US2197375A - Transfer apparatus for railway cars - Google Patents

Description

April 16, 1940. J. K. DAFNIS 2,197,375

TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 27, 1938 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR USEPH K. DHFNIs ATTORNEYS TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 27, 1958 :s Sheets-Sheet 2 fig. 2.

INVENTOR JUSEF'H KUHl-N/E AT I'ORNEYS April 1940- J. K. DAFNIS 2,197,375

TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 27, 1938 3 Sheets$heet 3 INV ENTOR JOSEPH KDH FNIS BY M AT TO N EYS Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY ABS Joseph K; Dafnis, Armonk, N. Y.

Application July 27, 1938, Serial No. 221,516

10 Claims.

This invention relates to transfer apparatus for railway cars, and more particularly to apparatus adapted for transferring cars from one track to another without the use of rails or switches, etc., for interconnecting the tracks.

In various types of construction work, such as in boring tunnels, mining, etc., it is customary to provide one railway track upon which empty cars may be taken to or from the place where excavating or filling is being done, another adjacent track being provided over which the loaded cars are transported. In order to transfer the cars from one track to the other, it is customary to use track switches and rails for interconnecting the two tracks, but to protect the switch constructions against breakage or bending out of shape under heavy loads, it is usually necessary to mount the switches on some form of strong supporting structure of a semi-permanent nature, as for example a concrete base. Yet as the work advances from point to point, it is necessary to repeatedly remove and remount the switch structure at frequent intervals, thus involving considerable delay and heavy expenses.

In accordance with the present invention, how ever, means requiring no switch structure or rails for interconnecting the tracks, are provided fortransferring the cars from one track to another, and the apparatus is such that it may be very quickly moved from place to place along the tracks at very little expense. The apparatus is particularly adapted also for use in tunnel and mine work, etc., where the clearance available is limited and where it is important to be able to advance the construction equipment quickly and conveniently as the tunneling proceeds.

Briefly stated, the apparatus of this invention in a preferred form, comprises a bridge-like frame structure which may be supported at each end by railway trucks for normally engaging the rails, with the car to be transferred located beneath the arch of the bridge-like frame. The frame may also be provided at each end with additional trucks having for example rubber tired wheels, and arranged to carry the frame, or the frame with a car transversely of the track. To this end power means may be provided on the frame for altering the relative elevations of the latter trucks with respect to the first-named trucks, whereby the frame may be supported either by the trucks for engaging the track or by the second-named pair of trucks. In the latter event, motor power means may be provided on the frame for operating the last named trucks during the transfer operation.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the inventioniwill clearly appear from the detailed description given be low takenin connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification 5 and illustrate by Way of example a preferred form of the invention. The invention consists in such novel features, arrangements and combinations of parts as may be shown and described in connection with the example of the invention herein disclosed.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of the apparatus embodying the invention and shown in connection with a railway car to be. transferred;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one end portion of the apparatus of Fig. v1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along'line 33 of Fig. 1 and also indicating in dotted lines the position which will be assumed by-the trucks and car body after the transfer operation has taken place; and

.Figs. land 5 illustrate two forms of fluid pressure connections which maybe used to provide the power for altering the relative elevations of the two sets of trucks of the apparatus.

Referring now .to Fig. 1, the above mentioned bridge-like frame structure is indicated at ill, supported at each end .by truck assemblies II and I2, thesetrucks being of suitable well-known types, for example such as adapted for small railway cars; The frame [I] may include horizontal portions at each'end as at I3 and M, rigidly constructed of I-beams or steel channel beams. comprise rigid upright members at each side of the frameas at 15 and i6, joined at their upper ends by similar buthorizontally extending members as .at ll. Suitable bracing members as at l8, l9 and 20 may be provided for this structure.

A car which is to be transferred is indicated at 2| and may be supported on railway trucks as at 22 in the usual manner. A

At a .point adjacent each end of the car 2 I, the

frame l0 may be provided with trucks as at 23 above indicated purposes. Such power means The arched or bridge-like portion may 5 may preferably comprise fluid pressure operated double acting piston means, i. e., pistons acting within cylinders in such manner that the subframe may be either forced downwardly to cause the car and frame to be raised from support by the railway track, or alternatively, to cause said sub-frame to be raised so that its trucks 23, 24 do not contact with the ground, but are suspended from the main frame structure.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, the fluid operated power means may comprise a pair of cylinders as at 33, 3| rigidly secured to the frame H! as by means for example of cross piece 32. Within each of these cylinders, pistons as at 33 may be located and connected to downwardly extending piston rods as at 34, 35. The lower ends of these piston rods may be suitably connected to the sub-frame 28 as by pivotal connecting means as indicated at 36, 37. In order to guide the vertically slidable movements of the sub-frame, if desired a pair of vertically extending rods as at 38, 39 may be rigidly attached to the sub-frame as by a casting 43. These rods may each be slidably received in guide members as at 4|, 42 mounted upon the main frame.

Fig. 4 illustrates one form of suitable connections for applying pressure fluid for operating the pistons of cylinders 33, 3| and the corresponding pistons for cylinders 30', 3|, the latter cylinders being arranged to operate a sub-frame 28 at the lefthand end of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, a conduit 45 may be provided for connection to a suitable source of compressed air, which may be conveyed through a pressure reducing valve 46, past a pressure gauge 41 to a control valve 48. The valve 48 is so constructed as to have an exhaust outlet at 49 and alternative pressure outlets 50 and 5|. The outlet 53 communicates through suitable piping as at 52 to the lower ends of the power cylinders and the outlet 5| similarly communicates through suitable piping 53 with the upper ends of the cylinders. The valve 48 is thus arranged so that the air pressure may be applied either beneath the pistons of all of the cylinders for raising the sub-frame 28, 28', or else above the pistons of all the cylinders for forcing the sub-frames downwardly with a consequent forcing of the main frame and its trucks upwardly as soon as the sub-frame trucks contact with the ground, or with planking 55 (Fig. 3) covering the ground. The valve 48 and its connections are also such that while pressure is being applied to one face of all the pistons, air may be released from the opposite end of each of the cylinders through exhaust pipe 49.

In Fig. 5 an alternative arrangement of pressure connections is illustrated wherein a liquid reservoir 56 may be provided in conjunction with a pump 57 operated by a motor 58, so as to provide fluid pressure in a conduit 59. The conduit 59 may be connected to a by-pass 60 having an adjustable release valve 6|, so that a controlled amount of liquid may be allowed to return to the reservoir. The conduit 59 may be connected to a valve 48' which in turn may be connected to conduits 50', 5|, 52' and 53', corresponding in function to similar conduits in Fig. 4 except being adapted to carry liquid instead of air pressure. In this case the exhaust outlet 49 may be connected to convey the exhausted liquid back to the reservoir 56, this reservoir also being provided if desired with a vent 62.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, sub-frame 28 may be provided with a shelf-like extension for supporting a motor 66. This motor may be connected to a suitable reducing gear box 6'! also mounted on the extension 65. The reducing gear may be connected by sprocket and chain arrangements as shown at 68, 69, to the axles of Wheels 25, 26 respectively. It will be understood that the sub-frame 28 at the other end of the apparatus may be similarly equipped with a motor and connections for operating the truck 24.

The cars as at 2| which are to be transferred may have permanently secured thereto at each end, means such as angle irons 10, respectively adapted to be engaged by supporting brackets as at I2, 13, 14, 15 mounted respectively on each of the four upright posts which support the bridge-like portion of the main frame. Each of these supporting brackets may be mounted by pivotal means as at 16 (Fig. 1), permitting the bracket to be swung in a horizontal direction into and out of contact or supporting relationship with the adjacent angle iron members 75 or H on the car.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described with particular reference to Fig. 3. Let us assume that a car either empty or loaded, is positioned on track l6 and that it is desired to transfer such car to track 11. As shown, the ground at the point where the transfer is to take place, may be covered with more or less temporary planking as at 55 having its upper surface substantially flush with the tops of the rails. The transfer apparatus may now be brought from some other location by pushing the same along track T! to a point opposite the car on track 16, which is to be transferred. Then the air or liquid pressure may be so applied to the cylinders 30, 3|, etc., as to force the trucks 23, 24 down into contact with the planking and concurrently elevating the main frame and trucks H and I2 sufiiciently so that the latter trucks are out of contact with the track. Then the motors 66, 66' may be started in a direction to so propel the trucks 23, 24, that the apparatus will move transversely of the tracks and to a position with the main frame bridging over the car on track 16. During this time the brackets 12-15 are in positions so that they will not engage the car. When the apparatus is thus in proper position over the car which is to be transferred, the fluid pressure may be so applied to the cylinders as to elevate the trucks 23, 24 and permit the trucks and I2 to engage the track. Thereupon the supporting brackets '|2-'|5 may be turned to the positions as shown in Fig. 1 for engaging the car. Then the pressure may be so applied to the cylinders as to thrust the trucks 23, 24 downwardly into engagement with the planking and then so that they will support the whole apparatus and car and raise the same sufficiently to bring the trucks II and I2 out of contact with the track I6. Then by operating the motors 63, 66, in the proper direction, the whole apparatus and car may be transferred to the positions indicated by the dotted lines over track 11, whereupon the trucks 23, 24 may be elevated in the same manner as above described, thus allowing the car and main frame trucks to be lowered on to track 17, after which the transfer apparatus may be returned to track 16 to permit the transferred car to be drawn away on track H.

It will be apparent that an arrangement is thus provided which avoids the necessity of using track. Also with this arrangement, it is possible to quickly transfer wear from one of the tracks tothe other at any desired point along the tracks,

so-long as the space betweenthe rails is approximately filled as by rough planking 55, or equivalent means, which may be quickly laid for the purpose, or which in many cases will'already be available between the tracks. fer apparatus may be operated at anypoint along the tracks, various shifting operations and rear- I rangements of the cars may be accomplished which would be substantially impossible or in.- volve long delays if switches atfixed points were used.

The bridge-like construction of the transfer frame permits each end of the frame to be carried on trucks at the respective-ends of the car, and permits of a rigid form of frame without necessitating the'use of any frame parts extending to the sides or beneath the car. tunnels, mines, etc., for various reasons there must generally be substantial clearance-above the tops of the cars, and often but little'or no clearance at the sides and bottom thereof,'it will be apparent that the bridge-like construction provides an ideal form of rigid frame while avoiding the necessity of providing further clearance beyond what is ordinarily available in tunneling operations.

As above described, the power equipment may preferably (although not necessarily) be substantially duplicated at each end of the main frame. This will permit the raising and lowering of each end of the car to be controlled independently, without danger of jamming the equipment, as well as permitting the transverse movement of each .end of the apparatus to be independently controlled, so that if the traction obtained by the trucks 23, 24 is not uniform, the operator may take such fact into account, and control the motors accordingly.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to particular preferred examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and further modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a pair of trucks for respectively engaging the track at each end of a car, a frame adapted to extend over the top of the car for interconnecting said trucks and including means providing a lifting engagement with the car, a second pair of trucks respectively attached to said frame at each end of the car, said last named trucks having wheels adapted to carry the frame and the car engaged thereby in directions transverse to the track, and means on said frame for altering the relative elevations of the latter trucks with respect to the first named trucks whereby the frame may be supported either by the trucks for engaging the track or by the second named pair of trucks.

2. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said frame for providing a lift- Since the trans- Since in ing-engagement with a car, trucksfor carrying said frame along the track, trucks for carrying said frame in directions transverse to the track, and means on said framefor altering the relative elevations of the latter trucks with respect-to the first namedtrucks whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first menthereby may be elevated and carried transverse- 1y of-the track. I. I

3. Apparatus for transferring cars'in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said frame for engaging a car to lift tioned trucks or the frame with the vcar engaged" the same, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, trucks for carrying said 'framein directions transverse to the track, and power means on said frame for altering the relative elevations of the latter trucks with respect to the first named trucks whereby-either the frame'may be. carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second named trucks elevated, or the frame with the car engaged thereby may be elevated from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by the second named trucks. I

4. Apparatus for transferring carsin directions transverse to a railway track; comprising a pair of truclzs for respectively engaging the track at each end of a car, a bridge-like framev for intercon-v necting said trucks, spacebeing provided beneath said frame to receive the, car when the'frame is moved transversely; over. a car, means onsaid frame for lifting and supporting the car when the frame is elevated, a second setof trucks for carrying said frame in directionstransverse to the track, and means on said frame for altering the'relative elevations of the, latter trucks with respect to the first named trucks whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks or the frame with the car. lifted thereby may be carried transversely of the track.- r i 5. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said frame for lifting the car when the frame is elevated, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, additionaltrucks at each end of said frame'for carrying said frame iindirections transverse to the track, and power means mounted at each end of said frame for altering the elevation of said additional trucks with respect to the first named trucks, whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second mentioned trucks elevated, or the frame with the car lifted thereby is elevated from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks. I

6. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means onsaid frame for lifting the car when the frame is elevated, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, additional trucks atv each end of said frame for carrying said frame in directions transverse to the track, andv fluid pressure-operated double-acting piston means mounted at each end of said frame for altering the elevation of said additional trucks with respect to the first named trucks, whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second mentioned trucks elevated, or, the frame with the car lifted thereby is elevated, from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks.

when the frame is elevated, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, additional trucks at each end of said frame for carrying said frame in directions transverse to the track, power means.

mounted at each end of said frame for altering the elevation of said additional trucks with respect to the first named trucks, whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second mentioned trucks elevated, or the frame with the car lifted thereby is elevated from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks, motor means carried by said frame, and driving connecting means between said motor means and the wheels of said additional trucks.

8. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said frame for lifting the car when the frame is elevated, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, additional trucks at each end of said frame for carrying said frame in directions transverse to the track, power means mounted at each end of said frame for altering the elevation of said additional trucks with respect to, the first named trucks, whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second mentioned trucks elevated, or the frame with the car lifted thereby is elevated from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks, and motor means carried by said frame and connected with the wheels of said additional trucks notwithstanding. the changes in elevation of the latter trucks.

9. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said frame for lifting the car when the, frame is elevated, trucks for carrying said frame along the track, a sub-frame mounted on said frame and verticaly slidable to various elevations in respect to said frame, additional truck means on said sub-frame for carrying the frame and sub-frame in directions transverse to the track, power means on said frame for altering the elevation of said sub-frame and said additional truck means thereon, with respect to the first named trucks, whereby either the frame may be carried along the track by the first mentioned trucks with the second mentioned trucks elevated, or the frame with the car lifted thereby is elevated from support by the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks, and power means on said subframe for driving said additional truck means.

10. Apparatus for transferring cars in directions transverse to a railway track, comprising a frame, means on said framefor lifting the car when the frame is elevated, trucks for carryat each end of said frame for carrying said frame in directions transverse to the track, power means mounted at each end of said frame for altering the elevation of said additional trucks with respect to the first named trucks, whereby the track and carried transversely of the track by said additional trucks, and motors for driving each of said additional trucks independently.

JOSEPH K. DAFNIS.

ing said frame along the track, additional trucks

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