Improvements in Dumping Cars or Wagons for Coal and other Materials.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dumping Cars or Wagons for Coal and other
Materials.
I NATHAN BARNEY of No. 101 Hancock Street in the City of Brooklyn in
the County of Kings and State of New York, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to cars or wagons, especially to those usel on railways,
from which the load is discharged or dumped through traps in their bottoms; and
my improvements consist in a very simple and effective mechanism for opening and
closing the trap doors of such cars or wagons, which mechanism is mounted within
the car body.
A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical central section through a portion of a dumping
car, the tiap doors being shown closed in full lines, and open in dotted lines.
Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical central section through the car.
Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through a car, showing a modified form of
operating mechanism; and
Fig. is an enlarged view of the ratchet mechanism for holding the trap doors
closed.
The class of car to which my invention is represented as applied, is that
commonly known as the "gondola" type, in which the bottom of the car slopes
downwardly towards the centre to form a suitable hopper, the mouth of the hopper
being closed by suitable trap doors hinged so as to swing towards and away from
each other, to open and close communication through the bottom of the car.
The longitudinal side timbers of the framework of the car are denoted by A. A¹,
and the two centre timbers are denoted by A* A³.
The hopper of the car is denoted by B, and it is provided with suitable swinging
trap doors bb, which are hinged to the bottom of the hopper on their opposite
edges, their inner edges being adapted to swing up into close contact with each
other.
The main shaft is designated by C, and is mounted in suitable bearings c c on
the side timbers A A¹. The ends of the shaft C project through the side of the
car body, and are squared for the reception of a suitable crank handle c³ thereon,
for rotating the said shaft.
>
The shaft C is further provided, at one or both ends, with a ratchet wheel c³,
which is adapted to be engaged by a suitable pawl c, which pawl is adapted to
lock the shaft C against rotation in either direction, when it engages the ratchet
wheel c³.
The shaft C is further provided with a pinion c, which is located between the
two centre timbers A' A³.
The crank shaft D is mounted in suitable bearings d, which bearings are secured
to the centre timbers AA³. The crank arms of the crank shaft D are denoted
by d¹².
In the present instance, the crank arm d' is a gear wheel which meshes
with the pinion cupon the shaft C, so that as the shaft C is rotated, the crank
shaft D will also be turned. The wrist pin of the crank shaft D is denoted by d³,
and extends from the gear wheel to the other arm of the crank shaft. On
this wrist pin d I mount the upper ends of branch rods E E', the lower ends of
the said rods being connected, the one to the trap door b, and the other to the trap

page_text: door b¹, so that as the crank shaft D is turned, the doors bb' will be opened or
closed.
In the modified form shown in Fig. 3, the shaft C is provided with a second
pinion e, which intermeshes with the crank arm d, which in this instance is a
gear wheel corresponding to the gear wheel d', which meshes with the pinion on
the said shaft C. It may be desirable to use this form for greater strength or
positiveness in action.
A suitable box or casing F is secured to the centre timbers A' A', and protects
the operating parts of the device. The bottom of this casing F is provided with
a suitable opening f, through which the branch rods E El project.
In operation, supposing the trap doors to be closed, and it be desired to dump
the load of earth, coal, or other material, the pawl is released from its engage-
ment with the ratchet wheel e, and the crank handle is turned, thereby causing
the crank shaft D), by means of its gear connection with the shaft C, to turn,
which will cause the doors bb to swing apart, allowing the material to pass
therethrough. After the load has been dumped, the crank handle may be turned
until the wrist pin d³ assumes its highest point, when the doors b 6' will be closed.
The pawl c is then caused to engage the ratchet wheel c³, which engagement will
lock the doors in their closed position.
By locating the door-operating mechanism in the centre of the car, I am enabled
to use only one set of operating devices for each car, instead of two sets, where
the said mechanism is located upon the opposite sides of the car body. This 18 a
very important feature, as it allows of the doors being closed more positively and
effectively.
It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrange-
ment of the several parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my
invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein set
forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a car or wagon having a pair of swinging doors in its
bottom, of a main shaft extending through the car or wagon body, a pinion carried
by said shaft, a crank shaft, a gear wheel on the crank shaft intermeshing with the
said pinion, and branch rods connecting the crank shaft with the doors, whereby
the turning of the main shaft operates the doors, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination, in a car or wagon having a pair of swinging doors in its
bottom, of a frame comprising side and centre longitudinally-extending timbers, a
main shaft extending transversely across the body of the car or wagon, and
mounted in bearings on the said timbers, a pinion on said shaft, a crank shaft
mounted in bearings, on the centre timbers, a gear wheel thereon intermeshing with
the pinion on the main shaft, and branch rods connecting the crank shaft with the
swinging doors, whereby, as the main shaft is rotated, the doors are opened or closed,
substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, in a car or wagon having a pair of swinging doors in its
bottom, of centre timbers extending lengthwise through the car, a main shaft
extending transversely through the body of the car or wagon, a crank shaft
mounted in bearings on the centre timbers and geared to the main shaft, branch
rods extending from the crank shaft to each of the said swinging doors, for
opening and closing them as the crank shaft is operated, and a casing secured to
the centre timbers enclosing the crank shaft, branch rods, and gearing, substantially
as set forth.
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1007
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.