US677961A - Railway-car. - Google Patents

Description

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RAILWAY CAR,

(Application filed Apr. 22 1901.) (N o M o del.)

No; 677,961. Patented July s, i901.

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(Application led Apr. 22, 1901.)

(No Modal.) 2 Sheds-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATESA PATENT y., muon..

GEORGE WV. DOUGLAS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARKET STREET RAILWAY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,961, dated July 9, 1901. Application filed April 22,1901. Serial No. 56,844. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. DOUGLAS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to railway-cars, and

more particularly to those cars of an open' character designed for use in iine weather on street-railways.

The object of my invention is to provide what may be termed an observation-car, which may be useful in carrying parties bent on sightseeing around a city or may be put into general use in good weather. This object is attained by increasing the seating capacity of the car and by a novel arrangement of the seats giving this increase, as well as providing comfort, convenience, and security to passengers and giving each passenger an unobstructed view. l Y

My invention consists in ythe novel construction of the car and the-arrangement of its seats, entrances, and aisles, which I shall no 'vsr fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side View of my car. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the arrangement of its seats, aisles, and passages. Fig. 3 is a view, half in end elevation and half in section, said View being on a scale twice that of Figs. l and 2.

The car A here shown is a double-truck car. Its under supports B are disposed to provide different floor-levels, which extend longitudinally-that is, lengthwise of the carand rise from each side to the center. The lowermost and outermost floor-level, one on each side, is C. The next higher and nearer the center, one on each side, is D. The highest, E, is the single central floor-level. Outside of and below the lowermost iioorlevels C are the steps F.

The seats are arranged parallel with the car length and face outwardly. They are in four parallel rows, Fig. 2, two rows on each side of the longitudinal center of the car, and they are in tiers rising from each side to center, Figs. vl and 3. The lowermost and outermost row of seats, one on each side, is G,

Aa foot-rest.

The central floor-level E extends the entire length of the car and forms with the backs of the uppermost row of seats H an aisle or passage e, just wide enough to enable the conductor to pass from end to end, Fig. 2.

A portion of the car at each end (represented by a) is divided from the main body by a cross-partition a', Fig. 2, which is adapted to have a door in the middle, and said portion at each end is devoted to the levers and other operating mechanism unnecessary to show, to be manipulated and controlled by the car operator. YIn these portions it is better, on account of security, to omit the end seatsof the lower row G, so it will be seen there are at the extreme ends only the seats H in these end portions, which are slightly vout of the row-line.

The seats in the body of the car are separated by low transverse partitions I, dividing them into what may be termed compartments. In each of these compartments the seats are again divided by cross-aisles J, which lead from the steps F to the central longitudinal aisle c, and in these cross-aisles the steps F and the three door-levels C, D, and E serve as the steps to reach the seats and to leave them. The seats of each compartment are entered from the cross-aisle of that compartment, the lowermost seat-row having a front grating c on the car sides and the cross-aisles J having gates j, Fig. l.

In practice the seating capacity of each compartment is eight passengers on each side of the central aisle e. Thus two passengers can lsit on seat H on onel side of the crossaisle J and two on seat H on the other side IOO that if convenience demands a passenger may enter either side of the compartment from either side of the car, or having once entered the car he can reach any other compartment through the central aisle. Thus free and commodious ingress and egress are provided and the inconvenience of crowding is avoided. At the same time by thus arranging the seats in rows and tiers I have not only provided for the comfort and unobstructed observation of all the passengers, but I have been able to provide a car which though no longer than the regular forty-foot caigwhich seats only forty-six passengers,and only two inches wider is yet capable of seating seventy-two passengers.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-A l. A railway-car having outwardly-facing seats arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise ot' the car, Said rows being arranged in tiers and corresponding on each side of the longitudinal center of the car.

2. A railway-car having outwardly-facing seats arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise of the car, said rows being arranged in tiers and corresponding on each side of the longitudinal center of the car, and a central aisle or passage extending lengthwise of the car, between the uppermost rows of said corresponding tiers.

3. A railway-car having outwardly-facing seats arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise of the car, said rows being arranged in tiers and corresponding on each side of the longitdudinal center of the car, a central aisle or passage extending lengthwise of the car, between the uppermost rows of said corresponding tiers, and stepped cross-aisles, traversing the tiers of seat rows, from the side steps of the car, to 'the central aisle or passage.

4. A railway-car having outwardly-facing seats arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise of the car, said rows being arranged in tiers and corresponding on each side of the longitudinal center of the car, a central aisle or passage extending lengthwise of the car, between the uppermost rows 0f said corresponding tiers, transverse partitions dividing the seat rows on each side of the central aisle or passage into compartments, and stepped cross-aisles, traversing the tiers of seat rows in each compartment, from the side steps of the car to the central aisle orpassage.

5. A railway-car having outwardly-facing seats arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise of the car, said rows being arranged in tiers and corresponding on each side of the longitudinal center of the car, a central aisle or passage extending lengthwise of the car, between the uppermost rows of said corresponding tiers, transverse partitions dividing the seat rows on each side of the central aisle or passage into compartments, stepped cross-aisles, traversing the tiers of seat rows in each compartment, from the side steps of the car to the central aisle or passage, means for closing in the front of the lower seat rows, and gates for the stepentrances of the cross-aisles.

In wit-ness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE w. DOUGLAS.

'Witnesses:

GEO. B. WILLcUT'r, M. H. SHIELDs.

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