US773126A - Freight-car. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

No. 773,126.v

S. J. COTTMAN. FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0 MODEL.

mar/ran 507211162 682 2772022 ATTORNEY.

WIN/E8858 PATENTED OCT. 25; 1904.

s. J. GOTTMAN.

FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I TTORNEY.

UNITED STATES Patented. October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No.77 3,126, dated October 25, 1904.

' Application filed June 19,1903. $eria11io.162,242. (No model.)

I T0 at whmn it may concern: 'Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. OorrMAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

tated; and it has for its object to provide a novel construction ofcar in combination with means whereby the same may be readily or expedltlously loaded or unloaded, as occasion may require.

In the character of freight-cars now commonly employed and which receive or deliver different consignments of goods at different points along the route traversed by the car'it is necessary to move the consignment of goods lengthwise of the car, according to its location therein, to approach the door-opening, and it is likewise necessary in such old form of construction to not only expose the particular consignment of goods that is to be loaded or unloaded, but the other consignments in the same car are more or less exposed and disturbed during the operation of loading and unloading any one particular consignment. The invention to be described is especially designed to avoid these objectionable features and to provide a construction wherein only the consignment of goods to be loaded or unloaded need be exposed, while the other consignments in the car remain undisturbed and protected by the door-coverings.

In the drawings, Figure l is a transverse vertical section of a freight-car embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the car, showing one of the doors in the open position; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on the line 00 w of Fig. 1, showing the disposition of the sliding doors throughout the length of the car and the trucks therein.

The freight-car in general construction comprises the body portion 1, trucks 2, and the usual carrying-wheels 3, and all such parts are and may be of the usual construction. Each of the entire side walls of the car is composed of a series of sliding doors 8, which are provided with rollers 9, adapted to run upon tracks 10, supported by brackets dependingfromthe roof of the car, and the bottoms of these doors are fitted to suitable guidegrooves 11, which extend the entire length of the floor of the car. It will be noted that each of the doors is of a length less than half the length of the car, whereby any particular section of the interior of the car can be opened by sliding its door 8 lengthwise, leaving the other portions or sections of the car undisturbed. The doors 8 overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 3, so that they may be adjusted to provide an opening at any desired point by sliding one door back of and in front of the other, as will be evident from said Fig. 3.

" Arrangedtransversely within the car is a series of trucks 4, each of which comprises a low flat top 5, carrying-wheels 6, arranged thereunder, and. hand-bars 7, located at the respective ends, whereby the trucks may be readily moved about. In the present embodiment of my invention I have shown the sliding bars 8 of such length that each incloses with the section covered by the door two of said trucks, from which it will be evident that by sliding any one of the doors 8 lengthwise of the car the trucks usually inclosed thereby may be moved out of or into the particular section of the car, and this without disturbing or exposing any of the other trucks in the car.

The various stations along the route traversed by the car are provided with platforms 12, which are raised to the same level as the floor of the car, so that as the latter is brought in close proximity to the platforms the trucks 4: may be readily transferred from one to the other. Each station is likewise provided with suitable gang-planks 13, which are adapted to cover the slight opening between the car and the platforms, and thereby facilitate the passage of the trucks to and from the car.

By the construction thus described it will be seen that when a car is required to deliver diiferent consignments of goods at different stations along its route or to receive different consignments from different stations the loading or unloading may be readily accomplished with very little loss of time, as each separate consignment may be contained on one or two of the trucks, whereby it may be readily introduced to the ear or removed therefrom, as may be required. Not only is this ready loading and unloading accomplished without loss or time, but by making the entire sides of the cars of sliding doors each of which is of a length less than one-half of the length of the ear different consignments of goods contained on one or more of the trucks may be moved into or removed from the car without disturbing or exposing other consignments of goods that may be contained in the car. For instance, if the trucks in the center of the car are moved into or out of the ear the central doors may be slid to one side without moving the end doors or exposing the goods contained in the ends of the car.

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

1. A freight-car comprising the body portion having the fixed inclosing end walls, the entire side walls of the car being formed of a series of sliding overlapping doors each of which is of less width than one-half the length of the car, parallel tracks disposed above the doors and means for suspending the series of doors from said tracks.

2. A freight-car comprising the body portion having the fixed inclosing end Walls, the entire side walls of the car being formed of a series of sliding overlapping doors, each of which is of less width than one-half the length of the car, parallel tracks disposed above the doors and means for suspending the series of doors from said tracks, the body portion of the car being formed with guide-groovcs in which the lower edges of the doors lit.

3. In afreight-car comprising the body portion having the fixed inclosing end walls, the entire side walls of the car being formed of a series of four sets of slidable overlapping doors, the doors of the outer sets overlapping the doors of the inner sets, each door being of less width than one-half the length of the car, a separate track disposed above each set ol doors and means for suspending the series of doors from said tracks.

4. In a freight-ear,comprising the body portion having the fixed inclosing end walls, the entire side walls of the car being formed of a series of four sets of slidable overlapping doors, the doors of the outer sets overlapping those of the inner sets, each door being of less width than one-half the length 01 the car, a separate track disposed above each set oi doors, means for suspending the doors from said tracks, the body portion of the car being formed with separate longitudinal guidegrooves for each set of doors in which the lower edges of said doors fit.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atfixed my signature this 6th day of May, A. l). 1903.

SAMUEL J. COTTMAN.

Witnesses:

J. WARREN CoULs'roN, A. FLORENCE YERGER.

Images