CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CLAUde
ARNOUX, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth
day of June, in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Claude Arnoux, my exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Claude Arnoux, my exors, admňors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Claude Arnoux, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,.
within England, Wales, and in the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all. Her said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Claude Arnoux,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court

page_text: of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Claude Arnoux, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the mode of constructing railway carriages in such
a manner that they can be placed on two axletrees, in the same way as
vehicles drawn by horses, and, being provided with transom plates forming
splinter bars, are set on the two fore wheels. According to the ordinary
system of constructing vehicles on railways, they are provided with parallel
axletrees, to which are fixed the wheels, and the vehicles are directed by
means of the resistance which the flange of the wheels presents to the going
off the rails. It is known that the resistance of the flanges of the wheels is
increased according to the augmentation of weight on the vehicles, and that
the difficulties of the vehicles passing over curves are increased according to
the width of the axletrees, the vehicles being at the same time less steady
proportionally to the lessening of the distance between the wheels. From the
above facts it follows naturally that according to the speed required the
vehicles must be more heavy, and presenting at the same time a greater
resistance to the traction, either by constraint or by their weight; and I
conclude, therefore, that the system of parallel axletrees is wrong in principle,
as being deficient in rational direction. The result of my improvements is to
remove all strain and all unnatural resistance by directing the vehicles on the
way, whatever may be the tract. The arrangements of the railway to carry
into execution my improvements are similar to those now constructed, and
does not require any alterations. Independently of the facility of motion
afforded to the wheels on the fusees of the axletrees, represented by E, Fig. 2,
the last can be either permanently fixed or made to turn in chairs M, in
order to facilitate the traction, and to avoid all danger of the axle boxes
clutching, and the said axletrees can be turning on pivots at the same time
around the working pin C. The fore and hind wheels of each vehicle are
united by means of a beam F, and the joining of carriage to carriage is
effected by a straight shaft T, composed of two parts, united in the middle by
means of a strong bolt and key. That bolt can be provided with a spiral

page_text: spring, allowing a motion of the spiral of about one third to two thirds of an
inch, to facilitate the starting of a train. The first and last axletree of each
vehicle of the train are guided by means of four small inclined wheels G, G,
forming a quadrilateral, which, entering within the tramway, give to the
axletree a constant and true direction on the same rails. For every other
axletree I form on the middle, and on the plane of the said axletree another
quadrilateral B, B, having its two opposite angles S, S¹, fixed by means of
hinges by the beam F on one side, and the shaft T on the other side, the two
other angles of the said quadrilateral being fixed at the same time also by
means of hinges to the ear plates of the two parts M, M,, sliding on the
axletree on each side of the working pin C. If the vehicles composing the
train are equal to the beams F, that is to say, if the axletrees are
all at the same distance one from the other, the quadrilateral takes the
form of a rhomboid, and in such a case the two points or angles S, S¹,
fixed on the beam F and on the axletree, are separated by the same distance
from the working pin C. If the beam F and the shaft T. were of unequal
lengths, the distances separating them must be, then in due proportion. with the
length of the beam F and the shaft T. The articulated carriages may be
introduced without difficulty into trains already formed for this purpose. It
is merely necessary to adapt two bolts or pins to the frames of the carriage
that precedes, and to that of the carriage that follows, corresponding with the
middle of the hinder axletree of the front carriage, and with the middle of the
fore axle of the carriage behind. The extremities of the pole are jointed by
the pins in a similar manner to that in which articulated carriages are united
together.
And having now described my said Invention, and the manner in the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details of construction herein-before described, provided
the general features of my Invention be retained. But what I claim as new,
and intend to be protected by the herein-before recited Letters Patent, is,--
Firstly, the mode of constructing railway vehicles by which they can be
directed on the way without coercion or undue resistance, whatever may be
the train, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the setting railway vehicles on two axletrees, the turning of the
said axletrees at discretion in chairs to facilitate the traction, and avoiding the
axle boxes clutching.
Thirdly, the jointing the fore and hind axles of vehicles on railways, as
herein-before described, reference being had to the several Figures of the
Drawings.

page_text: Fourthly, the guiding te axletrees of vehicles on railways, as herein-before
described, refrence being had to the Figures of the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Claude Arnoux, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord 1852.
Taken and acknowledged by the within-
named Claude Arnoux (party hereto),
the 21st day of December, 1852,
C. (L.S.) ARNOUX.
This is the Specification marked A, referred to in the Affidavit of Henry
Gilbee, sworn before me, this 24th day of December, 1852.
D. DREW.
Henry Gilbee, of No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, maketh oath and saith, that he is acquainted with the manner and
character of the handwriting of Thomas Pickford, Her Britannic Majesty's
Consul at Paris, in the Republic of France. And this Deponent further
saith, that the signatnre of "Thomas Pickford," set, subscribed, or written in
the margin of the Specification hereunto annexed, marked A, and dated the
Twenty-first day of December instant, and purporting to be executed by
Claude Arnoux, of Paris, whereby it is stated that the Specification was
acknowledged by him, the said Claude Arnoux, before the said Thomas
Pickford, on the said Twenty-first day of December instant, at Paris aforesaid,
is of the proper handwriting of the said Thomas Pickford.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Oath of Henry Gilbee, the
And
Specification aforesaid was enrolled word for word, as above written.
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.