Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Locking Railway Waggon Doors.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1897-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Locking Railway
Waggon Doors.
I, LINCOLN GORDON, Traffic Superintendent, of the Oude and Rohilkund. State
Railway, at present residing at Lucknow, in British India, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 relates to improvements in and apparatus for interlocking rail-
way waggon doors, whereby it is rendered impossible to open same, so long as
the buffers of the waggons are in contact, while the waggons being
separated, the door on one side of a .waggon can be opened when
required for loading purposes, and the door on the other side can be locked,
which latter arrangement effectually prevents the abstraction of goods from the
wagon on that side, which sometimes occurs when a watch is not kept.
In the drawings hereunto annexed and which are to be read as part of this
specification the same letters or numerals indicate the same parts in each figure,
Fig. 1 is a plan of part of the bottom of the waggon reversed with apparatus
attached.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of waggon.
Fig. 3 is an end view of same.
Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the locking
apparatus which is mainly shewn thereon in full lines consists of a rod A having its
ends a and b flattened or formed into heads. This rod passes through the centre
of buffer B and is loosely housed in bearings in the carriage frame cross bars
so as to freely allow of its having a to and fro movement, and its head a is counter-
sunk in end of the buffer. On the rod A is fitted a helical spring Cone end of
which abuts against the frame of the carriage, and the other end ngainst a
collar e on rod A, so that by means of this spring the interlocking rod A always
remains shot home inwardly as shewn in full lines. The next part of the
apparatus is composed of a shaft or rod D passing transverse through and housed
in suitable bearings in the longitudinal ribs of the body-frame of the waggon. On
each end of the rod is fixed a lever arm E at the sides of the carriage, and the
other (the upper) end of lever E has a vertical connecting rod G jointed to it
at & the upper end of which rod G connects with a bell crank lever I which pivots
on a fixed spindle or stud I attached to sides of waggon. The upper end of lever H
connects by means of a short connecting rod H¹ with the outer end of bolt J which
slides to and fro in bearings K attached to the sides of carriage. The inner end
of bolt J in the position shewn at Fig. 2 passes through a slot in the base of the
balanced fastener L fitted on the roof eaves of the waggon. The balanced
fastener L consists of a bent lever pivotted on a bracket fixed to the upper part
of the carriage, and the said lever fastener L is fitted with a weight at its upper
end by which the lever is automatically rocked from the position shewn, when
free to have such movement. Near the lower end, the lever L is formed with a
hole extending transversely through same to allow of the passage of the bolt J
1

page_text: when the latter is shot home, and means such as a shoe L or equivalent part is
fitted at the extreme lower end of the leyer L. by which, (when the said lever L
is maintained in the position shewn) the door or doors is or
thereby.
p.
i
are held closed
The actuating parts of the apparatus, consist of a lever M hinged at N and
pivotted on a fixed centre O, its off end being jointed at m to a connecting rod P
which is connected with a short crank arm Q, (shewn in full lines at Figs. 1 and 3,
and dotted lines at Fig. 2), fixed on the transverse rod or shaft 1. The lever M
has a cranked handle M¹ see Fig. 3, which is capable of being moved by the
attendant when required, to and fro. in the guides R attached to the under side
of the waggon frame.
The anechanism controlling the bolts is similar upon each side of the, waggon.
The bolts always remain shot home and to withdraw them in order to allow
the doors to be opened, after the waggon has been separated from the next adjacent
waggon, the lever handle-M is lifted up through guides R to the position shewn in
the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and when, in this position the upper part of the cranked
handle is in line with the spring controlled, rod A.. The handle is then pushed
forward through the horizontal slot of the guide R, which movement pushes rod A
out, to the position shewn by dotted lines at the end of the buffer in Figs. 1 and 2,
at the same time the tension strain applied from the end m of the lever M by
means of connecting rod P acting on end of arm Q rocks the transverse rod or
shaft D, the levers E, are turned, and a downward pull is effected
on rods which produces an outward pull on "bolts J, releases the
balanced fastener' L, and the door or doors can then be opened. On releasing
the lever handle M it'is automatically pushed back by the end 6 of rod A by
the action of spring C, and drops down out of gear into the lower parts of the slotted
guide R and resumes its normal position as shewn in Fig. 3."
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Levers are shewn for effecting the necessary movement for shooting or with-
drawing the bolts but other suitable mechanical equivalents may be used instead
such as a rack and pinion.
The side of the waggon where the gearing is, is shown uncovered for clearness
but in practice it is covered in with sheet iron as also may be the interlocking
rod A with its spring (which is shewn uncovered) and if desired, leaving only the
lever handle and top bolt exposed.
'It will lie understood that the arrangement' of mechanism described, allows of
the bolts being shot back, the 'door or doors on one side of the wagon to be opened,
the lever fastener replaced into locking position on the other side, and the
handle M released; when the door or doors on the off side of the waggon 'will
be locked.
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15°
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Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim 'is:-
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1. The apparatus and appliances hereinbefore described and illustrated for the
purpose of fastening or locking the doors of railway waggons.
2. In any apparatus used for the purpose of locking or fastening the doors
of railway waggons the use of the interlocking stop rod A which is housed in the
buffing of the waggon as hereinbefore, described and illustrated.
3. In combination all the said several parts as herein before described and illus
trated forming an apparatus and appliance for the purpose of fastening and
locking the doors of railway waggons, substantially as described:
Dated this 29th day of June 1897.ambo
Dated this 29th day of June 1897am-
:
BREWER & SON,
London & Leeds, Agents, for the Applicant.
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