IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING COAL OR MINERALS FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS INTO BARGES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Nixon, of No. 117, Westbourne Terrace,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING COAL OR MINERALS FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS
INTO BARGES."
Sealed the 23rd June 1868, and dated the 4th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Nixon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th January 1868.
I, JOHN NIXON, of No. 117, Westbourne Terrace, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING COAL OR MINERALS FROM
RAILWAY WAGGONS INTO BARGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
transferring coal or minerals from railway waggons into barges. At
the present time the apparatus usually employed for this purpose is
a tipping frame on to which the railway waggon is run, and the frame
being then rocked on the centres which carry it the coal or mineral
is upset out of the waggon and passes down a shoot into the barge
beneath. This apparatus however can only be worked so long as there
is a depth of water to admit of empty barges being floated under the
shoot and removed when they are loaded. In tidal waters much loss
of time and inconvenience results from this cause.

page_text: Now according to my Invention I mount the tipping frame and the
shoot on a carriage running on rails along the river wall, and I also
mount on the same carriage a steam engine. This engine drives a
windlass by which the loaded coal waggons are wound forward off
a line of rails at right angles to the river wall on to the carriage and
its tipping frame. This same engine also drives a train of gear which
actuates the carrying wheels of the carriage, and in this way the
carriage with the loaded waggon upon it is traversed along the river
wall until it arrives opposite a barge which may be stranded in any
convenient position alongside of the wall. The engine then by means
of a clutch is put in connection with a pinion gearing with a quadrant
on the tipping frame, which is thus rocked so as to tip the coal out of
the waggon into the barge. The tipping frame is then brought back
and the carriage is traversed as before until it comes opposite to another
line of rails at right angles to the river wall, and on to this line the
empty waggon is pushed. The carriage then goes back to the first
line of rails to fetch another loaded waggon, and so the work goes on.
It is preferred that the carriage should have two tipping frames and
shoots upon it to enable it to receive simultaneously two loaded waggons
from two lines of railway and carry them together to the barge into
which they are to be tipped.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Nixon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th July 1868.
TO ALL TO WH M THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I JOHN
NIXON, of No. 117, Westbourne Terrace, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Nixon, Her special licence that I,
the said John Nixon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Nixon, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,

page_text: should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
TRANSFERRING COAL OR MINERALS FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS INTO BARG:8,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Nixon, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Dixon, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for trans-
ferring coal or minerals from railway waggons into barges. At the
present time the apparatus usually employed for this purpose is a
tipping frame, on to which the railway waggon is run, and the frame
being then rocked on the centres which carry it the coal or mineral
is upset out of the waggon, and passes down a shoot into the barge
beneath. This apparatus however can only be worked so long as there
is a depth of water to admit of empty barges being floated under the
shoot, and removed when they are loaded. In tidal waters much loss
of time and inconvenience results from this cause.
Now according to my Invention I mount the tipping frame and the
shoot on a carriage running on rails along the river wall, and I also
mount on the same carriage a steam engine, this engine drives a wind-
lass by which the loaded coal waggons are wound forward on a line of
rails at right angles to the river wall on to the carriage and its tipping
frame. The same engine also drives a train of gear which actuates the
carrying wheels of the carriage, and in this way the carriage with the
loaded waggon or waggons upon it is traversed along the river wall until
it arrives opposite a barge, which may be stranded in any convenient
position alongside of the wall. The engine then by means of a clutch
s put in connection with a pinion gearing with a quadrant on the
ipping frame, which is thus rocked so as to tip the coal out of the
vaggon or waggons into the barge, the tipping frame is then brought

page_text: back, and the carriage is traversed as before until it comes opposite to
another line of rails at right angles to the river wall, and on to this line
the empty waggon or waggons is or are pushed, the carriage then goes
back to the first line of rails to fetch another loaded waggon or waggons,
and so the work goes on. It is preferred that the carriage should have
two tipping frames and shoots upon it, to enable it to receive simul-
taneously two loaded waggons from two lines of railway, and carry them
together to the barge into which they are to be tipped.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a
transverse vertical section of apparatus constructed according to my
Invention.
a, a, is the surface of the river wall or wharf; a', a', are lines of rails
which conduct the coal waggons to and from the apparatus; b, b, are
other rails parallel with the edge of the wall, and supporting a carriage
capable of travelling along these rails. This carriage consists of a
strong platform c, c, with carrying wheels c, c'; d, d, are frames fitted
to openings in the platform c, and connected with this platform by the
axes d', d', on which the frames d are able to turn; d, d, are toothed
arcs fixed to the frames d; and d³, ds, are rails also fixed thereon;
e marks the position of the cylinder of an ordinary steam engine, and e¹
of its boiler; f is the crank shaft of the engine, it has a bevilled pinion f
upon it, driving a corresponding pinion on the axis h, on which are the
capstan barrels h', h', these barrels constantly run whilst the engine is
at work, and by means of them when the carriage is so placed that the
rails d' are opposite to the rails a¹ a coal waggon is drawn on to the
rails d by a rope attached to the waggon, and passed around the barrel.
In a similar manner the waggons when empty are run off the carriage;
fis a pinion capable of sliding with a feather upon the axis fas it is
moved into and out of gear with the spur wheel i by the handle j, and
the mechanism in connection therewith, which the Drawings clearly
show. On the axis of the spur wheel i is a pinion , which gears with
a spur wheel k on the axle of a pair of the carrying wheels c', so that
when the pinion f2 is put into gear and the engine is travelling, the

page_text: carriage is traversed along the river wall or wharf one way or other
according to the direction in which the engine is running, and so the
waggons are carried on the platform to the place where they are to be
tipped, and similarly they are carried away again when empty; fis
another pinion on the axes f, it slides on the axis with the pinion f²,
also by means of the handle j, it can thus be brought into gear with the
spur wheel on the axis l, which by bevilled gear drives the axis m,
and this axis is capable of being clutched with one or other of the
axes n, on which are pinions n' gearing with the toothed arcs d, in this
way the frame d is tipped with the waggon upon it, which is safely
retained by the curved ends of the rails d' whilst the coal is shot out.
The return of the frame d is caused by reversing the engine. The coals
falling out of the waggon are received into a shoot o, which is jointed
to the platform c, this shoot is adjusted so as to lead the coals into the
barge, it is raised or lowered by ropes or chains, the ropes or chains pass
up over pulleys on standards p, p, fixed to the platform c, and then pass
down to the barrels q₁ of small crabs or windlasses 9 on the same
platform. If the rise and fall of the tide be sufficient to require it the
shoots may be jointed in the middle, and half or the whole length of
the shoot may then be used as circumstances may require, or they may
be made telescopic in two or more parts; r is the clutch lever, by means
of which the clutches connecting the axis m with the axes n, n, are
worked in the manner which the Drawing shows.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the improved apparatus herein described for transferring
coal or minerals from railway waggons into barges, such apparatus
consisting of a carriage having combined with it a tipping frame and
shoot, and a steam engine driving a windlass, and connected by gearing
with the travelling wheels of the carriage and with the tipping frame.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Nixon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN NIXON. (L.S.)