IMPROVE- MENTS IN: RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT: to George Whight, of Ipswich, in the County of
Suffolk, Machine Manufacturer, for the Invention. of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN: RAILWAY CARRIAGES." -A communication from abroad by
William. Bolton: Rogerson, of Paterson, New Jersey, United States:
of America...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George. Whight at the..
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st October 1873.
I, GEORGE WHIGHT, of: Ipswich, in the County. of Suffolk,, Machiner
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES," a communication, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to railway carriages of that class wherein the
body of the carriage is made separate from the under portion or truck ;
and the said Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the

page_text: truck; also, in the employment of wheel guards for holding the wheels
in case the axle should break; and in providing the truck with safety
traction wheels for supporting it safely if the other wheels should be
fractured.
The said truck is constructed with an upper and lower frame, between
which springs are interposed in such a manner that the upper frame
forms a yielding platform or spring table. These upper and lower
frames are preferably formed of wrought-iron bars, but the trucks
may be made. of wood, or partly of wood and partly of metal. Each
of these compound trucks also consists of two separate trucks con-
nected by central pivotted bars, and by side bolts or bars which permit
the truck wheels to follow more readily the curvatures of the rails.
Fil
At the inner sides of the two separate trucks, or the two parts of
the compound truck, I place buffers which prevent or diminish the
concussion or vibrations when the said two parts of the truck come
together. The said platform or spring table is provided with springs
of india-rubber or metal for supporting the carriage body.
At the front and back of each separate truck, or each part. off the
said compound truck, I place the aforesaid! safety traction. wheels
which are supported in brackets of cast iron or other suitable material:
attached to the lower frame of the trucks: in such a position as to
enclose each of the main wheels of the truck between two of these
safety wheels. The aforesaid safety, guards of the main. wheels are.
combined with the axle boxes; the said guards consist of plates
preferably of a semicircular form placed on both sides of the wheel,
and extending around the sides and bottom of the said axle boxes.
The axle boxes may be cast on them or attached by screw bolts, or in
any other suitable manner.
'
The wheels are formed with hollow bosses which fit the axle,, and
which also fit and turn in bearings in the guard plates, and thereby
keep the wheels in position when the axle breaks:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Whight in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th April 1874.
TO ALL: TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, George
WHIGHT, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Machine Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Whight, Her special
licence, that I, the said George Whight, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Whight, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands; and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES,” a communication to me from abroad by William
Bolton Rogerson, of Paterson, New Jersey, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Whight,.
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe.
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner‹ ›
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imine-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Whight, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :—
This Invention relates to railway carriages of that class wherein the
body of the carriage is made separate from the under portion or truck;
and the said Invention consists in the peculiar construction' of the'.

page_text: truck; also, in the employment of wheel guards for holding the wheels
in case the axle should break; and in providing the truck with auxilliary
wheels for supporting it safely if the other wheels should be fractured.
My said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing which
I will now proceed to describe, and in which Figure 1 is a plan of the
upper side of a railway carriage truck constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the under side of the same; Figure 3
is a side elevation of the said truck; Figure 4 is a vertical section on
the line x, x, Figure 1. Like letters indicate the same parts throughout
the Drawing.
The said truck is constructed with upper and lower frames a, b,
between which springs c of steel or india-rubber or other suitable
material, are interposed, as clearly shewn in Figure 3, in such a
manner that the upper frame a forms a yielding platform or spring
table. These upper and lower frames a, b, are preferably formed of 1
wrought iron, but the trucks may be made of wood, or partly of
wood and partly of metal. Each of these compound trucks also consist
of two parts, as shewn at A, B, connected by central pivoted bars d,
and by side links or bars e; or the two parts of the truck may have
chain couplings at the sides. By constructing the truck in two parts 2
connected as described, the truck wheels are free to adjust themselves
to any curvature of the rails.
At the inner sides of the two separate trucks, or the two parts A, B,
of the compound truck, I may place buffers or spring cushions which
prevent any concussion or vibration when the said two parts of the 2
truck come together. The said platform or spring table a is provided
with springs of india-rubber or metal for supporting the carriage body,
which is fitted the pivots f in the usual manner.
At the front and back of each separate truck, or each part A, B,
of the said compound truck, I place the aforesaid auxilliary or safety 3
wheels g which are supported in brackets h of cast iron or other suitable
material attached to the lower frame 6 of the truck, in such a position
that each of the main wheels ; of the truck is between two of these
safety wheels. By the employment of these safety wheels I prevent
the usual serious consequences of the fracture of a carriage wheel of a 3

page_text: railway train in motion, as they will support the carriage if the other
wheels fail.
I provide against injury to the carriage or its imnates in case of
the breaking of an axle when the train is in motion as follows:-Each
5 of the main wheels ; is enclosed between two safety guards k, as clearly
shown in Figures 2 and 4. The said safety guards, as shewn, consist
of plates of a semicircular form placed on both sides of the wheels j,
and extending around the sides and bottom of the axle boxes. They
may be cast on the axle boxes or attached to them by screw bolts, or
in any other suitable manner.
The wheels are formed with hollow bosses ₁ which receive the
axle m, and which also fit and turn in bearings in the guard plates k.
While the axle remains intact the bosses 1 are unsupported in the
said bearings, and therefore they cause no extra friction to absorb
the power; but if the axle breaks so that the wheel is no longer
supported by the said axle the bosses ✓ immediately take their
support and turn in the bearings in the guard plates, so that the
carriage will run safely until it can be conveniently removed from
the train.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the
particular form or construction of the truck, as shewn in the
accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied according to the
material used, or the weight and size of the carriage or wagon to be
placed thereon, and I claim,-
First. A railway carriage truck consisting of two parts connected
by bars, bolts, links, or chains, and constructed with a double frame
with interposed springs, as herein set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Second. The wheel guards in combination with wheels formed with
bosses which take a bearing in the said guard plates, and support
the truck in the event of the breaking of the axle, as herein set
forth.
Third. Providing a railway carriage truck with the auxilliary or safety

page_text: wheels which support the truck in the event of the fracture of the main
wheels, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Whight, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
JOSEPH KNIGHT,
Inworth Grange,
Kelvedon,
Essex.
GEORGE WHIGHT. (L.S.)