US276077A - Railway coaling-station - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2, W. H. RIDGWA Y.

RAILWAY GOALING STATION. No. 276,077. -Pa,t ente d Apr.17, 1883.

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WVILLIAM H. RIDGWAY, OF COATESVlLLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY COALlNG-STATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,077, dated April 17, 1883.

Application filed November 27, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BIDGWAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ooatesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania,

have invented certain Improvements in Railway Ooaling-Stations, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements, fully described hereinafter, in apparatus for supplying coal to the tenders of locomotives, the main objects of my improvements being to render such apparatus compact in form and simple and effective in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a side view of a coaling-station, representing a locomotive, and giving a general view of the appliances by which the tender is supplied with coal, and which form the subject of my invention 5 Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 1 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 2, vertical sections of the elevator, drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 5, Sheet 3, a front view of the elevator, partly in section; and Figs. 6 and 7, views representing a device for attaching aflexible pipe to the steamdome of a locomotive when steam from the latter has to be used for elevating the coal.

It has been proposed to supply tenders with coal from bins elevated so far above the track that the coal would descend an inclined chute into the tender; but this involved the necessity of erecting a high, long, and costly trestlework for the ascent of the coal-cars. In order to' obviate this, I have devised the coaling mechanism, of which I will in the first instance give a general description, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1.

Adjoining one of the tracks, A, of the railroad I erect an elevator, B, consisting in the present instance of four posts, a, and at a suitable distance from this elevator I build low trestle-work, D, preferably parallel with the main track, and supporting a track at such an inclination that coalcars may be driven up it from the level of the said main track. There is a transverse track, E, extending from between the posts of the elevator structure through the trestle-work to a point beyond the same, this track having a turn-table, F. Oars G, of the character described hereinafter, have wheels adapted to the rails of this track, and one of 'rangement described.

these cars is wheeled to such a position beneath the elevated track of the trestle-work that it can receive a supply of coal from an ordinary coal-car, H, Fig. 1, on the said track, after which the loaded car G is wheeled onto the platform I of the elevator B, said platform is raised to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the load of the car is discharged down a chute, J, into the tender of the locomotive on the main track. In the meantime another car G is wheeled to a position where it can receive a load of coal, and after the first car has discharged its load and has been lowered to the track E it can be moved along the latter and directed onto an intersecting track by the turntable F, so as to make way for the second loaded car, which may be wheeled onto the platform of the elevator.

Ihave been presuming that the coaling-station is situated where the ground is level; but locations may be selected where the nature of the ground may involve a change in the ar- For instance, there may be rising ground, as indicated by the dotted line m, Fig. 2, near the main track, in which case much and in some cases all of the trestle-work for the elevated inclined track may be dispensed with and a cutting made for the track E below; but in all cases the main feature of my invention mnst'oontain the following elements, namely: an elevator near the main track, an elevated inclined track, and a car for receiving its load from a coal-car on the elevated track prior to being wheeled onto the elevator and raised by the latter to a position whence its load can be discharged into a tender on the main track.

In carrying out my invention I use elevating mechanism which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, Sheets 2 and 3.

As before remarked, the elevator structure is composed of four posts, a, which are secured to a suitable foundation.

A cylinder, K, is properly secured within a pit below the ground, and has a piston, 12, and piston rod 07, (preferably tubnlar,) passing through the cylinder-cover e, and secured at its upper end to the above-mentioned platform I, which has rails coinciding with'those of the transverse track E. To stands f on this platform is pivoted the chute J which, when the platform is depressed, is maintained in the vertical position shown in Fig. 3 by rails h, one of which is secured to the inner side of one of the posts a of the elevator-frame, the other being secured to the inner side of the opposite post of the frame. The chute is provided with pins or anti-friction rollers 13 t'one on one side to bear against one rail h and the other on the opposite side to bear against the other rail. position so long as the pins 1' are controlled by the rails; but when in raising the platform the rollers arrive at the curved upper ends of the rails and pass between the said curved ends and guard-platesj, secured to the elevator, frame, the chute will be tilted outward on its pivot, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 4, and

will bear against rollers 70, carried by brackets secured to the frame. As the platform continues to ascend, the chute is turned to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4, so that when the platform has reached the limit of its upward movement the said chute is supported partly by its pivot-pins and partly by the rollers k.

The body of the car G is of the triangular form shown, and has an opening in front, a door, m, being hinged to the upper edge of this opening, and being retained in a closed condition by a trigger, at. As long as the car is being elevated the door remains closed; but when the car has reached the limit of its upward movement, and the chute is about to assume theposition shownin Fig.4,the heel of the chute strikes the trigger and releases the door of the car, when the contents of the latter will be discharged and will fall into the tender, for the inclined base of the car-body forms, as it were, a continuation of the chute when this discharge takes place.

Hydraulic mechanism may be adopted to raise and lower the platform; or any other available mechanism employing a stationary hoisting-cylinder may be adopted; but I prefer to use the steam from the locomotive for raising the platform. When steam has to be thus used I erect near the main track a post, M, carrying a flexible pipe, N, which communicates through a pipe, P, with the cylinder K below the piston,the flexible pipe terminating in a branch, q, Fig. 7, which can be readily clamped to a branch, 1), projectin gfrom a cock, 12, secured to the steam-dome S of a locomotive. By a three-way cock, t, the steam may be directed to the cylinder to raise the piston; or the steam which has thus been used may be directed to a waste pipe when the platform has to be lowered. This three-way cock should be so constructed that the steam will be exhausted from the post M and its connections as well as from the cylinder, in order to prevent injury to the person uncoupling the pipe N, which would be likely to result in case there was a volume of steam under pressure in the post and the pipes communicating therewith. Different plans of directing the steam to and The chute will retain its vertical from'the cylinderwill suggest themselves to expert engineers.

Two posts, M, each carrying a flexible pipe and bearing the relation shown in Fig. 1 to the elevator, will be required, for obvious reasons, when there is a single main track which trains traverse in both directions.

When the track is double the elevator may be high enough and the chute long enough to reach above a tender on the main track farthest away from that near which the elevator is erected.

Elastic buffers to are provided to prevent any sudden shock orjar when the platform of the elevator reaches the limit of its upward movement, and blocks w, of wood or other elastic or semi elastic material, are placed on the cylinder-cover e to receive and supportvthe platform when the latter has been lowered.

In the lower cover of the cylinder is formed a depression, y, with which communicates a valved (lischarge-pipe,y, this depression serving to collect the water of condensation in the cylinder, and the water being discharged on opening the valve in the pipe y and admitting steam to the cylinder.

A pet-cock may be placed on the top of the cylinder to prevent the compression of air in the upper part of the said cylinder as the piston rises; or a small opening may be made in the cylinder-cover for this purpose.

I am aware that a coaling-station has been devised in which an elevator at the side of the track has been combined with an elevated track for coal-cars and a transfer-car to receive coal from the cars on said track and convey it to the elevator; but said elevator has been operated by blocks and tackle, the locomotive being connected to the hoisting-chain and run along the track until the elevator-platform has attained the desired height. This plan is slow and inconvenient, as it necessitates the uncoupling of the locomotive from the train, and, moreover, it requires a number of parts which are liable to get out of order. These objections I overcome by the use of the stationary hoisting-cylinder, the piston-rod of which is connected to the platform of the elevator. It is not necessary that the platform should be directly. connected to the piston-rod, however, although this is preferred, as it renders the apparatus more reliable and compact than when tackle is interposed between the two.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a railroad coalingstation, of the following elements, namely: first, an elevated track for coal-cars; second, an elevator comprising a fixed hoisting-cylinder and a platform connected to the piston-rod of the same; third, atransfer-car; and, fourth, a chute for directing the contents of said car, when elevated, to the tender of a locomotive, as set forth.

2. The combination of the platform of an elevator, and a chute, J, pivoted thereto, with devices,substantially as described, whereby the said chute is turned outward and downward as the platform reaches its highest point and upward and inward when the platform descends, as set forth.

3. The combination of an elevator-platform, and the chute J, pivoted thereto, and having rollers i i, with rails h, secured to the frame of the elevator for maintaining the said chute in a closed condition, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the elevator-platform, and the chute J, pivoted thereto, and having rollers i i, with the rails h and the guard-rails j, as set forth.

5. The combination of the elevator-platform, and the chute J, pivoted thereto, and having rollers c' i, with the rails h on the frame and the rollers is on the said frame, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an elevator-frame, an elevating-platform, and a car, G, having an inclined bottom and a hinged door, 122, in front, with a chute, J, pivoted to the said platform, and \vith'devices for imparting the within-described movement to the chute as the car is elevated, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the elevator'platform, and the chute pivoted thereto, with a car having a hinged door, and a trigger constructed to retain the door and to be released by the movement of the chute, as specified.

8. The combination of the elevator structure, the hoisting-cylinder K, and pipes, substantially as described, whereby steam from a 1000- motive on the main track may be directed to the hoisting-cylinder, as set forth.

9. The combination of the hoisting-cylinder having a depression, y, in the bottom, with the valved discharge-pipe y, communicating with said depression, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscrihin g witnesses.

WM. H. RIDGWAY. Witnesses:

HARRY DRURY, HARRY SMITH.

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