Improvements relating to Overhead Tramways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Overhead Tramways.
I, CHARLES HENRY PALETHORPE, trading as Henry Palethorpe, of Dudley
Port, in the County of Stafford, Pork Butcher, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates as hereinafter described to improvements in and relating to
overhead tramways, particularly for use in slaughter houses, drying and cutting up
sheds where pig killing, sausage making or business of a like nature is carried on
to a large extent.
The object of my tramway is the conveyance of bodies of the dead pigs from
the slaughterhouse to the drying shed and from thence to the weighing machine
and the cutting up shed in an expeditious manner without having to lift or otherwise
remove them from the hooks to which they are attached.
When a slaughtered pig is brought in two halves from the slaughterhouse it is
necessary it should be thoroughly dried before being weighed and conveyed to the
cutting up shed.
In order to effect this arrangement I provide a large drying shed divided off into
a number of sections; along the top of the said shed and running over each section
I construct a single line tramway of iron or steel tubes secured together by nipples
or connecting screws and suspended from the roof by J shaped hangers the lower
end passing through the tube and cut off flush therewith.
I provide double ended hooks one end of which fits the rail and works freely
thereon, and on the other end the object to be conveyed is suspended.
In continuing the aforesaid tramway rail through the different sections of the
building it is necessary to provide a curve at each junction or compartment to
enable the aforesaid hooks to travel thereon.
It is necessary that the said curve should constitute a point so as to enable the
hooks to travel either along the main corridor rails, or along any of the junction
rails or sections of the tramway, the object being to form a continuous passage for
the hooks throughout the entire building.
The curve point hereinbefore referred to I construct by taking a length of
round iron or steel the same diameter as the tubular rail which I bend to the
desired curvature.
On one end I fit a screw nipple or socket which is fixed to the rail, and terminates
in a knuckle or other suitable joint, the other end I taper down on the underside
to a knife edge the section of which is semi-tubular, the convex part of this end of
the point resting on the main rail.
The function of this arrangement is to allow the hook carrying the weight to
pass either under or over the said point thus:-the two halves of a pig being
suspended by hooks from the tramway rail are drawn thereon from the slaughter-
house to the drying shed hence to the weighing machine.
One half will pass to the right of the building, and the other to the left, along
the main line, the hook will pass under each curved point which rises on its knuckle
joint and allows it to pass. When it is brought opposite the section of the building
in which it is to hang the said hook is drawn a little backward and slides up the
curved part of the point and along the line to the desired place. The two halves
of the pig will consequently meet at any desired part of the building.
I
may if desired raise the aforesaid curved point by its knuckle joint by means
of a chain or cord attached to the opposite end and passing over a pulley to a hook
attached to a board fixed against the wall. Or the same may be held in any desired
position by a weight attached to the free end of the said chain or cord.

page_text: It will thus be seen that when the drying shed is stocked with a great number
of half pigs each half may be passed simultaneously along the rails from the drying
shed to the weighing machine thence to the cutting up shed.
Dated this 5th day of February 1892.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Overhead Tramways.
I, CHARLES HENRY PALETHORPE, trading as Henry Palethorpe, of Dudley
Port in the County of Stafford, Pork Butcher, 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 :-
My invention relates as hereinafter described to improvements in and relating
to overhead tramways, particularly for use in slaughter houses, drying and cutting
up sheds where pig killing, sausage making or business of a like nature is carried
on to a large extent.
The object of my tramway is the conveyance of bodies of the dead pigs from
the slaughterhouse to the drying shed and from thence to the weighing machine
and the cutting up shed in an expeditious manner without having to lift or otherwise
remove them from the hooks to which they are attached.
When a slaughtered pig is brought in two halves from the slaughter-house it is
necessary it should be thoroughly dried before being weighed and conveyed to the
cutting up shed.
In order to effect this arrangement I provide a large drying shed divided off
into a number of sections, along the top of the said shed and running over each
section I construct a single line tramway of iron or steel tubes secured together by
nipples or connecting screws and suspended from the roof by J shaped hangers
the lower end passing through the tube and cut off flush therewith.
I provide double ended hooks, one end of which fits the rail and works freely
thereon, and on the other end the object to be conveyed is suspended.
In continuing the aforesaid tramway rail through the different sections of the
building, it is necessary to provide a curve at each junction or compartment to
"enable the aforesaid hooks to travel thereon.
It is also necessary that the said curve should constitute a point so as to enable
the hooks to travel either along the main corridor rails or along any of the junction
'rails or sections of the tramway, the object being to form a continuous passage for
the hooks throughout the entire building.
The curve point hereinbefore referred to I construct by taking a length of
round iron or steel the same diameter as the tubular rail, which I bend to the
desired curvature.
On one end I fit a screw nipple or socket which is fixed to the rail, and terminates
in a knuckle or other suitable joint, the other end I taper down on the underside to
a knife edge the section of which is semi-tubular, the concave part of this end of
the point resting on the main rail.
The function of this arrangement is to allow the hook carrying the weight either
under or over the said point, thus the two halves of a pig being suspended by hooks
from the tramway rail are drawn thereon from the slaughterhouse to the drying
shed hence to the weighing machine. One half will pass to the right of the
building and the other to the left along the main line, the hook will pass under
each curved point which rises on its knuckle joint and allows it to pass. When it
is brought opposite the section of the building in which it is to hang the said hook
is drawn a little backward and slides up the curved part of the point and along the
line to the desired place.

page_text: The two halves of the pig will consequently meet at any desired part of the
building.
I may if desired raise the aforesaid curved point by its knuckle joint by
means of a chain or cord attached to the opposite end and passing over a pulley
to a hook attached to a board fixed against the wall. Or the same may be
held in any desired position by a weight attached to the free end of the said chain
or cord.
It will thus be seen that when the drying shed is stocked with a great number of
half pigs, each half may be passed simultaneously along the rails from the drying
shed to the weighing machine, thence to the cutting up shed.
I will proceed to describe the way and manner in which my invention is carried
into effect, by means of the accompanying drawings, throughout which similar
letters of reference indicate similar parts.
In Figure 1, is represented a general plan of a building in which my invention is.
applied, divided into sections A, A', A", A³ and A4 which are used for drying
purposes. B represents a single main tramway line running round the building
and continued throughout the various sections at right angles by junction rails D.
In Figures 2, 3, and 4, is represented in side elevation, plan and end elevation
respectively, the tramway rails. B is a tubular rail continued throughout the
building as shown in Figure 1, Sheet 1, the various lengths being connected together
by the connecting screws B and suspended from the roof or ceiling by hangers C
which are fixed to the rails by studs C². E represents a curved point tapering
from a circular section to a knife edge E°, for the purpose of forming a connection
between the main rail B and the junction rails D, the curved point E is jointed at E¹
and connected to the junction rails D by the boss E³.
F is a hook to which the half of a pig is supposed to be suspended. When the
half of a pig leaves the slaughter house suspended on a hook F, which travels along
a portion of the rail shown at B2, Figures 1, 2 and 3, over the curved point E to
the position shown at F2 to the main line B. The hook may then pass under the
various curved points E placed in opposite directions and shown in Figure 1 (these
forming connections between the main line B and the junction lines D) the curved
point E rises on the joint E' shown in Figures 2 and 4, and allows the hook to pass.
underneath it when it falls to its normal position. The hook F may be made to
travel on any of the junction lines D, by drawing it backwards after it has passed
under any one of the curved points, and then drawing it over the point, which will
enable it to run over the junction lines D.
When the two halves of a pig are sufficiently dried, the hooks are again caused
to travel along the rails to the weighing machine G and from thence along any of
the rails B, B, B, and B' to the line B8 to the cutting up shed.
Figures 5 and 6, show an arrangement for raising the curved point E by means
of a chain K attached to the bracket L which may be operated by a pulley and
weight or by a lever.
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 :-
(1) An improved overhead tramway constructed of tubes suspended from the
roof by J-shaped hangers having junctions formed of curved lengths of metal,
hinged at one end to the rails they form continuations of, the other end being tapered
and resting on the main rails, operating substantially in the manner described and
shown.
(2) An improved junction for overhead tramways, constructed and operating
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
(3) In a single line overhead tramway the combination with lines formed of
metal tubes, supported by the hangers C of a crossing piece E bevelled so that it.
can rest on top of a line at one end, attached to its rail by the joint E' and.

page_text: connecting piece E2, and having the lug L' to which the chain K is attached,.
substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings and for the
purposes specified.
Dated this 5th day of November 1892.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.