US479025A - Sions - Google Patents

Description

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H. H. SESSIONS. TOP BUFFER FORFREIGHT (mas. No. 479,025. Patented July 19, 1892.

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TOPBUFPER FOR FREIGHT CARS. No. 479,025. Patented July 19, 1892.

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HENRY HOWARD SESSIONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PULL- MANS PALACE CAR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TOP BUFFER FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 479,025, dated July 19, 1892.

Application filed July 6, 1891. Serial N0. 398,471. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HOWARD SES- SIONS, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top Buffers for Freight-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to buffers for the tops of freight-cars; and its object is to provide the ends of freight-oars at or near their top with buffers comprising horizontally-disposed chafing-plates held in contact by outwardlyforcing spring-pressure, the plates being so mounted as to be capable of a slight rocking movement While exerting a normal tendency to restrain vibration of the tops of the cars.

In the preferred form of my invention I mount horizontally-arranged chafing-plates pivotally upon sliding rods, which rods project through suitable ways in the ends of the car-frame, their inner ends being shackled to the top of the car. A yoke havingits ends loosely connected so as to slide and rock upon these side rods has its front end pivotally connected to a central rod preferably inside the end of the car, which rod projects forward through the car end, its outer end being provided with a cap or other means for holding one end of a spring interposed between the end of the car and the chafing-plates. As thus constructed, the chafing-plateis capable of a slight rocking movement around the end of the spring and the tendency of the latter is to oppose this rocking and to return the parts to a position parallel with the sides of the car. The chafing-plates being thus held in constant contact tend to reduce the violence of the rocking movement or unsteadiness of the top of the car,'and thus prevent injury to the contents of the car, as well as undue racking strain of the car itself. These chafing-plates also furnish a support for footplates, which can be used by persons in passing from the top of one car to another.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation two freight-cars whose adjoining ends are provided with my improved elevated buifer, part of the figure being in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the device making up my elevated buffer, the end wall of the car anda part of the chafing-plate being in section. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

In the drawings, A B represent freight-cars.

C represents the chafing-plates, which in the preferred construction are channel-bars with their openings presenting toward the end of the car with which they are connected.

D represents foot-plates, which are bolted to the upper flanges of these chafing-plates and provide a passage-way for trainmen between the ends of the cars. The chafing-plates may be of any length desired; but I usually make them about two and one-half feet in length.

E represents rods, which are pivotally connected to the chafing-plate on opposite sides of its middle. As shown in the drawings, these rods have T-heads e, and I employ straps F for shackling them to the chafingplates. These rods pass through suitable openings in the end walls of the cars, and their rear ends are shackled to the top of the car by means of the plate Gand are prevented from pulling out by means of keys or other appropriate fastenings.

Bolted to the ends of the cars are the castings H, which are apertured to provide guides for the rods E, and which have a central spring-pocket, within which is seated a coiled 8o spring I. The outer end of this spring is confined by the cap j of a tie-rod J, and the rear. end of said rod projects through the end of the car and is pivoted to a yoke K, whose ends are forked to embrace the rods E. Vash- 8 5 ers E are secured on the rods E, said washers being preferably rounded on their sides, against which the ends of'theyoke impinge, so as to permit the latter to rock freely thereon. To prevent the yoke from working off 0 the rods while permitting it to slide freely thereon, I employ the casting L, supported from the roof of the car an d having a slotted way Z,in which a lug 7t) of the yoke K travels.

When two cars provided with myimprovements are coupled together in a train, the chafing-plates will be forced into contact by means of the spring, the action of which is indirectthat is, the outward pressure on the tie-rod tends to draw the yoke inward, and said yoke engaging the washers of the rods E draws them out, so as to hold the chafingplates in contact. The swaying or oscillation of the cars is thus directly prevented by the friction between the surfaces of these chafing-plates; but in order to permit the ears to pass around curves the rods carrying the chafing-plates are made to slide. Thus in rounding curves one of said rods will be forced back, while the other will be shoved out. In this movement the yoke is rocked, and as the tie-rod is connected with the forward end of the yoke its rear end will also be thrown out of line, and to permit this the aperture through which said rod passes is elongated, as indicated by the dotted lines 0c 03 of Fig. 2. The tendency of the spring is to draw the parts into line again-that is to say, it tends to straighten the rod to restore the parallelism between the contacting surfaces of the chafing-plates and the ends of the car.

The strength of the parts, and particularly that of the spring, will be proportioned, of course, to the weight of the cars, the loads which they are to carry, and the radius of the curves over which theyare to pass; but I prefer to use a springof such strength as to minimize, if not entirely control, the rocking or swaying movement of the tops of the cars while traveling in a straight line, but permitting the chafing-plates to assume an angular position with reference to the ends of the ears while rounding curves.

In the shipment of live stock the swaying often tends to injure the animals and various expedients have been resorted tosuch as suspending the animal from the roof of the car and the 1iketo avoid these evil effects.

My invention is designed to so reduce the swaying or lateral movement of the cars as to adapt them for the transportation of live stock without injury. Of course the structural details may be considerably varied. Other forms of springs might be employed and the rods which carry the chafing-plates need not project inside the car, and the yoke may also be located exterior to the car, proper provision being made for supporting the parts. I prefer, however, to employ one wall of the car as the foundation on which to mount the structure, and by projecting the inner ends of the side rods through the end wall and locating the yoke inside the car and supporting them from the car-roof a much stronger construction isprovided without sacrificing otherwise available space within the car.

I claim- 1. In combination with the end of a car, a chafing-plate pivotally connected to rods having a sliding support and capable of movement in the direction of the length of the car, a yoke or equivalent coupling having a hearing upon said rods, an outwardly -forcing spring interposed between the chafing-plate and the end of the car, and a tie-rod connecting the outer end of the spring with the yoke, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a car, a chafing-plate mounted toward the top thereof upon rods pivotallyconnected thereto and having a sliding support in the end Wall of the car, a yoke adapted to bear at its ends upon each of said rods, a tie-rod pivotally connected to said yoke, and a spring connected at one end to the rod and adapted to exert an outward pull thereon, substantially as described.

3. In combination with an end of a car, a casting or equivalent frame-piece secured therewith near the top of the car and having apertures to form ways, and a spring-pocket, a spring seated in said pocket, rods mounted to slide in said ways, and a chafing-plate pivotally connected to the forward end of said rods, a yoke having a bearing on said rods, and a tie-rod connecting the spring and the yoke and passing through an elongated aperture, whereby said yoke is adapted to permit the chafing-plate to assume an angular position with reference to the end wall of the car, substantially as described.

4:. In combination with an end of a car apertured for the passage of rods therethrough, said rods passing through said apertures and supported from the car-roof, a chafing-plate pivotally connected to said rods at their outer ends, shoulders upon said rods, and a yoke having its ends embracing said rods, so as to slide thereon and adapted to rock over said shoulders, a guide-plate having a slot therein and a lug 011 the yoke entering said slot, a spring interposed between the end of the car and the chafing-plate, and a tie-rod bearing upon the outer end of the spring and projecting through the axis thereof and pivotally connected to the yoke, substantially as described.

HENRY HOWARD SESSIONS. Witnesses:

E. O. TOURTELOT, E. R. CURTISS.

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