An Improved Method of Delivering and Receiving Parcels by Railway Trains in Motion.
Year: 1898

page_text: An Improved Method of Delivering and Receiving Parcels by
Railway Trains in Motion.
1, WILLIAM BRITAIN, Junior, of "Rocklea," Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention is to enable parcels of the most fragile description to be safely
deposited at any pre-arranged spot by a railway train travelling at any speed;
and likewise to enable a railway train travelling at any speed to receive parcels
from a fixed structure with equal safety.
I will first describe the mechanism necessary for delivering parcels from a train
in motion on to a fixed platform or into a net. The other mechanism is then
practically the same thing reversed.
Along one side of a railway carriage, by preference next the floor I make a recess
of a size suitable to take the parcels to be dealt with deep enough to entirely conceal
the parcel at the front end of the carriage and diminishing to nothing at or near
the back end of the carriage, with rails or runners of any suitable description, or
any cther attachment to guide the parcel and keep it from leaving the carriage until
it arrives at the required position.
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Near the back end of the carriage, and geared in any suitable manner to the
wheels of the carriage I make a fuzee" consisting of a spiral groove round a
cone; the spiral starting exactly at the apex, and increasing in radius equal
amounts through equal angles until it reaches the base; the number of revolutions
being arranged so that the length of cord necessary to fill the spiral will just
And I gear
measure from the apex of the cone to the forward end of the recess.
the fuzee" to the carriage wheels in such proportion that when they are in
motion together the maximum radius of the spiral has the same linear velocity as
the tyres of the wheels.
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Then I make a suitable connection between the parcel to be delivered and one
end of a cord, strap, chain or other flexible band; and place the parcel in the
recess at the front end of the carriage; then at, or by a fixed point on the line
above, below or at one side of the carriage I (by preference automatically) connect
the other end of the cord to the apex of the spiral, which immediately begins
winding up the cord and drawing the parcel with increasing speed toward the rear
of the carriage until the spiral is full. The parcel has then reached the end of the
recess and is moving at the same speed compared to the carriage as the carriage is
compared to the earth but in the opposite direction so that compared to any fixed
structure the parcel is stationary. The cord then detaches itself from the parcel

page_text: ALEP of Denvering and Receiving forcers by
Railway Trains in Motion.
I, WILLIAM BRITAIN, Junior, "Rocklea," Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill,
London, Manufacturer, 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: -
This invention is to enable parcels of the most fragile description to be safely
deposited at any pre-arranged spot by a railway train travelling at any speed, and
likewise to enable a railway train travelling at any speed to receive parcels from a
fixed structure with equal safety.
In the annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a railroad
car fitted with this mechanism.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof and
Figs. 3 to 7 are detail views of parts.
I will first describe the mechanism necessary for delivering parcels from a train
in motion on to a fixed platform or into a net. The other mechanism is then
practically the same thing reversed.
Along one side of a railway carriage, by preference next the floor I make a
recess A of a size suitable to take the parcels to be dealt with wide enough in plan
to entirely conceal the parcel at the front end B of the carriage and diminishing
to nothing at or near the back end C of the carriage with rails or runners D of
any suitable description, or any other attachment to guide the parcel along the
recess and keep it from leaving the carriage until it arrives at the required
position.
Near the back end C of the carriage and geared in any suitable manner to the
wheels or wheel axle E of the carriage I make a fuzee F consisting of a spiral
groove round a cone; the spiral starting exactly at the apex, and increasing in
radius by equal amounts through equal angles until it reaches the base, the number
of revolutions being arranged so that the length of cord or the like G necessary to
fill the spiral will just measure from the apex to the cone to the forward end of the
recess A, and I gear the fuzee F to the carriage wheels in such proportion that then
they are in motion together the maximum radius of the spiral has the same linear
velocity as the tyres of the wheels.
Then I make a suitable connection between the parcel H to be delivered and
one end of a cord, strap, chain or other flexible band G, and place the parcel H in
the recess A at the front end B of the carriage, then at or by a fixed point J
on the line above, below or at one side of the carriage I (by preference automatically)
connect the other end of the cord G to the apex of the spiral of the fuzee F which
immediately begins winding up the cord drawing the parcel with increasing speed
towards the rear end C of the carriage until the spiral is full. The parcel has then
reached the end of the recess A and is moving at the same speed compared to the
carriage as the carriage is compared to the earth but in the opposite direction so that
compared to any fixed structure the parcel is stationary. The cord then detaches
itself from the parcel and the parcel being now projected beyond the side of the
carriage drops on to a platform or net placed to receive it.
The fuzee F is then ungeared from the carriage wheels, the cord G unwound and
set ready for the next delivery.
I do not confine myself to any particular mechanism for gearing the cord to the
fuzee and for attaching it to and detaching it from the parcel, but the following is
suitable.
One end of cord G carries a ring or loop g and on the back of the parcel H is
a hook or dog to receive said loop. The other end of the cord G is passed loosely
up a hollow spindle or tube gl and is knotted over or otherwise fastened to or above

page_text: itself as it is wound forms a continuously increasing disc and so makes the necessary
spiral as it is required; or again a chain may be used in the same way and if the
thickness of the chain is not enough to produce a sufficiently rapid increase in
radius it may be fitted with projections along one or both sides to produce the
necessary increase. In fact any chain, strap or cord may be provided with
projections to produce the effect of thickening providing the spindle is properly
designed to receive it.
In the event of using a modification of this description I should make the
spindle to stand still until the time arrived to start the parcel and then gear it to
the wheels as quickly as the weight of the parts permitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with a railroad car of means for moving a parcel from rest
and uniformly accelerating said motion until it approximates to the speed of
the car.
2. The combination with a railroad car of means for moving a parcel from rest
and accelerating said motion until it approximates to the speed of the car, the
direction of movement of said parcel being rectilinear and at an acute angle to the
direction of movement of the car.
3. The combination with a railroad car of means for moving a parcel from rest
in said car and for accelerating said motion at a rate automatically determined
by the speed of the car so that it approximates within a given distance to the speed
of the car but in a direction contrary to the direction of movement of the car and
then delivering said parcel from the car.
4. The combination with a railroad car of a trammel adapted to guide a parcel
in a direction substantially longitudinal to the car and means for engaging a
parcel in the trammel, moving it from rest with a rectilinear motion uniformly
accelerated at a rate automatically determined by the speed of the car so that it is
finally discharged from the trammel at a speed equal to the speed of movement
of the car.
5. The combination with a railroad car of a trammel adapted to guide a parcel
in a direction substantially longitudinal to the car, a rotary fuzee having a spiral
groove commencing at its apex, means for connecting the fuzee with the car wheels
to be revolved therewith, a cord, means for engaging the cord to the fuzee at the apex
thereof and an attachment for connecting the cord to the parcel.
6. The combination with a railroad car of a trammel extending from the front end
of the car towards the rear end thereof forming a recess tapering rearward in the
car, a rotary fuzee having a spiral groove, a cord, means for engaging the cord to
the fuzee at the apex thereof and an attachment for connecting the cord to the
parcel.
7. The means substantially as herein described for delivering parcels to or from
railroad trains in movement by which the parcel is moved from rest with a move-
ment uniformly and automatically accelerated until it is equal to the movement of
the car, or by which the parcel in the car and moving at the same speed as the
car is moved from its position of relative rest therein with a uniformly and auto-
matically accelerated negative movement so that it is delivered at the desired
place with a rearward rate of movement equal to the forward rate of movement of
the car at the time, that is to say in a state of rest relative to the place in which
it is delivered.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street.