Year: 1888

page_text: I, JAMES THORN GOODFELLOW, of 14th, and Washington Streets, Huntingdon, in
the County of Huntingdon, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My present invention relates to railroad car bodies for carrying freight, which car
bodies are, or may be, made of any well known type, but preferably of the well known
box or gondola shape, and such car bodies are by their peculiar construction adapted
equally well for carrying either merchandize such as lumber, (for example timber and
deals) or such other merchandize as coke, coal, ore, and similar commodities,
which latter merchandize is preferably delivered from the car by means of a hopper
or hoppers or shoot or shoots beneath the car or a similar device, all substantially as
hereafter described.
According to my invention I provide a railroad car body such as a box or gondola
car wherein a portion of the bottom of the car is made as hinged doors, which in one
position are secured level with the remainder of the bottom of the car and which in
their other position can be dropped by suitable mechanism so as to form openings in
the bottom of the car and inclines or shoots by which the contents of the car are
discharged, and 1 employ operating shafts, winding chains and a combination of links
for raising, lowering, and supporting these hinged doors. This mechanism including
the operating shaft is located beneath the bottom of the car and out of the way of
any merchandize with which the car may be loaded, and said mechanism is so con-
structed and arranged as to be operated by means of a winch or equivalent device for
operating the shafts of the car hopper discharging doors.
The car body is made with sides, ends, and a bottom portion which parts are joined
together by vertical irons and corner angle irons in the well known manner, and said
car body may be that of a box or gondola car or of any other form of car adapted
for carrying freight, and said car is supported or carried by longitudinal side frames
composed of, for example, tubes that are connected together and braced or supported
in the manner such as heretofore used by me and described in the specification of
British patent dated 11th November 1884 No. 14863.

page_text: The hinged doors may be of any desirable size and I prefer to make them in pairs,
and to locate then in the floor of the car between side guides depending vertically
from the under side of the car and longitudinally with the body of the car, forming
aprons at each side of the hinged doors, which when the doors are dropped form side
guides for the material being discharged. The device for operating the hinged doors,
consists of strut links the upper ends of which are pivoted to the under side of the
hinged doors, and tensile links which are connected at one end pivotally to the car
body, the lower ends of the strut and tensile links are connected by a small cross
shaft and to this cross shaft are connected operating links and chains and said chains
pass to and around the cross shafts to which they are connected, and the revolution of
said cross shafts through the medium of the chains and links just named act to open
and shut the hinged doors. These links and chains are duplicated upon each side of.
the doors, and said links form a truss, as it were, for supporting the doors when
they are shut, and the doors close up into their frames in the bottom of the car so
that the surface of the car is even and adapted to support any material or article of
merchandize that may have to he placed upon or in said car, and in cases where
coke, ore or such like merchandize is carried and has to be delivered beneath the car
the doors are available for discharging such merchandize.

page_text: I, JAMES THORN GOODFELLOW of 14th and Washington Streets, Huntingdon, in
the County of Huntingdon, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Engineer, 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 :-
My present invention relates to railroad car bodies for carrying freight, which car
bodies are or may be made of any well known type, but preferably of the well known
box or gondola shape, and such car bodies are, by their peculiar construction, adapted
equally well for carrying either merchandize such as lumber, (for example timber and
deals) or such other merchandize as coke, coal, ore, and similar commodities, which
latter merchandize is preferably delivered from the car by means of a hopper or
hoppers or shoot or shoots beneath the car or a similar device, all substantially as
hereafter described.
According to my invention 1 provide a railroad car body, such as a box or gondola ·
car, wherein a portion of the bottom of the car is made as hinged doors, which in one
position are secured level with the remainder of the bottom of the car and which in
their other position can be dropped, by suitable mechanism, so as to form openings in
the bottom of the car, and inclines or shoots by which the contents of the car are dis-
charged; and I employ operating shafts, winding chains, and a combination of links
for raising, lowering, and supporting these hinged doors. This mechanism including
the operating shaft is located beneath the bottom of the car and out of the way of any
merchandize, with which the car may be loaded. and said mechanism is so constructed
and arranged, as to be operated by means of a winch or equivalent device for operating
the shafts of the car hopper discharging doors.
The invention will be best understood by describing the same with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer to like parts in all the
figures.
Figure is a longitudinal section of a portion of the car body with the hinged
doors closed, and Figure 2 is a similar view with the hinged doors open; Figure 3 is
a plan drawn to a smaller scale than the previous figures, and shewing one end of the
car body, half of the car being shewn in plan with the floor intact, and the other half
with the flooring removed; Figure 4 is a cross section of the car body at the lines æx
Fig. 3, and Figure 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the car body.
The car body shewn in the drawing is made with sides 3, ends 4, and a bottom 5
which parts are joined together by vertical irons and corner angle irons, in the well
known manner, and said car may be that of a box or gondola car, or any other form
of car adapted for carrying freight, and said car is supported' or carried by longi-
tudinal side frames, composed of, for example, tubes A that are connected together

page_text: and braced or supported in the manner such as heretofore used by me, and described
in the specification of British patent dated 11th November 1884 No. 14863.
The hinged doors 6, may be of any desired size, and I prefer to make them in pairs,
and to locate them in the floor of the car.
The said doors 6 are shewn as hinged to rods, secured to the bottom of the car,
and said doors are located between the angle iron strips 7, and the T angle iron
strips 8, which strips 7, 8, are let into and fastened to the timbers and frame of the
bottom of the car; the manner of hinging the doors may however be modified, and
there are vertical depending strips or aprons 9, 9, that are fastened to the underside
of the bottom of the car, outside of the width of the hinged doors 6, and these aprons
when the doors are down in the position shewn in Fig. 2 form side guides for the
material being discharged. The device for supporting and operating the hinged doors
consists of the strut links 10, tensile links 11, and operating links 12, and the chains 13,
one end of which is connected to an eye upon the operating link 12, and the other
end of which is connected to and wound around the operating shafts 14. These
shafts 14 pass across the car from one side to the other beneath the bottom 5, and
upon one end of the shafts 14 there are ratchets 15, see Figure 5 and engaging
pawls 16, and the ends of said shafts are made square so that they can be turned by
an ordinary operating wrench.
The strut links 10 are connected at their upper ends pivotally to the underside of
the hinged doors 6, and the tensile links 11 are connected at one end pivotally, to the
car body, and there are short shafts 17, passing through the lower ends of the links,.
which shafts for hinged joints for said links, said links being duplicated at each end
of the shafts 17, at each side of each of the hinged doors. The links 12 may be
replaced by a continuation of the chains 13.
It is preferable to construct these hinged doors in pairs that open downwardly,
away from each other, forming a V shoot, delivering in one or more piles the contents
of the car, which passes through the openings in the bottom of the car formed by
the dropping of the doors.
From the drawing, Figure 1, it will be seen that the links 10, 11 and 12 form a
truss, as it were, for the support of the hinged doors, the links 12 and 11 being
inclined at about an angle of 45°, while the links 10, are vertical, or approximately
so, and support the weight of the contents of the car, that is directly on the doors,
and part of the weight of the doors; and said doors close up snugly and securely
against the surfaces of the angle iron strips 7 and 8 in such a manner as to form with
the balance or remaining portion of the car bottom 5 an even and, smooth surface,
which is adapted to support and transport timber or similar merchandise that requires
to lie flat upon bottom 5, and when the car is required to transport coal, coke, ore, or
similar merchandise that requires to be delivered beneath the car, the same is equally
available and said materials can be discharged at their point of destination by the
hinged doors 6 which can be dropped as heretofore described.
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 :
First: The combination in a freight car with the bottom 5, of hinged doors 6, con-
nected to and when closed, forming a portion of the bottom of said car, and with
mechanism, substantially as described, for supporting and for dropping said doors to
discharge the contents of the car, substantially as set forth.
Second: The combination in a freight car with the bottom 5, of the hinged doors 6
connected to, and when closed forming a portion of the bottom of said car, the strut
links 10 connected at one end to the hinged doors, the tensile links 11 connected at
one end to the car body, the shaft 17 to which the other ends of the links 10 and 11
are pivotted, and operating links 12 connected at one end to the shafts 17, the chains 13
and cross shafts 14 by which the hinged doors are supported and operated, substan-
tially as and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Third: The combination in a freight car with the bottom 5, of the hinged doors 6
connected to, and when closed, forming a portion of the bottom of said car, the strut
links 10 connected at one end to the hinged doors 6, the tensile links 11 connected at
one end to the car body, the shaft 17 to which the other ends of the links 10 and 11
are pivotted, and operating links 12 connected at one end to the shafts 17, the
chains 13 and cross shafts 14 by which the hinged doors are supported and
operated, and the angle iron bars 7 and 8 connected to the bottom of the car, and
at two or more opposite edges of the hinged doors, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this 31st day of Donamber 188e