IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE LINING OR COVERING AND DECORATION OF THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SEATS AND OTHER PORTIONS OF SUCH CARRIAGES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Gordon Donaldson Peters at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th May 1881.
GORDON DONALDSON PETERS, of Moorgate Works, Moorfields, in the City of
London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE LINING OR COVERING AND
DECORATION OF THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SEATS AND OTHER PORTIONS OF SUCH
CARRIAGES, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE SAME."
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with railway-carriages,
and is chiefly designed to apply to that class of vehicles known as saloon, sleeping,
or drawing-room carriages, in which it is necessary to provide various features not
required in ordinary railway passenger vehicles.
The chief objects of the said Invention are to provide means whereby vehicles of.
this class may be improved in several respects with a view to afford more comfort
to those using the same than is at present obtainable, and whereby the said vehicles
may be with great facility kept in a perfectly clean and wholesome condition at all
times; moreover my Invention enables me to give to such vehicles a very.
ornamental appearance and to considerably increase their durability.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I line the interior of the vehicle
with enamelled or vitrified material in the form of tiles, or metal plates, or sheets;
or I may apply the enamel in any other suitable manner so that any desired portion
of the interior may present an enamelled surface. I may line in this manner the
floor, the walls, and the roof, or any desired portion of either of these parts.
Moreover my Invention may be applied to the exterior of the vehicle in the same
manner. It will be obvious that any desired style of ornamentation may be
adopted to suit the particular kind of vehicle to which my Invention is applied,
and the different parts of the same vehicle may be ornamented or finished in any
required or suitable manner, for instance, the lavatory portion, the smoking
compartment, and the sleeping compartment, may each be ornamented in a
different style appropriate to its use.
One great advantage resulting from this method of lining such vehicles is, that
the whole of the surfaces so constructed can be cleansed with great facility, which
is a very desirable feature, as railway vehicles are continually being used under

page_text: conditions which speedily cause them to become soiled, and it is impossible to keep
the ordinary wood-work long in such a condition that it will present a really fresh
and clean appearance however much labour may be bestowed thereon, excepting
by incurring considerable expense in the matter of renewal.
It will be obvious that a vehicle lined according to my Invention may be
cleaned with the utmost facility and within a very short space of time, and that
when so cleaned it will have as fresh and pleasing appearance as when first
constructed.
The said enamelled lining may be applied in various manners as found most
desirable; for instance, I may employ metal or other frames to fit the various
sections or parts of the vehicle, which frames will contain enamelled or vitreous
tiles, or enamelled or vitreous metal sheets. In some cases the enamelled or
vitreous substances may be applied to some elastic material to be attached to the
vehicle.
I also further improve such vehicles by providing flexible partitions made of
strips of wood, metal, or other material so arranged that they can be readily drawn
down or rolled up. These partitions are placed in any suitable parts of the
vehicle, so that when desired enclosed spaces or small chambers may be formed,
separated by these partitions from other parts of the vehicle, and at times when
such enclosed spaces or chambers are not required, the partitions may be readily
rolled up and will be entirely out of the way, but ready for use at a moment's
notice. These flexible partitions or divisions will be found very useful in sleeping
carriages, or in carriages which are intended to be used in the ordinary manner
during the day and to be converted into sleeping carriages at night. The said
partitions may be arranged to be drawn up from the floor or down from the roof
as may be most convenient. The carriage seats may be made moveable so that
they may be transferred from one vehicle to another.
A further improvement consists in providing carriage lavatories with means
whereby the water will be supplied thereto by the operation of compressed air.
This arrangement enables me to place the water cistern below the carriage instead
of above the same as heretofore, and is of great practical advantage.
In carrying this feature of my said Invention into practice I provide a suitable
air compressor arranged in connection with the water-cistern in such a manner
that the water therein is continually under sufficient pressure to cause it to ascend
the supply pipe through which it passes to the closets and wash-basins. Or, if
preferred, a compressed-air-chamber may be provided which will be charged with
air under suitable pressure before the commencement of the journey. The supply
of compressed air may be maintained by connecting a compressor with one of the
axles of the vehicles in any suitable manner. Although my Invention is as herein-
before stated chiefly designed for vehicles of the special class mentioned, it is
obvious that the said Invention or portions thereof may be advantageously applied
to ordinary railway-carriages.