AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR THE END AND SIDE DOORS OF RAILWAY TRUCKS OR WAGONS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Powell, of Llanelly, in the County of Caermarthen,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR THE END AND SIDE
DOORS OF RAILWAY TRUCKS OR WAGONS."
1
T
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Powell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th August 1877.
f
THOMAS POWELL, of Llanelly, in the County of Caermarthen. "AN IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR THE END AND SIDE DOORS OF RAILWAY TRUCKS OR WAGONS."**
**
The object of this Invention is the construction of an improved fastening for the
end and side doors of tip wagons, coal trucks, or other railway trucks or wagons,
such fastening being self-acting when the door is closed, and also easily opened
when required.
:
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To the end and side doors of the truck or wagon I fix two vertical wrought-iron
straps with eyes at the upper ends passing over a horizontal bolt placed in bearings
fixed to the ends and sides of the truck or wagon, so that the doors are thus
respectively hung hingwise on the said horizontal bolts; to each of the 'said straps,
near the lower end thereof, is pivotted, by means of a pin or bolt, one end of a
horizontal latch bolt; the outer end of each latch bolt passes through a staple or
guide on another vertical strap fixed to the outer edge of the door. The outer end
of each latch bolt is provided with à projecting handle by which the latch bolt is
raised, and the said latch bolt takes into a slot or notch in a strong projecting catch
fixed to the side of the truck or wagon.
:
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By this arrangement it will be understood that to open the door it will be merely
necessary to raise the said latches (by means of their handles) out of the slots in
the catches, when the door can be raised up on its hinges, and when the door is
lowered into its place the said latches will automatically take into the slots of their
respective catches.
73.70

page_text: The door is provided with a suitable drop ring or other suitable handle for raising
and lowering the door; and the door to which my improved fastening is applied
will be thereby materially improved and strengthened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Powell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd February
1878.
"
THOMAS POWELL, of Llanelly, in the County of Caermarthen. AN IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR THE END AND SIDE DOORS OF RAILWAY TRUCKS OR WAGONS."
The object of this Invention is the construction of an improved fastening for the
end and side doors of tip wagons, coal trucks, or other railway trucks or wagons,
such fastening being self-acting when the door is closed, and also easily opened
when required.
To the end and side doors of the truck or wagon I fix two vertical wrought-iron
straps with eyes at the upper ends passing over a horizontal bolt placed in bearings
fixed to the ends and sides of the truck or wagon, so that the doors are thus
respectively hung hingewise on the said horizontal bolts; to each of the said straps,
near the lower end thereof, is pivotted, by means of a pin or bolt, one end of a
horizontal latch bolt; the outer end of each latch bolt passes through a staple or
guide fixed to the outer edge of the door. The outer end of each latch bolt is
provided with a projecting handle by which the latch bolt is raised, and the said
latch bolt takes into a slot or notch in a strong projecting catch fixed to the side of
the truck or wagon.
The door is provided with a suitable drop ring or other suitable handle for raising
and lowering the door; and the door to which my improved fastening is applied
will be thereby materially improved and strengthened.
But to make my Invention better understood I will proceed to describe the same
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 a side elevation of a coal wagon,
shewing the end and side doors of same furnished with my improved fastening.
Figures 3 and 4, side views of the end fastening.
Figure 5, plan of the end fastening; Figure 6, section on line A, B, of Figure 5.
Figure 7, detached side view of the staple or guide.
Figure 8, detached side view of the catch; and Figure 9, plan of the fastening of
the side door..
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 are drawn to a scale of about three-quaters of an inch
to the foot, and Figures 5 to 8 to a scale of about three inches to the foot.
Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar parts.
I will first describe the fastening of the end door A of the wagon. a, a, are the
vertical wrought-iron straps firmly bolted to the end door A; b, b, the eyes at the
upper ends of the straps a, a, such eyes passing over the horizontal bolt c fixed.to
the bearings d, d, in the sides B of the truck; e, e, are the latches, the inner ends
of which turn on the bolts f. f, passing through the staples g, g, and the door A ;
h, h, bushes in the said latches; these bushes may be dispensed with, and instead of
the bolt I may employ a simple pin and cutter in lieu of nut; i, i, washers;

page_text: j,j, are the staples or guides through which pass the outer ends of the latches e, e,
which staples serve to guide and limit the play of the latches; k, k, are the projecting
handles of the latches for raising the same; 1, 1, are the projecting catches fixed to
the sides of the wagon; m, m, the slots in the said catches into which the outer
ends of the latches take when the fastening is closed; n is the handle for raising or
lowering the door A.
By this construction of fastening it will be understood that to open or raise the
end door A it will be merely necessary to raise the latches e, e, by means of their
handles k, k, when the latches, being free of the slots m, m, the door can be raised
by means of its handle n. To close the door it is merely required to lower the
same and the latches will slide over the inclined noses o of the catches 1, l, and will
automatically drop into the slots m, m, and the fastenings will close automatically.
The fastening of the side door B is constructed substantially the same as that
herein-before described except that instead of the straps a, a, being hinged to the
horizontal bolt c on the top of the wagon they are hinged to the bolts or pins p, p,
at the bottom of the wagon, the door opening downwards instead of upwards.
Having thus described my said Invention and the manner of performing the
same, what I claim is the construction and application to the end and side doors of
railway trucks or wagons of the improved fastening, operating in the manner and
for the purpose herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Powell, have hereto set my hand and
seal, this Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
THOMAS POWELL. (L.S.)