IMPROVED SAFETY TRUCK APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN GERHARDT of 10 St Constant Street, in the City of Montreal, in the
District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada,
Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention. for "IMPROVED SAFETY
TRUCK APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention is applicable to all kinds of railway and other cars or coaches
which are carried on trucks secured to the car body by means of central or King
bolts.
In cars of this construction; it is well known that if the wheels, from any cause,
leave the track, the trucks are nearly certain to swivel on their central attachment,
and the wheels to turn even to a right angle to their proper course, thus in any
case placing the passengers in great danger, and running serious risk of injury to
and even destruction of the car.
I
The object of this invention is to provide means by which, in case of the
de-railment of cars such as I have described, the trucks will be retained in their
normal position, and the wheels in the line of the track.
י.
The invention may be briefly described as consisting in the attachment loosely of
the truck frames to the car body.-This is effected by rods, which are usually,
although not necessarily, attached to the truck frames at or near the corners of the
sides nearest the centre of the car, and are thence taken up obliquely, and secured
to the longitudinals or other framing of the car at points nearer to the centre than
the trucks themselves.-Sufficient play is allowed these rods to permit the trucks
to accommodate themselves to curves, the amount required being adjusted at will.
For full comprehension of the invention, reference must be had to the annexed
drawings forming part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is a plan of the
underside of a car body looking up, the trucks being shown of different
construction.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the above, and
Figs. 3 and 4 details of the fastenings of the rods.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
AA are plates secured, by bolts or other suitable means, to the longitudinals, or
other framing of the car, at, preferably, about the position shown in the drawings,
A1 hin
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page_text: Through this projection passes one end of a rod B, having a thread cut upon it
for any desired distance, and provided with jam nuts bb to secure it in place.-The
distance apart of the jam nuts gives the amount of play allowed to the rod, and
these nuts may, for greater security, be doubled or provided with lock nuts..
To prevent the wear of the thread on the rod by friction in the aperture of A¹,
I slip over it, at that point, a sleeve b', shown in detail in Fig. 3.
On the other end of the rod B is formed an eye B¹ corresponding to a double eye
formed on the end of a plate C, secured, as shown in the drawings, to the angle of
the truck frame D, the junction being made by an eye bolt or rivet c or in any
other way.
Although the means just described and shown in the drawings for connecting the
ends of the rods to the car body and truck frame will be found very effective for
the purposes for which they are designed, it must be understood that other devices
may be substituted therefor.-For instance, instead of the thread and jam nuts, a
shoulder may be formed on the rod, and a cottar inserted at the distance required
to give the necessary play, and the connection with the.truck frame be made by a
hook and eye or in any desired way.
Again, the rods B may be taken obliquely to a single plate A situated at some
point on the longitudinal axis of the car, and formed to receive the ends of both
rods, or it may, in some instances, be found desirable to do away with the plates A
entirely, and carry the ends of the rods through any of the timbers of the car
framing, which may be suitably strengthened for the purpose.
Either of these constructions (which are simply modifications of details) will
allow the trucks to swivel on the king bolts sufficiently to accommodate themselves
to curvature of the track, the amount of play being, as before mentioned, regulated
by the distance apart of the jam nuts, or shoulder and cottar &c.
It is obvious that beyond this amount of play, it is impossible for the truck to
"slew," and that therefore, whenever from any cause the wheels of a car leave the
track, the truck is still held by the rods in the proper position with relation to the
car, and the wheels will follow the track, thus doing away with the chance of
ditching, going down embankments, and all accidents of this class.
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 with the trucks of a railway car, of rods connecting the
truck frames to the car frame substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination with the truck frames of a car, of plates to which the rods B
are connected, and other plates secured to the car framing, to which such rods are
adjustably attached as and for the purposes set forth.
L
1. 100E