US2253610A - Toy snow train - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 26, 1941. P. E. E. coDERRE TOY SNOW TRAIN Filed March '7, 1940 Aug 25, 1941- r P. E. coDERR 2,253,610

TOY sNow TRAIN Filed March 7, 1940 s sheets-sheet 2 lili-v3 po' n Aug. 26, 1941. P. E. E. coDERRE TOY SNOW TRAIN 3 `Sheets-Sheel 5 Filed March '7, 1940 7 ma s J5* INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

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TOYS.

2 1 6 Patented Aug. 26, 1941 Search Rooi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to toy trains, and more particularly to electrically operated toy trains designed to simulate the construction and operation of a train traveling over snow-covered tracks.

Fig. 14 is a detail of the car couplers.

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of the bell ringing device in a preferred form.

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of the flanger or A principal object of the invention is to prosnow-scraper car; a center section being broken vide an electrically operated toy train including out thereof. a sectional third-rail track, as used for electrical- Fig. 17 is a top plan view of a snow plow in a ly operated trains, a snow-train mounted on the modified form. track and including therein a'snow plow car, a Fig. 18 is a vertical section through a locolocomotive and tender, a combination baggage motive of amodied form. and flanger or scraper car, and a. caboose car, Fig. 19 is a cross section on the line I9-I9 of all releasably coupled together, the engine sim- Fig. 18. ulating a steam engine and having devices and Fig. 20 is an enlarged detail of the whistle belmeans for simulating the puiiing and emission l0WS operating mechanism in a modified form. of smoke, the ringing of a bell, the blowing of a F1a. 211s a detail 0f a reed unit for siren. whistle, fire in the fire-box, head and tail lights, In consttructmg the invention I provide a. and the like, as well as a simulation of snow on miniature rack-bed 5 Composed 0f oblong Seothe track, Ithe Whole constituting as near as practions 6 of papier-mch or other suitably Cheap ticably consistent with simplicity, durability and and non-conductlve mater1a1. the same being cheapniess, a replica in toy form of a modern referabytgrhed Incriss-sectior ggd centrallax snowrain. epresse orm raise margina sses or ri Other objects and advantages will appear from 6a Spaoed apart and extended in parallelism, and the following specification, reference being had abentfral -trlgh l. .The seztfions I are551 agiterto the accompanying drawings which exemplify ya. y o equa imensions, an orme o ce y certain preferred embodiments and structural ogethei elld to end otoonliipt hettrCk-bd fea ures of my invention, and wherein: or a circ ar or ova rac no s own a Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of two or certain of the sections would of course be cut sections of track joined together. somewhat angularly at their ends, or all or cer- Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 tain of the sections would be somewhat curved, of Fig. 1. so that the assembled sections would assume the Fig. 3 is a, detail of center or third m11 comme.. desired and conventional formation of an endless tion. circular or oval track-bed. The sections are all Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of one of the outside msh' eg 0r painted 0n their upper sides to reprerail connections. sent t e crossies 8 and ballast of sand and Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5 5 0f 35 gravel 9 of an actual track-bed. Rails III of thin Fig. 1. metal strips slightly greater length than the sec- Fig. 6 is a, side elevation of the toy snow train tions and curved in plan where necessary to folas outlined, the same being mounted on its track. 10W e CuI'VatuI'elOlI' bends 0f the track-bed. are Fig. 7 is a. longitudinal horizontal section, on mollli ed in parel e iSm along the bosses 5a and the scale of Fig. 6, through the snow plow car. are anchored in place by Striking down teeth Il Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section, on an medially from the rails, piercing the teeth down enlarged scale, through the locomotive and tenthiugh gli@ loSgSeS1 and then lip-Setting them den un ernea as s own. Electrical continuity Fig. 9 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, 45: throligh all iShe rails at each Side iS provided by of the whistle mechanism in its preferred form. posltloning the rails at one end flush With the Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the whistle proenifllslofglrileirt Stions. turing dswn th excess ducing mechanism on the saine scale as Fig. 9. ra en a en OpPoSi en as s own at The whistle being shown in section, I2 and then anchoring spring metal clips I3 at Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail of the smoke pro- 50 one end I4 to the under sides of the Vrail ends fallducing assembly in its preferred form. ing ush with their section ends and extending Fig. 12 is a. cross section of the puff producing the free ends I5 of the clips down under and element on a greaiy 1renlargledcale. taross tiie down-turned enqd I2 ilfirilaihe ral'lilss n Fig. 13 is adeta o -the ou le cam, or opere con guous sec ions. e ra' ating the bell and puff element in the assembly are formed by doubling thin metal strips lengthrepresented in Figure 18.

wise upon themselves and striking out teeth I1 which are pierced down cen-trally along the troughs 1 of the sections 6 and then upset, as with the outer rails. 'Ihe rails |6 are also cut to thapproximate length of their respective sections 5 upon which they 'are mounted. These rails are releasably linked together, and the sections 6 likewise held together, by forming a head |8 on one end of the rails and a C-shaped yoke I9 on the slightly extended ends of the contiguous rails, the heads removably tting down into the yokes as the track sections are laid. Thus the track-bed and rails are constructed and assembled.

For the train to run on the described track-way, I provide a snow-plow car 20 of oblong formation and box-like structure, including top 2|, bottom 22, sides 23 and ends 24. This car is carried on low, flanged wheels 25 affixed at the ends of axles 26 journaled at 21 below the bottom of the car at each end, the wheels being spaced to fit and run upon the track rails l0. Doors 28 are hinged at 29 to the forward margins of door-openings 30 formed in the opposite sides of the car. The hinges 29 are formed and set at their knuckles 3| to move stilfly, so as to maintain the doors in either open or closed position, as they may be placed or turned. The sides 23 and doors 28 extend Well down and close to the rails l0 when mounted thereon, to facilitate the operation of the car as a snow-plow.

A4 small shaft 32 is journalled at 33 axially through the car 2|), its rear extended end carrying a spear-headed coupling 34, square in crosssection at its base, and a miniature rotary snowplow 35 being mounted at the forward extended end. A stationary plow 36 is supported forwardly of the rotary plow, at the ends of braces 31 extended at the sides of the car. Thus the plow 35 may rotate rearwardly of the xed plow 36.

A toy locomotive 48 and tender 4| follows the car 20 upon the track-way, this unit being oblong, and conforming generally to the car 20. The locomotive simulates a real steam engine and tender, including hollow boiler 42, cab 43smok-esgick bball 4 5, whistle 46, electrichead-.light 41,""'E'wcatcher 'lmre-bexfandmcat-walk '58,'while an electric tail light 5| is set in the rear end of the tender 4|.

The locomotive and tender are carried upon flanged wheels similarly to the car 20. The Wheels 52, 53, 54 of the locomotive are aflixed at the ends of axles 55 journaled at 56 through the pendent sides 51 of the locomotive, forwardly, centrally and rearwardly. The wheels are gaged to t the tracks, and the two forward axles carry longitudinally aligned spur gears 58 centrally and rigidly mounted thereon, while the rear axle is formed with a looped crank 59.

The bell 45 is swingingly supported on a crankshaft 60 journaled through a loop 6| aiilxed atop the boiler, rearwardly of the stack 44, and a cord 62 secured at one end to the crank 59, thence passed up over a pulley 63 supported in 't bracket 64 extended from the cab 43, and thence extended forwardly through the open front if the cab and secured at its forward end to the crank of the bell shaft 60, provides means for automatically ringing the bell as the locomotive moves on its track.

The hollow, box-like tender 4| comprises a bottom 65 of insulation material, top 66, sides E1 and ends 68, and similarly to the locomotive it is borne upon two pairs of flanged metal wheels 69 alxed to metal axles 18 journaled at 1| below the bottom of the tender. at front and rear.

A Small-m1251112.' is mounted medially within the tender 4| upon the insulation bottom 65 thereof, and is electrically connected at its intake side through a lead 13 with a spring metal trolley loop 14 secured at 15 centrally and longitudinally under the bottom 65 and motor 12. Small metallic trolley wheels 16 are mounted on metallic stub shafts 11 journaled at 18 in the forked ends of the loop 14, these wheels being grcoved on their peripheries and. thereby operatively seated on the third-rail tgl; li. and adapted to travel thereo or picking up current for the motor. The other side of the motor is grounded to the metal frame. 'I'he motor 12 is positioned with its shaft 19 extended centrally and longitudinally of the tender, locomotive and snow-plow car, and 1s connected at 8| with a shaft 82 journaled at 83 through rear and front ends of the locomotive. The extended forward end of the shaft 82 at the front of the locomotive has anchored thereon in axial alignment a squared tubular coupling 84 into which the spear-head coupling 34 of the car 20 slides, as the two are moved together. This form of shaft coupling enables rotary movement of the shaft 82 to be transmitted to the shaft 32 and to the rotary plow 35.

A worm 85 is keyed on the shaft 82 within the locomotive 4U, immediately over and intermediately of the two gears 58, and is placed in mesh with a worm-gear 86 carried on a shaft 81 journaled in the sides 51. The gear 86 is aligned and in mesh with the two gears 58. Rotation of the shaft 82 by the motor 12 now rotates the wheels 52 and 53 in the same direction, and causes the locomotive and attached cars to move over the track-way.

The whistle 46 is tubular and is firmly seated down thougl'rthe top of the locomotive to the right of the shaft 82. This Whistle is operated by a reciprocating plunger 89 having its stem depended vertically into the body of the locomotive. A rack 90 is rigidly aflixed at its upper end to the plunger stem and depends in alignment therewith, the lower end of the rack passing slidably through a slot 9| in the bottom of the locomotive and spaced to the right of the shaft 82, whereby the rack is held in vertical, operative alignment with the Whistle.

A segmentally toothed wheel 92 is keyed on the shaft 82 with its teeth 92a in operative alignment with and formed and dimensioned to mesh with the formations of the rack 90. Coiled tension springs 93 secured at their ends to the top u of the locomotive and upper end of the rack 90, normally draw the rack and plunger upwardly, and this action, suddenly done, serves to blow the whistle through the air suddenly compressed and forced therethrough. This sudden movement of the rack and plunger is accomplished by the stripped side 92h of the wheel 92. The spacing of the rack 98 laterally to the right of the shaft 82 and the diameter of the wheel 92 is such that as the wheel rotates the teeth 82a will engage the rack 90 and draw the plunger 89 downward against the springs 93, but as the stripped side 92h turns to the rack this engagement will cease, and the springs will jerk the plunger up into the whistle tube, thus sounding same. The assembly as shown in Figure 7 contemplates the operation of the whistle described, on the forward movement of the locomotive. To operate a whistle on the backward movement, a duplicate whistle assembly (not here shown) would be installed at the left side of the shaft 82. In each case the upward move- 1g. nmuocwlLNl UtVIUtS,

TOYS.

ment of the rack is limited to hold same in position for engagement with the teeth 92a on the downward movement thereof.

A small bellows 95 is supported horizontally in the Hdl-low body of the locomotive by a bracket 96 secured at its ends to the top of the locomotive and to the upper side of the bellows. A peripherally grcoved disk or wheel 91 is keyed eccentrically to the shaft 82 below the bellows 95, and a ring 98 is seated in the groove thereof for peripheral sliding movement. A stern 99 is rigidly anchored at its lower end to the ring 98 and at its upper end is hingedlylconnected to the lower side of the bellows 95. The upper side of the bellows is apertured at y| and a small pipe or tube |0| is seated at its lower end as shown at |02 over this aperture, the upper end being inserted and seated as shown at |03 in the lower end of the smoke stack 44. An air intake valve |04 is seated through the lower side of the bellows. Now as the shaft 82 rotates the bellows 95 is worked in and out by the eccentric disk 91, drawing in air through the valve |04 and expelling it through the stack 44. A fiat, circular, hollow puit-producing baille element |05, having offset ports or apertures |06| 01 through its sides is seated in the lower end of the stack 44, and as air is forced therethrough, the puing of the air simulates that of an actual locomotive.

A small insulated electric resistance or heating coil |08 is mounted in the stack 44 above the balile |05, and a screen cap |09 is removably mounted at the top of the stack. Smoke producing material of any kind, such as punk (not shown) may be inserted in the stack on the coil |08, and the resulting smoke will be emitted in puffs, also in simulation of a steam locomotive. The headlight 41 is in the form of a small electric bulb seated in an insulated socket 41a., seated through the front end of the locomotive. The fire box 49 is apertured at its sides, as shown at 49a, and a red electric bulb I I0 is seated inside in an insulated socket ||0a, to simulate fire of a locomotive. The tail-light of the tender is in the form of a small electric bulb, seated in its insulated socket 5|a through the rear end of the tender 4|.

A flanger or snow-scraper car ||I follows the tender 4I upon the track-way, the same being of oblong formation and box-like structure, including top ||2, bottom ||3, sides ||4 and ends I l5. This car also is carried on low flanged wheels ||8 aflixed at the ends of axles ||1 journaled at 1|8 below the bottom of the car at each end, the wheels being spaced to run on the rails |0. Doors ||9 are hinged at |20 to the forward margins of the door openings |2| formed in the opposite sides of the car. The sides ||4 of this car, as well as the bottoms of the doors H9, fall close to the rails I0, similarly to the arrangement of the locomotive and tender and the snow-plow car. Arcuate slots |22 are formed through the car sides rearwardly of the doors ||9, and a pair of flat snow Scrapers |23 are adjustably mounted in these slots. The Scrapers are formed arcuately on their lower margins |24 to conform to the convexity of the margins of the track-bed 5. The scrapers have flat, narrow shanks |25 passed freely through the slots |22 and bent forwardly inside the car, where they are pivotally secured by small bolts |25 passed through the shanks and the sides of the car. The bolts |26 are tightened to hold the shanks |25 frictionally against the sides of the car and so that they will maintain themselves in any adjusted position,

bearch Room whether raised from or moved close to the trackbed 5. A cross-bar |21 is rigidly connected at its ends to the extremities of the Shanks |25, whereby the scrapers are made to move in unison.

A Caboose |28 of oblong box-like structure simi lar to the car I, and similarly carried on wheels |29 fitted to the tracks, may be added to complete the train. This Caboose may be either of conventional design as here shown, or it may have doors mounted thereon, similar to the doors 28 of the car 20.

The cars are releasably coupled together by means of flat spring tabs |30, |3| anchored to and extended medially in alignment from the adjacent ends of the cars, one tab |30 having an inwardly beveled latch |32 depended from its outer end, and the other tab |3| being formed with a relatively large eye |33 and down turned extremity |34, whereby as the cars and locomotive are pushed together, they will automatically couple together by the latches |32 moving over the down-turned extremities |34 and falling into the eyes |33. To uncouple, the extremities |34 are pulled downward to release the latches |32.

The several electrical elements described, such as head light 41, tail-light 5|, heating coil |08, fire-box bulb H0, are all electrically connected and energized in a conventional manner, as by a wire (not shown) connecting said elements in series with the motor intake and ground connections. Likewise the third rail is to be electrically energized in the conventional manner, and is not here shown.

Any desired form of make-believe or mocksnow may be used, and the tracks covered therewith in advance of the snow-plow car. For example, bits of whitened cork or small cotton balls as represented at |36 in Figure 6, or the like.

The child operating the train may open the doors ||9 and lower the Scrapers |23, using either or both features as he pleases.

In Figure 17 is shown a modified form of snowplow car 20x, wherein the shaft 32 and rotary plow 35 are omitted, a plain stationary plow 35a: being substituted.

In Figures 18, 19, 20 there is shown a modified form of locomotive 40m, and operating features. In this modication the bell 45x is operated by a bellows |31 having one side anchored to a bracket |38 extended from the bottom of the locomotive. A pedal |39 depends from the other and movable side of the bellows and contacts a double cam |40 on the frontal axle 55x. The bell is swingingly suspended at the upper extended end |4| of the movable side of the bellows. A hollow, puif-producing baffle element |05: is mounted in one side of the bellows for simulating an engine. An air intake valve |04 is mounted in the other side.

A similar bellows |42 is horizontally mounted under the dummy whistle 463:, being suspended from a bracket |43 attached to the top of the locomotive and to the upper side of the bellows. An arm |44 is hingedly depended from the lower side of the bellows and having an eye |415 at its lower end. A spring |46 normally closes the bellows. An air intake valve |04y is mounted in one side, and a musical reed unit or siren |41 is mounted in the other side, adapted to be operated by air forced therethrough from the bellows.

A worm |48 is mounted on the adjacent axle 55g and placed in mesh with a worm wheel |49 on a stub shaft |50 journaled in a bracket |5| anchored to the frame of the locomotive. A finger |52 is loosely journaled at one end upon the end A'trip-latch or trigger |54 is anchored at one 5 end |55 to the stub shaft |50 while the other end |55l extends out across the finger |52, at one side thereof, in spaced relation to the shaft |50. Thus as the locomotive travels, the shaft |50 revolves and the trigger end |56 forces the iinger |52 ln around by contact therewith at one side of the finger. On the descending movement of this iinger it will therefore open the bellows against the pull of the spring |46, but when the nger has reached its lowest limit of travel and starts to 15 move upward at the opposite side of its orbit, it is freed from the restraint of the trigger and the spring |46 jerks it shut, thus forcing air through and operating the siren.

In this form of the locomotive the motor 12a: 20

is mounted transversely in the locomotive, and its shaft 19a: has a pinion gear 85.1: in mesh with the drive gear 86m of the shaft 81. Otherwise the drive gears are identical with the rst form.

In constructing the train any of the desirable 25 structural features that might be Wanted, may be selected and assembled in such train.

While I have here shown and described certain embodiments and structural features of the invention, these may be changed or modified within 30 the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, l@ to locomotive and tender and snow-plow car for positioning in front' o1' the locomotive, a shaft longitudinally journaled 35 through the locomotive and tender and projected at the front of the locomotive, said projected end carrying a squared, tubular coupling axially aligned with the main shaft, a shaft similarly journaled through the snow-plow car, in alignment with the shaft of the locomotive shaft, a rotary plow mounted on the forward extended end of the snow-plow carshaft, and a spear-head coupling, squared at its base, carried by the rear end of said shaft the same being dimensioned to slide nicely into the tubular coupling of the locomotive shaft, and means for rotating the said shafts.

2. In a device of the kind described, a wheelborne locomotive and tender, and a wheel-borne snow-plow car located forwardly of the locomotive, a shaft journaled longitudinally through the locomotive and tender, a separate shaft journaled longitudinally through the snow plow car, means for connecting the shafts, means in the tender for rotating the shafts for operating attached accessories of the assembly.

3. In a device of the kind described for operation upon a toy track having imitation snow loosely laid thereon, a toy wheel-borne snowplow car and wheel borne locomotive upon the track in conventional order, the locomotive and snow-plow car being equipped with conventional accessories, shafts journaled longitudinally through the locomotive and snow-plow car, means for rotating the said shafts, and means connecting the shafts with the locomotive accessories and snow-plow car accessories for operating the latter by the rotation of the former.

4. In a device according to claim 3, means connecting the shafts with the locomotive wheels for propelling the locomotive by the rotation of the shafts.

PATRICK E. E. CODERRE.

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