US738911A - Group-indicator for freight-car systems. - Google Patents

Description

No. 738,911. PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903 E. B. JOHNS. GROUP INDICATOR FOR FREIGHT GAR SYSTEMS! APPLICATION FILED NOV.13, 1902.

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EDWARD B. JOHNS, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

GROUP-INDICATOR FORFRElGHT-CAR SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 738,911, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed November 13, 1902. Serial No. 131,158. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. JOHNS, of Nashville,in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Group-Indicators for Freight- Oar Systems, of which the following is a specification.

The group system of handling merchandise freight is a simple organized system based upon grouping each geographical station ac cording to the station or city to which cars are loaded to break bulk. In this way hundreds of stations or cities can be grouped under one head, thus being a labor-saving system to the receiving clerk in determining the proper routing ofevery shipment. The group system is readily understood and can be used with excellent results in receiving, billing, loading, and transferring freight, and by greatly reducing the work of receiving clerks makes it possible for receiving clerks to receive, weigh, route, and load in about the same time that was formerly taken merely to determine the location for breaking bulk and ascertaining the car initials and numbers.

Said system by supplying the necessary in formation in compact form not only saves time and labor, but insures almost absolute correctness and should any errors be made locates them.

My invention relates to a group-indicator board and attachments for use in such a system; and it consists in certain novel constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts and instrumentalities, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of the board. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same with a tag attached. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the tags. spective View of one of the tags with pin attached. Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of tag and pin.

In carrying out my invention I use the group-board K, which has marked on its surface the vertical and horizontal lines :0 and y, forming rectangular spaces L, which are suitably marked with indicating characters M, as shown. This board is used in conjunction with a manuscript record. Every city or point on the railroad, however small, is known Fig. 4 is a perby a particular number; but as hundreds of railroad points are grouped together under one number-namely, the number of the important railroad center. to which freight is loaded for breaking bulk-there will be no difficulty to arise from the multiplicity of numbers.

The rectangular spaces L are of a particular color'-say redand the characters thereon are white, so as to be readily seen at some distance. At the upper central portion of each rectangular space is provided a socket N to receive a pointed pin 0, secured to a metallic tag P. Said tags are preferably black and have painted on them the numeral or character Q in white. These tags are just sucha size as to cover the red spaces L on board K and are to be taken from said board and attached to the cars to be used for the days work. Each numeral on the indicator board corresponds to the group number of a particular railroad center, and when a tag with its numeral corresponding to the numeral of the space it covers is taken 0E and placed on a car for loading to that particular center the red space immediately flashes the information all over the freight-house that such and such a car is placed for loading. The pointed pin that is attached to the tag serves the double purpose of holding the tag to its place on the indicator-board and also as a nail to be driven into the side of car While the car is loading. Said pin 0, which is formed at one end with an eye 0, is socured to the .tag in the following manner: Each tag' is provided with a circular opening 13 in its upper central portion and with an open slot or notch 19' in the center of its upper edge in vertical alinement with the opening p, and through this opening and the slot or notch 19 the eye 0' of pin 0 is passed, one

side of the eye passing through the opening 19 and the opposite side resting in the slot or notch 10 in the upper edge of the tag. The eye of the pin thus movably secures the pin to the tag and also serves as a sort of nailhead, by means of which the pin with the attached tag may be driven into the side of a freight-car. This eye 0 further serves as a means wherein a rod of iron or other material may be inserted and leverage exerted to pull the pin from the side of the car when it is desired to remove the tag from the car and return it to its proper position on the indicatorboard. The numerals on the tags are, as stated, painted white and are placed on both sides of the tags. Each metallic tagis marked to correspond with a numeral marked on each of the spaces on the indicator-board K. Now when it is desired to use the indicator the board has all its tags fitted to their proper spaces, the cars to be loaded being placed on a switch, and as each car is ready the tags for the particular group centers .are taken from the board and attached to the said cars.

The removal of these tags will expose the red spaces they covered and immediately show that the cars for those particular group centers are being loaded. As soon as the cars are loaded the tags are removed from the cars and returned to their proper places on the board K. Thus it will be seen that the indicator furnishes the necessary information relating to the working of the freight at all times-that is, it shows what cars have been loaded, what cars are loading, andthe number of cars required, thereby reducing the intercourse between the different men in ascertaining such information, and thus lessening the labor of all employees concerned.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified form of tag and pin. In said form the tag P is provided with a single aperture 19 in its upper central portion, through which the pin 0 is passed. Said pin is threaded at its blunt end and the nuts q and q screwed on the same, the tag being held between said nuts.

Having thus described myinvention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An indicator comprising a board or tablet marked off in distinguishing colored spaces, each space being provided with an indicating character and having a socket Within its boundary, indicating-tags of a contrasting color and provided with a character on each side thereof corresponding with the character on the space covered by said tags, and pins permanently secured to said tags and adapted to be inserted and held detachably in the sockets in said spaces whereby the tags may be secured to the indicator-board to cover the spaces thereon, and also removed therefrom for attachment to a car.

2. An indicator for freight-car systems comprising a board or tablet divided by lines into spaces, each space having a socket within its boundaries and provided with a character designating a particular group center, a tag for each space adapted to cover the same and of a color contrasting to that of the space it covers, a pin permanently secured at one end to said tags and having its opposite end pointed, whereby said pin is adapted to be inserted and held detachably in the socket in the colored spaces, and also to be removed therefrom and the pointed end driven into the side of a car, substantially as set forth.

3. Anindicatorforfreight-carsystems comprising a board or tablet divided by intersecting lines into rectangular spaces, each space having a socket at its upper central portion, and provided with a character designating a particular group center, a metallic tag for each space adapted to cover the same, said tag having an opening in its upper central portion and an open slot or notch in the center of its upper edge, and being of a color contrasting with that of the space and provided on its faces with a character corresponding with the character on the space it covers, a pin provided with an eye at one end which passes through the opening in upper central portion of the tag and also rests in the open slot or notch in the edge of said tag and pointed at its other end, said pin adapted to be fitted in the socket in the boardspaces, and to be removed therefrom and driven into the side of a car, substantially as set forth.

4. A tag device for the'purposes specified for attachment to cars and group-center indicator-boards, the same comprising a solid body portion having on both faces thereof a designating character corresponding to a character on the indicator-board, and provided with an aperture at its upper central portion and an open slot or notch at the center of its upper edge, a pin provided with an eye at one end, one side of said eye passing through the aperture and the other side of the eye resting in the open slot or notch in the upper edge of the tag, said pin pointed at its other end, said eye serving as a means whereby the pin may be driven into the side of a car, and removed therefrom.

EDWARD B. JOHNS. Witnesses: J. W. WENAS, W. T. HUGGINS.

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