Patent GB-1271324-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in railway goods wagons
IPC: B61D39/00
Filed: 1969-05-13
Abstract: 1,271,324. Sliding roofed vehicles. RHEINSTAHL SIEGENER EISENBAHNBEDARF G.m.b.H. 13 May, 1969 [18 May, 1968], No. 24331/69. Addition to 1,200,623. Heading B7L. In a railway wagon having two sliding roof parts connected by ropes 4, 10 to respective rope drums 9, 9a which are selectively rotatable by means of a hand crank 16 to lift and slide the respective roof part over the other roof part (see parent Specification), the hand crank 16 is connected to the rope drums 9, 9a through a coupling which on rotation of the crank 16 automatically rotates one drum whilst disconnecting the other drum from the crank 16. In the embodiment shown the drums 9, 9a are rotatably mounted on shafts 35, 35a interconnected by chain wheels 42, 42a and a chain 43 and rotatable by either of two cranks 16. A nut 36 is threaded on the shaft 35 and is prevented from rotating so that when the shaft 35 rotates the nut 36 is moved axially of the shaft 35. A coil spring 37 is disposed between the nut 36 and a coupling disc 38 keyed to the shaft 35 so that when the nut 36 moves towards the drum 9 the disc 38 is pushed into engagement with coupling discs 39, 40, 41 carried by the drum 9, and thus rotates the drum 9. At the same time a corresponding nut 36a on the shaft 35a moves away from the rope drum 9a and carries with it a coupling disc 38a so that the drum 9a is not rotated. In a second embodiment (Figs. 3, 4, not shown) the drums are rotatably mounted on shafts (47, 47a) which have keyed thereto longitudinally displaceable coupling sleeves (48, 48a) spring-urged into engagement with intermediate coupling discs (50, 50a) each having a dog which engages a dog on a further coupling disc (51, 51a) secured to a respective drum. The coupling sleeves and the intermediate coupling discs interengage through dogs having bevelled surfaces so that rotation of the sleeves in one direction is transmitted to the intermediate coupling discs but rotation in the opposite direction is not since the sleeves are then pushed away from the intermediate discs against the action of the spring. When one drum is rotated and the roof is lifted a spring- urged bell-crank lever (57) pivots to cause an upper locking flap (59) to engage the coupling sleeve of the other drum and hold the same away from the adjacent intermediate coupling disc. At the same time the pivoting of the bellcrank lever causes a lower locking flap to engage the coupling sleeve of the rotating drum and hold it in contact with the adjacent intermediate coupling disc.  In a third embodiment (Fig. 5, not shown) a shaft 62 extends transversely beneath the body and has chain wheels (63) keyed at its ends, these chain wheels being connected to cranks 16. A non-rotatable nut (66) is threaded on to the shaft at the centre thereof and has extension sleeves (68) which extend towards each side of the wagon and at their free ends slidably and rotatably support spring-urged sliding sleeves (72) which are keyed to the shaft 62. On rotation of the shaft 62 one sliding sleeve is thus moved towards the adjacent shaft end the other is moved away from the adjacent shaft end. Thus one sleeve engages a chain wheel (74) freely rotatably mounted adjacent the shaft end and rotates it, the chain wheel being connected to one rope drum.