US2872881A - Entrance for railway passenger cars - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 10, 1959 J. R. FURRER ENTRANCE FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS Filed June 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lkh u r INVENTOR JOHALR FURRER M ATT ZNEY 5 J. R. FURRER 2,872,881

ENTRANCE FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS Filed June 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENVENTOR JOHN. R. FURRFR ATTORNEY Unite States ENTRANCE FOR RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS John R. Furrer, Bulfalo, N. Y., assignor to A. C. F.

Industries, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 9, 1954, Serial No. 435,593

Claims. (Cl. 105-443) loading such cars at the majority of American railroad stations, in which the station platform height is the same as the top of the rails, or only a few inches higher, a series of three steps is frequently provided in a well formed in the car floor adjacent the loading vestibule doors. The well is normally covered at the top by a hinged trap door, which when closed, functions as apart of the vestibule floor. For loading and unloading at low-level station platforms, the trap doors are opened n and the steps used. In some places, particularly on certain roads in the New York area, however, in order to expedite loading and unloading, station platforms of substantially the same height as the car floors have been provided. In such stations, the trap doors are not opened, but are used as part of the vestibule floor, the passengers merely stepping directly from the upper surface of the trap door to the station platform.

Research on car design now in progress strongly indicates the desirability and practicability of lowering the floor of passenger cars to a level much nearer the rails than the conventional construction. This change obviously necessitates a substantially different type of loading means from the conventional trap door and stepwell construction, because such low-floor cars will in many cases have to be used on lines having both the high and low-level station platforms.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide, in a low-floor railway passenger car, loading means for use with high-level, as well as low-level station platforms.

I achieve this object by providing a three section door consisting of a roof hatch and two Dutch door sections, the upper edge of the lower Dutch door section being the same height as a high-level station platform and serving as a step tread. Two intermediate treads are hinged to the end wall of the car for movement into or out of use position. For use with low-level platforms, at well step is provided, and is covered with a trap door hinged to the car door. When the car is loaded at low-level station platforms the roof hatch is left closed, the hinged step treads are left in the vertical position, the trap door is opened, and both sections of the Dutch door are opened. For loading at a high-level platform the roof hatch and the upper Dutch door section are opened, the lower Dutch door section remaining closed, and the hinged intermediate step treads are swung to the horizontal position, so as to provide equally spaced steps from the car floor to the high-level platform.

The foregoing and additional objects and advantages 2,872,881 Patented Feb. 10, 1959 will be evident from the description and drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side view of a car loading vestibule built according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1, but with the step treads in horizontal position.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the roof hatch shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of a car incorporating my invention showing a low-level platform on the left side and a high-level platform on the right side.

In the drawings, low-floor car C is provided with an underframe 11, floor 12, side walls 13, roof 15, end wall 17, and bulkhead 19, and is mounted on track wheels 21 by resilient suspension means (not shown). Track rails are shown at R in Fig. 5. End wall 17 and bulkhead 19 are longitudinally spaced to form a loading vestibule V. The side Walls 13 between bulkhead 19 and end Wall 17, are cut away to form a rectangular door opening 20, and the roof is similarly cut away adjacent the sides to form an aligned upward extension 21 of the opening. A Dutch door consisting of an upper section 23 and a lower section 25, which is rounded to conform to the curved contour of the car side, is mounted by means of off set hinges 26, 27, 28 and 29, on the bulkhead side of the door opening. The roof openings 21 mentioned above are each closed by a hatch cover 31 which is secured to the roof 15 by a longitudinally extending hinge 31A mounted on the upper edge of the opening, so that the hatch cover may be opened and closed by rotating it about this hinge. The lower edge of hatch cover 31 is flanged as at 33 so as to overlap the upper edge of upper section 23 of the Dutch door and hatch cover 31 is slightly larger than roof opening 21 whereby to overlappingly engage the marginal edges of opening 21. Resilient sealing means, such as a rubber O-ring, are preferably secured to the marginal edges of opening 21 to serve as a weather seal. For holding hatch cover 31 in the closed or open position, a brace 32 is pivotally secured at one end to hatch cover 31, and at the other end is provided with a boss adapted to engage A circular recess 35 in the edge of roof opening 21, for holding the hatch cover open, and recess 35a in bulkhead 19 for locking the hatch cover in the closed position.

For use with high-level station platforms, an inwardly extending shelf 36 forming a rigid top step tread is provided on the upper edges of lower Dutch door section 25. As will be noted in Fig. 5, shelf or tread 36 is of substantially the same height as the high-level station platforms shown at H in Fig. 5. For reaching tread 36 from the car floor, a pair of equally spaced intermediate folding treads 37 and 38 are mounted by means of transverse horizontal hinges 40 and 41 attached to the end wall 17 of the car on the opposite side of the loading vestibule from the door hinges. Treads 37 and 38 are normally positioned vertically against the end wall, as shown in Fig. 1, but for use with high-level platforms, are rotated to the horizontal position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The outer or free ends of treads 37 and 33 are each provided with a flange 42 and 43 which is adapted to fit when the treads are horizontal into a slot formed by tread supporting brackets 45 and 46 rigidly attached to bulkhead wall 19.

Thus, it is evident that if a car of this type is to be loaded at a high-level platform, such as H in Fig. 5, an opening of adequate size to accommodate passengers is provided by raising roof hatch 31 and opening upper Dutch door section 23. Lower Dutch door section 25 3 is left closed, treads 37 and 38 are rotated from the vertical position shown in Fig. 1 to the horizontal position shown in Figs. 2'and 3, so as to serve as steps between the car floor 12 and tread 36 carried on the lower door. For use with'low-level platforms, such as L in Fig. 5, floor 12 is provided with recessed steps 47 adjacent each door and in registry with each door opening.

While in transit and except when loading or unloading on low-level platforms, steps 47 are covered by trap door 49 which is secured by hinges 51 to the lower edge of lower Dutch door section 25. This trap door 49 is'nermally flush with the low level iloor but is swingable upwardly and outwardly to a folded position against the lower door 25 and beneath the tread 36.

While in transit, of course, hatch 31, door sections 23 and 25 and trap door 49 are closed. If the train is being operated in high platform territory, treads 37 and 38 may be kept in the horizontal position. Otherwise, treads 37 and 38 remain in the vertical position shown in Fig. 1. When a stop is made at a low-level platform station, trap door 49 is swung to the position shown in Fig. 1 relative to door section 25, and both door sections 23 and 25 are opened. If a stop is made at a high-level station, treads 3'7 and 38 are rotated to the horizontal position, the roof hatch 31 is opened and is held open by brace 32, and upper Dutch door section 23 is opened. In Fig. the left side of the vestibule is arranged for loading at a low-level platform while the right side is arranged for loading at a high-level platform.

This invention may be modified as will occur to those skilled in the art, and exclusive use is contemplated of all modifications and embodiments as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway passenger car having a low level floor beneath the tops of the supporting wheels, side walls, a roof, means defining a passenger loading vestibule, means forming an opening in the side walls and giving access to the loading vestibule, a door comprising upper and lower sections for closing the opening and each of said sections being hinged to the car adjacent the car side for independent inward swinging movement, and treads extending across the loading vestibule and leading from said low level floor to the upper edge of the lower door section when the latter is closed, said treads being rotatably mounted on the car and rotatable out of the path of said lower door section when said lower door section is swung inwardly.

2. A structure according to claim 1, said lower door section further comprising a step tread extending along 4 its upper edge and constituting together with said other treads a stairway.

3. In a railway passenger car having a low level floor beneath the tops of the supporting wheels, side walls, a roof joining the side walls, and a passenger loading vestibule, the improvement comprising said side walls and roof being formed with aligned openings constituting a doorway of said vestibule, and a three part door comprising an upper roof conforming section, intermediate and lower side wall conforming sections for closing the opening and each of said sections being hingedly mounted on the car for independent swinging movement to an open position, said intermediate door section and at least one of the other sections when opened providing passenger access to the vestibule.

4. The structure of claim 3 characterised in that said lower door section has its upper edge formed as the top tread of a stairway leading to the low level floor and giving access to the car when the intermediate and roof conforming sections are open.

5. In a railway passenger car having a low level floor beneath the tops of the supporting wheels, side walls, a roof joining the side walls, and a passenger loading vestibule, the improvement comprising said side walls and roof being formed with aligned openings constituting a doorway of said vestibule, and a three part door comprising an upper roof conforming section, intermediate and lower side wall conforming sections for closing the opening and each of said sections being hingedly mounted on the car for independent swinging movement to an open position, said intermediate and lower sections swinging inwardly, a step tread formed on the lower section adjacent the top edge thereof, and other step treads hingedly carried by the car and swingable into operative position blocking swinging movement of the lower section, said step treads forming a stairway leading to the low level floor and giving access to said vestibule over the top of the lower section when the intermediate and 'roof conforming sections are open.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,196,568 McFadden Aug. 29, 1916 2,085,443 Nichols et al. June 29, 1937 2,129,950 Loney Sept. 13, 1938 2,633,090 Murphy Mar. 31, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 355,614 Great Britain Aug. 27, 1931

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