US2520916A - Toy puffing locomotive - Google Patents

Description

J. DASENBROCK ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented Sept. 5, 1950 TOY PUFFING LOCOMOTIVE John Dasenbrock, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., assignor to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application February 25, 1944, Serial No. 523,952

18 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus that may be incorporated in toy railway rolling stock such as a toy locomotive for producing either in conjunction with puffing sounds, or in the absence thereof, the emission of visible smoke-like fumes from the toy locomotive in realistic intermittent puffs so that the performance of the fumes so discharged shall simulate the familiar puffs of smoke and steam emitted from the Smoke stack of a real locomotive at each stroke of the power piston. Preferably the visible puffs of smoke and the accompanying puffing sounds shall not be limited to synchronous relation to the traction wheel speed of the toy locomotive. It is preferred however that the Visible smoke puffs shall be given off in substantially synchronous relation to the occurrence of the pufiing sounds as is the case in real railroading.

A further object is to provide apparatus for producing under both stopped and running conditions of a toy train puffing sounds along with the aforesaid visible puffs of fumes which apparatus shall be of such miniature size that substantially all of it may .be contained and concealed within the boiler casing and/or engineers cab of a toy locomotive fashioned in imitation of corresponding parts in a real steam locomotive.

A further object is to make use of a common source of operating power, that may be separate from the traction power which impels the locomotive, for producing'the pufling noises and for ejecting the smoke-like fumes.

In some forms of the invention it is an object to make us of the same pumping apparatus or elements thereof in common for producing both the pufling sounds and the visible puffs of fumes.

Another object is to draw smoke fumes through one course of conduit into the pump cylinder, or into a passageway for air and fumes having fluid communication therewith, and to discharge said smoke fumes out of the locomotive through a difierent course of conduit.

Another object is to cause fumes or vapor to be discharged from a locomotive stack in forceful puffs and also to cause smoke-like fumes to gently waft out of th locomotive in sufficient proximity to the forceful puffs of fumes or vapors to simulate the performance of mixed wafting smoke and forcefully pufling steam as emitted from the stack of a real locomotive.

A still further object is to supply mechanically separate motors for traction power and for power to operate the puffing apparatus with electric current from a common electrified track at variable voltages resulatable from a point of remote control by means of a variable transformer, rheostat, or the like so that like voltages impressed on both said motors may serve to run or accelerate one motor more speedily than the other depending upon the electrical characteristics inherent in the respective motors and the relative load conditions imposed thereon.

The foregoing and other objectives will appear in fuller particular in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which description has reference to the appended sheets of drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a toy locomotive incorporating the present improvements standing on a section of toy railroad track, the side wall of the hollow locomotive body being broken away to expose apparatus for producing smoke and sound effects.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the said apparatus taken partly in section on the horizontal planes 2-2 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is an endwise view taken partially in section on the vertical planes 3-3 in Fig. 1,1ooking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the fume generator and smoke wafting stack taken in section on the vertical plane 4-4 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken in longitudinal central vertical section through a portion of the sound producing apparatus.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein a single pump cylinder and a single pump plunger having two working faces takes the place of plural cylinders and pistons.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan View taken partly in section on the planes 1--l'l in Fig. 6.

As the present improvements concern principally the locomotive contained apparatus for producing sound and smoke effects, it will suffice to describe the wheeled body of the locomotive as composed of a chassis frame l0 having a pivotal front wheel truck II and a traction or power truck ll impelled along track 12 .by means of its driving wheels I3 which carry spur gears l4 respectively. Each of gears I4 is in mesh with a common idler gear IE on each side of the locomotive and idler gears I5 are fixed on a cross shaft l6 journaled in the same power truck structure ll that affords bearings for the axles i8 of the driving wheels l3. An electric traction motor l9 on power truck I! has an armature shaft 20 carrying at least one pinion 2| that drivingly meshes with at least one of the wheel gears l4.

In usual manner a current collector in the form of conductive roller 23 is resiliently mounted by means of leaf springs on a bed plate 26 of insulative material carried by power truck ll so that these rollers ride in conductive contact with the third or power rail 25 that is supported between and in insulated relation to the track rails 26 by conventional sleepers .21 or other suitable form of toy railroad track structure. An imitative steam cylinder 3!) depends fixedly from the chassis frame l9 and provides slide bearing for a piston rod 3| that is swingably coupled to one of the driving wheels l3 by means of a pitman 7 link 32. This set of moving parts may also include a swing plate 28, Valve rod 29 and wheel connecting link 22, imitative of valve gearlinkage etc., and duplicated on the farside of the locomo tive body in Fig. l. V The superstructure of the locomotive bodyfurther includes a hollow boiler casing 33 and retained one end of a connecting rod 55.

Link serves to impel back and forth simultaneously the piston rods and 5! which are rigidly-joined by a cross bar 52 made fast to the piston rods 50 and .5! by setscre'ws 53 and-54 respectively. Connecting rod $5 is pivotally connected to piston rod 5!) at 55.- Piston rod 55 extends into and operates a sounder pump 58 while piston rod 5! extends .into and operates a fume and/or vapor impulsing pump 59.

The sounder pump 53 is composed of a cylinder 60 rigidly mounted on chassis frame Iii. A cap Bl afiords slide bearing for piston rod 55 and closes the rear end of cylinder 6i! whilean outer cap 62 made rigid with cap Si by Weldingsoldering or otherwise afiords an outer slide bearing 64 for :piston rodEil. The opposite or forward end of cylinder 66 is closed fluidtight except for blow outlet 93 by a cover cap 63. Fixed to piston rod 5?! inside of cylinder 69 is a composite pump plunger or piston structure 6'5 :made up of a conventional hat leather 6! backed by a block 68 faced by washer 711 against which the central web of .hat leather 61 is firmly clamped by a retaining disc 69 of smaller diameter held by a nut 70 having threaded engagement with the front endof the piston rod.

The fume impelling pump 59 comprisesa cylinder- 1s rigidly supported in cab 36. The front end, of this cylinderis closed by a cap 15 that afiords slide bearing for piston rod 5|. The rear end of cylinder M is pneumatically sealed by a covercap 78.. Within cylinder M piston .rod 5! is made rigid with a composite pump piston ii composed of a conventional hat leather l8 backed by a round block 19 facedby washer 32 against whose flat face the central web portion of hat leather 18 is firmly clamped by a retaining disc held by nut Bl which has threaded engagement with the rear end of piston rod 55.

For producing intermittent sounds imitative of the puffing of real locomotive steam, pump cylinder 59 carries externally mounted thereon by means of at least one rigid support a horizontally elongated jet chamber 86 composed in part of a hollow elbow structure 86 the forward end of which opens upward through the top of boiler casing 33 when elongated by a vertical length of cylindrical tube 88. The rear end of jet chamber 86 is closely plugged by a bushing 89 containing the airfluctuating orifice 9B. Removably' supported on the rear projecting end of bushing 89 there is a totally closed horizontal resonance box 9! in the form of a horizonta1ly elongated cylindrical cap having a snug slip fit on bushing 89. For playing a jet of air derived from sounder pump 58 into sound producing relationship to'orifice 90, an L-shaped blow nozzle 92 has its lower" air receiving end tapped into the sound pumpcylinder 60 at 93 and has its tapering air discharge end directed toward and spaced from the lip of orifice 96 within the jet chamber 86. The opening through nozzle end B'lmaymeasure in the neighborhood of 65 across while orifice may :be about in diameter;

The 'beforementioned front or smoke waiting stack 35 of the locomotive may beformed by the projecting top end portion of a container of combustible substance such as pipe tobacco or fragments of punk as issbestshown in Fig. 4 Where such container takes the form of a vertical tube 9? covered at its top end by a cap;% containing lateral perforations '99. Tube 97 has its bottom end partially closed by a tobacco supporting screen or perforated fioor plate I89; Tube 97 is shown to be seated in a bowl I Bl or hollow cup-like structure whose walls may be-of refractory material and joined in'pneumatic sealed relationship'to tube '97 by cap ring 582. Air and/or fumes can therefore reach or leave'the bottom of combustible material 96 only through a length of 'conduit' I84 leading rearward and communicating with the interior of the fume pumping cylinder '14 at I65. Figs. 2 and 3 show that a further course of conduit Hi5: leads the pumped outfiuid contents of cylinder id upward and forward into the rear or pufiin-g stack34 of the locomotive. Combustion chamber 91, inclusive of tube 91', cap 99 and perforated floor W0, is removable as a unit from boiler casing 33 for emptying it of ashes and replenishing combustible material 96. For this purpose tube 91 may be made a snug slide =fit in cap ring H12 and free to slide in and out of the boiler casing to which bowl H8! is removablyjattached.

Electrical connections',;not' fully shown, are partly indicated by insulated electric wires H38, H99 in Fig. 3, the former of which leads current from one electrical terminal of each of motors 3i and Hi to the current collector 23 and the latter of which serves to groundv the opposite electrical terminal of each of said motors to the locomotive frame H] whence through trucks i? and wheels [3 circuit from'power rail 25 is completed through trackrail12.

In the operation :of the apparatus for producing combined audible and visible puffing effects herein described, it will be understood that whatever electrical potential is supplied to the As motor 19 has the relatively heavy burden of impellnig the locomotive with whatever train of rolling stock is hauled thereby while motor 3? has What may be' a relatively light duty This will enable the rapidity and forcefulnessof puffing sounds produced by the play of successive jets of air pumped through nozzle 81 by piston 66 upon the edge of sound orifice 9E! to be increased abruptly at will while the speed of locomotive travel only steadily and gradually picks up.

The piston IT of pump 59 performs its strokes in unison with the strokes of the sounder piston 66 and by moving from right to left in Fig. 1 sucks air inward of the smoke waiting stack 35 through its apertures 99 and down through the burning supply of tobacco or other combustible fuel in the combustion chamber or smoke repository 91 and on through conduit We toward the cylinder 74 at the same time that sounder piston 65 forces a jet of air out of nozzle 92 to produce an audible fricative sound simulating the momentary escape of steam under pressure. Upon the return stroke of pistons 65 and fl in unison air that has been impregnated by the fumes of smoke of the burning substances 9% in its travel toward or into cylinder i is forcibly puffed out of stack 35 through conduit i535. Fumes sucked toward pump 59 through conduit H14 may or may not reach that pump inasmuch as this conduit joins conduit I85 outside of such pump so that fumes from conduit to. may pass directly into conduit I95 and therethro-ugh to stack 34 without entering the pump.

As stacks 34 and 35 are so related that fumes or air or both discharged from stack 34 will be blown into and through hovering smoke or fumes that waft out of apertures 99, such wafting smoke or fumes will be upheaved momentarily by the vapor puffed out of stack 3 into successively rising billows of mixed smoke and air in realistic imitation of the visible puffing of a real steam locomotive.

While in the form of apparatus here shown, piston 11 may exert some blowing effect outward through stack 35 as well as through stack 3 the constriction afforded by apertures 99 will I at least dampen any puffing effect at stack 35 and entirely prevent any actual ashes or soot or ignited particles from being blown out of this wafting stack.

Referring now to the modified apparatus shown in Fig. 6, the sound producing parts comparable to those shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, are designated by similar reference numerals. But a condensed form of pumping apparatus, in which pump cylinder i4 is omitted, is incorporated in this modification for producing puffs of smoke-like fumes in conjunction with the puffing sounds.

In Fig. 6, cylinder head 6| provides the sole slide bearing for piston rod 58 and contains an orifice 94 at the rear which is connected with puffing stack 34 through a line of conduit in which is placed a check valve IE3! restricting all flow of air and/ or fumes through conduit iilii to a direction outward from cylinder (56 toward and through puffing stack 34. Intake of air through stack 34 by the suction of pump piston 56 is thus inhibited. Also in the modification ofv Fig. 6 conduit I84 leads into cylinder 68 and incorporates a check valve 498 which permits flow of air and/or fumes only in a direction away from the combustion chamber tube Q'Itoward and into cylinder 60 and inhibits flow of air or fumes in the opposite direction. Piston 66 is provided with parts like 6159; on its rear as well as on its front face.

In Fig. 6, each stroke of piston 56 toward the left not only produces the hereinbefore described puffing sound but simultaneously sucks smoke or smoke-like fumes from combustion chamber 91 downward through the burning substance 96 and through check valve I03 and conduit I04 into the pump cylinder 60' so that on the return stroke of piston 66 toward the right in Fig. 6 such smoke or fumes are forced out of cylinder 68 through a different orifice 94, tube I06 and check valve I0! into the puffing stack 34. Return to combustion chamber 9'! of fumes pumped out of cylinder 60' is prevented by check valve I03. Intake of air into cylinder 69 through conduit IE5 is prevented by check valve I01. Hence the fumes of combustion in chamber 91 can never be forced out of the apertures 99 of wafting stack by the action of pump 56 with the result that stack 34 alone will blow fumes through the smoke or fumes that buoyancy causes to waft from and hover above apertures 99 of stack 35. Such hovering smoke or fumes are thereby upheaved momentarily by fumes puffed forcefully out of stack 34 into successive rising billows of smoke in realistic imitation of the visible pufi ing of a real steam locomotive. The use of mechanically independent traction motor I9 and traction-free motor 31 enables motor 3'! to operate pump 58 while the locomotive is standing still on the track and may thus operate to imitate the panting noise produced by the air pump of a locomotive which is commonly heard in the train shed Of a railway station. Features of the sound producing apparatus disclosed herein are claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 523,953, filed February 25, 1944.

l he foregoing and other modifications will be suggested by the disclosure hereof to those skilled in the art wherefore the appended claims are intended tocover all equivalents of structure and arrangement herein disclosed which fairly come within their terms.

I claim:

1. In a combined sight and sound effect apparatus for incorporation in toy structures the combination of, a toy structure having a discharge outlet for pseudo engine exhaust, a producer of pneumatic puffing sounds including a fluid impulser, a repository supplied with smokelike fumes, and apparatus in said structure for causing fumes derived from said repository to depart from said discharge outlet including a course of conduit constructed and connected to lead fumes from said repository toward said fluid impulser and thence to said outlet.

-2. In a combined sight and sound effect apparatus for incorporation in toy structures the combination of, a toy structure having a discharge outlet for pseudo engine exhaust, a producer of pneumatic pufiing sounds including a fluid impulser, a repository supplied with smoke-like fumes, and apparatus in said structure for caus.

ing fumes derived from said repository to depart fromsaid, discharge outlet including a fluid impulser mechanically associated with the first said impulser together with a course of conduit constructed and connected to lead fumes from said repository toward said associated fluid impulse and thence to said outlet.

r 3.. Means for causing visible vapor 'havingxthe. appearance ofsteam and/or smoke to exhaust intermittently out of 'atoy locomotive in syn chronousrelation to the occurrence of intermittentsounds imitative of escaping steam, including the combination with said locomotive of, a mechanical piston-like reciprocator in saidlocomotive having oppositely directed vapor pump The combinationwith toy railway rollingstcck including a toy locomotive having an outlet.

for the. discharge of smoke-like fumes of,a.re-

pository carried by said rolling stock suppliedwithismoke-like fumes, a fluid motivating device, and apparatus carried by said rolling stock for causing fumes to fiovvz-from said repository and depart from saidlocomotive including a course of conduit constructed and arranged to lead fumes from said repository to said fluid motivating de-' vice and from the latter. to said locomotive out-' letrthrough a passageway separated from "said repository.

; The combination defined 'in claim 4, in

which the said course of conduit is so constructed that the said fumes in flowing therethrough from the said. repository to the said outlet .may or may not reach the said fluid motivating device.

"6, The. combination with toy train rolling stock including a toy locomotive of, a train carried sounder operative to fluctuate a flowing fluid in a manner to imitate steam pufiing sounds, .a train carried repository supplied with smoke-like fumes, and train carried pumping apparatus including common means operative to impel said flowing fluid and also to suck fumes toward said plunging-apparatus away from said repository and thence to discharge said fumesfrom'said' locomotive.

.7; The combination-defined incl-aim 6 in which the said pumping. apparatus includes at -least one 'pumpxcylinder and a :single reciprocative pump :piston' structure operatively arranged so that upon stroking in :one direction the said flowingfluirl .isimpelled and upon stroking in the same direction the said fumes are sucked away from the said repository.

8. A. toy fume wafting and puffing locomotive including in combination, a fume container, a

fume impulser, .a .fume' wafting stack pneumatically connected to receive fumes from said .container and disposed to permitsaid fumes to espe 'waftingly from said locomotive, and a puffing stack pneumatically connected to receive in-. termitt'ent forced streams of fumes from said im-.

pul'ser and disposed sufliciently close to said waf -ting stack to direct escaping puffs of: said fumes into and through said waiting fumes outside of said stacks.

9.- The combination with toy train rolling stock including a toy locomotive of, a train carried sounder operative to fluctuate. a flow of fluid a manner to imitate steam pumng sounds, a train carried conta ner of smoke-ime fmes, and train carried fluid pumping apparatus including a pump cylinder'and aunitary pump piston struc ture operatively arranged therein so that by stroking in one direction said flow of fluid is impelled and by stroking in the same direction fumes are sucked out of said container.

10. The combination defined in -claim 9, together with a fume wafting locomotive stack-and a vapor puffing locomotive stack both pneumatically connected with the said cylinder, wherein the said unitary pump piston structure i-s'operatively arranged insaid cylinder so that by stroking in the said one direction ambient air is sucked inward of said waiting stack through the said fume container into said cylinder and by stroking in the opposite direction mixed air and fumes are forced out or said puffing stack.

11. The combination defined in claim 9, together with a fume waiting locomotive stack and a vapor puffing'outlet both pneumatically'connected with the said cylinder, wherein the said unitary pump piston structure is operatively arranged in said cylinder so that by stroking in the said one direction ambientair is sucked inward ofLsaid waiting stack through the said fume container into said cylinder and by stroking in the opposite direction mixed air and fumes are forced out of said puffing stack, there being a check valve automatically operative to prevent passage of air from said piston structure to said puffing stack, and another check valve automatically operative to prevent passage of air from said puiiing stack to said piston structure.

12. The combination with toy train rolling stock including a toy locomotive of, a train carried sounder operative to fluctuate a flow of fluid in a manner to imitate steam puffing sounds, a train carried container of smoke-like fumes, and train .carried fluid pumping apparatus including a pump cylinder and a unitary pump piston structure 'operatively arranged therein so that by strokingin one direction said fiow of fluid is impelled-and by stroking in the opposite direction fumes are sucked out of said container.

13.. A toy fume waiting and vapor puffing locomotive including in combination, a fume container, a vapor impulser, a fume waiting stack pneumatically connected to receive fumes from said :containerand disposed to permit said fumes to escape waftingly from said locomotive, and a puffing stack pneumatically connected to receive in-temnittent forced streams of vapor from said impulser and disposed sufficiently close to said wafting stack'to direct escaping puffs of said vapor into and through said waiting fumes outsideof said stacks.

li-Mieans forcausing fumes having the appearance of steam and/or smoke to exhaust intermittently out of a toy locomotive in synchronous relationto the occurrence of intermittent noises having the sound of pufiing steam, including the combination of, air pumping apparatus including a pump cylinder and a piston-like reciprocator therein having oppositely directed air pumping faces, a pneumatic sounder in said toy locomotive, an outlet for vapor and fumes in said 'toy locomotive, a passageway to said sounder leading from said cylinder a flow of air pumped by-one face of said reciprocator, a second passageway leading to said cylinder a flow of air pumped by the other face of said reciprocator, a third passageway leading from said cylinder to said outlet a flow of air pumped by said other face of the'reciprocator, and means to impregnate with smoke like fumes the air ledthrough said SECOIld passageway.

15. The combination with a toy locomotive of, an electric motor carried by said locomotive operative to impel the same, a producer of pseudo steam puffing sounds carried by said locomotive including a pneumatic pump, a repository carried by said locomotive supplied with smoke-like fumes, fume impulsing apparatus carried by said locomotive including another pneumatic pump operative to incite fumes derived from said repository and to cause said fumes to depart from said locomotive in successive visible pufis, connections cooperatively associating said sound producer and said fume impulsing apparatus constructed and arranged to relate synchronously the occurrence of said visible puffs with the occurrence of said pufling sounds an electrical prime mover carried by said locomotive operatively connected to impel both of said pumps, and circuit connections arranged to transmit to said motor and to said prime mover sufficient energizing current to operate said motor and/or said prime mover at respectively independent speeds.

16. The combination with a toy locomotive of, an electric motor carried by said locomotive operative to impel the same, a producer of pseudo steam puffing sounds carried by said locomotive including a pneumatic pump, a repository carried by said locomotive supplied with smoke-like fumes, fume impulsing apparatus carried by said locomotive including another pneumatic pump operative to incite fumes derived from said repository and to cause said fumes to depart from said locomotive in successive visible puffs, connections cooperatively associating said pumps in a manner to synchronously relate the occurrence of said visible puifs with the occurrence of said pufling sounds an electrical prime mover carried by said locomotive operatively connected to impel both of said pumps, and circuit connections arranged to transmit to said motor and to said prime mover sufficient energizing current to operate said motor and/or said prime mover at respectively independent speeds.

17. A toy locomotive comprising a wheeled chassis carrying superimposed thereon a horizontally elongated casing fashioned externally to simulate a locomotive having a puffing outlet at the forward end thereof and an engineer's cab at the rear end, said chassis carrying at a higher level than its wheels and within said casing a horizontal series of puffing devices arranged in the following order, an electrically powered rotary crank within the cab end of said casing, a push-pull device connected to be reciprocated by said crank, a reciprocative pump operable by said device, and a chamber supplied with smoke-like fumes, together with passageways for said fumes affording fluid communication between said chamber and said pufiing outlet and between said pump and said chamber.

18. A toy locomotive comprising a wheeled chassis carrying superimposed thereon a horizontally elongated casing fashioned externally to simulate a locomotive having a puffing outlet at the forward end thereof and an engineers cab at the rear end, said chassis carrying at a higher level than its wheels and within said casing a horizontal series of pulling devices arranged in the following order, an electrically powered rotary crank within the cab end of said casing, a push-pull device connected to be reciprocated by said crank, a reciprocative pump operable by said device, a pump operated pneumatic sounder, and a chamber supplied with smoke-like fumes, together with passageways for said fumes affording fluid communication between said chamber and said pufiing outlet; and between said pump and said chamber.

JOHN DASENBROCK.

REFERENCES QITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,737,787 Dombrow Dec. 3, 1929 2,461,664 Smith Feb. 15, 1949

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