Improvements in Railway Carriages.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Carriages.
I, JOHN KREHBIEL, of 33 Quincy Street, in the City of Cleveland, County of
Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, United States of America, Physician, 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:
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in vestibules for railway
cars, and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the vestibule section
at the ends of the cars, which when two cars are coupled together forms a com-
partment which may be used for many purposes, such as a smoking room etc.,
utilizing the entire width of the platform.
The invention further consists in the peculiar construction of the sliding con-.
struction between the vestibule and car, avoiding the necessity of a bellows
connection or other flexible joint and allowing of a Hat side wall across the entire
compartment.
The invention further consists in the peculiar construction of the steps and in
the means for raising and lowering the same, and further in the peculiar construc-
tion, arrangement and combination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafter
described and shown.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a central, horizontal section through the meeting ends of two coupled
cars to which my vestibule is applied.
Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section thereof on line yy of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line x-a, Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line = 2, Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a section through the sliding connection between the vestibule and the
car, drawn upon a larger scale.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of the vestibule part of such section looking from the left
end in Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a detail of the locking mechanism.
My vestibule consists of a rigid section or compartment A formed of the plat-
form a, the vertical sides and roof c, and the buffer plates d.
This section or compartment is pivotally supported to the cross-bar by means of
the bolt e at its rear end, and the spring support f at its front end.
This structure or section is of sufficient width to extend from side to side of
the car frame and from a point level with the platform of the car to a point above
the section of the roof thereof.
In order to make a tight joint between my vestibule section and the car body.
without the sacrifice of room within the section, without the use of a flexible joint,
such as a bellows connection, I form at each side of the car extending preferably
from top to bottom thereof, ways in which the vertical guide plates of the
vestibule section engage and which guide plates may move in and out freely with
little or no friction.
These plates are hinged to the cross-heads k which are slidingly secured in
slotted guides 1, which is secured to the rear edge of the vestibule frame.
The cross-head k is pivoted at its lower end by means of the pivot m to the
guide and the aperture through which said pivot engages is elongated to allow
of vertical movement of the vestibule without affecting the cross-head k.
These cross-heads are provided at each end with pintles n, which engage in
longitudinal guides o formed respectively in the roof and platform of the car.
Thus it will be seen that the guide plate will always maintain its fixed relation

page_text: to the car and can slide backward and forward in its guide grooves at the top and
bottom, and that it is turned in and out by the movement of the vestibule section,
and the vestibule section is formed to oscillate, and to assume au angular position
to said guide plates without in any way damaging the parts.
I also obviate the necessity of using the objectionable bellows construction.
Now to make a tight connection between the roof section of the car and the
roof section of the vestibule and at the same time to support the roof in all its
movements angular and oscillatory, I construct the parts as follows:
pis a horizontal extension of the roof which is supported upon the saddle g.
This saddle is provided at its end with the guide flanges r, extending down the
side of the car and preferably at its rear end with the flange r', slightly raised
above the flat portion, and also in contact with the vertical portions formed in the
roof of the car.
This plate is supported centrally upon the spring s¹ to which it is secured in any
suitable manner.
The roof of the car being curved and the saddle g being straight, and supported
only at its middle, it is evident that it is free to have a rocking motion in which it
will be guided by the flanges 7.
It is also evident that the extension p of the roof will be free to slide over the
saddle to take up any oscillatory movement of the vestibule in relation to the
car. Each vestibule is provided upon one side with the forwardly extending
hooks t, and upon the other side with the apertures t¹ with which the hooks of the
adjoining vestibule engage when the cars are coupled, being held in engagement
there with by a spring, or in any other suitable manner.
B are doors hinged in the side wall of the vestibule.
C C₁ are rearward extending arms secured to the platform of the vestibule section
backed by springs D, the function of which parts is in case the vestibule should be
at the end of the train or in connection with a car without a vestibule, to hold the
vestibule section in fixed relation to the car.
As my vestibule section extends to the side of the car it is evident that the usual
recess formed for the steps must be dispensed with, and I therefore provide a step
secured to the vestibule and having the following construction:
E and F are side bars to which the steps G are pivoted. These side bars extend
to the side of the vestibule upon each side of the door and engage in suitable
slots, being provided with heads H to prevent their disengagement therefrom.
I is a railing one on each side of the steps, extending from the bottom of the
bar F to a point about midway of the door engaging in slots in the vestibule.
It is evident that when these bars I are in the position shown in Fig. 4, the
steps may be lowered and will afford casy means of exit from or ingress to
the car.
When the car starts, the train men taking hold of the handle 1' upon the railing I
and lifting upward on the steps drawing the heads H of the bars I, E and F
upward, the steps will be lifted up and will fold in against the side of the car,
where they may be held by means of suitable hooks, such as J or in any other
suitable manner. When in this position they not only prevent any damage from
stationary objects on the track but also act as a guard to the door, so that in
case the door is opened when the steps are raised, people cannot find exit until
the steps are lowered, and neither can people on the outside catch onto the moving.
train.
i am thus enabled to prevent any accidents which now occur from people walking
off the platform and from people catching hold of the platform while the train is in
motion.
A vestibule thus constructed utilizes all of the room between the meeting ends of
the cars, giving a space eight feet square, which hitherto has been practically
useless so far as seating capacity was concerned; and in pleasant weather such a
room as this will form a most attractive part of the train, or it may be arranged for
smoking rooms, or any other convenient use.

page_text: I preferably provide the following means for automatically uncoupling the.
vestibules upon the uncoupling of the cars:
K are chains connecting the couplers of the cars with the vertical shafts L,.
which are provided with the levers M having a ratchet and pawl engagement
therewith.
N are chains connecting the shaft L with the bell crank lever O upon the
vertical shaft P at the front edge of the vestibule. These bell crank levers are
arranged opposite the spring hooks t. It is evident that upon winding the chain K
upon the shaft L, the bell crank lever is rocked and will disengage the hooks of
one vestibule from the apertures of the other and this will be performed in
uncoupling the cars.
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. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, a horizontal oscillating
vestibule section, and a sliding connection between the car and vestibule, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, a horizontally oscillating
vestibule section, having its sides and roof overlapping the end of the car, and.
having a sliding engagement therewith, substantially as described.
3. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, a rigid vestibule section
pivoted thereon, and a sliding connection between the car and vestibule, substantially
as described.
4. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, and an oscillating
section thereon, of a guide plate hinged to the sides of said vestibule, and guide
bearings in the car with which said plates engage, substantially as described.
5. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, the oscillating vestibule
section thereon, guide plates at the sides of the vestibule, a hinge joint in said
plates, and a sliding connection between the vestibule section and said plates,
substantially as described.
6. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, the oscillating vestibule
section thereon, the guide plates engaging in bearings in the end of the car and
hinged in said plates, and the sliding connection between the plates and the
vestibule section, substantially as described.
7. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, the vestibule section
baving a horizontal and vertical oscillation, the guide plate engaging in guide
bearings in the car hinged in said plates, a socket in the vestibule adapted to
slidingly engage with said plates and arranged to permit the oscillation of said
socket on the plates, substantially as described.
8. In a railway car, the combination with the vestibule, the guide plates i,.
the cross-heads k, the pintles n, guide grooves o, sockets and pivot m, substantially
as described.
9. In a vestibule car, the combination with the vestibule section extending from
side to side of the car, of extensible steps secured to said vestibule, substantially as
described.
10. In a railway car, the combination with the vestibule section extending from
side to side of the car, of steps secured to said vestibule section and means for
raising and lowering said steps, substantially as described.
11. In a railway car, the combination with the vestibule section extending from
side to side of the car, of steps secured to said vestibule section by means of rods
forming the steps supporting a railing, and means for raising and lowering said rod
to fold the steps beside the vestibule section, substantially as described.
12. In a railway car, the combination with the vestibule section of steps secured
thereto and adapted to be folded up across the door thereof, substantially as
described.
13. In a railway car, the combination with a rigid vestibule section supported

page_text: upon the platform of an extension of the roof of said vestibule slidingly engaging
with the roof of the car, substantially as described.
14. In a vestibule car, the combination with the vestibule section supported upon
the platform of an extension of the roof overlapping the roof of the car, and a
saddle upon which this extension is supported, substantially as described.
15. In a railway car, the combination with the platform, a vestibule section
supported thereon, an extension of the roof overlapping the roof of the car,
and an oscillating saddle upon which said extension slidingly engages, substantially
as described.
16. In a railway car, the combination with a pivotal vestibule section, of a
spring D applied to opposite sides thereof, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
17. In a railway car, the combination with the vestibule section, of the buffer
plates at the front side thereof, the hooks t corresponding apertures in which said
hooks engage, the bell crank levers O, and means for rocking said bell crank levers.
to disengage said hooks, substantially as described.
1000
JOHN KREHBIEL.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.