US2519944A - Railway pilot structure - Google Patents

Description

A g- 1950 J. c. TRAVILLA, JR 2,519,944

RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE Filed Nov. s, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i JAMES C.TRAV|LLA,JR.I

Aug. 22, 1950 J. c. TRAVILLA, JR

RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1946 INVE/vwR JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.

Patented Aug. 22, 1950 RAILWAY PILOT STRUCTURE James C. Travilla, Jr., Swarthmorc, Pa., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application November 6, 1946, Serial No. 708,072

13 Claims.

The invention relates to railway vehicles and,,

more particularly, to pilot structure therefor.

The ordinary steam locomotive is usually run in one direction and therefore the usual type of steam line connection is not necessary at the front end of such locomotives. No deflecting pilot is needed on the end of the locomotive to which another vehicle is coupled. Diesel-electric locomotives, however, are usually designed to run in both directions and therefore it is desirable to provide pilots at both ends of this type of locomotive and it is also desirable to provide for the usual type of steam line connection at both ends of such locomotives to accommodate coupling another vehicle to the locomotive at either end, and when the usual steam line connection is used, the pilot must be constructed so that it will not interfere with the steam pipes when asteam connection is to be made between the coupled vehicles.

The main object of the invention is to provide a pilot having a deflecting base which can be retracted so as to provide for the usual steam line connection with a vehicle coupled to the same end of the locomotive and further to enclose the coupler and train pipes substantially wholly within the pilot structure, when the coupler and pipes are not being used, to protect them from obstructions on the tracks.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the forward central part of a locomotive underframing and pilot and is taken approximately on the line l-l of Figure 2 and shows a drop coupler and train pipes.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same structure.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail forward view showing the bottom member of the pilot in lowered functioning position and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on line 5-5 of Figure 4 and shows a train pipe in retracted non-functioning position.

The front end I of the locomotive framing mounts a pilot 2 recessed at 3 to receive a drop coupler structure 4 including a head 5 and a rigid shank 6. The locomotive framing includes sills l for mounting a draft gear 8 including a yoke 9. The coupler shank 6 and draft yoke 9 are connected by a link In bifurcated vertically at its forward end to receive the coupler and bifurcated horizontally at its rear end to be received in pockets 34 in the draft yoke.

Link In is provided at its forward end with a horizontal pivot I l to coupler shank 6 and at its rear end with a vertical pivot l2 to yoke 9. A horizontal pin it, extending through a horizontally elongated aperture l9 in shank 6 and through the forward end of link l8, cooperates with pivot II to maintain coupler 4 in the same horizontal plane and in operative position with link Ill. The forward portion of link l0 has a wear plate 35 attached to the lower face and is slidably supported by a bar l3 extending transversely of the locomotive and yieldingly supported by springs M seated in a channel-shaped member on upright webs l6 of the pilot. Yoke 9 rests on a support I! secured to spaced draft sills 1.

A bottom member extends across the lower portion of recess 3 and is attached hingedly to the forward end of pilot 2 by bolts extending through openings 26 in upright webs and in lugs 21 at the sides of recess 3 and through elon- 4 gated slots 29 in ears 28 at the ends of bottom member 20. Bottom member 2!] may be pivoted between a lower functioning position, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and in solid lines in Figures 4 and 5, and an upper non-functioning position, as shown in solid lines in Figures 1, 2 and 3, and movement of member 29 is limited to approximately by its engagement with faces 21a and 21b on lugs 21. The lugs through their faces 21b take the thrust on member 20 in case of collision. Member 20 is curved so that when it is in lower functioning position, it extends forwardly of pilot 2 and completes the curved contour of the pilot. When member 20 is raised to non-functioning position, it is received Wholly within the pilot so it does not interfere with the adjacent vehicle to which the locomotive is coup-led. Member 2!) is locked in lower functioning position by projections 30 on lugs 21 engaging member 2!! in recesses 31 at its ends (Figure 5). Member 20 is locked in upper non-functioning position by projecting rib 32 on member 20 engaging lugs 21 at recesses 33 (Figure 3). To pivot member 25 from one position to the other, member 20 is first raised vertically to move projections 30 or 32 out of recesses 3| or 33, respectively.

A train pipe 22 provided with swivel .ioints 23 and 24 is arranged for forward extensionfrom and for retraction into pilot 2. Pipes 22 may be extended from pilot 2 for attachment to the pipes of an adjacent car, as shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 3, when bottom member is in upper non-functioning position. When pipes 22 are retracted into pilot 2, to non-operative position, as shown in broken lines in Figures 1 and 5, bottom member 20 is lowered to functionin position, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, where it guards the pipes against accidental engagement with objects on the tracks. In both functioning and non-functioning positions, member 20 constitutes a brace for the lower forward portion of pilot 2.

With bottom member 20 in this lowered functioning position, coupler 4 may be shifted, after the removal of pin i8, from the functioning position shown in full lines in Figure 3. to the inactive position shown in broken lines. The coupler swings on pivot l until the coupler head is received substantially wholly within the pilot.

The details of the above-described structure may be varied from those shown without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recess arranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, and an element extending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to a lowered position to protect the train piping and to accommodate receipt of a drop coupler into the recess and to araised position into the portion of the recess-occupied by the drop coupler in retracted position and to accommodate projection of train piping outwardly of the recess and through the portion of the recess occupied by said element when in lowered position.

2. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recess arranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, an element extending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to a lowered position to accommodate receipt of a drop coupler into the recess and to a raised position to accommodate projection of train piping outwardly of the recess, and means automatically interlocking with and positively holding said element in either position until the element is lifted.

3. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a recess arranged to receive a drop coupler and train piping, and an element extending across the lower portion of said recess and movable to a lowered position to accommodate receipt of a drop coupler into the recess and to a raised position to accommodate projection of train piping outwardly of the recess, said element providing the sole protection to said piping forwardly of the pilot member and extending outwardly of the pilot member when in lowered position and withdrawing into said pilot member when in raised position.

4. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a coupler recess, and an element extending across and providing the sole closure for the lower portion of said recess and having pivots on the member at the sides of the recess and movable on its pivots to raised and lowered positions, said member having portions spaced member having a forwardly opening coupler recess, an element pivotally supported by said pilot member and extending across and providing the sole closure for the lower portion of said recess opening, said element swinging on its pivotal support from raised to lowered positions and extending across said recess opening in both positions, there being automatically interlocking portions on said element and said member and spaced from the element pivot for positively holding said element in either position.

6. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot member having a coupler recess, an element extending across and providing the sole closure for the lower portion of said recess, there being means to provide pivotal movement of said element from lowered to raised positions, said memher and element having associated interlocking integral projections and recesses to positively hold said element in either position.

'7. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot body member having a coupler recess, a bottom member extending across said recess, one of said members having elongated slots adjacent the opposite ends of said bottom member, the elongated axes of said slots extending at a substan tial angle to the horizontal, the other of said members having openings adjacent said slots, pins seated in said openings and movable transversely of their lengths in said slots and pivotally mounting the bottom member on the body member so that the bottom member may be swung between lowered and raised positions, opposing interlocking elements on said members positively holding said bottom member against pivotal movement when the pins are intermediate the ends of the corresponding slots and accommodating pivotal movement of the bottom member when the pinsv are at theends of the corresponding slots.

8. Railway pilot structure comprising a pilot body member having a coupler recess, a bottom member extending across said recess, one of said members having elongated slots adjacent the opposite ends of said bottom member, the elongated axes of said slots extending at a substantial angle to the horizontal, the other of said members having openings adjacent said slots, pins seated in said openings and movable transversely of their lengths in said slots and pivotally mounting the bottom member on the body member so that the bottom member may be swung between lowered and raised positions, op-

posing interlocking elements on said members positively holding said bottom member against pivotal movement, said elements being released from interlocking relation by lifting the bottom member bodily.

9. In combination, a railway vehicle pilot having a curved forward contour and having a recess in its forward end, train pipes arranged for extension from and retraction into said pilot, and a curved bottom member extending across said recess pivoted to move from a functioning position, in which said member provides the sole protection at the front of the pilot for said pipes when said pipes are retracted within said pilot, to a non-functioning position in which said member permits said pipes to be extended from said pilot, said member when in functioning position extending forwardly of and completing the curved contour of said pilot, and when in nonfunctioning position being received within said pilot, there being interlocking elements spaced from the member pivot to hold it in functioning position and in non-functioning position.

10. In combination a railway vehicle pilot having a recess in its forward end, train pipes arranged for extension from and retraction into said pilot, a bottom member extending across and providing the sole closure for the lower portion of said recess and movable from a functioning position, in which said member protects said pipes when said pipes are retracted within said pilot, to a non-functioning position in which said member permits said pipes to be extended from said pilot, and means automatically interlocking with and positively holding said member in either position to which it is moved.

11. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot having a recess, a drop coupler extending outwardly through the recess in said pilot when in normal operating position and retracting substantially wholly within said pilot when in nonoperating position, train pipes arranged for extension from and retraction into said pilot, and a bottom member movable from a functioning position, in which said member protects said pipes when said pipes are in retracted position, to a non-functioning position in which said member lies in the portion of said recess occupied by said coupler when in non-operating position and permits said pipes to be extended from said pilot.

12. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot having a recess, a, drop coupler movable vertically between functioning and non-functioning positions, and a member extending across the lower portion of said recess and cooperating with the sides of the pilot and with the coupler in nonfunctioning position to form an obstacle engaging surface, said member being movable upwardly when said coupler is in functioning position into a portion of said recess occupied by the coupler in non-functioning position to provide a passageway beneath said member for extended train piping.

13. In combination in a railway vehicle, a pilot structure having a recess, a drop coupler extending outwardly through said recess in said pilot structure when in normal operating position and retracting within said recess and substantially closing the upper portion of said recess when in non-operating position, and a member extending across and substantially closing the lower portion of said recess and directly abutting a portion of said pilot structure and cooperating with the sides of the pilot structure and with said coupler when the latter is dropped-to form an obstacle engaging surface, said member being movable upwardly when the coupler is in normal operating position to provide a passageway beneath the member for train piping extending forwardly of the pilot beyond said member.

JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,343,675 Hyatt et al June 15, 1920 1,554,366 Raber Sept. 22, 1925 2,027,269 Einwaechter Jan. '7, 1936 2,089,152 Meyer et al. Aug. 3, 1937 2,266,303 Blomberg Dec. 16. 1941

Images