Abstract:
A railroad car with multiple decks for carrying automobiles, including gates at the end of the rail car which can be easily moved between their open and closed positions. Each gate includes a plurality of vertical frame members and screen sections connecting the vertical members, the screens being foldable to permit collapsing of the gates at the sides of the rail car and permitting locking and unlocking of the gates by a person who need lift only one vertical frame member at a time over a catch.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to gates for closing railroad cars. 
     The prevailing method for shipping new automobiles by rail, is to load them in multi-deck rail cars, through the open ends of the rail cars. In recent years, there have been growing problems of vandalism, especially when the rail cars are parked in rail yards. The sides and tops of the rail cars have been covered with metal or plastic walls, but the ends have often been left open. Various end closures such as folding metal doors have been tried, but they are cumbersome and difficult to operate. 
     Even the side doors on box-type rail cars are not satisfactory in spite of many years to development. Such doors are generally heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to operate and lock. Furthermore, they frequently become stuck and require considerable maintenance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a rail car gate is provided which can be easily manipulated and which is reliable and easily operable even if partially damaged. The gate includes a plurality of vertical frame members coupled together by sections of a collapsible screen. The vertical members are supported on rollers that roll along a track fixed under a deck of the rail car, to thereby provide low friction movement of the gate. A latch for holding the gate in a closed position, includes a ramp member mounted on the rail car deck, and a roller fixed to a leading vertical frame member. A workman can latch the gate closed by pulling only the leading vertical member up the ramp until it falls into a recess at the end of the ramp, without lifting the weight of the rest of the gate. Similarly, he can unlatch the gate by lifting only the leading vertical member onto the top of the ramp. 
     The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularly in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rail car constructed in accordance with the invention, shown with the end gate structure almost completely open; 
     FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the rail care of FIG. 1, shown with the gate structure closed; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the rail car of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the rail car of FIG. 1, shown with the end gate structure almost completely closed; 
     FIG. 5 is a view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a view of a portion of FIG. 2, but with the latching arm in an unlatched position; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the gate of FIG. 6. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a rail car 10 of a type which is designed to carry new automobiles A. The rail car includes a plurality of trucks 12 that support a chassis 14 which includes three decks 16, 18, 20 for supporting the automobiles. A pair of fixed side walls 22, 24 and a roof 26 help to protect the automobiles, while the ends 28, 30 of the rail car are open to permit the entrance and exit of automobiles. However, it is desirable to provide gates for the ends of the rail car to safeguard it from unauthorized entry and to protect the automobiles from rocks and the like that may be thrown at them. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a gate structure 32 is provided at each end of the rail car, which is reliable and which can be easily operated by a workman to open and close an end of the rail car. The gate structure 32 (FIG. 2) includes two gates 36, 38 which each can be stored at an opposite side of the rail car, and which each can be moved into the center of the car and latched thereat and locked to the other gate to close the end of the rail car. The two gates 36, 38 are substantially mirror images of each other, and the gate structures 32 at the opposite ends of the rail car are substantially identical. A workman can close a gate, using a rod 35 with a hook at one end by projecting the hook into a hole 37 near the end of a gate and pulling the gate. 
     The gate 36 includes five vertical frame members 41-45, and four collapsible screen sections 51-54 which interconnect adjacent vertical frame members. The vertical frame members and screen sections extend along substantially the entire height of the gate 36. The bottom 36b of the gate lies substantially at the height of the lower deck 16 of the rail car, while the top 36t of the gate lies above the top deck 20, to safeguard automobiles in the rail car, especially from missiles thrown at them by vandals. 
     The gate 36 is movably supported on the rail car by five roller assemblies (FIG. 3) 61-65 which each include rollers that roll within a track 68 which is fixed to the underside of the upper deck 20. Initially, the gate 38 is held open at the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, with the vertical frame members 41-45 close together and the gate sections 51-54 in a collapsed configuration. To close the gate, a workman pulls on the leading frame member 41 to move it along the track 68 to the middle of the rail car, with each of the gate sections 51-54 expanding. The workman then moves the other gate 38 to the middle and locks the two gates 36, 38 together to fully close the end of the rail car. 
     In order to latch each gate 36, 38 in its extended or closed position, each gate is provided with a roller 70 which can be held by a ramp-like latch 72 at the middle of the upper deck 20. As best shown in FIG. 4, as the gate approaches its fully closed position, the roller 70 moves up the ramp 72, until the roller passes the end of the ramp and falls into a recess 74, to retain the gate in its closed position. The gate can be opened by lifting the leading member 41 and moving it back slightly, so that the roller 70 lies on the ramp 72 and can roll down it. A single workman can latch and unlatch the gate, even though it involves lifting a portion of a gate which weighs several hundred pounds. This is because the workman need only lift the leading vertical frame member 41 and a portion of the adjacent gate section 51, in moving the roller 70 up along the ramp or replacing it on the ramp. A typical gate of this type weighs about 300 pounds. The ramps 72 are spaced from the end of the deck 20, so that the leading gate portion is received between the ramp and deck to more securely hold the gate in its closed position. 
     In order to allow the gate to be moved completely out of the way of automobiles, the upper and middle decks are each formed with a cutaway side portion, such as at the corner portions 20s (FIG. 3) of the upper deck, to receive the collapsed gate thereat. The lowermost deck 16 is provided with an upstanding guide wall 76 at each side to guide and retain the gates at the side of the deck. 
     In order to facilitate lifting of the leading vertical frame member 41, a lift handle or bar 80 is provided which projects from the leading frame member. When the gate is nearly closed, a workman can lift up the lift bar 80 to help move the roller 70 over the ramp-like latch 72. When the gate is nearly fully opened, the lift bar 80 can be held by a lift handle retainer 81, by moving up over an incline member 82 thereof, until the bar 80 is held in a recess 84 to hold the gate fully open. The gate structure is also provided with a locking apparatus best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 which includes an arm 86 pivotally mounted on one gate 36 and a locking device 88. The arm 86 carries a locking handle 90 which can pivot up and down. When the locking handle 90 is pivoted up and the arm 86 is pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 2, the locking handle 90 can pivot down to lie behind a flange 92 of the locking device 88. A padlock then can be placed through a hole on the flange 92, to hold the locking handle 90 in place and to lock the flange 92 to another flange 94 on the other gate 38. The arm 86 also has a hook 96 which hooks under a bar 98 on a guide 99, to prevent the gate from lifting up far enough that the rollers 70 on the deck could lift out of their recesses and onto the ramps 72. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates details of one of the roller assemblies such as 63, which each include a pair of rollers 96, 98 that roll within the C-shaped track 68 and which support one of the vertical frame members 43. The gates are of a wire wound type which permits ready folding of each gate section for collapsing of the gate, and which permits some freedom in up and down shifting of one vertical frame member with respect to another. Each gate section includes a plurality of corrugated vertically extending wire elements 100, and a plurality of zig-zag wound wire elements 102 connecting adjacent vertical wire elements. 
     Thus, the invention provides a gate structure for an end of a multi-deck automobile-carrying rail car, which is of relatively simple structure, and yet which can be easily operated by one workman. The folding gate structure of each gate is also applicable to side regions of rail cars in place of heavy folding doors and the like. Not only does the folding gate structure provide good protection in a light-weight structure, but also permits viewing of the contents of the rail car for checking on the condition of the cargo. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and consequently it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.