IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS FOR PREVENTING THE RETROGRESSION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES ON INCLINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Worthington, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, and Robert Mills, of Rochdale, in
the said County, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR PREVENTING THE RETROGRESSION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES ON
INCLINES."
Sealed the 2nd April 1861, and dated the 9th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Worthington and
Robert Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th October 1860.
We, EDWARD WORTHINGTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Gentleman, and ROBERT MILLS, of Rochdale, in the said County,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING THE RETROGRESSION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
ON INCLINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an apparatus for preventing or arresting the retro-
gressive descent of a train of carriages, or any portion of a train of carriages,
down an incline in consequence of such train or any portion thereof acquiring
a retrogressive movement from any cause such as by a fracture of the couplings
of the carriages, and it consists in what may be termed a "lever scotch."
We propose to place a lever on one or both the rails on the ascending side of
any railway gradient so weighted and arranged that on being traversed by the

page_text: wheels of every engine, tender, truck, or carriage, however light, the pressure
of such wheels will depress the upper arm of the lever to a level with the rail,
but immediately that the wheel has passed over it that arm of the lever will
rise and present an impediment or "scotch" to any reverse motion of the
wheel, and thus effectually arrest the retrogressive motion of the carriages.
The other end of the lever will always be below the surface of the rail, and
may be received in a chamber which may be easily constructed for that
purpose beneath the rail; buffers, or springs, may be adjusted to the lever, or
incorporated with it so as to lessen the force of the impact upon it by the wheel
of any descending carriage. The whole apparatus may be repeated at such
intervals as may be considered desirable, having regard to the steepness of the
gradient, curves, and other considerations. If for any reason it may be neces-
sary to traverse the gradient in an opposite direction the lever scotch may be
depressed by simple apparatus to be worked by hand at the side of the
railway.
This Invention will be applicable to railways on which the traction is either
by locomotive steam power, by stationary engines, by horse power, or any
other means of propulsion and either for passengers, merchandize, mineral, or
any other traffic. It is also applicable to hold a carriage or train of carriages
stationary on an incline if, for any reason, it is desirable to come to a stand-
still on a gradient.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Worthington and Robert Mills in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 6th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
WORTHINGTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Gentleman, and ROBERT MILLS, of Rochdale, in the said County, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Edward Worthington and Robert Mills, Her special license that we,
the said Edward Worthington and Robert Mills, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Worthington
and Robert Mills, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at

page_text: 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 of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING THE RETROGRESSION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
ON INCLINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edward
Worthington and Robert Mills, or one of us, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edward Worthington and Robert
Mills, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists in an apparatus for preventing or arresting the retro-
gressive descent of a train of carriages or any portion of a train down an incline
in consequence of such train or any portion thereof acquiring a retrogressive
movement from any cause, such as by a fracture of the couplings.
A method of carrying our Invention into practice is shewn in side elevation
at Fig. 1, in plan view at Fig. 2, and in cross section at Fig. 3.
The ordinary parts of a pair of rails are shewn at a, fixed to chairs b, which
are carried by sleepers c, some of such chairs being somewhat different from
those in ordinary use for a reason which will hereafter appear. The rails a are
wholly discontinued between the points d, e, and between the points e, f, they
are halved or nearly so. The spaces caused by the discontinuance of the rails a
between d, e, and by the halving between e, f, are made up by moveable
portions of rails g, which are mounted so as to be capable of turning upon a
fixed shaft h, carried by brackets i, which are supported by the sleeper c.
The portions of rails 9 may therefore occupy a position above the ordinary
rails a, or they may be turned downward so as to be coincident therewith, as
seen in plan view, Fig. 2, and cross section, Fig. 3, in which latter position
they will with the part a form the usual rails for carriage wheels to run upon.
The portions 9 are braced together by cross pieces k, and are provided at their
lower ends with parts l, which arrive in contact with the stonework at c*,
when the moveable and fixed portions of rails are coincident, whereby such
coincidence is maintained, and a firm bearing is secured for the support of the

page_text: carriages. To the part g is attached a chain which, after passing over guide
pullies m, m, m, carries a weight n sufficient to raise the moveable portions of
rails g into the position shewn at Fig. 1, but they are prevented from ascending
further by the arrival of the part 1 against projecting stonework at o. The
shaft h as before stated is fixed, and it carries the portions g by projecting ends,
which extend through slots p, the outward extremities of which are forced
against the said shaft by means of a spring buffer q securely attached to the
plate r, and when the portions g are turned downward upon the centre of
motion thus provided, the space formed by the discontinuance of the rails
from d to e is exactly filled up; when, however, the portions g are raised, as in
Fig. 1, they are at liberty to give way to any force exerted in the direction of
their length, the slots p permitting them to slide against the pressure of the
spring q, and for this purpose small portions of the permanent rails are removed
as at s. It has been observed that some of the chairs are somewhat different
from those in general use, in explanation of which remark it will be seen that
at the halved portions of the rail the said chairs are also halved so as to allow
the moveable parts g to pass into coincidence with the fixed parts a of the rails.
The normal condition of the line may be assumed to be that represented at
Fig. 1 for carriages proceeding in the direction of the arrow. Upon the
arrival of the wheels at the point A they will advance upon the moveable
portions g, and gradually turn them downward so as to prepare complete rails
before them, but when they have passed onward the weight n will cause the
position of the parts shewn in Fig. 1 again to be assumed, and should a
carriage or carriages run backward without control they will be arrested in
their descent by the arrival of the wheels (as seen in the Drawing) in contact
with the projecting portion g, the shock being taken by the elastic abut-
ment formed by the buffer q. The length of the moveable portion g may be
such that as a train of carriages passes over it each succeeding pair of wheels
shall impinge at the point A. before the pair immediately preceding shall leave
the upper extremity of the portion g, so that during the entire transit of a
train of carriages up the incline over the portion g that portion will after the
first impact of the first pair of wheels always remain depressed, by which all
jarring noise will to a great extent be obviated. The arrangement of chain
pullies and weight for raising the portions 9 is shewn in the Drawing in a
certain position, but it will, of course, be modified according to peculiarities of
that part of the line to which the apparatus is to be adapted, and we will here
remark that any ordinary hand gear may be applied by which the weight may
be raised so as to allow the portions g to descend for the purpose of allowing a
train or any portion of a train to be run back.

page_text: The apparatus above described may be repeated at such intervals as may be
considered desirable, having regard to the steepness of the gradient curves and
other considerations, and it is applicable to railways on which the traction is
either by locomotive engines, stationary engines, horse power, or by other means
of propulsion, and either for passengers or goods traffic. It is also applicable
to hold a carriage or train of carriages stationary on an incline if for any
reason it is desirable to come to a stand-still on a gradient.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, we desire it to be understood
that although we have described a certain method of carrying out our Invention,
yet we do not limit ourselves thereto, as many modifications may be adopted
without departing from the essential character thereof; that which we claim as
secured to us under the above in part recited Letters Patent being the use of
apparatus capable of forming an obstruction to the running of carriages down
an incline, but of being acted upon by such carriages when ascending the same
incline so as to allow them to pass onward.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edward Worthington and Robert Mills,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
(LL.B.)
ROBERT MILLS.
(L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Edward Worthington and Robert
Mills, in the presence of
W. T. CHEETHAM,
Clerk to Mr. W. T. Mabley,
Patent Agent, Manchester.