Permanent tri-headed jumper cable for locomotives

Claim 1

An improved jumper system for use in the electrical interconnection of a pair of locomotive units of a consist for hauling trains, where the end of each locomotive unit adjacent the other locomotive unit is originally provided adjacent one side thereof with a receptacle substantially enclosing a multiple-pronged terminal connector; said improved jumper system comprising, in combination: an elongated hollow junction box having opposite ends and side walls means, transverse to the ends, that enclose and surround a space between said opposite ends of the box, and an aperture in said side wall means, a first mounting stud extending from one end of the junction housing and defining therein a plurality of female-socketed elements constructed and arranged for electrical connection to the original multiple-pronged terminal connector on the locomotive, a receptacle at the other end of the junction housing enclosing a second multiple-pronged terminal connector that is a duplicate of the original multiple-pronged terminal connector on the locomotive, the second multiple-pronged terminal connector being electrically connected to said female-socketed elements, an elongated permanently mounted jumper cable originating at one end thereof from the aperture in the side wall means of the junction box and providing at its other end a free head that includes a second mounting stud with electrical connections that are a duplicate of the electrical connections of the first mounting stud at the one end of the junction box, electrical connection means, located within the space enclosed by the junction box and extending through the permanently mounted jumper cable for electrically connecting the female socketed elements of the two mounting studs and the multiple-pronged terminal connector carried on the other end of the junction box, means operatively associated with the junction box for rigidly mounting the junction box on the locomotive with the female socketed elements of the first mounting stud electrically coupled to the multiple prongs of the original terminal connector on the locomotive unit, and a dummy receptacle physically and electrically separated from said first receptacle and mounted on said locomotive unit adjacent the other side thereof, to provide a storage receptacle where the free head of the elongated cable may be selectively entered therein to be held when the jumper cable is not in use.