IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN THE METHOD OF COUPLING THE SAME, AS ALSO IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND ENGINE DRIVERS OF TRAINS, AND OFFICIALS AND OTHERS AT STATIONS AND OTHER PLACES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Wood at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
January 1868.
I, THOMAS WOOD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN THE METHOD OF
COUPLING THE SAME, AS ALSO IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING
BETWEEN PASSENGERS, GUARDS, AND ENGINE DRIVERS OF TRAINS, AND OFFICIALS
AND OTHERS AT STATIONS AND OTHER PLACES," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention is designed for the purpose of in-
creasing the accommodation for passengers in railway carriages by a
novel arrangement and construction of its internal seats, doors, and
passages, which is described as follows:-The carriage is divided into
seven compartments, namely, a saloon which occupies the centre or
middle portion accommodating fourteen passengers, this, saloon opens out
by a central passage at each end into two other compartments, which are
supplied with side doors by which passengers enter the carriage; these

page_text: compartments will each accommodate eight passengers, throughout the
carriage longitudinally, a passage is constructed at the extreme end of
this passage, on the left a ladies' compartment is provided that will
accomodate four persons, opposite this compartment on the other side
of the passage a ladies' retiring room is provided, at the opposite end of
the carriage two similar compartments are constructed, one as a
smoking and the other as a retiring compartment for gentlemen, each
seat in the various compartments is provided with a spring, which
when compressed actuates a sliding bolt, key, or bar placed underneath
the body of the carriage, which is caused when the spring is not com-
pressed to project outside the framework in order to indicate the number
of vacant seats inside the carriage. At each end of the carriage a glass
door is provided, through which the guard of the train alone is allowed
to enter, a mirror in the guard's box is so arranged that the entire length
of the compartments of the train are reflected therein, thereby giving
the guard or passengers supervision throughout the train. Near the
glass door through which the guard enters a pull handle is provided,
which is supplied with a hook on the outside so arranged that on being
raised by the passenger previous to being pulled. forward it becomes
coupled with a lever in connection with the next carriage or compart-
ment; by this means if there is any absolute cause for passengers to
communicate with each other.or the guard the same is readily effected
by any one of the passengers using the handle in the manner before
described. Opposite to the ordinary projecting observing apertures or
windows in the guard's van reflectors are placed at an angle of about
45. degrees, by this means the guard when in his central position in his
box has full command with his eye over the entire internal and external
length of the train; the carriages are also provided with ventilators
extending the full length of the carriage, and centrally situated
longitudinally on the top thereof.
A second part of my Invention relates to a novel arrangement of
apparatus whereby the passengers may communicate with the guard in
cases of great necessity, and the improvements consist in connecting
tassels or handles projecting from the roof of the carriage at short dis-
tances from each other over the heads of the passengers, with a chain
or cord running over bowls inside the ventilator; these chains are con-
nected with a lever and spring at each end of the carriage, which are
connected to a frame containing a red glass, near to this is a lamp with

page_text: a powerful reflector, the front of the lamp throwing out a white light,
and the back a red one, the communicating cord in the ventilator in
connection with the lever and spring actuating the light is also connected
by the separate chains or cords with secret bolts placed inside the frame-
work of each door, thus when the handle or tassel is pulled it simul-
taneously throws a red glaring light along the length of the train against
the reflector before mentioned in the guard's van, and also actuates the
secret bolt of the carriage door from which the alarm has been com-
municated so as to lock such door, preventing thereby the escape of any
person therefrom. Tubes containing signal rockets are applied in the
guard's van so as to signal to other trains or stations any accident that
may occur.
Lastly, my Invention relates to a novel arrangement of self-acting
coupling for connecting one carriage with the other, and consists in
connecting the coupling gear with four bars, which embrace the ordinary
draw bar, these bars and draw bar projecting from the end of the
carriage are connected together by means of a plate, the opposite ends
of the four bars being connected to a volute spring situated between the
headstock and cross bars of the carriage. The shackle of the draw bar
rests upon the iron ribs, and is provided with a projecting piece, behind
which an iron plate or trigger is provided, so that when the hook of one"
carriage advances and touches the shackle of the next carriage it rises
over the top of the hook, the nose of which strikes the trigger and forces
the shackle down upon the hook, thus effecting the coupling, the shackle
and hooks are connected first by the draw bars, then by a chain con-
necting the shackles with the hook of the next carriage, and, thirdly, the
supplementary hook attached to the hook of the next carriage. Thus in
case of collision or over tension should the volute spring break, the sub-
dued shock and connection of the carriages would then be retained by
the chains connecting the hooks of the "draw bars," the chains con-
necting the supplementary hooks still being connected to take the shock
and strain when the other two have failed. When it is desired to
uncouple the carriages the shackle is thrown off by means of a chain
connected to a spring or plate inside the connecting hook in the fol-
lowing manner:-The opposite end of the chain is connected with a
roller secured to a bar or short shaft supported transversely underneath
the headstock of the carriage; to the end of this transverse bar outside
the carriage frame a handle is provided, which when turned two or

page_text: three times winds up the chain on the drum, which draws out the spring
from the groove of the hook, thereby uncoupling or throwing the
shackle out of gear with the hook.