Gable-bottom car door operating apparatus

Claim 1

IN A GABLE BOTTOM CAR HAVING AT LEAST ONE SIDE DOOR PIVOTED ALONG ONE OF ITS MARGINS FROM SAID CAR, A DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM INCLUDING A ROTATABLE GUIDE SHEAVE MOUNTED ON SAID CAR IN FIXED RELATION TO THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID DOOR; FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS NORMALLY TRAINED OVER A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID SHEAVE AND HAVING A FIRST END MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID DOOR AND A SECOND END MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID DOOR FROM ADJACENT SAID DOOR TO THE POINT OF NORMAL TANGENCY OF SAID SHEAVE AND SAID TRAINED FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS; LINKAGE MEANS CONNECTED AT A FIRST END OF SAID DOOR AT A POINT REMOTE FROM SAID PIVOT AXIS AND HAVING A SECOND END SPACED FROM SAID FIRST END A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE IN THE DOOR CLOSED POSITION FROM THE POINT OF CONNECTION ON SAID DOOR TO THE POINT OF NORMAL TANGENCY ON THE FURTHEST PORTION OF SAID SHEAVE FROM SAID DOOR AND SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS; A CONNECTOR PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING THE SECOND END OF SAID LINKAGE MEANS AND THE SECOND END OF SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS AT A CONNECTING AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID SHEAVE; AND MOTIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST END OF SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS FOR PULLING SAID CONNECTOR TO THE POINT OF NORMAL TANGENCY OF SAID SHEAVE AND SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS SO THAT THE RESULTANT OF FORCES IMPOSED UPON SAID CONNECTOR BY SAID LINKAGE MEANS AND BY SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEANS ACTS IN A PLANE DEFINED BY THE SHEAVE PIVOT AXIS AND THE POINT OF CONNECTION OF SAID LINKAGE MEANS TO SAID DOOR.