Untitled record

Application filed June 30,1892. Serial Ho. 438,624, (Ho model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Henry Henthorne, of Newark, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and use5 ful Improvements in Railway-Car Attachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and io use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-car attachments and more especially to a life-guard extending all round the car whereby there is no liability of a person get15 ting under the ear-wheels in falling at either side or end of a car, or between cars; and my invention consists in certain features of construction and in combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. 20 The life-guard at each side of the car being substantially the same in construction, and, likewise, being substantially the same in construction at each end of the car, a perspective view of a car provided with my improved life25 guard, showing an end and a side of the car, is considered sufficient to illustrate my invention, and the accompanying drawing exhibits such a picture, the car-body being shown in dotted lines.

My improved life-guard is preferably located so as to come about three inches above the rails of the railway-track. The guard comprises a pair of flat side-members, A, located, respectively, directly in the line of the car35 wheels and extending lengthwise of the car and somewhat beyond the ends of the car, and the guard comprises also a pair of flat endmembers, B, extending transversely of the ear and secured to the top-of side-members A.

Side-members A are supported at each end of the trucks by stirrups or U-shaped hangers, C, rigidly secured to the adjacent sill of the car, members A resting upon the central members C' of the hangers and secured thereto 45 preferably by means of bolts. Members A B may be made of wood or metal but preferably of wood, members A being preferably composed, respectively, of two boards or planks arranged end to end, as at a, between the 50 trucks of the car, and members B are prefer ably composed of matched flooring nailed to the top of members A. Members A are slotted, as at A', to accommodate the location and operation of the car-wheels, said slots being preferably just large enough for such accommoda- 55 tion. By the construction already described it will be observed that instead of a person getting under the car-wheels by falling between the wheels of a truck, he would be caught by the respective side-member A of 60 the life-guard and thrown away from the car laterally or carried along upon said side-member. Stirrups or hangers C are firmly secured against becoming loose by one or more pairs of oppositely disposed braces, E, secured to 65 the car-sills and to members A in any suitable manner, a pair of braces being preferably provided for each end member C² of the stirrup or hangers, as shown.

G represents lattice-work provided at each 70 side of the ear between the trucks, the same being secured at the top to the respective sill of the car and, at the bottom, to the respective side-member A of the life-guard, and serve not only to prevent a person from getting 75 under the car between the trucks, but also, in a measure, affords an additional support for the respective side-member A. End-members B of the guard project so far out from the end of the car that when two cars, provided with 80 my improved attachment, are coupled together, the guards of the two cars will approximately abut each other or come so near together that there shall not be, between the guards, an opening sufficiently large for a 85 person to fall through and thereby get under the cars. The cars can be coupled with entire safety and members B of the guard will serve as a step or platform upon which the person may step in coupling the cars. An ad- 90 ditional hanger, as at H, is preferably provided at the ends of the car, the same being secured to the respective end-member B of the guard centrally between the sides of the car, and supported from the car-sill above, hanger 95 H not only serving as an additional support for the respective end-member of the guard but preventing a person, by an uncommon fall, from being thrown in under the car from the end. By the foregoing it will be observed too

495,801 that no matter where the fall takes place, whether at the side, forward of, or between cars, the person falling is not liable to get under the wheels of the car.