Improvements in and relating to the Balancing of Railway Car Window Sashes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Balancing of Railway
Car Window Sashes.
I, GEORGE MASSEY, of Post Office Chambers, Pitt Street, Sidney, in the Colony
of New South Wales, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, 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:-
--
Balanced window sashes applicable to railway cars and constructed according
to these improvements consist of an ordinary sash the same being hereafter called
the outer or bottom sash to which two toothed metal racks are secured that is one
to each of the two stiles or vertical side bars of the sash and an inside or top sash
having also two toothed metal racks secured thereto that is one to each of the
two stiles or vertical side bars; these racks are disposed on their respective stiles
in such a manner that when the sashes are in position the teeth of each rack of
the bottom sash will face the teeth of the adjacent rack of the top sash and will
also be of such a distance from each other that the teeth of the toothed wheel
placed between the two adjacent racks will gear with the teeth of each that is
one on each side and as these toothed wheels of which there are two one on each
side of the window are free to revolve upon their studs or axles secured to the
frame of the car it follows that as the one sash is raised the other will be lowered
and vice versa, and as the sashes are of equal weights the one must exactly
balance the other, and consequently the sashes will remain in any desired
position that is either open, closed, or in any intermediate position thus avoiding
the necessity of providing the side stops or catches now generally used with
unbalanced sashes.
These improvements in balanced window sashes also relate to the arrangement
of one set of racks that is a rack secured to the vertical bar or stile of each of
the two sashes on the one side of the window only gearing with the toothed wheel
which is free to revolve upon its stud or axle secured to the frame of the car,
with this arrangement the effect will be exactly like that before described with
reference to the two sets of racks and two toothed wheels.
In order that my invention may be the more easily understood reference will
now be made to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a front eleva-
tion of my improved sash balancing device as fitted to a window in a railway car
of the well known "American" type as viewed from the outside of the car and
in which fig. the sheathing or covering boards of the car have been omitted
altogether in order to plainly show the sashes: Fig. 2 is a vertical section at B B
Fig. 1 showing the bottom or outer sash down or closed, and the inside or top
sash up; Fig. 3 is also a vertical section at B B Fig. 1 but in this fig. the sashes
are shown in the reverse position to that shown in Fig. 2 that is the bottom sash
up or open and the top sash down: Fig. 4 is a horizontal section at A A Fig. 3:
Fig. 5 shows the sash runner guides in front elevation: Fig. 6 is a face view
of the sash runner guides when looking towards the car frame pillar forming one
of the sides of the window opening and is for the purpose of showing how they

page_text: are attached and supported: Fig. 7 is a plan showing sash runner guides and top
connecting distance bars; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section at C°C Fig. 5: in
Figs. 5, 7 and 8 portions of the car framing are shown: Fig. 9 shows top portion
of outer or bottom sash rack and the lower portion of the inner or top sash rack
both gearing with their tooth wheel: Fig. 10 is a horizontal section at D D
Fig. 9: Fig. 11 shows the bracket or plate into which the stud or axle for toothed
wheel is secured: Fig. 12 is a horizontal section at line A A Fig. 3: Figs. 9,
10, 11 and 12 are for the sake of clearness shown approximately full size: Fig. 13
shows a portion of the side of a railway car as fitted with my improvements and in
which the left hand side of the fig. shows the outer or bottom sash down or closed
and the inner or top sash up whilst the right hand side of the fig. shows fragments
of the sashes in the reverse position that is the outer or bottom sash up or open
and the inner or top sash down Fig. 14 is a horizontal section on line E E
Fig. 13 Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18 are similar to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 in all respects
with the exception of that they illustrate the application of one set of racks and
tooth wheel at the one side of the window only.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in all the views.
A¹ and A¹ are two metal toothed racks attached to the stiles or vertical side
bars A and A of the outer or bottom sash: B1 and B' are also two metal toothed
racks attached to the stiles or vertical side bars B and B3 of the inner or top
sash; C and C are two toothed wheels arranged to revolve upon their axles or
studs C¹ and C¹ which studs are screwed into their respective brackets C3 and C³
firmly secured to the frame of the car on each side of the window opening; D
and D are the runner guides for the outer or bottom sash to slide in, whilst E
and E are the runner guides for the inner or top sash to slide in; D¹ and E¹ are
distance or stretcher bars at the upper ends of the runner guides to keep them the
correct distance apart, see Figs. 5, 6, and 7; F and F are holes in the runner
guides to allow of the axles or studs C₁ and C passing through, and at this place
a portion of the outstanding flange of the runner guides D and D is cut away
to admit of the toothed wheels C and C see Fig. 9; G and G are wood bars secured
by several screws G2, G2 to the side of the car by the removal of which the sashes
may be taken out if necessary; these wood bars G and G serve as outer flanges to
runner guides D and D; G¹ is the usual sheathing or covering boards of the car.
The inner or top sash is constructed of two stiles or vertical side bars B3 and B³,
an upper rail B and a stretcher or distance rod B³, the upper rail B is some
little distance from the top ends of B3 and B33 in order that space may be afforded
for the weight B5 which may be a bar of lead or other material secured upon the
upper side of B, this bar B is so adjusted in size that its weight in conjunction
with the inner or top sash will be exactly equal to the weight of the bottom sash.
The lower parts of the stiles of the top sash are chamfered off in order to restrict
the opening as little as possible when the bottom sash is up.
The bottom sash is constructed in the usual and well known manner that is
two stiles or vertical bars top and bottom rails morticed and tenoned together
and glazed with glass.
The toothed metal racks are in length a little more than the required travel
of the sashes and are secured thereto in such a position that each adjacent pair
will be correctly in gear with their respective tooth wheel both when the sash is
full open, closed, and also in all intermediate positions.
Although in my heretofore description I have more especially referred to sashes
with a double set of racks and toothed wheels as illustrated by Figs. 1 to 14
inclusive that is two racks and one tooth wheel at each side of the window yet
a like effect will be brought about by having one set of racks and one tooth wheel
fitted at the one side of the window only as illustrated by Figs. 15 to 18 inclusive,
for in cases where the height of the sash is considerable in proportion to its width
the single set of racks and one tooth wheel fitted on the one side of the window
only as shown by Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18 will be preferable owing to its corre-
sponding reduction in cost, for in such cases the slight canting that may be brought

page_text: about from being supported by the tooth wheel upon the one side only would
not be sufficient to impair the proper running of the sashes; but in cases where
the height of the sash is small in proportion to its width then it will be advisable
to use the double set of racks and tooth wheels that is two racks and one tooth
wheel on each side of the window and as the operation when so arranged that
is with two racks and one tooth wheel will be exactly like that of the double set
of racks and two tooth wheels no further description is considered necessary.
It will be easily seen that these improvements can be cheaply and readily
applied both to existing cars and also to new ones, and it is especially with
reference to the former that the shape of the runner guides, the manner of fixing
them, and the stretcher bars at their top ends have been adopted; but if desired
these stretcher bars may be dispensed with altogether, and in lieu thereof the
runner guides may be secured at their upper ends directly to the frame of the
car similarly to their lower ends that is by screws; the special object of the
stretcher bars being to avoid the necessity of stripping off the covering boards or
sheathing of existing cars.
The top or inner sash is not glazed with glass it not being necessary, as the only
purpose that it has to serve is to form a counter balance for the bottom sash.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
-
1. In railway car windows the combination of a bottom sash having two racks
secured to its two vertical bars or stiles, a top or balance sash having two racks
secured to its two vertical bars or stiles, two toothed wheels supported upon axles
secured to the car frame, each axle being fixed between the two adjacent racks
with which its tooth wheel gears substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In railway car windows the combination of a bottom sash having two racks
secured to its two vertical bars or stiles, a top or balance sash having two racks
secured to its two vertical bars or stiles, runner guides secured to the car frame
for the sashes to slide in, two toothed wheels supported upon axles secured to the
car frame each axle being fixed between the two adjacent racks with which its
toothed wheel gears substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In railway car windows the combination of a bottom sash having one rack
secured to one of its vertical bars or stiles, a top or balance sash having one rack
secured to one of its vertical bars or stiles, a toothed wheel supported upon an
axle secured to the car frame, the axle being fixed between the two adjacent racks
with which its toothed wheel gears substantially as described and illustrated.
4. In railway car windows the combination of a bottom sash having one rack
secured to one of its vertical bars or stiles, a top or balance sash having one
rack secured to one of its vertical bars or stiles, runner guides secured to the car
frame for the sashes to slide in, a toothed wheel supported upon an axle secured
to the car frame, the axle being fixed between the two adjacent racks with which
its toothed wheel gears substantially as described and illustrated.