An Improved Safety Lock or Device for Securing the Doors of Railway Carriages or other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 5th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Lock or Device for Securing the Doors of Railway
Carriages or other Vehicles.
I, GEORGE BROMLEY ALLEN, Albion Cottage, Northwick Road, Worcester, in
the County of Worcester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object an improved safety lock or device for securing
the doors of railway carriages or other vehicles which automatically locks itself
when the train or other vehicle starts and unlocks itself as soon as the train or
vehicle stops.
In carrying my invention into practice I fit or mortice into the framework of
the doors of each compartment of a coach a small cylinder or chamber say in
about the same position as the usual lock or at the top or bottom of the door
frame. Fitted into this cylinder is a small piston rod or its equivalent which is
free to move therein. The outer end of this piston rod works in a small hole
formed in the outer end or cap of the cylinder and acts as the bolt for locking
the door. Connected to the other end of the cylinder is one end of a pipe or tube
the other end of which is connected to a small fan preferably fixed near the roof
of the coach. This fan is formed so that in whatever direction the train is
travelling it is always at work and drives the air down the pipe or tube to the
cylinder or chamber thus forcing the piston rod outwards and bolting or locking
the door. A spring is fitted around the piston rod in the interior of the piston
so that when the train stops it draws the piston rod into the cylinder again
thus unlocking the door. A small valve is also provided in the cylinder to help
to release the pressure of air and this valve may be opened by pressing a knob
or button and the door unlocked in case of necessity. In some cases I may
provide one fan on each side of the coach instead of one fan for each compartment,
or one fan only for each coach. Or I may use only one fan for each train in
which case a larger one would be required. Suitable connecting tubes or pipes
being attached from the fan or fans to each cylinder or chamber for operating
the piston.
An Improved Safety Lock or Device for Securing the Doors of Railway
Carriages or other Vehicles.
I, GEORGE BROMLEY ALLEN, Albion Cottage, Northwick Road, Worcester, in
the County of Worcester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Pris 873

page_text: invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
My invention has for its object an improved safety lock or device for securing
the doors of railway carriages or other vehicles, which automatically locks itself
when the train or other vehicle starts and unlocks itself as soon as the train or
other vehicle stops.
In carrying my invention into practice I fit or mortice into the framework of
the doors of each compartment of a coach a small cylinder or chamber say in
about the same position as the usual lock or at the top or bottom of the door
frame. Fitted into this cylinder is a small piston rod or its equivalent which is
free to move therein. The outer end of this piston rod works in a small hole
formed in the outer end or cup of the cylinder and acts as the bolt for locking
the door. Connected to the other end of the cylinder is one end of a pipe or tube
the other end of which is connected to a small fan preferably fixed near the roof
of the coach. This fan is formed so that in whatever direction the train is
travelling it is always at work and drives the air down the pipe or tube to the
cylinder or chamber thus forcing the piston rod outwards and bolting or locking
the door. A spring is fitted around the piston rod in the interior of the piston
so that when the train stops it draws the piston rod into the cylinder again
thus unlocking the door. A small valve is also provided in the cylinder to help
to release the pressure of air and this valve may be opened by pressing a knob
or button and the door unlocked in case of necessity. In some cases I may
provide one fan on each side of the coach instead of one fan for each compartment
or one fan only for each coach. Or I may use only one fan for each train in
which case a larger one would be required. Suitable connecting tubes or pipes
being attached from the fan or fans to each cylinder or chamber for operating
the piston.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood and easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto three double sized sheets of
drawings upon which I have illustrated my improved locking device as applied to
railway carriage doors.
Figure 1 is a view shewing a portion of the door and compartment of a railway
coach with my improvements applied thereto.
'
Figure 2 is an enlarged part sectional front view of my locking device and fan.
Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view of a portion of a coach with a modified form of my locking
device attached thereto.
Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the guards van shewing the
mechanism for operating the locking device.
Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the coach roof and
door shewing the door locked.
Figure 7. is a view of a portion of the end of the coach next to the engine
shewing the connection cord or chain fixed to a spring.
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the bolt or locking device as shewn at Figure 4
and 6.
In carrying my invention into practice I fit or mortice the cylinder or
chamber A into the framework of the doors B of each compartment of a coach D
say in about the same position as the usual lock as clearly shewn at Figure 2.
Fitting in this cylinder A is the piston rod a¹ or its equivalent which is free
to move therein the outer end a³ of this piston rod works in the hole a³ formed
in the outer end or cap a and acts as the bolt for locking the door B. Connected
to the other end of the cylinder by means of the cap a5 is the end e¹ of the tube E
and against this end or flange e¹ the head a of the piston rod is held by means
of the spring S which fits around the piston rod in the interior of the cylinder
as clearly shewn at Figure 2 for holding the piston or bolt a¹ in its normal
position. The other end of this tube E is connected to the fan F which is
preferably fixed slightly above the roof of the coach as clearly shewn at Figure 1.

page_text: wwyes, at
the train is travelling the air passes through one of these openings thus comin
with the openings f¹ and fo so that in whatever directio
against the vanes or blades fo thereby driving the fan. It will thus be seen tha
when the fan is at work it drives air down the tube E to the cylinder A thereby
5 automatically forcing the piston rod a outwards into the slot 61 and bolting
or locking the door B but as soon as the train stops the fan ceases to work and
the piston rod or bolt a¹ is forced back to its normal position by the spring S the
door being thereby unlocked ready for the passengers to alight. If desired a small
valve may be fitted in the cylinder or other convenient part so as to relieve the
10 pressure of air and may be opened by pressing a button or the like so as to release
the door in case of emergency.
It will be evident that in some cases I may use only one fan of a larger size
for each coach or one for each train instead of one for each door the pipes E from
the doors of each compartment communicating with this fan by suitable con-
5 nections.
At Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 I have shewn a modified form of my method of
locking railway carriage doors. In this case I fix into the roof of the coach over
the doors B of each compartment the Y shaped bolt or catch H which is pivoted
at h¹ in the bracket h² the lower part h² h³ protruding through as clearly shewn
at Figure 8. The arms or upper portions 4 and 5 of this bolt have a hole formed
in each for attaching cords, chains or wires J or the like thereto, extending
along the whole length of the train on either side, the ends between each coach
being connected together by suitable couplings. The cords attached to the
arms h of the bolts fitted over the doors of the compartment next to the guards
van pass over the guide pulleys K mounted in suitable brackets fixed in the
interior of the guards van and from thence over the guide pulleys K', also fixed
in the interior of the guards van, to the arms or brackets L, fixed to the end of
the piston rod a¹ the cylinder or chamber A being fixed in the interior of the
guards van and the pipe or tube E passing from this cylinder through the roof
to the fan F which is preferably fixed in the centre of the roof as clearly shewn
at Figure 5. It will thus be seen that when the train is travelling and the fan
working that air will pass down the pipe E and force the piston rod a¹ outwards
nto the position as shewn at Figure 5 thus pulling the cords J thereby moving
he bolts H into the positions as shewn at Figures 4 and 6 that is to say the
nds h³ protrude through the brackets 2 into slots formed in the upper ends of
he doors thereby firmly securing or locking them but as soon as the train
tops the spring S draws the piston into its normal position and the bolts H are
rawn or tilted into the position as shewn in dotted lines Figure 8 by the action
the springs S which are attached to the ends of the cords J and to the end of
e coach next to the engine as shewn at Figure 7 by which means the doors
e released and may be opened for the passengers to alight.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
claim is:
CLAIMS.
irst-Locking or bolting the doors of railway co
the action of a niston

page_text: substantially as herein set forth and as shewn upon the drawings by Figures 12
and 3.
Third: The device for securing the doors of railway carriages and other
vehicles consisting essentially of a cylinder or chamber such as A a piston such
as a actuated by the pressure of air from a fan or fans a bolt or catch such as H
or its equivalent fixed to the roof of the coach and operated by a cord or its
equivalent through the medium of the piston in the manner substantially as herein
set forth and as shewn by Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
.
Fourth The device for securing the doors of railway carriages and other
vehicles consisting of a bolt or catch such as H to the arms of which cords 'or
the like are attached the said cords being actuated automatically in the manner
and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth.
111
daft mount 1900
GEORGE BROMLEY ALLEN,
By George Barker,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicant, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.