US1744152A - Freight-car door - Google Patents

Description

Jan. '21 1930. B. J. BASKERVILLE ,1

FREIGHT CAIDOOR Filed Dec. 1925 P! 2 2 fiufenm Patented Jan. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES BENJAMIN J'. BASKERVILLE, OF JULIET, ILLINOIS FREIGHT-CAR DOOR Application filed December 3, 1925.

The invention relates broadly to closures for freight cars and particularly to closures used in box care, where the cars are carrying loose or bulk material such as grain, coal, etc.

Heretofore, the general practice in providing closures for car doors adapted to carry grain or like material has been to take a plurality of boards and to nail them on the inside of one or both edges of the door opening; then when the car reaches its destination a ram is forced against said boards breaking them adjacent the center and allowing the grain or contents of the car to flow outwardly, at the same time forcing said closure out with the discharging grain. After a sufficient quantity of the contents has been discharged, the portions of the boards remaining are pried loose from the car and any of the smaller particles or chips that have been created by the breaking of the boards and left in the grain have to be separated from the grain in any convenient manner. In the prying of the individual boards loose from the inside of the opening of the car the closure is entirely destroyed thus making it necessary to supply a new closure after each unloading.

One of the objects of the present invention is to obviate these objections by providing closure means wherein the boards or other means constituting theclosure are released along one edge of the door opening and are allowed to swing out under the weight of the contents of the car; without necessitating the labor and time necessary to break the boards; without necessitating the complete destruction of the closure; and withoutthe possibility of slivers and chips of wood getting in the grain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure for a car door one end of which may be nailed within the car adjacent and projecting beyond one edge of the opening, the other end of said closure being provided with means for holding said closure so positioned, that, upon releasing of said holding Serial No. 72,922.

means the contents of the car will force the closure outwardly and disengage the other end of the closure from the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide for the closure that can be operated from the outside of a car without interfering with the conventional door provided on the outside of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for locking the closure guide and consequently the closure, and also for locking the guide out of the way of the door open ing when the closure is not in use so that the full width of the door may be utilized without obstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide with a plurality of webbed angles, arranged to engage the boards of the closure, the webs being provided to hold the closure boards in the guide and to be readily separated therefrom as the guide is moved into releasing position for unloading.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure of he class described that will in no way reduce the capacity of the car, that can be used repeatedly and that will be simple and inexpensive to make, and easy to opcrate.

The foregoin and such objects and advantages as may be pointed out or appear as this description proceeds are attained in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the clawings in which:

1 is a fragmental side .elevational view of a freight car with the closure shown in operative position.

Fig; 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4.: of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a detailed view of lockin mechanism which can be employed for the closure holding means.

The conventional box car 10 has the usual side door opening 11 and a sliding door (not shown in the drawing) arranged to cover it, a stop 12 being provided at one side of the door opening to arrest the travel of said door in one direction.

In the present invention the closure, designated 14 in its entirety, comprises a plurality of boards or planks 15 set on edge on the inner side of the door opening and so arranged one above the other that they extend inwardly of the jamb rail or post 19 of the door opening for a short distance, where they are secured by temporary nailing. The other end of the closure extends substantially up to the opposite j amb rail or post 21 of the opening 11 where it is held by a movable guide or hold ing element 22, which movable guide is arranged so that it may be disengaged from the end of the closure leaving the contents of the car free to force the closure outwardly. In so doing, if the closure ends have been nailed to the side 19 of the opening the force created by the discharge of the material will free said boards which will pull the small. nails out, due to the leverage created by the closure.

The uide or holding means 22 comprises a flat p ate or bar 23 lying on the inner side of the jamb rail or 0st 21 and extending up to a height equal to the desired height of the closure 14. This plate or bar 23 has a plurality of angles 24 secured thereto and so spaced relative to each other as to engage each of the boards 15. A sharpened web 25 is provided in each of said angles in such a position that it ma be forced into the end of its associated boar to take the place of nailin It will be evident that these sharpened we s will quickly and easily release themselves from the ends of the boards when the guide or holding means 22 is moved back to releasing position.

A sliding bar 27 is secured to the guide 22 in any convenient manner and extends laterally therefrom into a plurality of slides 28 secured to the inner side of the car wall. Anti-friction rolls 29 are provided in the slides so as to reduce the friction and make the guide easy of operation. An operating arm 31 extends from the bar 27 outwardly through openings 32 and 33 in the side of the car, to provide means for operating said slide from the outside of the car. In opening the car and releasing the closure 14 a crow bar 34 or any handy bar may be inserted between the operating arm 31 and the stop 12, pressure then being applied to the end of the crow bar to cause the sliding bar 24 to move laterally, disengaging the webs 25 of the guide from the closure, and at the same time drawing the guide out of engagement with the closure. The contents of the car will then immediately force the closure outwardly and in the event that all of the nails in the opposite side of the closure are not completely pulled out during this discharge of the contents of the car, it is a simple matter to take a bar or similar instrument and pry them loose.

It will be noted that the guide 22 is so arranged that when the car is being used for carrying other material than grain or like material such as furniture, it may be slid out of the way and locked, then it will in no way interfere with the capacity of the car or the ability to use the full width of the door opening for unloading.

If desired, means may be provided for locking the holding member 22 against releasing movement, to prevent unauthorized opening or tampering with the closure. This locking means may consist of a locking bolt, such as shown at 36 in Fig. 5, which bolt may be mounted on the inner side of jamb rail 21 for dropping into a locking aperture in the upper end of the holding member 22.

It is not intended to be limited to the particular details herein shown and described, as it will be obvious that the foregoing is merely an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a closure therefor arranged with one vertical edge lying against the inside of the door jamb at one side, the other vertical edge being arranged to swing outwardly through the door opening; a transversely slidable abutment arranged to engage said other edge of said closure to lock the same against outward swinging; sharpened webs in said abutment arranged diagonally across the inner corners of said edge of said closure and arranged to engage the same and force said closure toward closing position.

2. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a closure therefor arranged with one vertical edge lying against the i11- side of the door jamb at one side, the other vertical edge being arranged to'swing outwardly through the door opening, a transversely slidable plate arranged to engage in front of the free edge of said door to lock the same against outward swinging, brackets on the inner side of said slidable plate adjacent its edge, said brackets being adapted to abut and overlie the edge of said door; webs on said brackets arranged diagonally across the inner corners thereof and arranged to force said door against the slidable plate, and means on said plate extending to the outside of the car wall for manipulation of said plate into and out of engagement with the door.

3. The combination with a car having a door opening, of a closure therefor arranged with one vertical edge lying against the inside of a door amb at one side, the other vertical edge being arranged to swing outwardly through the door opening, a transversely slidable plate arranged to engage in front of the free edge of said closure to lock the same against outward swinging, means on said plate adjacent its edge adapted to abut and overlie the edge of said door, said means being arranged to force said door against the slidable plate, and means on said plate eX- tending through an aperture in the car Wall for manipulation of said plate into and out of engagement With the door.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature at 301 Hunter Avenue, J oliet, Illinois.

BENJAMIN J. BASKERVILLE.

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