RAILROAD CARS. VESTIBULE Pullman 'Vestibule provides a continu ous connection between contiguous ends of passenger railway cars, forming an entirely closed passageway, preferably of the width of the car platforms, and serving at the same time as a vestibule for entrance and exit to the respective ends of the cars. The connection is made of flexible or adjusta ble material, so as to constitute a loose or flexible joint that will permit of sufficient movement of each unit car in travel. Fig. 1 is an isometrical perspective view of the end of a car, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing portions of the platform, vestibule, and buffer mechanism, and Fig. 8 shows the complete ear. The arch-plate, a, forming the open end of a vestibule extension to a railway car when not coupled with another car in a train, and which sustains the outer edge of the flexible connection, is mounted upon the buffer-rod, located below the platform of the car. The buffer-spring. m. encloses the buffer-rod. This rod is moved outward Ly the spring, and inward by the impact of an adjoining car or buffers connected there with. Upon it is mounted a crossbar, 1, in such man ner that it can move out and in with the buffer-rod, and at the same time oscillate upon its center as the evener of a wagon does upon the pole. Two rods, 8 s', are attached to the cross-bar, 1, by a sort of bull-and socket joint in such manner diat the cross-bar may change its angle to horizontal lines drawn perpen dicular to the length of the car, while the rods, sx', always remain substantially parallel with the sides of the ear. These rods cannot practically move in any other direction. They project beyond the outer cross beam of the car, and are there pivoted to the vertical buffer-plate, n. Obviously this buffer-plate on one ear can not have its acting face coincident with a similar buffer-plate on an adjoining car when the two cars are rounding a curve nnless it change its angle with reference to a longitudinal line passing through the center of the car, so that it can be at times at right angles to such a line, and at times at various other angles. The support before described not only permits these changes of angular position, and the in-and-out motions of the buffer-bar, hut prevents its center from leaving a horizontal longitudinal line passing through the center of the ear, to which it is attached, so that the center of the buffer-bar is al ways, whether projected or shoved in, practically in line with the center or middle of the platform.
Two cars moving in a train vary the distance between the ends of their respective platforms, and also the angles that one of these ends makes with the other, and there is a gap between the plat forms. To close this gap there is applied to each of the buffer-plates before described a foot-plate, the inner edge of which rests upon the top of the platform of the ear, and slides and turns upon it when the car is in motion.
Upon the ends of the buffer-plate is mounted an iron archplate, a, which has the same mo tions as the buffer-plate, and is restrained in the same manner.
When two adjoining ears are coupled, the arch-plates on each car abut one against the other, and they thus abut when the cars are upon straight lines or curves, or are being started, tending to separate, or are stopping, tending to come nearer together. The two arches in adjoining cars therefore make a joint. Each arch-plate has attached to it one edge of a sheet of leather or other flexible material, and at the other edge this is attached to the stanchions. In the spaces between the stanchions, on the same side of the platform, are doors, h h'.
The upper ends of the arch-plates are supported from the ear body by rods, c e'. These rods slide in guides or supports, k k', and are forced outward by spiral springs, t 1'. The guides, k k', are bolted to the framing supported by the stanchions, and the rods, c c', can move in and out together or independently, but can not practically move sidewise or in lines which are not parallel to a line passing centrally and longitudinally through the car.
These ro ls, c have the same motions as the rods. s s', below the platform, and as they are pivoted to the arch-plate, the latter is so supported at top that its top can move, and is restrained in the same way as the foot-plate, the buffer-plate, and the lower part of the arch.plate.
The Barr Trestibule.—Fig. 4 is a section through the end cf the car, showing the face plate and the parallel motion which keeps the plate always parallel with the end of the car.
Fig. 5 shows the exterior of the end of the ear and the canvas portion of the vestibule, as well as the door arrangements.
The general features of this vestibule are as follows: There is a face-plate which is carried outward and inward at the bottom of the second buffer, to which it is loosely attached. As the bottom moves out, the top is also carried out an equal distance by means of the links and rod connection which form the parallel motion. There is an adjustment in the connecting-rod which regulates the position of the face-plate.
The Cowell Vestibule is shown in Fig. 6. The main feature aimed at is to so construct the end of a car or coach as to make it convertible at will into either a vestibule or an open ear. To ac complish this, the ordinary platform and roof projecting over the platform are supplemented with supports for the roof made to serve as door jambs, and double or folding doors provided for each side of the platform. The curtains are sur rounded by a metallic rim, which serves to hold them in place and support the hood, while being flexible laterally to ac commodate themselves to the curves of the road, When the vestibules are in use and it is desired to convert the car into an open one, the only requirement is to unlock the curtains, when each re cedes into its recess.