Improvements in Means for Securing and Automatically Tightening or Straining the Sheeting or Covers of Railway Trucks or the like, and Ropes, Chains, or Bands.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Securing and Automatically Tightening
or Straining the Sheeting or Covers of Railway Trucks or the
like, and Ropes, Chains, or Bands.
We, TOM AGARS WALKER and GEORGE AGARS WALKER, both of Danes
Hill, near Retford, in the County of Nottingham Farmers and Manufacturers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
:-
The invention relates to improvements in means for securing and automatically
tightening or straining the sheeting or covers of railway trucks or the like and
ropes chains or bands.
The means generally employed for securing the sheeting of railway trucks consist
of a number of rings fastened by staples to the body of the truck, and to which
rings the ties of the sheeting or covers are secured by passing them therethrough
and knotting them.
This operation is troublesome and occupies considerable time, and it is not every
person who knows how to tie a knot sufficiently securely for the purpose, whilst if
the wind finds its way beneath the sheeting it causes it to slat and blow about
frequently loosening the knots and causing the sheet to break adrift and become
torn, added to which it thereby becomes displaced and does not furnish the requisite
protection against the weather.
Even in the event of the sheeting being well tied down in the first instance,
a certain amount of play is subsequently caused by the cargo of the truck settling
down, and this of course leaves the sheeting free to slat in the wind.
Now according to our invention the ties of the sheeting are instantaneously
secured to the truck without the necessity for tying a knot and in such manner that
they cannot work loose or break adrift, whilst as the cargo settles, the slack
is automatically taken up, so that the sheeting is always maintained in a properly
strained condition, thus obviating the objections above pointed out.
For this purpose we employ around the truck body a number of vertical bars or
fittings each of which is provided with a toothed rack upon its face, and we secure
each rack bar to the side of the truck by any suitable means, but we preferably
form it with spikes at its upper end to be driven into the overhanging beam at the
side of the truck and with a flange or offset at its lower end to take under the
bottom beam of the truck, and we fix it in position by means of screws if desired
assisted by studs.
We form the back of each rack bar with a rib or distance piece extending the
entire length thereof, or we provide grooves or channels in the sides of the rack bar,
for the purpose hereinafter more fully described.
In connection with this rack bar we employ an automatic tightener which is
heavily weighted, and we form this tightener upon its rear face with curved cheeks
to admit of the rocking movement hereinafter referred to and from which project
lateral studs which are adapted to enter the grooves formed at the rear of the rack
bar, thus connecting those parts solidly together, but leaving the tightener free
to slide upou the rack bar, and to rock upon the studs, whilst we form the upper
part of the tightener with a broad tooth to engage the teeth of the rack.
In the front of the tightener we form a concave or dished recess, and in the
centre thereof we provide a boss to which we solidly secure with capability of
turning within certain limits regulated by a stop, a cleat, the arms of which are
preferably curved or bent towards the concave of the tightener.
The boss of the tightener to which the cleat is secured is located at a point below

page_text: the horizontal plane and in front of the vertical plane in which the studs are
arranged so that upon a sheeting tie being secured to the cleat, the strain will turn
the tightener upon the axis formed by the lateral studs and cause the broad tooth
to engage the rack of the rack bar, and thus effectually prevent the slackening of
the tie, and inasmuch as when a tie is secured to the cleat, the weighted tightener
is first raised to the top of the rack bar, it follows that upon any slackening of the
tie caused by the settling of the cargo, aided by the vibration of the truck, the
tightener will descend by gravity upon the rack bar and thus tauten the tie, whilst
any movement of the tightener in an upward direction and slackening of the tie will
be prevented by the tooth engaging the rack as herein before described.
In-attaching the tie to the cleat it is passed under one arm thereof and is thus
bent into the concave of the tightener, and it is then passed under the boss and
under and over the other arm of the cleat, the strain of the tie causing the cleat to
turn upon its axis and jam the tie against the concave of the tightener, thus securely
holding it against the possibility of accidental disconnection, whilst at the same
time it can instantaneously be cast adrift.
It will be evident that the device herein before described is equally applicable to
securing and automatically tightening ties, ropes or chains employed for other
purposes and that by employing a grooved pulley in lieu of the cleat the device
may be adapted for use in connection with the bands of roller blinds or bands
employed for other purposes.
In some cases we may use the cleat separately from the tightener, in which case
we mount it upon a fitting adapted to be fixed to an object, and provided with a
concave on its face similar to that of the tightener.
Dated this 10th day of March 1892.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Securing and Automatically Tightening
or Straining the Sheeting or Covers of Railway Trucks or the
like, and Ropes, Chains, or Bands.
We, Tом AGARS WALKER and GEORGE AGARS WALKER both of Danes
Hill near Retford in the County of Nottingham Farmers and Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The invention relates to improvements in means for securing and automatically
tightening or straining the sheeting or covers of railway trucks or the like, and
ropes, chains, or bands.
The means generally employed for securing the sheeting of railway trucks,
consist of a number of rings fastened by staples to the body of the truck, and to
which rings the ties of the sheeting or covers are secured by passing them there-
through and knotting them.
This operation is troublesome and occupies considerable time, and it is not every
person who knows how to tie a knot sufficiently securely for the purpose, whilst if
the wind finds its way beneath the sheeting it causes it to slat and blow about
frequently loosening the knots, and causing the sheet to break adrift and become
torn, added to which it thereby becomes displaced, and does not furnish the requisite
protection against the weather.
Even in the event of the sheeting being well tied down in the first instance, a
certain amount of play is subsequently caused by the cargo of the truck settling
down, and this of course leaves the sheeting free to slat in the wind.
Now according to our invention the ties of the sheeting are instantaneously

page_text: secured to the truck without the necessity for tying a knot and in such manner
that they cannot work. loose or break adrift, whilst as the cargo settles, the slack is
automatically taken up, so that the sheeting is always maintained in a properly
strained condition thus obviating the objections above pointed out.
For this purpose we employ around the truck body, a number of vertical bars or
fittings cach of which is provided with a toothed rack upon its face, and we secure
each rack bar to the side of the truck by any suitable means, but we preferably
form it when applied to the side of the truck with spikes at its upper end to be
driven into the overhanging beam at the side of the truck, and with a flange or
offset at its lower end to take under the bottom beam of the truck, and we fix it in
position by means of screws if desired, assisted by studs.
In applying the device to the ends of the truck where there is no overhanging
beam it must be secured at the upper end by a staple, screws or the like.
We form the back of each rack bar with a rib or distance piece extending the
entire length thereof, or we provide grooves or channels in the sides of the rack
bar for the purpose hereinafter more fully described.
In connection with this rack bar we employ an automatic tightener which is
heavily weighted, and we form this tightener upon its rear face with curved cheeks
to admit of the rocking movement hereinafter referred to, and from which project
lateral studs, which are adapted to enter the grooves formed at the rear of the rack
bar, thus connecting those parts solidly together, but leaving the tightener free to
slide upon the rack bar, and to rock upon the studs, whilst we form the upper part
of the tightener with a broad tooth to engage the teeth of the rack.
In the front of the tightener, we form a concave or dished recess, and in the
centre thereof we provide a boss to which we solidly secure with capability of
turning within certain limits regulated by a stop, a cleat, the arms of which are
preferably curved or bent towards the concave of the tightener.
The boss of the tightener to which the cleat is secured, is located at a point
below the horizontal plane, and in front of the vertical plane in which the studs
are arranged, so that upon a sheeting tie being secured to the cleat, the strain will
turn the tightener upon the axis formed by the lateral studs, and cause the broad
tooth to engage the rack of the rack bar, and thus effectually prevent the slackening
of the tie, and inasmuch as when a tie is secured to the cleat, the weighted
tightener is first raised to the top of the rack bar, it follows that upon any
slackening of the tie, caused by the settling of the cargo, aided by the vibration of
the truck, the tightener will descend by gravity upon the rack bar and thus tauten
the tie, whilst any movement of the tightener in an upward direction and slackening
of the tie will be prevented by the tooth engaging the rack as hereinbefore
described.
In attaching the tie to the cleat it is passed under one arm thereof and is thus
bent into the concave of the tightener, and it is then passed under the boss, and
under and over the other arm of the cleat, the strain of the tie causing the cleat to
turn upon its axis and jam the tie against the concave of the tightener, thus
securely holding it against the possibility of accidental disconnection whilst at the
same time it can instantaneously be cast adrift.
It will be evident that the device herein before described is equally applicable to
securing and automatically tightening ties, ropes, or chains employed for other
purposes, and that by employing a grooved pulley in lieu of the cleat, the device
may be adapted for use in connection with the bands of roller blinds, or blinds
employed for other purposes.
In some cases we may use the cleat separately from the tightener, in which case
we mount it upon a fitting adapted to be fixed to an object and provided with a
concave in its face similar to that of the tightener.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood, and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed, aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway truck, having the invention applied
thereto.
Figure 2 is a detached view drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view thereof.
Figure 4 is a front elevation drawn to a still further increased scale of the
tightening device and co-acting parts separately.
Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 6 is a rear elevation thereof.
Figure 7 is a plan of the automatic tightener separately.
Figure 8 is a vertical section thereof, taken on the line 1--1 of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a side elevation representing a slight modification.
Figure 10 is a front view representing a modified application of the cleat, and
Figure 11 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 10.
In the several figures of the drawings like parts are indicated by similar letters
of reference.
Referring to Figures 1 to 8, a represents the body or frame of a railway truck,
b represents the sheeting which is of ordinary character, and ' represent the ties
by means of which the sheeting is fastened to the body of the truck.
C
Around the truck body or frame a are fixed a number of vertical bars or fittings c
each of which is provided with a toothed rack upon its face, and each rack bar e
is secured to the frame or body a of the truck by any suitable means, but when the
bar c is to be applied to the side of the truck it is preferably formed with spikes c
at its upper end to be driven into the overhanging beam 'a' at the side of the truck
and with a flange or offset at its lower end to take under the bottom of the
beam a constituting the frame or body of the truck, and the lower end of this
device is fixed in position by means of a screw passing through a hole provided
in the offset 3, and in order to steady the device against lateral movement, a
stud is provided, which projects horizontally from the back of the bar
enters a hole formed to receive it in the beam of the truck body or frame.
When the rack bar c is to be applied to the end of the truck, the upper end
thereof is secured thereto by means of a staple, screws or the like..
The back of each rack bar e is formed with a rib or distance piece extending
the entire length thereof, so that when the rack bar c is fixed in position, it will be
projected from the side of the truck a distance equal to the thickness of the rib or
distance piece cº.
C
C
C
69
and
In connection with the rack bar c is employed an automatic tightener d, which is
formed of such material and dimensions as to constitute a heavy weight, or is
otherwise heavily weighted, and this tightener d is formed upon its rear face with
curved cheeks d to admit of the rocking movement hereinafter referred to, and
from which cheeks project laterally, studs which are adapted to enter spaces or
grooves c formed by the distance piece between the rack bar c and the beam a
of the truck body, as shown more particularly at Figure 3 thus connecting the rack
bar C, and the tightener d solidly together, but leaving the tightener d free to slide
vertically upon the rack bar c, and to rock upon the studs whilst the upper part
of the tightener d is formed with a broad tooth d³ to engage the teeth of the
rack c'.
In the face of the tightener d is formed a concave or dished recess d', and in the
centre of this recess is provided a boss d³, to which is solidly secured by means of a
bolte, a cleat e, but so that it is capable of turning within certain limits regulated
by a stop do, the arms of the cleat e being preferably curved or bent towards the
coucave or recess d' of the tightener d.
The boss of the tightener d to which the cleate is secured, is located at a
point below the horizontal plane, and in front of the vertical plane in which the
1

page_text: studs are arranged, so that upon a sheeting tie being secured to a cleat e in the
manner indicated more particularly at Figures 2 and 3, the strain exercised by
the tie will turn the tightener upon the axis formed by the lateral studs d³, and
cause the broad tooth d³ to engage the rack c' of the rack bar, and thus effectually
prevent the slackening of the tie ', and inasmuch as when the tie is secured to
the cleat e, the weighted tightener is first raised to the top of the rack bar cit.
follows that upon any slackening of the tie caused by the settling of the cargo
carried by the truck aided by the vibration of the truck, the tightener i will
descend by gravity upon the rack bar e, and thus tauten the tie 1, whilst any
movement of the tightener d in an upward direction, and consequent slackening of
the tie b' will be prevented by the tooth engaging the rack cas hereinbefore
described.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the tightener & must be
of a weight sufficient to apply a considerable strain to the tie b¹.
In attaching the tie 6' to the cleat e it is passed under one arm thereof, and is
thus bent into the concave or recess of the tightener, and it is then passed under
the boss d, and under and over the other arm of the cleat e, the strain of the tie &¹
or the weight of the tightener d, causing the cleat e to turn upon its axis, and jam
the tie against the upper side of the concave or recess of the tightener d as
represented more particularly at Figures 2 and 3, thus securely holding the tie
against the possibility of accidental disconnection, whilst at the same time it can be
instantaneously cast adrift by reversing the tying operation.
In the example given at Figure 9, in lieu of utilising the grooves formed by the
spaces between the rack bar, and the beam a of the truck body or frame for the
traverse of the studs das represented in the previous figures, the grooves c* are in
this example formed in the rack bar c but the action of the device is similar, to that
hereinbefore described.
.1
It will be evident that the device herein before described is equally applicable, to
securing and automatically tightening ties, ropes, and chains employed for other
purposes, and that by employing in lieu of the cleat e a grooved pulley mounted
with capability of revolution upon an axis coincident with the boss ³, the weighted
automatic tightening device may be adapted for use in connection with the bands of
roller blinds or bands employed for other purposes.
Although we have hereinbefore shown the rack bar formed with ratchet teeth,
we find in practice that other forms of widely spaced teeth answer equally well
and we also find that the tooth and rack may be substituted by a frictional device but
we prefer the former.
In the example given at Figures 10 and 11, which represents a method of
utilising the cleate for other uses than that hereinbefore described, the cleat e is
mounted upon a base or fitting d* adapted to be fixed by means of screws to any
desired object, thus rendering the cleat e serviceable for a variety of purposes for
which such an article is required.
We would here remark that we have herein before shown and described the best
means that we are at present acquainted with for carrying our invention into effect,
but we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details of construction thereof, as it will be evident that the same may be varied
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In an automatic tightening device, the combination of a fitting, a heavy weight
or tightener adapted to slide vertically thereon, means of attaching to the tightener
the article to be tightened, such means being located at the lower part of the
tightener, a broad tooth upon the upper part of the tightener, a corresponding rack
upon the fitting, and means located near to the upper part of the tightener
.

page_text: connecting it with the fitting with capability of sliding vertically and rocking
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
2. In an automatic tightening device, the combination of a fitting, a heavy weight
or tightener adapted to slide vertically thereon, means carried by the tightener for
attaching thereto the article to be tightened, and means for preventing the
tightener accidentally rising whilst permitting it to fall by its own gravity
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. In an automatic tightening device, the combination of a fitting consisting of a
bar formed at the upper end with spikes to enter an overhanging part of a railway
truck, and with an apertured horizontal offset or lug to take under the carriage
frame, a steady pin or stud, a distance piece at the back of the fitting or grooves in
the side thereof, a heavy weight or tightener adapted to slide vertically upon the
fitting and provided with rearwardly projecting checks furnished with lateral studs
to engage the back or grooves of the tightener, means located at the lower part of
the tightener for attaching thereto the article to be tightened, a broad tooth upon
the upper part of the tightener and a corresponding rack upon the fitting
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
4. In an automatic tightener the combination of a fitting a heavy weight or
tightener adapted to slide vertically thereon, a broad tooth upon the tightener, a
corresponding rack upon the fitting, a concave or recess in the face of the tightener,
a cleat pivotally mounted in the centre of such recess and a fixed stop to limit the
movement of the cleat substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
5. In means for securing ties or the like the combination of a base plate or fitting
adapted to be fixed to an object, a concave or recess in the face of the fitting, a
cleat pivotally mounted in the centre of the recess, and a fixed stop for limiting the
movement of the cleat substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1892.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.