Coal-loading apparatus.

Application filed November 15, 1910. Serial No. 592,421.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Howard J. Gilmore, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carterville, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CoalLoading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coal loading apparatus, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide reliable and efficient means for discharging a quantity of coal into a tender of a locomotive traveling at ordinary speed as it passes a coaling station.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of comparatively simple construction, which will quickly discharge coal into the tender of a locomotive and immediately recede to a position out of the path of the cars in a train carried by the locomotive, said apparatus being designed to discharge the coal into the tender without requiring the stoppage of the train.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a coaling station showing my apparatus in position to discharge coal into a tender of a locomotive, and latter being shown in section and the arch bars or supporting frame being broken away at the opposite sides thereof. Frg. 2 is a side elevation of the coaling station. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the discharging vessel for the coal, certain parts being shown in elevation, and the bottom members of the vessel being shown closed. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the vessel showing the bottom members opened in position for dumping the coal into the tender. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a sliding fork which holds the vessel in elevated position until said fork is withdrawn by suitable means on the tender of the locomotive to drop the vessel and discharge its contents. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of a portion of one side of the vessel showing a key hole slot therein to permit bottom members of the vessel to drop down to discharge the contents of the vessel and to be returned to their initial position after each operation. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the lower end of the supporting rod for the vessel. Fig. 8 is a detail perspec tive view of one of the levers pivoted to the opposite sides of the vessel for operating the bottom members of the vessel in discharging the coal therefrom. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the tender of the locomo- t j live provided with means for tripping the coal discharging vessel when the train is traveling at various rates of speed. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the tripping lever adjustably connected to the οό tender.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the arched bars forming the frame of the coaling station, said arched bars being connected by suitable braces or 70· bars 2 and cross braces 3. This structure is built over the track rails 4 and is of a suitable height to permit a train of cars to pass through the same without interference. A supporting rod 5 extends 75 through the top of the arch and at its upper end said rod is provided with a head 6. A spiral spring 7 surrounds the upper end of the rod 5, said spring being confined within a suitable cap or cover 8. The rod 5 ex- 80 tends through a cross bar 9 secured to the arch and said rod 5 is provided with a reduced portion 10 near its lower end and terminates in a flattened portion 11 provided ivith a perforation 12. A loop or 85 clevis 13 is connected to the flattened end 11.

The bale 14 is supported by the clevis 13 on the rod 5. The vessel 15 is preferably flared at its lower end and is supported within a metal ring 16 connected to bars 17 90 which are supported within the arch of the coaling station. The bottom members 18 of the coaling vessel are pivoted at 19 inside the vessel 15 and the inner ends 20 of the bottom members 18 when closed to- 95 gether, dispose the members 18 in a downwardly inclined position, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The bottom members 18 are held in closed position by means of spring bolts 21 which are pivoted at their 100 inner ends 22 to the lower sides of the bottom members 18. The outer ends of the bolts 21 are reduced in size as at 23 and spiral springs 24 surround the bolts 21, the tension of said springs being exerted to 105 close the bottom members 18 after the coal has been discharged from the vessel 15. The bolts 21 extend through key hole slots in the sides of the vessel 15, said key hole slots having a reduced portion 25 and an 110

1,002,984 enlarged portion 26. When the ends 23 of the bolts 21 are in their uppermost positions, the shoulders on the bolts 21 engage the inner wall of the reduced portion 25 of the 5 key hole slots, and thus hold the bottom members 18 in closed positions to support the coal within the vessel 15.

Levers 27 are pivoted at 28 to brackets 29 at opposite sides of the vessel 15. The ₁₀ levers 27 comprise the two diverging members 30 and 31, each having an outwardly curved upper end 32 and 33. A foot 34 is formed on the lower end of each of the levers 27. The members 30 and 31 of the 15 levers 27 are connected together by means of rods 35, as shown more clearly in Fig. 8. Spiral springs 36 normally hold the feet 34 against-the outer sides of the vessel 15 and in contact with the reduced outer ends 23 20 of the bolts 21.

Mounted on the cross bar 9 is a forked lever 37 provided with a recess 38 and oppositely disposed members 39 which engage the reduced portion 10 of the supporting ₂₅ rod. 5 for holding the vessel 15 in elevated position out of the way of the moving train. The lever 37 is provided with elongated slots .40, through which bolts 41 pass to permit the lever 37 to slide inward and ₃₀ outward. Pivotally connected at 42 to the lever 37 is an operating rod 43, the upper end of which is provided with an arm 44 pivotally connected to said lever 37. The operating rod 43 is pivoted in brackets 45 35 supported in the arch-way and the lower end of the rod 43 is offset or bent into cranked form, as at 46. A spring 47 normally holds the operating rod 43 in position to engage the lever 37 with the reduced por40 tion 10 of the supporting rod 5.

. Sliding bolts 48. are mounted on the inner side near the bottom of the vessel 15, said bolts being provided with springs 49 and the heads of said bolts normally engaging 45 the under sides of the bolts 21. The tension of the springs 49 is exerted to push the bolts 21 upward within the reduced portions 25 of the. key. hole slots. A tender 50 of the locomotive is provided with a back50 wardly inclined plate 51 to prevent the overflow of coal dumped into the tender from the vessel 15. Mounted along one side of the tender 50 is a rod 52 connected by brackets 53 to said tender. The front end 55 54 of the rod 52 projects some distance in front of the tender and secured .to said end by means of.an adjustable collar 55 is a trip lever 56, said lever being pivoted upon a bolt 57 which serves to adjust the collar 55 60 upon the rod 52. A suitable notched rack 58 is secured to the tender and the lever 56 may be adjusted in any of the notches 59 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The operation of my invention may be 65 briefly described as follows: The vessel 15 being charged with coal is suspended in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of the forked lever 37 engaging the reduced portion 10 of the supporting rod 5. The fireman on the locomotive when he desires to have coal discharged in the tender 50 adjusts the position of the trip lever 56 in any of the notches 59, depending upon the speed at which the locomotive is traveling. For instance if the locomotive is traveling rapidly the lever 56 is adjusted outwardly so as to discharge the coal sooner than if the train was running more slowly when the lever 56 would be adjusted inwardly to properly time the discharge of the coal and the return of the vessel to its uppermost position out of the way of the coaches in the train. When the lever 56 comes into contact with the cranked portion 46 of the operating rod 43, the forked lever 37 is drawn outward and the weight of the coal in the vessel 15 carries said vessel down against the tension of the spring 7. As the vessel 15 descends the members 30 of the levers 27 are engaged by the ring 16 which throws the upper ends of said levers inward, while the feet 34 are moved slightly downward to push the bolts 21 into alinement with the enlarged portions 26 of the key hole slots when the weight of the coal on the bottom members 18 will throw the latter downward to the position shown in Fig. 4. Immediately after the coal is discharged the spring 7 raises the vessel 15 to its uppermost position out of the way of the cars. The springs 36 throw the upper ends of the levers 27 outwardly and bolts 48 push upward on the bolts 21 to close the bottom members 18 to the position shown in Fig. 3, ready for the discharge of another load of coal when placed in the vessel 15.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that my invention is of comparatively simple construction, will operate automatically to discharge coal when tripped by a moving tender and will instantly ascend out of the way of a moving train. It will also be obvious that by setting the trip lever 56 upon the rod 54 the timing of the discharge of the vessel 15 may be accomplished, depending upon the rate of speed of the traveling train.