Improvements in and relating to Vestibule Oars.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Vestibule Oars.
I, JOHN WESLEY COOPER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing
at Temperance in the County of Monroe and State of Michigan, United States of
America, Clergyman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates generally to cars, and particularly to street railway cars
although the principles of my invention are applicable to all classes of passenger
and freight cars.
The objects of my invention are first, to provide a novel means for connecting
two cars, and also a radial truck for supporting such connections; secondly, to
provide a novel form of vestibule between said cars, including both the side and
canopy; thirdly, to provide a novel form of platforın.
With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention
consists in the peculiar construction of the various parts and the novel combination
and arrangement, all of which will be fully explained, and pointed out in the
claims.
In the drawings forming a part of this application-
Figure is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the broad principles of my
invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the ends of two cars supported by a common.
truck, having a common vestibule;
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the ends of said cars, showing the platform.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a vertical transverse view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 ;
Figure 6 is a detail view illustrating the arrangement of the dome-like cover.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the coupling.
Referring to the drawings-
A, A, indicate two cars, which in general construction are the same as an
ordinary street railway cur. These cars have each a truck B at their remote ends,
but are devoid of trucks at their adjacent ends, said ends being connected and
aupported upon a radial truck C.
The truck C is also intended to carry any form of motor, either electric, air, gas
or steain.
The cars at their remote ends are constructed with or without the usual platforing,
but the platform between said cars is of peculiar construction and purpose. The
bottom timbers D, D, of the cars project some distance beyond the end of the car
body, the central bottom timbers Ď projecting farther than the side bottom
timbers D, and are connected together by end pieces or beams E E, said beams E
carrying the hinged casting F, by means of which the cars are coupled together,
a key-bolt G passing through the sections of said hinge-casting, and journalizing
in the center of the truck and cars; the hinged casting F comprises the male
portion and female portion f.
The adjacent ends of the platforms are so shaped as to leave a segment upon
each side, whereby the cars can move about their common center in either direction
through an angle of 30 degrees, so that said cars can readily turn sharp curves.
The truck C, which can be a two, four or eight wheeled truck, has rollera H, H,
mounted upon the upper portion of the frame, and upon said rollers move the

page_text: semi-circular tracks H H', secured upon the underside of the timbers D D o
the platforms, so that the cars will move freely upon the supporting truck.
The timbers D and beanis E also carry rollers H H upon their upper faces
upon which rests the platform proper I, which is circular in shape, and rests upor
timbers D and beams E, as clearly shown, said platform preferably made of thick
metal, and two of the sections hinged together, as shown at l.
It will thus be seen that the two cars have a common truck and platform, which
permits them to round sharp curves without in any manner affecting the radial
truck or platform proper. Between the opposing ends of the cars I provide a
vestibule K, consisting of the rigid side-piece which extends outward from the
body of the car in the arc of a circle, the movable doors sliding in the rigid side
portion for covering said vestibule.
The top comprises a dome shaped portion made rigid with one of the cars,
and which works on the portion upon the opposite car, the portions and
each having a gutter arranged at the bottom thereof, to receive the water from
the dome, which water is drained off through the water pipes leading from each
of said gutters.
It will thus be seen that as a car rounds a curve, the doors slide freely in and
out, and the dome of the top turns with one car in the socket-shaped portion of
the other car, said dome and socket being made in the arc of a circle to permit
such movement.
The purpose of all the various parts of my invention having been described in
connection with the detailed description of their construction, a further recital of
such purposes is not necessary here.
It is obvious that the construction and arrangement of the various parts of my
invention can be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of said
invention, the essential features of which are the employment of a radial truck
between the adjacent ends of two cars for the purposes of separating said adjacent.
ends; and also the arrangement of a suitable vestibule between said cars, which is
of such construction as to permit said cars to readily, round curves, and also to
provide means for the ready access to said cars through the vestibule.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim, is :-
1. In a vestibule, the dome like portion rigid with the top of one car, and the
socket-like section rigid with top of another car, the dome section being adapted
to turn in the socket of said section, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a vestibule, the combination with the rigid side portions, the dome and
socket portions, the gutters and drain pipes, all arranged substantially as shown
and described.
3. The combination with the cars, of a central truck, the ends of said cars being
connected with each other, and with the truck, the rollers curried by the truck, the
rollers carried by the ends of the car, aud a circular platform resting upon the
rollers of the ends of the car, said platform being composed of two sections hinged
together, substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination with the cars, and the radial truck, and the common platform,
the vestibule arranged between the cars, said vestibule comprising the rigid side
pieces, the movable doors, the dome-shaped cover attached to one car, and the
socket-like portion attached to the other car, the gutters and drain pipes, all
arranged substantially as shown and described.
5. The combination with the cars, of the end timbers and beams, the hinged
casting, the king-bolt or coupling pin, the radial truck centered apou said king-bolt
or coupling-pin, the anti-friction rollers carried by the truck, the semi-circular
tracks upon the bottom of the timbere, tho anti-friction rollers upon the top of the
timbers, the sectional circular platform arranged upon the end timbers aud beam,
the vestibule portion comprising the rigid side pieces, movable doors, and the

page_text: dome-shaped top portion, and the socket-like portion in which the dome-shaped
portion moves, all of said parts being constructed and arranged substantially as.
shown and described.
Dated this 25th day of August 1896.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents..