US2668507A - Running board and means for attaching the same to the roof of railway cars - Google Patents

Description

C. S. RUNNING BOARD AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING THE SAME TO THE ROOF OF RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb. 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

nV/S 177701964515 C. S. JOHNSTON RUNNING BOAR Feb. 9, 1954 2,668,507

D AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING THE SAME TO THE ROOF OF RAILWAY CARS Flled Feb 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VIII a INVENTOR.

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I I l I Patented Feb. 9, i954 RUNNING BOARD MEANS FOR ATTACH- IN G THE SAME TO THE ROOF OF RAIL- WAY CARS Charles S. Johnston, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Transportation Specialties Co.,

'corporationof Illinois Application February 16, 1951, Serial No. 211,346 1 Claims. (Cl. 1085.4)

1. invention relates to a running board and means for attaching the same to theroof ofa railway car and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction which will be highly eificient in use and economical in manufacture. V V 7 h The standard and conventional railway car has a roof comprising a plurality of roof plates or sections arranged in substantially the same plane with abutting upwardly turned edge portions covered by seam caps. Such seam cap is riveted to the upturned edge portions byrivets at spaced intervals. It is an object of my invention to provide a running board and a mounting means therefor which in addition to being so constructed as to permit the mounting board and its attaching means to be installed as a singleunit also utilizes certain of the seam cap rivets for firmly connecting the running board in position above the car roof along its longitudinal center line.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a running board of the class hereinafter described which by a simple operation can be installed upon the roof of a car with the minimum amount of expense and labor.

As railway cars are subjected to tremendous strain during transit and particularly in switching operations the several parts thereof are very often pushed out of alignment. This has frequently happened to the seam caps which are disposed over the upturned edges of the roof plates of the car and to which seam caps I contemplate connecting the running board through the nedium of mounting plates. It is an object of the invention to construct these mounting plates in a manner such that the major portion of the plate will be spaced from the seam cap thereby to compensate for any irregularities in the formation or shape of such cap and to relieve any undue strain upon the rivets or other elements connecting the mounting plate to the :seam cap due to conditions other than the normal weight of the running board and one or'more persons thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a running board which will be substantially rigid and yet have a minimum of weight and one provided on its treading surface with anti-skid elesubjected thereto by the operation of thecar.

q Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Chicago, 111., a

r The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing .the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective sectional detail view of a conventional railway car roof with which my inventionmay be associated;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 5;

' Fig.4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the railway car illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The several objects of my invention are preferably accomplished by the preferred form of construction shown in the accompanying drawings now to be referred to.

A conventional railway car is fragmentarily illustrated at ID. This railway car comprises a .roof ll made up of roof plates or sections l2 having upturned edge portions I3 arranged in abutting relation with respect to each other and covered by seam caps I4. Each seam cap 14 is rigidly andfirmly connected to its ;respective upturned edge portions l3 by means of rivets [5 arranged at equal spaced intervals.

My improved running board and the means for mounting the same in position comprises a board section l6 of foraminous material to reduce the weight thereof to a minimum. On the top or treading surface of this board section are anti-skid elements 11. The longitudinal edges of the board section are bent downwardly and then inwardly to provide parallelly extending seating flanges I8. I I

The means for mounting the board section to the roof of the railway car comprises mounting plates l9 one arranged at each end of the section and one intermediate such ends. These plates are of elongated formation and prior to the installation of the running board are welded to the board section l6 so that such section and tudinal edges of the running board are substantially reinforced bythe mounting plates.

to be limited to the precise details of construc- The running board provides longitudinally parallelly extending spaced apart ribs 22 intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof. The end mounting plates preferably abut the ends of these ribs as at 23 and are welded thereto. Where a mountingplate is utilized intermediate the ends of the running board such intermediate mounting plate (see Figs. 3 and 4) is provided with slots 24 into which these reinforcing ribs are seated.

The end portions of each of the plates 13 extend outwardly and downwardly from the longitudinal edges of the board section and the extremities 25 of such end portions are perforated for the passage of adjacent rivets-190i the rivets- I5 for securing the seam cap to the upturned edges I3 of the roof plates.

By this arrangement I am able to utilize, in rigidly connecting the mounting plates to the seam caps the same rivets which are used to rigidly connect the seam; caps to the upturned edges l3 thereby dispensing. with the necessity 0t drilling separate holes and using separate rivets. By extending the end portions of themnuntingplates outwardly beyond the longitudinal edges of the board section the point of. cormection'between the mounting plate and the seam cap is located substantially far enoughoutwardly from the ion:-

gitudinal edges. of the board section soathatzno part of the board interferes with the riveting-0peration to connect the mounting plates to the seam caps. By extending the end portions of the mounting plates downwardly the intermediate portion 21 of plates: is disposed in a plane free from .contact'with the rivets of the seam cap adjacent thereto.

These end portions of the mountin :plates are ofiset laterally from the intermediate portion thereof so as to dispose the maior portion 28 of the plates in spaced relation with respect to the adjacent sides of the seam cap H. Such an arrangement compensates for any irregularitiesin the form of the seam cap which might result by virtue of temperature, faulty installation, or undue strain transmitted to the seam cap while the railway car is in transit or during switching oporation.

From the description herein, it will be particularly noted that the running board section and its mounting plates are assembled as a complete unit whereby they may be conveniently installed as a, unitary structureat a great saving in iabor.

While I have illustrated the mounting plates as being attached to the seam caps, it is understood that my improved running board including its mounting means, may be mounted to thereof of railway cars or other constructions. I therefore do not want to-be limitedto theprecise-form of construction of the car rooi shown in the drawings.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efi ect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. *1, therefore, do not wish tion set forth, but desire to avail myself of-such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I e claim as new :anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1- A runnin board for a railway car, which car has a roof :made up or roof platen arranged in substantially the same with adjacent 4 upturned edges in abutting relation with respect to each other and having a seam cap over each of such abutting edge portions and riveting to such edge portions at spaced intervals, said running board extending along the longitudinal center line oi said car comprising transversely extending end plates secured to. the running board for installation therewith upon the car roof as a unit of the running board, the opposite outer endportions at said end plates each extending outwardly beyond; the longitudinal edges of the running board and each perforated for the passage of a rivet securing the seam cap to the upturned edges of'said roof plates, said outer end portions of said end plates each extending downwardly and outwardly of the adjacent longitudiedge of running board to a position in facial abutment with an adjacent surface of the seam cap to dispose the intermediate portion of said plates in a plane above any intermediate rivets positioned between said outer-end portions of said end plates, sa-idrunning board having iongitudinal parallel-1y extending spaced apart reinforcing ribs intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof, the ends of said ribs being in abutment with the end plates and welded thereto.

2. A running board for a railway car, which car has a roof made up of roof plates arranged in substantially the same plane with adjacent upturned edges in abuttin relation with respect to each other and having a seam cap over each of such abutting edge portions andrivcted to such edge portions at spaced intervals, said running board extending along the longitudinal center line of said car comprising transversely extending end plates secured to the running board for installation therewith upon the car roof as a unit of the running board, the opposite outerend portions of said end plates each extending Outwardly beyond the longitudinal edges oi the running board and each perforated for the passage of. a rivet securing the seam cap to the upturned edges of said roof plates, said. outer end portions of said end plates each extending, downwardly and outwardly of the adjacent longitudinaledge of therunning board to. aposition iniaci'alahutment with any adiacent. surface .of the seam cap. the said end portions of said end plates being ofiset laterally with respect to an adjacent. side thereof to space the major portion .of said end plate from the adjacent side of the seamcapand to dispose said maior portion of said plates ina plane above any intermediate rivets. positioned between said outer end portions ofsaid endplates,

said running .bcardhaving longitudinal paralleIIY extending spaced apart reinforcing ribs intermediate thejlongitudinal edges thereof, the ends of said ribs being in abutment with the end plates and welded theretor 3. A running board for arailway car whichcar has a roof made up of proof. plates arranged'in substantially the same plane with .adiacen't upturned edges 'in abutting relation with respect to each other and having a seam'eapoverleach of such abutting edge portions and riveted to such edge portions at spaced intervals, .said running board extending along the longitudinal center line of said car comprising transversely extending end plates secured to the running board for installation therewith upon the car'roof as a unit of the running board, theopposite-outer endportions or said end plates each extending outwardly beyond the longitudinal edges oi the running board and each perforated .for the passage lot a rivet securing .theseamcap to theiuptumededges of said roof plates, the said end portions of said end plates being offset laterally with respect to an adjacent side thereof to space the major portion of said end plate from the adjacent side of the seam cap and to dispose said major portion of said plates in a plane above any intermediate rivets positioned between said outer end portions of said end plates, the longitudinal edges of said running board extending downwardly and inwardly to provide a seating flange and said end plates at their opposite end portions being notched to provide a seat for said seating flanges.

4. A running board for a railway car which car has a roof made up of roof plates arranged in substantially the same plane with adjacent upturned edges in abutting relation with respect to each other and having a seam cap over each of such abutting edge portions and riveted to such edge portions at spaced intervals, said running board extending along the longitudinal center lin of said car comprising transversely extending end plates secured to the running board for installation therewith upon the car roof as a unit of the running board, the opposite outer end portions of said end plates each extending outwardly 2 beyond the longitudinal edges of the running board and each perforated for the passage of a rivet securing the seam cap to the upturned edges of said roof plates, said outer end portions of said end plates each extending downwardly and outwardly of the adjacent longitudinal edge of the running board to a position in facial abutment with an adjacent surface of the seam cap, the said end portions of said end plates being offset laterally with respect to an adjacent side thereof to space the major portion of said end plate from the adjacent side of the seam cap and to dispose said major portion of said plates in a plane above any intermediate rivets positioned between said outer end portions of said end plates, the longitudinal edges of said running board extending downwardly and inwardly to provide a seating flange and said end plates as their opposite end portions being notched to provide a seat for said seating flanges.

CHARLES S. JOHNSTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

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