IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAIL- WAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Offico for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts.
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAIL-
WAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES."-A communication from abroad by Samuel
J. Seely, of Brooklyn, King's County, in the State of New York, and
United States of America.
Sealed the 7th June 1861, and dated the 15th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th January 1861.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE CONSTRUCTION OP RAIL-
WAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-*
This Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing railway and other
carriages of iron. The body of the carriage is formed of corrugated metal
plates arranged in a novel relation to each other, and secured, by and upon
suitable angle iron and longitudinal beams, connected together and strengthened
by diagonal bars or braces. The top or roof, and the bottom, sides, and ends of,
say, a railway carriage, are formed of a single layer or thickness of corrugated
metal plates, the edges of which are lapped over each other, and rivetted or other-
wise fastened together, or they may be arranged to abut against each other and

page_text: the joints be covered by correspondingly corrugated metal strips placed on one or
both sides of the same and rivetted thereto, where they join together at their
upper, and lower, and side edges; they can be most securely fastened by letting
them lap over each other the extent of one or two of the corrugations, and
rivetting the edges together. Strong angular strips of iron are used to form
the corners of the carriage, and to these strips the corrugated plates are
rivetted. The door jambs or casings are also of metal, and may be made of
a continuous angular strip bent and shaped to the proper form, to which the
corrugated plates are secured. Angular irons extend up the sides of the
carriage to form the casings of the windows, and, if desired (to add increased
strength) some or all of them may be extended under and across the bottom
of the carriage. To these angular irons the corrugated plates next them are
also rivetted and secured wherever it may be deemed necessary.
The base framework of the body of the carriage is formed of five (more or
Tess) parallel longitudinal iron angular or trough beams, the two side ones of
which carrying the journal-box pedestals, are secured by vertical flanges and
rivets, and are arranged with their acutely-bent portions upward, and extend
only the length of the carriage body proper, while the other trough beams
extend the entire length of the platforms at the ends of the carriage when the
carriage is thus provided. These latter beams are arranged with their
acutely bent portions below, and are secured together by curved cross bars or
irons, immediately above which rise the corrugated dash shields of the plat-
forms. The longitudinal beams, besides being firmly secured together at their
ends, are further strengthened and braced laterally by diagonal iron bars or
braces. The flanges on their upper edges, as well as the flanges of the inner
beams are rivetted to the corrugated plates which rest upon them, and form
the bottom of the carriage. The top or roof, and bottom or floor corrugated
plates may be covered with plain plates of corresponding size and shape, and
the plain flat plates of the floor in passenger carriages, and if desired, the
plates inside the sides and ends, may be lined or covered with wood.
As a general thing, it is desirable to have the whole of the interior of pas-
senger carriages smooth (to cover the corrugations), in which case the thin
plain plates of metal can be placed next, and rivetted to the corrugated plates,
and, if desired struck up with figures or designs, to render them ornamental.
In constructing carriages where increased strength is required, the top or
roof, bottom or floor, sides and ends of the same are to be formed of two
thicknesses or layers of corrugated plates secured together, the corrugations of
the overlying plates running at right angles to those of the other series. The
spaces between such double layers or thicknesses of corrugated plates, or

page_text: between single corrugated plates and plain flat plates secured to them as here--
tofore named, may be used to form ventilators to the carriages in warni.
weather, or to convey heated air to them in cold weather.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 15th July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED:
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord;
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES," being
a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,.
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my. foreign correspondent, consists
in constructing the bodies of railway carriages and other vehicles of corrugated
metal plates properly braced and secured together in such a manner as to

page_text: secure a greater degree of strength to bear weight and resist pressure than has
heretofore been attained with the same weight of metal.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view. of a street
passenger railway carriage constructed of corrugated metal plates, the
segmental plate covering of the roof of the same being removed in order to
shew the corrugations; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the, under side of the
floor of the carriage; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a corrugated plate
detached; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the reversed side of Fig. 3, shewing a
flat plate secured to and upon the corrugations to form a flat surface when
desired; Fig. 5 is a cross section on an enlarged scale of one of the side iron
beams, to which the pedestals for the journal boxes are secured; Fig. 6 is a
similar transverse section of one of the more central iron beams, also on an
enlarged scale; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of two corrugated plates secured
together with the corrugations of one plate at right angles to those of the
adjoining plate for the purpose of enabling the respective corrugations to stay
and strengthen each other on the line of the corrugations, and thereby adapt
them when thus secured to the forming of large goods carriages; and Fig. 8
is a cross section of the same. Similar letters of reference relate to correspond-
ing parts in all the Figures.
The body of the carriage is made entirely of plates of metal, which are bent
or pressed up by proper dies or other suitable means into the corrugations
shown in the Drawings at A. By giving the metallic plates this form a vastly
increased strength is obtained to support weight or burden, and also to with-
stand pressure or resistance from without (as in the case of collision or other
accident) over metal applied or used in flat plates. These corrugations may
be larger or smaller according to the size of the carriage, the principal thing
to be observed in their formation being, that their bends should not be so
acute as to impair the natural strength of the metal. The top, bottom, and
sides of the carriage, as shewn in Fig. 1, are formed of corrugated metal
plates, which are rivetted or otherwise properly secured together. The plates
may be lapped over each other, and then rivetted or otherwise fastened together
where their edges lap, or they may be made to abut against each other, and
the joints on both sides of the plates be covered by corrugated metal strips.
Where the plates join together at their sides they can be most securely
fastened by letting them lap over each other the distance of one or two of the
corrugations, and rivetting the edges together. Strong pieces of angle iron B
are used to form the base and corners of the carriage, and to these pieces the
corrugated plates are rivetted. The door casings C, to which the corrugated
plates are sccured, are also made of metal, and may be of a continuous piece

page_text: bent and shaped to form. Angle irons D extend up the sides of the carriage>
to form the casings of the windows, and if desired (to add increased strength):
some or all of them may be extended under and across the bottom of the
carriage. To these angle irons D the corrugated plates are also rivetted and
secured wherever it may be deemed necessary. The longitudinal iron trough>
beams E at the bottom of the carriage form the framework, but when great>
strength is required, other longitudinal beams F may be used, the several
longitudinal beams being braced together laterally by means of diagonal`
bars K. Affixed to the trough beams are the journal box pedestals G, G,,
I which are secured in position by means of rivets passed through flanges on the
pedestals. The beams F are secured together at their extremities by curved
cross bars or irons H, H, immediately above which rise the corrugated dash
shields I of the platforms.
"
In constructing the bodies of large railway carriages double, or it may be
treble, corrugated plates are employed, the plates being secured together with
the corrugations of one plate running transversely or at right or other angles
to those on the overlaid plate, so as to give to the plates equal strength in.
both a longitudinal and lateral direction. Plates thús arranged and secured
will be found particularly useful to form the floors and sides of carriages
designed for receiving heavy loads, as they act to strengthen each other in the
direction of their weakest point.
Where it is desirable to have the interior of the carriage smooth, the cor-
rugations may be covered by thin plates of metal rivetted to the corrugated
plates, as shewn in Fig. 4, and when desired these thin plates may be struck
up with figures or designs to render them ornamental. The spaces between
the plates last described, or between the double corrugated plates, may be used
to form ventilators to the carriages in warm weather, or to convey heated air
to them in cold weather.
For pleasure railway carriages or carriages intended for tropical climates
side wings may be applied, the same being jointed to the sides or cornice of
the roof, as represented by red lines in Fig. 1. These wings can be secured
at any desired angle to shield the occupants of the carriage from the rays of
the sun, and turned over on the roof when not employed for this purpose.
By constructing railway and other carriages of corrugated metal plates in
the manner described, not only will there be greater lightness, strength, dura-
bility, and economy of space obtained, but they will also be fire-proof, more
comfortable to the occupants, warmer in winter, and cooler in summer;
through the interposition of air in the corrugations of the plates, and more
ornamental in appearance from the fact of the corrugations affording a series

page_text: of harmonizing lights and shades, and thus avoiding the monotonous appear-
ance of smooth walls.
By reference to Fig. 1 of the Drawings, it will be observed that the cor-
rugations of the single corrugated plates when placed and secured in the body
of the carriage extend horizontally. When double or treble plates are
employed the outer series or thickness will in like manner extend horizontally.
With this horizontal arrangement of the corrugations the greatest strength
is given to the body of the carriage longitudinally, and as the whole pressure
and strain to which the body is likely to be subjected will be from end to end,
the advantage of presenting the corrugations to resist them parallel to the line
on which they run will be manifest.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Railway and other Carriages," as communicated to me from
abroad, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that, under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
I claim constructing the bodies of railway and other carriages of metal in the
manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.s.)