Patent GB-904143-A (GB)
Title: Railway cars with openable roofs
Inventor: JEAN MALAPERT
IPC: B61D39/00
Filed: 1959-05-29
Abstract: 904,143. Railway vehicles; covers. ETABLISSEMENTS AD. MISCHLER. May 29, 1959 [May 30, 1958; Feb. 4, 1959], No. 18326/59. Classes 103(2) and 103(4). An openable roof in an open topped railway wagon, comprises two screens A, B, Fig. 4, formed of elements articulated together in the manner of a roller blind and guided at their edges by rails disposed along the upper edges of the side walls of the wagon, the adjacent ends of the screens, in the closed position of the roof, contacting each other in the middle of the wagon and being fixed to an associated endless chain 58 whilst the other ends of the screens a r e anchored to winding drums 22 disposed at the ends of the wagon. The chains 58 at the ends of the wagon run on chain wheels 57 whilst their adjacent ends run on wheels 59a, 59b. The drums and chains are drivable manually from pairs of handles 47, 53 and 48, 49, Fig. 5, disposed on the wagon end wall and side walls. As shown in Fig. 5, the drive mechanism for each screen comprises a control shaft 25 on which is slidably keyed a sleeve 27 having dogs 28, 29 at each end alternatively engageable with dogs 30, 31 on chain wheels 32, 24 freely rotatable on the shaft 25 to which is keyed a chain wheel 26. The sleeve 27 is openable from handles 37, 40 through shafts 36, 40a to which are secured levers 35a, 35b, and 39 respectively, the levers being pivoted to a transversely slidable door 38. The levers 35a, 35b on the shaft 36 are connected to rods 34 on the sleeve. When either the handle 37 or 40 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the wheel 24 is drivably connected to the shaft 25. At the same time inclined slots 68 on the transversely movable bar 38 engaging pins 67b on rods 64 cause the latter to be pulled downwardly. Pins 67a on the rods 64 engaging in slots 62a in tubular rods 62 cause the latter to be pulled downwardly against the urge of springs 65 and thus release rollers 63 on the upper ends of the rods 62 from cups 61 in the ends of the screen, which is in its closed position. By turning either the handle 47 or 53 in the direction f7, the drum 22 is rotated anticlockwise through bevel pinions 46, 45, a wheel 42, chain 41, the wheel 26, the shaft 25, the wheel 24 and a chain 23. The drum may be rotated by operation of either the handle 48 or 49 in the direction f9, through the chain 41 engaging a wheel 44. When it is desired to close the screen either handle 37, 40 is moved in the direction f4 and thus the sleeve 27 is engaged with the wheel 32. Movement of the handles 47, 53 in the direction f8 or the handles 48, 49 in the direction f10 will cause a chain 54 to drive the wheels 57 clockwise and thus close the screen. During this time the bar 38 which has moved to the left has raised the rods 64 but not the rods 62 since the rollers 63 are in engagement with the underside of the screen. As soon as the screen reaches its closed position the springs 65 move the rods 62 upwardly so that the rollers 63 engage in the cups 61. The handles 37, 40 may be locked to prevent opening of the screen. In another embodiment the screens are opened by springs in the drums and are closed by handles against the action of those springs.