US2643617A

US2643617A - Passageway enclosure for railway passenger cars

Info

Publication number: US2643617A
Application number: US101354A
Authority: US
Inventors: Karl F Nystrom; Leonard L Lentz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-06-25
Filing date: 1949-06-25
Publication date: 1953-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1970-06-30

Description

June 30, 1953 K. F. NYSTROM ET AL PASSAGEWAY ENCLOSURE FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS I I llvw INVENTORS' M x. 41:...

Filed June 25, 1949 Patented June 30, I953 PASSAGEWAY" ENCLOSURE. FOR 'RA'ILWAY." I

' PASSENGER CARS;

Karl F; Nystrom, Nashotah, and Leonard-L. Lentz,

Milwaukee, Wis.

Application; June 25,,.19 9 .erial.;N- 101,354

Our invention relates to certain improvements in the enclosed passageway or rubber tunnel" between aligned cars of a passenger railroad train;

eol ims; (01. 105-15) from which cinders, dirt, snow and the like: will be excluded; that is to say, our present invention: involves improvements of the enclosure disclosed in our Patent Number 2,354,045, of July 18.1-94.4, and has for its object the provision of a simpler construction having increased strength afiording a non-yielding connection at the bottom of the,

2 shownin the formof channel strips, and, an inner metallic strip I].

The base of the, channel strip i is shown, with small vcorrugationsand the strip l'i is correspondingly corrugated to match the corrugations of strip it, as shown at [8 in sectional view Figure 4 to, effect non-slipping gripping relation with the marginal portion of the rubber tube iii; the two I strips being secured together by. a number of enclosure or tunnel with the car door frame there,

by ensuring a dirt and weather proof seal throughout the perimeter of the tunnel or enclosure ends; a structure which eliminates theneed; for independent Weatherstrips about the, perimeter of the enclosure ends; our improved structure also involves more secure fastening means which exerts greater power in drawing the ends of the enclosure into snug relation with the car end walls or door frames, obviating the necessity of employing special tools or separate means for stretching and fastening the enclosure in place.

Our invention contemplates a yieldable enclosure which maintains its contour and adapts;

itself to the swayings and relative angularmove-. ments of adjacent cars and provides a safe passageway between the platforms of adjacent, cars.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be readily comprehended from the following;

detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of parts of the face plate portions of the adjacent vestibules of two aligned cars, with our improved passageway enclosure arrangedin place; portions of the enclosure and of the vestibule frame members broken away and shown in section.

Figure 2 is a detail perspective-view of theupper; left hand corner of the enclosure and; adjacent portion of the face plate, illustrating the locking mechanism.

Figure 3 is a perspective, as viewed from the ex-. terior, of the lower corner of the enclosure and} adjacent portion of the car as shown in Figure 1, and disclosing the keeper or socket bracket;

for the lower corner of the enclosure.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional viewtaken onthe line 4-4 of Figure 1.

0urinvention relates to a continuous enclosure 01' tunnel, of rubber or other suitable fabric, for the passageway at the ends of aligned cars; the tunnel or tube id is formed to extend continuously about the top, the two sidesand' bottom to provide a dirt proof enclosure; the tube being of sufiicient length to permit it to extend in, more or less taut condition from car end, to car end of aligned cars.

The ends of the tube involve external metallic frames l5, which, for the purpose of strength, are

spacedflat headed machine. bolts as at 19, thereby firmly clamping the frames to the ends of the rubber, tunnel or tube. 7 7

Before. the frame, strips I6 and i? are secured together the ends of. the tube it are folded back upon themselves and the strips placed a short distance, removed from the end so as to provide the Weatherstrip forming loop portion 28. It will be understood that the frame members it; ill extend. entirely around the ends of'the tube or tunnel and the lower corners of the outer strip I 6; are each provided'with a laterally disposed extension or lug, as shown'at; 2 I which. extends, into an open-top socket 22 formed on the platform frame or passageway frame 23 of the car the rearwardly presented wall" of the socket 22 and the lug 2| having matching interengaging short slots.

The upperendofthe tunnel frame is provided with a pair of hand grasps or holds 24', 2:1 which are rigidly secured to the tunnel frame members 16" and 11', whereby the upper endof the tunnel may be stretched, or drawn taut, after one end of the tunnel" has been secured to the end of the adjacent car. The hand holds at, 2% which extend diagonally, as shown in Figure 1, also constitute keeper members for the hooks 25 (one at each side ofthe door frame) which are eccentrically pivoted on the hand levers 25 (only; one being visible in Figure 1) which are pivotally secured at one of the ends to the car door frame or-posts 23; The hand levers Zii-are' swung downward initially'to enable the hook to be swung into engagement with the hand hold 24-, as shown in Figure 2; the levers 28 are then moved upwardly in clockwise direction in Figure 2, thereby drawing the upper part of the tunnel toward the car door frame 23' into snug dirt sealing relation as shown in Figure 1; lever 25 being movedinto the vertical or substantially vertical position shown in Figure 1 thereby bringing the end ofthe tunnelintofirm weather sealing relation with the door or passageway frame at the end of" the car and eliminating-theneed for providing the passageway of'the car with specially formed shells to receive the. ends of'the tunnel.

The bottom of the tunnelior enclosure is supported by the usua1 foot-plates secured to the.

buffer channels 21; and the tunnel frame is pro 3 free marginal portion of plate 23 is shown bent downwardly to extend flush with the car platform and thereby cover the juncture between the end frame of the tunnel and the car platform.

Our improved tunnel or enclosure preferably is employed with railroad passenger cars whose ends are provided with the usual diaphragms, portions of which are shown in Figure l at 28, although its construction and operation is independent of the diaphragm.

In practice, the extensions or lugs 2! at the bottom of one end of the tunnel are first inserted into the sockets 22 and the top end of the tunnel then pressed against the upright door post 23 and the adjacent hooks 25 thrown into latching engagement with the hand-holds 2d and the levers 26 swung upwardly into the locking position shown in Figure 1, thereby clamping the perimeter of the tunnel end into firm relation with the car end post. This operation is repeated at the opposite end of the tunnel with the aligned car; the

upper part of the tunnel being pulled by means of the hand-holds 24 until the adjacent hooks 25 can be hooked over the; hand-holds; after whichthe corresponding levers 26 are swung upwardly as shown in Figure 1, ther by drawing the tunnel taut and in weather sealing relation with the stationary door posts by means of the continuous looped or folded portion 2% of the tunnel wall.

In the event a car is to be uncoupled from the train, the tunnel may quickly be released upon swinging the hand levers 2S downwardly as shown in Figure 2, releasing the hoolrs from the handholds and lifting the end of the tunnel and disengaging the extensions or lugs if from the sockets 22, which will permit the tunnel to the end of the other car.

With our present construction, as is apparent, the cutting of the fabric or rubber tunnel as to length is less critical than heretofore due to the fact that the ends are folded back as shown in Figure 4 and clamped together at a short distance removed from the folded edge so as to providethe protruding weat erstrip portion 23.

7 "We have described what we believe to be the simplest and best embodiment of the invention, but certain structural modifications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A passageway enclosure between aligned railway cars comprising, in combination with vertically disposed frame members at opposite sides of the passageway opening in the car or vestibule end wall of each ear and above thecar platform, and open top sockets adjacent the bottom of said members; a continuous elastic tube whose ends are folded back on themselves; a pair of continuous rectangular frame forming metallic strips, at each end of the tube provided with longitudinally arranged offset surfaces for gripping the folded ends of the tube therebetween, the lower outer corners of said metallic frame having outwardly disposed projections adapted to extend into said sockets on the car frame and thereby support the lower part of the tube in place, while the upper corners of said metallic frame and within the tube are provided with rigid hand-grasp forming braces, means whereby said frame members and intervening folded tube ends are rigidly secured together; crank-like levers pivotally sefold against,

cured at an end to a vertical face of said car frame members at opposite sides of the passageway; and a hook member eccentrically pivoted on said levers and adapt-ed to engage said braces whereby the tube upper ends are drawn into weather sealing relation with the car frame members and secured in snug relation therewith when said levers are swung vertically.

r v 2. A passageway enclosure between aligned railway cars provided with passageways at the ends outlined by flat faced frame members at the top and sides above the car platform and provided with sockets adjacent the bottoms of the side frame members open at the tops and one of the sides; a continuous flexible tube adapted to extend from car-end to car-end of adjacent cars, the ends of the tube being folded back upon itself; a pair of matching metallic strips secured to said folded ends of the tube inwardly of the immediate ends to enable the folds to constitute weather-strip providing portions at the tube ends, one of said strips being located within the tube adjacent its top with a diagonal brace formed to provide a hand-grasping portion for drawing the top of the tube against the car frame members, the other strip being located on the tube exterior and formedadjacent its bottom with laterally disposed protrusions or lugs adapted to seat in said sockets for holding the lower end of the tube in place; means whereby said strips and intervening tube ends are firmly secured together; levers pivotally secured to the passageway side frame members; a hook eecentrically pivoted on each lever with its free end adapted to engage the adjacent hand-grasping portion and thereby lock the upper end of the tube in place.

3. A passageway enclosure between aligned railway cars the platform or vestibules whereof are provided with flat faced passageway outlining members; a continuous flexible tube adapted to extend from car-end to car-end to provide a passage tunnel between the cars; a pair of frame members secured to the inner and to the outer sides adjacent each end of the tube removed from the immediate tube-end so as to have extended tube portions beyond the tube frame members to bear against the flat faced members of the car and thereby provide protruding weather-strip forming portions adapted to extend flush with the flat faced car members; means whereby said frame members and intervening tube ends are rigidly secured together; means at the lower ends of the tube frames and on the car ends adapted to effect interengaging relation and thereby hold the lower part of the tube in place; the inner frame members adjacent the top at each end of the tube having diagonally disposed braces whereby the upper ends of the tubes may be drawn toward said passageway outlining members of the cars; and hand lever and hookmembers pivotally secured to said outlining members adapted to effect holding engagement with the braces at the upper end of the tube and thereby draw the latter into weather sealing relation with the car end walls.

KARL F. N YSTROM. LEONARD L. LENTZ.

Name Date 487,776 Rosa Dec. 13, 1892 2,354,045 Nystrom et a1; July 18, 1944