Improvements in or connected with Safety Devices for Railway Cars.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1898-Accepted, 22nd Oct.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Safety Devices for Railway Cars.
I, HOLLIDAY HICKS BURKHART, of Tuscumbia, in the County of Colbert, and
State of Alabama, Gentleman, 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 improvements in safety devices, and the object of the
same is to provide an attachment for freight cars, the same closing the space
between adjacent cars, to prevent the passage of a person to the wheels of the car,
should he fall or be thrown from the roof of the car.
The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter fully
described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the end of a car showing my improvement
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a top plan view.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates frames or casings which
are secured on opposite sides of the car adjacent its ends, and 2 are rods which
pass through the end walls of said casings and have their inner ends screw-
threaded to receive the nuts 3. By this construction, the rods may be adjusted
according to the distance between the adjacent cars when coupled. Said rods
are reduced, forming the shoulders 4, and coiled about the reduced portions are
the springs 5 which bear at one end against said shoulders and at their opposite
ends against the inner surfaces of the end walls of the casings.
6 are buffers which are oval upon their outer faces, as illustrated, and formed
on their inner feces with the lugs 7, which lugs are located adjacent the outer
edges of said buffers, and by means of which the rods are attached by pins or
bolts 8 which pass therethrough.
10 is a netting of any suitable material, provided at its ends with the rings 11
which are adapted to be positioned upon the rods 2. Rings 12 are carried by
the inner edge of said netting to engage hooks 15 upon the end of the car.
rings adjacent the buffers 6 are secured to the rods 2 which the others are movable
thereon.
The
By reason of the springs 5, the bars are made elastic so as to be compressed
when the cars are brought together, and to return to their normal positions when
the cars are separated as far as permitted by the couplers.
By constructing the buffers oval, the friction caused by their coming in contact
with the buffers on the opposite car is reduced to a minimum.
From the above description, it will be seen that I have produced a safety device
which is carried by the cars and is so positioned as not to interfere with the
passage of the brake man between the cars to couple the same and which serves
to prevent the passage of any one between the cars from the top thereof.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of compressible rods carried by the cars at their ends,
buffers attached to the ends of said rods, and a net or fender supported by said
rods, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of rods, mounted upon the cars at their ends, springs for
holding said rods normally projected beyond the ends of the car, and a fender or
netting carried by said rods, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of rods carried by the cars at their ends and adjacent the
top of the same, said rods projecting beyond the ends of the cars, means for
adjusting the rods, and a fender or netting carried by said rods, substantially as
set forth.
4. The combination of casings secured to the car on its opposite sides and
adjacent its ends, rods movable within said casings and having their inner ends
reduced and screw-threaded, said screw-threaded ends projecting through the
end walls of the casings, adjusting nuts upon the screw-threaded ends, springs
coiled about reduced portions of said rods and bearing against the shoulders formed
thereon, buffers carried by the outer ends of said rods, and a netting or fender
attached at its ends to the rods on the respective sides of the car, substantially
as set forth.
5. The combination with a car, of a fender or netting carried thereby and
adapted to close the space between the adjacent cars, substantially as set forth.
For the Applicant,
J. G. LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I. Mech.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent.