US487918A

US487918A - Railway-car

Info

Publication number: US487918A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1892-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1909-12-13

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1..

RAILWAY GAR.

(No Mode1.1

No. 487,918. Patented Deo. 13, 1892.

IIIV

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

AA. FORDHAM.

RAILWAY GAR.

No. 487,918. Patented'Dec. 13, 1892.

@il l A. FORDHAM.

4 Sheets-Shet 8.

RAILWAY CAR.

- (No Model.)

No. 4871918. Patentqdqc. 13., 1892*.

-N'o Model.) A4sham-sheer, 4.

A. FORDHAM.

RAILWAY GAR.

No. 487,918. atented Deo. 13, 1892.Y

l l d l l l l l l l l l l ma Nonms PEreRs co. moroumn. wlsmuornu. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

ARTHUR FORDHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLNOIS.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 487,918, dated December 13, 1892.

Application led July 16, 1892.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR FORDHAM, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-cars, and more particularly to that class of railway-cars which are supplied with sleeping-berths and are known as sleepingcars.

The invention is fully described and eX- plained in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a completed car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the line c Fig. l, the view being downward and parts of the galleries of the car being removed to show the seats on the floor below. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the car. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the line x m', Fig. 3, the View being in the direction indicated by the arrow a in said figure. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the line m2 x2, Fig. 3, the view being in the same direction as in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal vertical section of one of the end sections of the central portion of the car. Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse vertical section illustrating the construction of the upper berths and the arrangement of the swinging partitions between the lower berths of the car; and Figs. 8 and 9 are a top plan and front elevation, respectively, of one of the upper or gallery berths ofthe car when in its horizontal position ready for use as abed. Fig. 10 is a cross-section in perspective.

In the views, A A are trucks of usual construction, andB B B are longitudinal sills, whose end portions form the framework of floors l), lying at opposite ends of the car and supported by the trucks. The side sills B B which are in the side Walls of the car, are straight and extended from end to end of the car in the same horizontal plane; but the intermediate sills B are made up of the end portions lying in the plane of the sills B B, and central depressed portions lyingbetween the trucks and formed as shown in Fig. 6, the sills being bent twice at right angles at in sleeping-cars.

Serial No. 440,193. (No model.)

each end of the depressed portion. Beneath the sills B B lie supplemental sills B2 B2, suspended from the sills B B, and the supplemental sills B2 and the depressed portion of the sill B form the framework ot' a door b', lying considerably below the floors b and having at its ends vertical Walls b2, extending upward to the Afloors b b. Upon the Hoor made up of the parts b b b is-` supported the usual superstructure, made up of side Walls, end walls, and roof, the parts of the superstructure above the portions b b being preferably of substantially the same internal height as ordinary sleeping-cars, and the central part of the superstructure, or that over the depressed portion b', being evidently ot considerably-greater internal height.

The ends of the car-that is, the parts over the trucks-are partitioned in the usual manner,as indicated in Fig. 2, one of them being made up of toilet-rooms and smokingrooms and the usual passage-Way P and the otherbeing made up of toilet-rooms, a stateroom or drawing-room, and a similar passage P. Each of the passages P P communicates :at its inner end with the floor of the central partof the car by means of a flight of steps S leading downward into the central aisle of the car, stationary seats C C being placed on either side the aisle in the manner common Above the seats and pret'- erably separated by a space of about the same width as the aisle between the seats C C are two galleries D D extending from end to end of the central portion of the car and provided at their inner edges with rails R R and ornamental panels of any suitable design. One of these galleries is connected at one end with one of the passage-ways P by means of a flight of steps S', and the other gallery is connected at the opposite end with the opposite passage-way P by means of steps S2, each of the galleries being thus accessible at one end, and its opposite end being shut oit by means of a short rail R at right angles to the main rail R.

It should be noticed that the location of the steps S S2 is such that they do not interfere with the usual passage-ways at the ends of the ordinary sleeper, as the space occupied by these steps has been ordinarily used for the location of linen-closets. Inasmuch IOO as it is possible to provide steps at only one end of each Iof the galleries without interfering with the accepted arrangement of sleeping-cars, I have found it necessary to provide a bridge or bridges connecting the two galleries to avoid the inconvenience that the gallery passengers otherwise would suffer in getting from their berths to the respective toiletroonis at the opposite ends of the car. I prefer to use a single bridge at the center of the car, and the same is shown in the drawings at U and is made slightly crowning, both to gain increased height of its central portion and also to give it a pleasing and ornamental appearance. v

The gallery-space along each of the walls of the car is divided into sections by stationary partitions I-I, placed immediately above the backs of the seats C C below, and these partitions are preferably formed with pockets h, Fig. S, to receive sliding partitions I-l', adapted to be drawn out for the purpose of extending the partitions. In the sections thus formed are placed sofas G, secured against the wall and provided with hinged sections G', adapted to be dropped down, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, or raised, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. Each of the hinged sections G' forms when down the front of the sofa; but when raised it forms, with the stationary part G of the sofa, a surface of sufticient width'for a bed. Each of the hinged sections is provided with braces g, whose front ends are pivoted to the section near its free edge, and these braces are notched at their free ends to engage a longitudinal rod g', and thus support the hinged section when fully raised. The sofas are so constructed that when the hinged sections are raised there may still be sufcient space for a passage-way between the edge of each of the sofas and the rail of the gallery, so that when any or all of the galleryberths are made up or occupied the others may be accessible by means of the gallery.

The sections beneath the gallery may be separated by partitions in any desired manner; but I prefer to make .the divisions by means of stationary brackets F, Fig. 7, and swinging panels F', lying in pockets between the backs of the 4seats and so pivoted as to conform exactly to the surface of the edge of the bracket when raised and to drop into the pocket when lowered. I have found it convenient to provide a series of shelves E, hinged as shown in Fig. 6, each of the shelves when dropped down being a convenient support for the bedding and also for clothing, which may be laid at full length upon it.

The advantages of the use of stationary galleries supporting the upper berths in a sleeping-car in substantially the manner shown in the drawings will be apparent to any person familiar with the annoyance of climbing into the upper berth of a sleeping-car by means of a movable step-ladder in a manner heretofore necessary. These galleries will be so readily accessible by means of the stairways shown as to be fully as convenient as the main iioor, and since they are provided with windows W', adapted to be lowered into pockets w in the wall, they will be as well lighted and ventilated, and consequently as comfort-able in every way, as the section beneath the gallery.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the car-body haV- ing the depressed central tloor, of the galleries above said floor, the seats beneath the galleries, brackets F immediately above the backs of the seats and beneath the gallery, and swinging panels F', adapted to lie in pockets between the backs of the seats when not in use and to be swung upward and fitted against the edges of thebrackets for the purpose of dividing the car in sections, substan tially as described.

2. The combination,in a car having the inclosed apartments at each end and the passages P around the same, of galleries along the opposite sides and the steps S'Sg, leading to said galleries, respectively, and arranged at the ends of the passages P, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a car having the in- 'closed apartments and the passages P at the opposite ends, of the oppositely-arranged galleries provided with steps S S2 at the ends of the passages P anda bridge connecting the two galleries at some intermediate point, substantially as described.

ARTHUR FORDI-IAM.

Witnesses:

CHAs. O. SHnRvEY, A. I. I-I. EBBEsEN.

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