Railway car door operating mechanism

Claim 1

IN A RAILROAD CAR OR THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A RAILROAD CAR HAVING A BOTTOM AND OPPOSED SIDES, (B) A PAIR OF DOORS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR OSCILLATION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CAR IN ORDER TO CLOSE AN OPENING IN SAID BOTTOM, (C) A PAIR OF PARALLEL SHAFTS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED ON EACH OF THE OPPOSED SIDES OF SAID CAR AND EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREOF WITH THE AXES OF PAIRS OF SHAFTS IN ALIGNMENT AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, (D) A PAIR OF INTERMESHING GEAR SEGMENTS, EACH SEGMENT MOUNTED ON A SHAFT OF A PAIR OF SAID SHAFTS AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, (E) A PLURALITY OF LINK MEANS EACH PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO ONE OF SAID GEAR SEGMENTS AND AT THE OTHER END TO A RESPECTIVE DOOR, (F) AND REVERSIBLE POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID GEAR SEGMENTS AND MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CAR WHEREBY UPON ACTUATION OF SAID REVERSIBLE POWER MEANS SAID PAIRS OF INTERMESHING GEAR SEGMENTS ARE ROTATED THEREBY IMPARTING PIVOTAL MOTION TO SAID PAIR OF DOORS THROUGH SAID LINK MEANS WHEREBY SAID DOORS MAY BE OPENED AND CLOSED, (G) SAID LINK MEANS ENGAGING AN ASSOCIATED SHAFT IN AN OVERCENTER POSITION RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT WHEN SAID DOORS ARE CLOSED TO PROVIDE A STOP FOR SAID DOORS.