USRE10654E - Railway-car - Google Patents

Description

y2 sheets-sheet 1.

R. H. WYMAN. `RAILWM GAR.

Reissued Oot. 20, 1885.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R.` H. W'YlvlAN.Y

RAILWAY GAR. No. 10,654. Reissued Oct. 20, 1885.

for.'

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of ReissuedLetters Patent No. 10,654-, dated October 20, 1885.

Original No. 292,192, dated January 22, 1884. Application for reissue filed June 23, 1884, Serial No. 135,830.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, RICHARD H. WYMAN, of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedanew, useful, and Improved Movable Cover for Coal and other Cars, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of the car-cover closed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the linea m, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of Athe arrow. Fig. 3 is an enlarged crosssectional view near the end of the car, showing the latter uncovered and the position of the cover when thrown back. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view in plan on the line w w, Fig. 3. Fig. 5' is a detail view in plan, and Fig. 6 an end view of the same, being the ratchet and lever for raising and lowering the cover. A

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the dierent gures.

Various disadvantages, annoyances, and pecuniary losses have heretofore been experienced by railway companies and shippers in the use of open cars for the shipment of coal and other loose articles of like character. The coal is not only damaged by snow and ice, but it frequently becomes frozen together, rendering it difficult and expensive to unload. Thieves often board the trains and throw coal from the cars while in transit, and steal it while the y when there is none.

cars stand upon the tracks. This not only causes shortage directly, but-the fact that it can be accomplished furnishes dishonest consignees an excuse for claiming shortage Another serious loss to the railway companies lies in the factthat they are unable to transport high-class freightin open cars, and hence they are in most cases compelled to make the return-trip empty, the loss from which is obvious. The purpose of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by providing a movable cover capable of being applied to the ordinary coal-car, which shall possess the advantages of being light,

, plish said object by placing upon each side of rollers or otherwise in the segment of a circle,

the edges meeting, when closed, over the top of said car above its center, and the whole forining a complete cover thereto of a semi-cylindrical shape. I prefer to operate said covers by means of shafts, one upon each side -of the car, at any convenient point, said shafts being provided with suitable pinions adapted to engage with segmental racks, which may be. sustained in position by means of a ratchet and pawl, the turning of said shafts in one direction causing the two halves of said cover to meet, as stated, while a reverse movement separates them, each moving outward and downward in a position adjacent to the side of the car, where it occupies comparatively little space, and does not interfere with the loading and unloading of said car. Said covers may be made in sections, so that a portion only of the car may be exposed at once, which plan possesses many advantages, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,A represents the end-board, and B B the side-boards,of the box of an ordinary coal or open car, B B being' the framework to which they are secured. Projecting outward from a point at or near the bottom of said side boards I secure, by means of bolts or in any well-known manner, the brackets C3 C3 C, a top view of which is shown in Fig. 4. Said bracketsare designed to form a support for the cover, as hereinafter described.

C C CC' represent the semi-cylindrical sectional cover, consisting,preferably, of four convex iron plates, which I prefer to have extend the entire length of the car, so as to forma cover therefor. Said plates, which may b`e constructed as shown or corrugated, and made of any suitable material, are supported in theposition shown by means of segmental bars D D D, each of which is rigidly secured at its upper end to the plates E E. (Indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, but more clearly shown in Fig. 3.)

Running lengthwise and preferably upon the top of the sidefboards B B, I place shafts ICC F F, secured in bearings f3, bolted to said boards, as in Figf 5, one of whichvsaid shaits is shown in Fig. 2 running the full length of y above the top of the car,

the car, though the same may be divided, as hereinafter stated, upon which shafts are rigidly secured pinionsff, two or more of which I place upon each shaft, said pinions being adapted to engage with racks, as clearly shown in the drawings, upon the under side of the segmental bars D. Said bars are of sufficient length to extend from a central point as shown in Fig. 1, to a point somewhat below the brackets C C3 on either side of said ear, said bars D passing through sockets in the brackets C3, the outside of said bars at the lower ends respectively bearing against friction-rollers c c c, secured, as shown, within or to the brackets. Upon one or both ends of each of the shafts FF, I place ratchet-wheelsff, which 'are held in position normally by means of the springcatchesfzj, Figs. 1 and 6, thereby preventing the shafts from revolving in more than one direction when said catches are permitted to act. Thus it is obvious that the segmental racks D D, when resting upon said pinicns f f, with their lower ends sustained in the brackets against the rollers c c, will be supported in the form of an arch above the body of the car, and in turn must support the plates C C C C above them,thus forming a complete semi-cylindrical sectional cover to the car. The outer ends of the shafts F Fare squared, as shown in Figs. l, 5, and 6, and `by placing a wrench or crank-lever, G, thereon, as shown in said last-named vfigures, and withdrawing said spring-catches f2 f2, the racks may be lowered and raised at will, their position when at the lowest point being shown in. dotted lines in Fig. 1. i

Projecting outward, preferably from near the top of the side-board B,I place brackets C, one of which isshown in Fig.v3, with rollerbearings c' therein, through which brackets the bars D pass, being supported and guided thereby. Other brackets, G5, with like rollers, as, on their outerends, as shown in said figure, are projected from the top of said boards B, to form bearings for the movement of the sections C' thereon.

The plates O O are bent inward, as shown in Fig. 3, forming flanges E, which serve not l only to stiften and support said cover and prevent it from sagging when closed, but form aprons to prevent coal from falling between the side-boards and cover, as well as to protect said shaft and pinions when the cover is thrown back.. Said plates C C are likewise re-enforced by means of the plates C2 C2, Figs. 1 and 3,which are intended to form awalk upon the top of the car when the cover is closed, as in Fig. l. The lower edge of each of the plates C C is bent inward, forming flanges cc thereon. Short fianges c2 c2 (better shown in Fig. 4) serve as bearings for the rollers ca c, which are intended to preventl friction between the plates C C when the cover is moved.v Gorresponding anges, c4 c, are bent outward upon the upper edge of the plates C C in such manner that when the plates C C are raised the" ianges c2 c2 engage therewith and lift said plates or sections C' C upward, as shown in Fig. 1, so that their lower edges are even, or nearly so, with the tops, respectively, of the side-boards B B.

To maintain the bpttoms of the sections C C in position, I attach eyebolts c5 c5 c5 thereto, connectingthe same with guide-bars H H H, bolted, as shown, to the frame-work of the car and to the side-boards B B. To further stiften the sections C C C C', as well as to form guides for the movement of one over the other, and to hold them securely in position, I secure thereto flanged ribsci c c6 c, Fig. 4, which permit the outer plate to slide back and forth over the other, while at the same time they are prevented from separating.

Io protect and inclose the ends of the cari, Isecure to each ofthe end-boards A, (but one of which is shown,) by means of hinges a a a, Fig. 1, a board or plate, A. This is prevented from swinging outward and is securely held in position by the flanges lE E', Fig. 1, the lowering of the sections C G serving to release said end plates, A', ,which may then fold downward against the end boards A. As shown in Fig. 3 and in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the sections C C fold or slide over each other, the bottom of each resting when thrown back upon the brackets G3 C3, and the whole occupying but little more space than the sideboards B B. When the cover is closed, the sections C C may be locked together by means of a hasp and padlock or in any well-known manner, when it is obvious thatpsaid cover must remain in a secure position, and thus form a thorough protection to the car.

IOO

IOS

Should a further support for said cover be needed other than the pinionsf, the segmental bars D mayV be secured by inserting pins through them through or above the brackets C3.

The shafts F may be divided into two or more sections or independent pieces,.and corresponding divisions made in the platesC C C C', by which arrangement a portion only of the car may be uncovered at a time, said sections taking the place of doors.

I do not confine myself to the specific mode of raising and lowering said covers or of supporting the same, as they may be supported at the ends of the car and elsewhere by means of arms attached to each section, and having pivotal bearings at or near the bottom of the car, said arms being drawn vtogether and the sections raised by means-of chains and awindlass,or in other equivalent'ways; nor is it essen- IIO tial in using the shafts F that they be placed upon the top of the side-boards B, as itis apparent that the same may be located upon the sides of the'car or atthe bottom of the frame and render equally good results.

It is furthermore apparent that instead of dividing each half of said cover into vsections they may be made inone piece, in which case they would, when open, occupy greater space, in that they would extend considerably below the bottom of the car.

The advantages of my invention are mani.

fold, andare impliedly enumerated in the foregoing statement of disadvantages incident to the use of open ears, all of which it is believed it is adapted to overcome.

I am aware that cars of this class have been made having movable covers in which but a portion of the car could be uncovered at a time, the disadvantages of which are obvious and Wholly unsuited 'to the present requirements of commerce. In such cars. only one side could be loaded at a time, and the goods either moved therein by hand, or the cover reversed while the other portion was being loaded. In the case of loading coal, ore, or

other like material from a long steep chute,

as is now the common practice, the car, being but partially uncovered, either could not be satisfactorily loaded withoutmuch handlabor, or the portions of the cover remaining over the car would become battered and inu25 jured, if not wholly ruined, by the severe shocks incident to loading in this manner.

With my improved cover, constructed in four partially-cylindrical sections, I am enabled to uncover the entire ear at once, the covers being adjusted at the sides, While the aprons described not only protect them from injury, but, being hopper-shaped, tend to prevent the coal fromfalling over the sides, thus saving labor in trimming Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire `to secure by Letters Patent, 1s p l. A movable semi-cylindrical cover for coal-cars, comprising separate convex segmental plates sustained 'in bearings at oppo- 4o site sides of the car, and mechanism, substantially as described, for raising and` lowering the said plates to cover and uncover the car, substantially as described.

2. A semi-cylindrical cover` for coal-cars, 45

comprising y separate convex segmental plates C, sustained in bearings at opposite sides of the car, in combination with rack-and-pinion mechanism, substantially as described, for raising the sections, whereby the car may be cov- 5o coal cars, consisting vof the plates C C C C', 55 having segmental.racks-D D attached thereto,

shafts F, pinions f, ratchets f', guide-barsH, eyebolts ci", and bracketsc, whereby the car may be wholly uncovered While loading and unloading, substantially as and for the pur 6o pose set forth.

. 4. A movable sectional cover for railway freight or coal cars, consisting of the plates C C C' C', having segmental racks D D attached lthereto, shafts F, lpinions f, ratchets f guide- 6 5 bars H, eyebolts ci', brackets @,and plates or aprons E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

RICHARD H. WYMAN.V4

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, W. S. BAKER.

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