IMPROVEMENTS IN HANGING AND ADAPTING SLIDING DOORS TO RAILWAY WAGONS, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE ALSO TO SLIDING DOORS, SLATTED DOORS, AND WINDOW BLINDS FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HANGING AND ADAPTING SLIDING DOORS TO RAILWAY WAGONS, SUCH
IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE ALSO TO SLIDING DOORS, SLATTED DOORS,
AND WINDOW BLINDS FOR OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad
Hampshire, United States of
by Edwin Prescott, of Hampton Falls, New
America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgan-Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th May 1880.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown,
Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue
Laffitte, Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HANGING AND ADAPTING SLIDING DOORS TO
RAILWAY WAGONS, SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE ALSO TO SLIDING
DOORS, SLATTED DOORS, AND WINDOW BLINDS FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
A com-
munication from abroad by Edwin Prescott, of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire,
United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in freight-cars, and has for its object
such a construction thereof as will permit the doors to swing outward when
unfastened, thus leaving them free to move notwithstanding the collection of ice
and snow at the sides of the car and above the fender, the latter besides protecting
the lower ends of the doors from injury whether closed or opened, also acting as a
check to prevent too great outward movement of the doors at their lower ends.
Upon the door sill and door or doors are placed devices, which shall be herein
denominated door binders, they being composed of a finger or stud and an arm so
located on the door and sill and in such relation each with the other that they
co-operate or interlock to hold and, if desired, force the door or doors closely
against the car side or sill as or just before the door or doors come to the closed
position, to be there secured by the usual fastening device, such as a hasp, hook,
or lock.
In freight cars as usually made the lower ends of the doors when opened are
liable to be struck and injured by wheels or other things, as the fender extends
only across the door space.

page_text: In this Invention the fender is so constructed and arranged as to protect the
doors both when closed and opened, and each door is provided with a stop to
strike against the fender and limit the outward motion of the door at its lower
end.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a sufficient portion of a car body to illustrate
the Invention, the right hand door being partially opened showing its binding
devices separated, while the left hand door shows them engaged; the dotted lines
in this Figure represent the door hangers as they will appear both when the door is
opened and closed.
Figure 2 is a right hand end view of Figure 1, it being supposed to show the
side plate or shell of a car body, with a door fitted to move over it in accordance
with this Invention.
Figure 3 is a section of Figure 1 on the line x, x, looking in the direction of the
arrow, Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a top view of the arm e on an enlarged scale;
Figure 5 is an inside view of only the lower end of a slotted door or blind, the said
slotted door or blind is supposed to be closed; Figure 6 is a right hand edge view
thereof.
The car body, one side of which is herein shown by letter a, may be of any usual
construction.
The doors b, c, are at their upper ends guided by a hood f, and at their lower
ends bave each a stop g that extends down into the space between the car body
and fender i, said space being sufficient to permit the door when free from its
binders and unfastened to move outwardly at its lower end, said movement being
more or less in extent according to the width of the said space.
The doors b, c, shown as provided with a hasp 2 to engage a staple on the door c,
a pin 4 being provided to hold the two in engagement.
These devices 2, 3, 4, construct what is herein denominated as the door fastening
devices; they are common, and instead of them it is obvious that other usual
fastening devices may be employed such as commonly used for like purposes.
Each door has connected with its lower end, as herein shown, a finger or stud d,
and upon the sill 10 is arranged to co-operate with it at the proper time an arm e.
The stud d in this instance is connected with the door, but might be on the sill
and the arme on the door.
When the stud and arm which constitute the binder come together, as they do
when or as the door comes to its closed position, the door is by the said binder
devices held closely in contact with the side of the car or sill laterally, and in such
position the door may be fastened.
When the door is unfastened and slightly moved back its lower end is loosened,
so that it may be moved outward to a limited extent, which leaves it free to
slide horizontally notwithstanding swelling, bulging, or settling of the car, as herein
before referred to.
By locating the stud d substantially at the centre of the door, and the arm e on
the sill at a point distant from the closing line of the door equal to the distance of the
stud from the front edge of the door, it is possible, as it will be seen, to press each
door inward by a single stud and arm.
In this Invention the sliding doors are held up and carried by a pair of crossed
levers, one of the said levers at one end being connected by means of a link near
the edge of the door to be moved. These levers are arranged only at one side of
the door to permit the door to be moved over equal distances in opposite directions
from a stationary guide on or in a post, with which one end of one of the crossed
levers is connected. Of these cross levers that one of them, a², denominated by
me the post lever, is shown pivoted at its lower end to the car body, while its
upper end is connected at c with the end of a radius bar d², the opposite end of
which is connected at e2 with the door to be moved at or near the front end. thereof
at its inner side. The door lever f³ is connected with the lower end of the door at g²,
and at its upper end it.is provided with a pin or equivalent h² to enter the slot is
in a guide, attached to the outer side of the car substantially in a vertical line

page_text: above the pivot 62, by which the lower end of the post lever a³ is connected with
the said car body.
These two levers a², f³, are pivoted together at ; the lever a³ is next the car
body, and the lever f' next the door. When the door is opened, as at the right of
Figure 1, the levers which support the door as described and guide it in its
horizontal or sliding movement, will occupy the position designated by the dotted
lines; but when the door is closed, as represented by the door c at the left hand
side of the said Figure, the two levers will stand vertically one at the side of the
other, the upper cut-away portions of these levers permit them to assume this
vertical position, and it will be noticed, see Figure 3, that the upper end of the door
lever få passes to the right of the upper end of the post lever, so that the pivot c²
between the post lever and radius bar da passes outside of and comes in line with
the pin h³.
The pivot is omitted from the Drawing, Figure 3.
With hangers such as herein described the use of sheaves and track for them is
obviated, and the car doors are moved easier than with the sheaves.
It is obvious that these improved levers may be employed to operate slatted
doors or window blinds, causing them to slide longitudinally along the side of a
building or car rather than to swing and turn outward as is now commonly
practised where hinges are employed. In operating a slatted door or blind or an
ordinary door, such as heroinbefore described, it is desirable to be able to slide it
from the inside of the building or car. In order to do this the lower end of lever a²
may be provided with a slot a³, see Figure 5, to be entered by a crank pin 63 at the
end of a crank of a shaft ct, having at its opposite end a handle d', the crank pin
during its rotation within the said slot moving the lever a2 and blind or door
positively in a longitudinal direction either forward or backward. In case a blind
having slots is employed, as shown in Figure 5, the said crank pin may be made
to extend through a hole in a slotted link f³, connected at its lower end with a
lever g, the opposite end of which is joined by a suitable link ³ with the usual
rod that operates the slats of the blind and causes them to turn together. In
this way further movement of the shaft c operates the said link or lever f³, and
causes it while the blind is at rest to open the slats. A spring operates to close
the slats when not positively held open by the devices described.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
1st. In a railroad car, the post lever 6 pivoted to the car body and joined. at its
upper end with one end of a radius bar connected with the car door on one side
the door lever pivoted at one end to the door and controlled at its other end by a
guide, as described, connected with the car body, the two levers being pivoted
substantially as shown, combined with the car body, the sliding door, the fender,
and the binding devices connected with the door, and the sill of the car whereby
the lower end of the door is left free to move outward under the limitation herein
described, but is pressed closely to the car body as the door reaches its closed
position, substantially as described.
2nd. In a railroad car, the combination with the car body or sill and a sliding
door, left free to move outward at its lower end under the limitation described, of
a stud and arm's located with relation to the door and sill, as described, to hold
the door against the car body or sill as it reaches its closed position, substantially
as described.
3rd. In a railroad car, a sliding door left free at its lower end to move outward,
as described, away from the car body when partially opened, combined with the
stud and arm located, as described, to hold the door against the car body when
closed, and with door fastening devices, substantially as described to keep the door
closed.
4th. In a railroad car, the body and sliding door left free to be moved outward
at its lower end from the car body, as described, when the door is unfastened and

page_text: partially opened, combined with the fender on the car body, and the stop on the
door arranged to travel in the space between the fender and car body to limit the
extent of outward movement of the lower end of the door as it is opened.
5th. In a railroad car, the car body and the sliding door arranged to move
outward therefrom at its lower end when partially opened, combined with the
binding devices at the lower end of the door and sill, the fastening devices to hold
the door closed as the binder holds it pressed against the car body or sill, the
fender, and the stop on the door, it being free to run between the fender and car
body and limit the outer movement of the door at its lower end while the fender
protects the door when opened, substantially as described.
6th. A door hanger composed of pivoted cross levers, one end of one lever
connected with the door, and at its opposite side and end with the post, the other
lever being connected at one end with the post and at its opposite side and end
with a straight link connected with the door, said cross levers being of the same
length from their central to their end connections, substantially as described.
7th. In a sliding door or blind hung by means of pivoted crossed levers,
substantially such as described, the lever a slotted as described, combined with a
crank to engage and operate the said lever and slide the door or blind
horizontally.
8th. In combination with the said crank and the slotted link or lever g
connected with the blind slat operating rod to automatically open the slat,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)