dining space, as it is placed on the lower deck.

Communication is provided between the various floor levels by means of stairways 28 and 2 Suitable windows 9 and 22 may be provided as indicated. Wherever small spaces are available which are not sufiioiently large to accommodate tables and seats for patrons, lockers or the like may be placed, as indicated at 23, 24, 25 and 26, so that all the available space is utilized to good advantage.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, long counters 21 may be provided along the sides of the central section and seats 28 may be arranged in rows in front of said counters. While the seats l8 are preferably independently movable chairs, it may be advantageous to provide stools permanently secured to the car floor as the seats 28, so as to preserve the proper spacing and alinement of such seats, which would be more difficult with a long counter such as 21 than with a relatively small table, adjacent to which chairs will automatically be arranged in proper positions by the users.

While it would be possible to make the end sections in Figs. 4 and 5 identical with those shown in Figs. 1 to 3, that is, to provide four standard tables such as l9 with their accompanying seats E8 in each such end section, variations are here shown wherein at the right hand end permanent or fixed counters 29 are provided, each having a two-person seat 30 on each side thereof. A further variation is indicated at the left hand end of the car, where fixed oval tables 3|, here six in number, are arranged at a convenient spacing in front of continuous or lounge seats 32, extending along the sides of the car. The lockers 23, 24 and 25 are substantially the same in position and size as in the Fig. 2 form, but a slightly longer locker 33 takes the place of locker 26.

It will be noted that in Figs. 4 and 5 there are thirty-two seats of the 28 type, eight seats of the 30 type and also the two lounges, 32. The total seating capacity thus is 62 patrons in this form, somewhat less than in the Figs. 1 to 3 form.

The first form is particularly suitable for service as a standard diner, while the form disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5 is perhaps better adapted to the serving of beverages and/ or light meals.

The operation of the invention is clear from the structures disclosed, and may be summarized briefly as follows:

The diner is entrained with other cars in the usual way when needed, and afiords communication with the rest of the train through either end thereof, in the customary way. There is a long central aisle extending the entire length of the dining car, and having the steps 21 interposed therein, to give access to the upper deck. The prepared foods are brought to the upper deck through the dumb waiters H, and an attendant standing behind the counter l5 will place them on said counter, in readiness for the waiters to distribute them to the various tables, or in readiness for the patrons themselves to take to their own tables, if this style of service is employed. The used tableware will be returned to the counter l5, and thence to the kitchen by means of the dumb waiters.

In Figs. 4 and 5 form the food and beverages will likewise be brought to the upper deck by means of the dumb waiters H, and placed on the counter or bar 15 by the attendant, so that the patrons may either serve themselves or be served by waiters, according to which particular system is employed. It will be noted that the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is somewhat more informal than that shown in the other form.

While the second form is intended primarily for serving light meals and beverages, particularly for self-service, it is not necessarily restricted to such purpose, but may be used equally well for any other kind of foods and service.

Having disclosed two forms which the invention may assume and which at present are believed to be preferred forms, it should be clearly understood that the invention is capable of numerous other embodiments which may subsequently be found desirable, and that therefore the invention is not to be restricted to the specific details disclosed. For an understanding of the scope of the invention, attention therefore is directed solely to the following claims.

I claim:

1. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, means of access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, and a centrally located elevator providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks.

2. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, means of access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, a centrally located elevator providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks, and accommodations for patrons in the single-deck end portions.

3. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, means providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, a centrally located elevator providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks, and a serving counter on the upper deck adjacent said elevator.

4. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, means providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, a centrally located elevator providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks and a counter on the upper deck extending longitudinally of the car, and adjacent the elevator.

5. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairways providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, and centrally located dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks, the said accommodations consisting of a series of tables located along each side of the car, and chairs for the same.

6. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairways providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, accommodations for patrons on its upper deck and in each single-deck end portion, and a centrally located dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks in the central portion, said accommodations for patrons on the upper deck and in the single-deck end portions comprising tables and chairs arranged along both sides of the car.

7. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairs providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, a dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between the two decks of the central portion, a centrally located serving counter on the upper deck adjacent said dumb waiter, and a plurality of tables and chairs along each side of the car on the upper deck and in each single-deck end portion.

8. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, means providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, a centrally located elevator providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks, an enclosure defining a service area and separating the upper end of said elevator from the remainder of the upper deck, said enclosure comprising a serving counter on the upper deck extending longitudinally of the car, adjacent the elevator.

9. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairways providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, and accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, consisting of a long counter at each side of the central portion, with seats adjacent thereto, and a centrally located dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks.

1o. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairways providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, counter accommodations for patrons on its upper deck, tables and seats in at least one of the single-deck end portions, and a centrally located dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between said two decks in the central portion.

11. A dining car having a single-deck portion at each end and a double-deck central portion therebetween, stairs providing access between said portions, said central portion having a kitchen on its lower deck, a dumb waiter providing transportation for food and tableware between the two decks of the central portion, an enclosure including a serving counter on the upper deck, said enclosure surrounding said dumb waiter, a counter at each side of the central portion extending lengthwise of the car, beyond said enclosure, and seats for patrons adjacent said counter.

REUBEN H. HORTON.

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