Improvements in Sliding Doors for Railway Goods Waggons, Barns, Refrigerators, and other Enclosed Structures.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sliding Doors for Railway Goods Waggons, Barns,
Refrigerators, and other Enclosed Structures.
We, JAMES EDWARD OWEN, Manufacturer, JOHN CORNELIUS GABEL, Jr.
Engineer, and GEORGE FRANCIS MCKINNEY, Carpenter, all of Onarga, in the
County of Iroquois and State of Illinois, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of the invention is to provide a door and hanger designed for freight
cars, barns, refrigerators or other objects requiring a closely fitting door and one
capable of being moved readily to an open or to a closed position. A further
object of the invention is to so construct the door and its hanger that while the
door is in its closed position it may be so manipulated as to provide for ventilation.
Another object of the invention is to provide for simplicity, ease and precision of
adjustment of the door, and freedom from binding in opening and closing, to
afford a storm-proof track, to insure absolute strength to the door and freedom
from displacement, and finally to construct the door, track and hanging device
in such manner that the door will not be affected by the sagging of the object
to which it may be applied.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of 'reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a freight car, illustrating the application
of the invention to a door of the same, the door being shown closed;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, a portion of the track being in section
and the door being shown as partially open;
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the track drawn on an enlarged scale and
partially in section, showing also a portion of the door and the trolley which
travels on the said track:
Figure 4 is a vertical section taken practically on the line 4-4 of Figure 3:
Figure 5 is a vertical section through a side of the car and the door, the door
being represented as closed, the said view also showing partially in section and
partially in side elevation the door hanging attachment for the car, the view
illustrating the door locked closed, said view being also on an enlarged scale;
Figure 6 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of a side of
a car, showing also a portion of the opening to be closed by the door and the
lower portion of the door, the door having been withdrawn from the opening
and dropped, the locking device being shown in upper position:
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, the door however being shown in its
full open position and the locking device of the hanging mechanism as securing
the door in such position.

page_text: The
The car A is provided with a track B, extending above the door opening in
the car and a predetermined distance beyond the back edge of the opening.
track B as shown in Figure 4, preferably consists of a hollow steel casing,
having an opening 11 in its bottom and flanges 10 at the sides of the opening;
but we desire it to be understood that the track may be made of any suitable
material.
A trolley C is located within the track. This trolley, as shown, consists of
a centre bar 13, in which axles 14 are journaled but held to turn, the axles
being provided with wheels 15, which travel upon the lower inner surface of the
track at each side of its bottom opening 11, as is also best shown in Figure 4.
The door D is connected with the trolley by means of double hinges E. These
hinges, as shown, consist of a lower plate section 16, which is attached to the door,
an upper plate section 17, which is attached to the centre bar 13 of the trolley,
and an intermediate folding section 18, having a hinge connection with both of
the plate sections, as shown in both Figures 3 and 4.
Under such a construction it is evident that the door, when moved from its
opening, may be dropped so as to leave a space between the top of the door and
the top portion of the opening, the top of the door being preferably given an
inclined face 19, as shown in Figure 4, and the top wall of the door casing a
similar surface 20. When the door is raised and made to enter the door opening,
the folding sections 18 of the hinges will be at an angle to the plate sections,
as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 and in positive lines Figure 5; whereas,
when the door is pendent from the trolley and is moved from the opening it is
designed to cover, all the members of the hinges will be perpendicular, as shown
in positive lines in Figures 4 and 7.
A lift rod 21, is secured to an elbow lever 17" pivoted to the door at 16" and
fulcrumed on the bar 13 of the trolley, as illustrated in Figures 2, 5 and 7.
This lift rod is carried downward along the outer face of the door 1, and at its
lower end is pivotally attached to a lever 22, which lever has movement in a
guide strap 23, and is fulcrumed upon the door in a bracket 24. The track B
may be attached to the car in any suitable manner; as shown, however, brackets 25
are employed for that purpose. Below the bracket 24 a keeper 25 is located
open at the top, and adjacent to this keeper an angular bolt 26, having a slot 27
in its horizontal member is held to slide in the guide sleeve 28 secured to the door,
the bolt being adapted at its lower end to enter a keeper 29 attached to the car
body. The vertical member of the bolt is provided with a cam 26°, capable of
passing up to the guide sleeve. When the door is closed and the bolt is placed
in locking position, the cam strikes a wear plate 26b, the bottom of the bolt
being held in the keeper 29. Therefore, as the top of the bolt is in the guide
sleeve, the body of the bolt will spring sufficiently to enable the cam to act upon
the car door in a manner to force the door inward to a certain extent.
It will be understood that where the bolt passes through the guide sleeve, the
sleeve will not be close to the door. A second keeper 37 is secured upon the car
body, in such a position that it will receive the bolt 26 when the door is opened
a predetermined distance, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.
At the rear or left-hand side of the bolt 26 an eye 32 is secured to the door,
through which a pin 33 is shown as passed, attached to the door by means of a
chain 34; and at each side of the bolt 26 a handle 35 is secured to the door,
through the medium of which the door may be carried along the track.
4
In operation, the door being closed and it being desirable to open said door, the 5
bolt 26 is raised and its head is turned to the position shown in Figure 2, so that
the head of the bolt will engage with the keeper 25° and be withdrawn from the
keeper 29. The door is then pulled outward and upward from the bottom by
means of the handles 35 and will drop, at same time moving bodily outwards and
carrying the lever 22 to the position shown in Figure 2. The door may now be 5
partially or entirely opened, or may remain over the opening originally covered,
except at the top, and sides where a sufficient space will be left to provide for

page_text: ventilation. When the door is fully opened, or opened to a predetermined extent,
the bolt may be used to lock the door in such position by entering the bolt into
the keeper 37, as shown in Figure 7.
When the door is to be closed, it will be raised by pulling the lever 22 down-
ward. The centre sections 18 of the hinges will then be carried upward sub-
stantially to the horizontal position, shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, causing
the door to enter and to snugly fit into the door opening, at which time the
bolt 26 is dropped downward into its keeper 29, the slot in its head being made to
receive the eye 32, while the pin 33 is passed through the eye, holding the bolt
in this position; or any locking device, as for instance a pad-lock, may be employed
instead of the said pin. The flange 10 and the brackets 25 afford an effective brace
and hold the top of the door securely when closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination, with the body of a car, a trolley and track, a door con-
nected with the said track and a lift lever for the door, of a keeper located near
the door opening, a bolt held to slide and rock upon the said door, a bolt being
adapted to enter the said keeper, a lateral cam projection upon the bolt, adapted
to engage the door when the bolt is rotated, and a locking device for the bolt
independent of the said keeper.
2. The combination, with a hollow track having a slot in its bottom and brackets
extending around the said track from one side of the slot to the other, and a
carriage held to travel in the said track, consisting of a body bar which extends
within the slotted portion of the track, and wheels at each side of the carriage,
travelling in the bottom portion of the track, of a drop door, hinges connecting the
said drop door with the carriage, such hinges consisting of three members having
a knuckle connection, the lower member of each hinge being secured to the upper
portion of the door, and the upper member of each hinge being attached to the
carriage, and a lift lever fulcrumed upon the door, a rod connecting the lever with
the carriage, a bolt held to slide and rock upon the door, said bolt being pro-
vided with a lateral cam projection adapted to engage the door when the bolt is
rotated, a keeper for the bolt independent of the door, and a locking device for the
said bolt, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 21st day of June 1900
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.