US429216A - Railway-car - Google Patents

Description

J. is. LOW.

RAILWAY OAR.

No. 429,216. Patented June 3, 1890.

z E E 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. B. LOW.

RAILWAY GAR.

, Illll Patented June 3, 1890.

a l M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOEL B. LOW, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,216, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed February 5, 1890 Serial No. 339306, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOEL B. LOW, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Railway- Cars; and I hereby-declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of railwaycars, both for steam and street railways, though especially for the ordinary railways of cities and towns.

My invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the seats, sashes, and sides of the car, which will be hereinafter fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the claims, and the object of which is to enable and facilitate the ready and easy conversion of the car from a closed to an open car, and vice versa, thereby adapting the same car for use in all kinds of weather.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure l is a vertical cross-section of my car, one side being open and the other side closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the closed car. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the open car.

A represents generally the frame-work or structure of the car, having in the center the customary passage-Way a. The sides of the car are composed of uprightframes B, formed of independent separated stanchions or posts, which support the roof a.

C are the car-seats, and D are the backs of the seats. The seats are hinged at the point e in any suitable manner to the supports or legs E, so that said seats may be turned through a halt-circle from a position in which they extend outwardly toward the sides to a position in which they extend inwardly toward the central passage of the car, and vice versa. The backs D are hinged at d in a suitable manner to the seats and are made long enough to extend down to the floor of the sides. Thus when the backs are turned outwardly, so that the passengers face inwardly, said backs completely inclose the lower portion of the sides. The upper portion of the sides of the car is to be opened and closed by the sashes G, so that the seatbacks, together with the sashes, are intended to completely close and to fully open the car sides. In order to do this, the sashes have to be made adjustable in some manner, so as to adapt them to be moved in order to close and open the upper portion of the sides. Though the sashes may be arranged in several ways to efiect this obj ect-as, for example, by hinging them after the manner of blinds, whereby they maybe tu rned into the ends of the car, orin other suitable waysl prefer to arrange them by housing them in the seat-backs, so that they will take up no room, can be readily manipulated, and will be out of the way. Therefore in the backs D are made grooves or openings F, which serve 'as housings for the window-sashes G. These sashes may be made sectional, the upper or shorter portions I g being hinged to the lower or longer portions, and when the hinged portions are turned down against the lower portions the sashes are then of such length as to be fitted snugly and securely within the grooves F of the seat-backs.

- The dimensions of the seat-backs and of the sashes are such that when the former are turned outwardly toward the sides of the car and the latter are raised outof their housings and run up to the top of the sides of the car said backs and sashes shall perfectly and fully close the entire sides of the car, thus making of the car a closed one. The seat-backs, being hinged, may be manipulated in. smaller space and more conveniently than if they were rigidly secured to theseats and depended for their reversal upon the reversal of the seats.

From the foregoing description the entire manipulation of the car and the effect thereof will be readily understood.

By referring to Fig. 2 it'will be seen that when the car is to be aised as a closed one the seats are all turned so that the passengers sit facing the middle of the car; the backs of the seats are turned to the outside and occupy a vertical position, in which they completely inclose the lower portion of the sides of the car, covering fully the spaces between the posts or stanehions B thereof; the sashes are raised up out of their seat-backs, their upper sections being turned upwardly in line, and said sashes are supported in a vertical position by resting on a small shoulder on the back of the seat, and in this position they entirely inclose the upper port-ion of the sides.

Now by referring to Fig. 3 the conversion of the car into an open one will be seen. The sashes are released and run down into the seat-backs, where they are securely housed. The seat-backs and seats are then turned over, so that the backs occupy a vertical position along and parallel with the central passage of the car, and the passengers sit facing the outside. The sides of the car are thus wholly open. The change can be easily ell'ected and the car converted quicklyfrom a closed to an open one, thus enabling a single car to be used in all kinds of weather. The seat-backs and seats may be separate short ones or continuous long ones, as may be desired, and the sashes may be made of any c011- venient dimensions.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A convertible open and closed railwaycar having its sides fitted with window-sashes adapted to open and close the upper portion of the car-sides, reversible seats, and reversible backs connected with said seats and adapted to be turned outwardly to close the lower portion of the car-sides and inwardly to open them, substantially as herein described.

2. In a railway-car, the reversible seatbacks adapted to close and to open the lower portion of the sides of the car, according to the position to which they are turned, and the adjustable sashes adapted to be housed within and to be withdrawn or raised from the seat-backs, said sashes when raised closing the upper portion of the sides of the car, and when fitted in the seat-backs opening said portion, substantially as herein described.

In a railway-ear, the reversible seats having the reversible backs adapted to close when in one position the lower portion of the sides of the car, and when in another position to open said sides, and adjustable sashes adapted to be housed in the backs of the seats, and when raised therefrom to close the upper portion of the sides of the ear, and in connection with said seat-backs to entirely inclose and to entirely open said sides, substantially as herein described.

4. A convertible closed and open car having sides of open frame-work, seats having reversible backs adapted in one position to fit in said sides and close their lower portion, and when turned to another position to open said lower portion, and adjustable sashes adapted to fit Within the backs of the seats to open the upper portion of the carsides, and when raised therefrom to close said upper portion, substantially as herein described.

5. A convertible closed and open car having sides of open frame-work, the hinged or reversible seats, the reversible backs hinged to said seats and having the grooves, and the adjustable sashes adapted to be housed in said grooves and to be removed therefrom, said backs and sashes being adapted when turned outwardly and extended to close the open frame-work sides of the car, and when fitted together and turned inwardly to open said sides, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOEL 13. LOW.

\Vitnesscs:

H. NOURSE, ll. (1. LEE.

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