Automatic uncoupling ramp as for miniature railroad cars

May 26, 1964 _P. j. gillham 3,134,489

AUTOMATIC UNCOUPLING RAMP AS FOR MINIATURE RAILROAD CARS

Filed Dec. 11, 1961

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United States Patent Office _{Palented May}’₂₆, ’₁₉₆₄

3,134,489

AUTOMATIC UNCOUPLING RAMP AS FOR MINIATURE RAILROAD CARS

Phillin J. Gillham, 1215 Thornton, Houston, Tex. ‘Filed Dec. 11,1961, Ser. No. 158,310

Claims. (Cl. 213—211) f This invention relates to an automatic uncoupling ramp, as for miniature railroad cars, which will automatically uncouple two coupled cars moved thereon but which, » being of flexible or pliable material, will permit the un; coupled end of a car to be moved thereover, regardless of whether the vertical pin of the coupler may be in normal or out of normal position.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a ramp, preferably for the miniature railroad trade, but having other applications as well, the ramp being constructed of pliable or flexible, preferably transparent material to guidably uncouple two coupled cars as a leading car is moved thereupon to draw thereafter a following car, the ramp being sufficiently yieldable to permit the uncoupled end of a car to be moved thereupon, regardless of whether the vertical pin of the coupler may be in normal or out of normal position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a ramp of this class which is of width to be installed between the parallel rails of a railroad, as a miniature railroad spur, to automatically uncouple successively the last car of a train, as such last car is backed upon the ramp.

As further and additional objects the invention sets out to provide a ramp of this class in combination with a miniature railroad, the ramp being of transparent plastic and hence practically invisible, being a non-conductor and hence not capable of shorting circuit through low clearance metallic car parts, also being of flexibility to permit low clearance cars to pass thereover, also being capable of being constructed to a height to effectuate cooperation f between cars carrying coupler pins at higher than average heights, and being of simple construction, and also being easily installed, removed and replaced.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a ramp of this class which is yieldable within limits both vertically and sidewardly, whereby the vertical coupler pin of an uncoupled miniature railroad car may be passed thereover, either to the side of, or to urge downwardly upon a raised central portion of the ramp, or to pass within a narrow slot centered in the central portion, the uncoupled end of a car thus being able to pass over the ramp whether the coupler is in normal or in maladjusted position.

Other and further objects will be apparent when the specification herein is considered in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of two coupled together miniature railroad cars on a track;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a portion of a track with a ramp comprising an embodiment of the invention installed on the track;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a ramp section and of two connected couplers, just prior to being moved upon the ramp, showing details of coupler and ramp construction; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the ramp section and couplers shown in FIG. 3 as moved upon the ramp and thereby automatically uncoupled.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals are applied to like elements in the various views, two miniature railroad cars A and B are shown in FIG. 1 coupled together by means of the 5 interlatched couplers 11 and 12. The cars are mounted upon conventional wheel units 13 and 14 which roll upon conventional rails 15 supported upon conventional cross-ties 16 of a railroad track 17.

As viewed in FIG. 3, the car B, which is pictured in 10 FIG. 1 to be the caboose of a freight train, is being backed upon a ramp 18, the couplers 11 and 12 of the respective cars A and B being shown interlatched. Each coupler is constructed and mounted, as in the case of the coupler 11 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, in man15 net that the coupler pivots horizontally about a vertical pivot 21 beneath the car, a spring 22 backed against a stop plate 23 beneath the car normally urging the coupler 11 counter-clockwise to a stopped position as it contacts the corner 24 of the stop plate 23.

When two cars are moved relatively toward each other, the coupler shoes 25 first come into contact and the vertical surfaces 26 of the shoes slide over each other as the couplers 11 and 12 are thus pivoted clockwise by the relative motion of the cars, thereby compressing the spring 22. As the shoes terminate sliding contact, hooks 27, at the ends of the shoes 25 nearest the track axis, moxe into inter-latched position, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus vertically extending pins 29, 30, shown in elevation in FIG. 1, come to occupy the positions indicated in FIG. ³⁰ 3, on opposite sides of, and spaced from the longitudinal axis of cars and track.

As the inter-connected cars A and B are backed upon the ramp 18, the pins 30 and 29 move over a recess or large slot 31 provided in the ramp part 28, which, as ³³ shown in FIG. 2, extends angularly upwardly to connect the ramp end 19 with a central, slightly arched or substantially horizonally extending portion 32 of the ramp 18, the ramp being indentically constructed from both ends thereof. As backing continues the sides of the pins ⁴⁰ 29, 30 move into contact with the inwardly tapered sides 33 of the upper part of the recess or large slot 31. First the leading pin 30 contacts a slide 33 and this pivots the coupler 12 clockwise so that its latch hook 27 begins to be moved out of latching contact with the latch hook 27 ⁴⁵ of the following coupler 11. As movement upon the ramp continues first the pin 30 and thereafter the pin 29 are guided into a slot 34 which is of some lesser width than the recess or large slot 34, and which extends centrally through the upper or central ramp portion 32. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, with both pins 29 and 30 in the ramp slot 34, the latch hooks 27 are completely disengaged from each other.

Since the springs 28 normally urge the couplers tog₃ ward stop position against corners 24, the pins of uncoupled couplers are in outermost position from the longitudinal axis of track and cars, and the ramps are of such predetermined width that the pins 29 and 30 normally would be just outwardly of the side edges 35 ₆₀ of the ramp portion 32. Thus, normally an uncoupled car, or the uncoupled end of a car with opposite end coupled, may be moved upon a ramp 18 with the pin of the uncoupled coupler clearing the ramp. However, if the uncoupled coupler may be in maladjustment, as if its _6g spring 22 may be too weak to urge it to full stop position, then the pin will pass above the ramp portion 32 and de3,134,489 press it, without necessarily pivoting the coupler. Also, if the uncoupled coupler is in such maladjustment that its pin moves in the narrower slot 34, obviously it will pass over the ramp.

It is obvious that the pivot 21 and stop corner 24 may fall into inaccurate positions on the miniature or model cars, and also the pins 29, 30 can be formed inaccurately upon their respective couplers 11 and 12 and bear inaccurate relation in distance from the journals for the pins 21. Thus, in rare cases it can be conceived that cars and/or their couplers may be so constructed that in unlatched position pins may be positioned to pass outwardly of the sides of the ramp so that there can be no camming action with ramp slot sides to move them to pivot, and thus the couplers of two cars coming into contact with each other will only bump together at their couplers but cannot latch, if the pin of one of the couplers falls outside of the side of the ramp.

In practice, if two uncoupled cars are moved relatively toward each other to meet upon the ramp portion 32, it is obvious that if the pins of both couplers fall externally of the slot-34,. the couplers will come into abutment as the cars approach each other on the ramp portion 32, and thus may be pivoted into latching contact. Also if the pin of the coupler of only one of two cars approaching each other should fall within the slot 34, while the pin of the coupler of the other car falls externally of the slot 34, in such case the couplers will come into abutment as the cars approach each other on the ramp portion 32, and thus they will be pivoted into latching contact. This is true since the ramp can flex both sidewardly and vertically and thus both couplers can be pivoted to effect coupling action. It can be seen, however, that this will not be the case in a rare occasion where it happens that the pins of the opposed couplers of two cars are in substantially equal state of maladjustment, so that both pins, when uncoupled, ride within the narrow slot 34. FIG. 4, shown primarily to indicate the function of the slot 34 to effect automatic uncoupling, also depicts a condition where the coupler pins of two cars, moved toward each other, may be in such maladjustment that both ride within the narrow slot 34, and in this case the pins first come into contact and remain in contact to prevent coupling until moved out of the narrow slot 34.

It can thus be seen that a train may be reversed to back two cars, the rearmost of which is to be uncoupled, upon the ramp. With both pins in the slot 34 the two cars are uncoupled, then the train may start forward, leaving the uncoupled car upon the ramp. To recouple the train is backed into the uncoupled car and generally it is pushed out of the narrow slot so that both car pins can better move together, the car to be re-coupled usually being pushed just beyond the ramps. Then, with the cars re-coupled, the train moves forward, and without slack the pins ride over or through the central portion, due to the flexibility of the ramp.

The ramp may preferably be made of clear plastic so that it is practically invisible, and thus cannot appear as an undesirable element in the track, and thus a more prototype model railroad can be provided as to appearance.

As the ramp is of non-conductive material it is not adapted to cause short circuits in the operation of the train as otherwise could occur upon the passage thereover of metallic parts of cars with low clearance. Also, because of the flexibility, yieldability, or pliability of the ramp material, in combination with its slotted shape, cars of low clearance construction can move thereover, with substantially reduced counter-sideward motion, as otherwise occurs when conventional coupler pins endeavor to push couplers apart without slack.

Also, because of the pliable, flexible materials employed, a higher ramp can be provided than is conventionally provided, thereby insuring that coupler pins of the type which do not extend very far beneath their couplers, may be accommodated.

The ramp is of simple construction, having no moving parts, is easily installed, and easily removed and replaced.

Obviously the invention may be constructed of various materials which are inherently flexible or which may be relieved in manner to obtain flexibility. The invention thus includes such variations as they may fall within the broad scope of interpretation claimed for and merited by the appended claims.