IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING AND PERFECTING THE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Plimsoll, of Whiteley Wood Hall, Sheffield,
in the County of York, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING AND PERFECTING THE
Scaled the 22nd February 1867, and dated the 25th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Plimsoll at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th August 1866.
I, SAMUEL PLIMSOLL, of Whiteley Wood Hall, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING AND PERFECTING
THE UNLOADING OF COALS AND OTHER GOODS FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS," to be as
follows:-
According to my improvements I transfer coal from railway trucks into
sacks, carts, and vans more easily, cheaply, and rapidly than is now possible'
in the case of sidings, and with far less distruction than is the case when the
contents of the trucks are dropped into bays or other receptacles placed below
them.
I construct a series of sidings parallel to each other, at least at the
unloading end; each siding may be set apart for the use of one kind of coal.
Under the ends of the sidings I construct a weighing bench which extends
the whole length, and is of such a height as to be even with the bottom of

page_text: the vans, and upon this I place the weighing machines, from the tops of which
upwards are shoots with screws; these shoots reach upwards to the rails, and
the sides are continued upwards to nearly the bottoms of the railway trucks;
by this means the contents of the trucks are made to glide gently from the
trucks into the sacks without breakage. The flow of the coal into the sacks
can be suspended at pleasure. I remove the empty railway waggons by
means of a traverser, so that the unloading from the siding can be carried on
at the same place all day long, thus avoiding the inconvenience of moving
about from one truck to another which attends siding work as usually carried
on. The sidings above named can be supplied with full trucks from the main
line either by points and branches, or when the space is valuable or the shape
of the ground necessitates it they can be parallel their whole length, and
supplied by a traverser as well as cleared by a traverser.
Thus my
improvements consist in the arrangement of a number of short lines of
railway parallel with the branch of the main line by which the goods are to
arrive, each of which is to receive two, three, four, or more trucks loaded
with coals or other goods in bulk, such short lines of rails having at or near
the one end the apparatus to be herein-after described for receiving the coals,
to which point the trucks are brought in succession to be unloaded. At each
end of these short lines of rails are disposed lines of rails trausversely thereto,
and at a lower level, on which transverse rails are placed traversing trucks on
which the coal trucks may be traversed; by this means the loaded trucks
may traverse from the main line of railway by which they are brought to any
of the short lines of unloading rails; having been unloaded the trucks are
run off at the opposite end of the short lines of unloading rails and transferred
to the main line by the traversing truck at that end. Instead of a traverser
for bringing on the loaded trucks they may enter from the main line by
points and crossings, as usual; by this arrangement of the unloading lines
access is at all times provided for the loaded trucks to any of the short lines
of rails and unloading points, as also egress therefrom for the unloaded
trucks; moreover, a succession of loaded trucks may thus be always at hand
in readiness for the men who are delivering the coals to operate upon. The
points of delivery I arrange near one end of the short lines of rails, that is to
say, the end furthest from that by which the loaded trucks are brought on.
Coal trucks usually deliver at the bottom by making it in two halves, hinged,
which are let go when desired; when so released the coals fall into a re-
ceptacle or hopper below, but which is of no great depth or capacity, to make
up for which I raise inclined surfaces outside of the rails, and on each side,
which I carry up to a sufficient height at an angle of about forty-five degrees,
.

page_text: more or less; these inclined surfaces form, as it were, continuations of the
hopper sides. The truck bottom being in two parts, hinged at the middle,
when released impart a tendency to the coals to run off towards each side,
which the raised inclines circumscribe, and run the coals back between the
lines of rail under the truck; this is more especially the case as I prefer to
begin the discharge of a loaded truck when the hopper is partially filled, and
so that the bottom flaps cannot fall wide open at once but rest on the coals
previously discharged and remaining in the hopper; by this means the coals
receive little or no concussion at all when discharged from the truck, and are
therefore not subject to breakage, usually occurring in the ordinary method
of delivering coals from railway trucks. From the hopper between the rails
the coals are drawn off by one or more inclined shoots with regulating sluices
into sacks placed on machines in which they are weighed, and thence
delivered. The inclined shoots are furnished with screen bottoms, but instead
of making them of parallel bars as heretofore I make them with a series of
perforations which break joint with each other (so to speak) and prevents the
run of small coal or dust down the shoot, as no continuous surface is presented
for its traverse as in screens made of parallel bars. By the above means
coals or other goods in bulk may be drawn off in a continuous stream from
the trucks and without concussion, and therefore without breakage or
deterioration.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Plimsoll in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
PLIMSOLL, of Whiteley Wood Hall, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Samuel Plimsoll, Her special licence that 1, the said Samuel Plimsoll,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Plimsoll, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING AND PERFECTING THE
UNLOADING OF COALS AND OTHER GOODS FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Plimsoll, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Plimsoll, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
.
I construct a series of sidings parallel to each other or otherwise, but by
preference parallel, at the point of unloading each siding may be set apart for
the use of one kind of coal, under the ends of the sidings I construct a
weighing bench which extends throughout the whole range, and is of such
height as to be even with the bottoms of the vans, and upon this bench I
place the weighing machines, rising from the upper parts of which are shoots
with screens; these shoots reach upwards to the rails, while the sides are
continued upwards to nearly a level with the bottom of the railway trucks;
by this means the contents of the trucks are made to glide gently from the
trucks into the sacks without breakage. The flow of the coal into the sacks
can be suspended at pleasure. I remove the empty railway waggons by means
of a traverser at the delivery end of the sidings, so that the unloading from
the siding can be carried on at the same place continuously, thus avoiding the
inconvenience of moving about from one truck to another which attends
siding work as usually carried on. The sidings above named can be supplied
with full trucks from the main line either by points and branches, or when the
space is valuable or the shape of the ground necessitates it they can be parallel
their whole length and supplied by a traverser as well as cleared by a traverser.
Thus my improvements consist in the arrangement of a number of short
lines of railway or sidings parallel or not with the branch of the main line by
which the goods are to arrive, each of which is to receive two, three, four, or
more trucks loaded with coals or other goods in bulk, such short lines of rails
baving at or near the one end the apparatus for receiving the coals, to which
point the trucks are brought in succession to be unloaded; at each end of
these short lines of rails (when they are parallel) are disposed lines of rails

page_text: transversely thereto and at a lower level, on which transverse rails are placed
traversing trucks, on which the coal trucks are run in order that they may be
traversed. The traversing trucks are provided with rails to receive the coal trucks.
By this means the loaded trucks may be readily traversed from the main
line of railway by which they are brought to any of the short lines of unloading
rails; having been unloaded the trucks are run off at the opposite end of the
short lines of unloading rails and transferred to the main line by the traversing
truck at that end. Instead of a traverser for bringing on the loaded trucks,
they may enter from the main line by points and crossings, as usual. By
this arrangement of the unloading lines access is at all times provided for the
loaded trucks to any of the short lines of rails and unloading points, as also
egress therefrom for the unloaded trucks. Moreover, a succession or number
of loaded trucks may thus be always at hand in readiness for the men who
are delivering the coals. The points of delivery I arrange near one end of
the short lines of rails, that is to say, the end furthest from that by which the
loaded trucks are brought on. Coal trucks usually deliver at the bottom by
making it in two halves hinged, which are let go when desired. When so
released the coals fall into a receptacle or hopper below, but which is of no
great depth or capacity, to make up for which I raise inclined surfaces outside
of the rails, and on each side, which I carry up to a sufficient height and at an
angle of about forty-five degrees, more or less; these inclined surfaces form,
as it were, continuations of the hopper sides. The truck bottom being in
two parts, hinged at the middle, when released impart a tendency in the coals
to run off towards each side which the raised inclines circumscribe, and direct
the coals back between the lines of rails under the truck. This is more espe-
cially the case if the discharge of the loaded truck is begun when the hopper
is partially filled, and so that the bottom flaps of the truck cannot fall wide
open at once, but rest on the coals previously discharged and remaining in the
hopper, by this means the coals receive little or no concussion when delivered
from the truck, and are therefore not subject to the breakage usually occasioned
in the ordinary method of delivering coals from railway trucks. From the
hopper between the rails the coals are drawn off by one or more inclined
shoots with regulating sluices into sacks placed on machines, in which they are
weighed and delivered. The inclined shoots are furnished with screen
bottoms, but which instead of consisting of parallel bars, as heretofore, I make
with a series of perforations which break joint with each other (so to speak)
and prevent the run of small coal or dust down the shoot, as no continuous
surface is presented for its traverse as is the case in screens made of parallel
bars. By the above means coals or other goods in bulk may be drawn off in

page_text: a continuous stream from the trucks and without concussion, and therefore
without breakage or deterioration..
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
In the annexed Drawings A, A, shows the level of the line of railway on
which the loaded trucks arrive, and line B, B, the level on which the carts
or waggons are disposed to receive the coals which may be a natural con-
sequence of the surface of the ground, or the arrival line may be inclined
upwards to the required height above the cart road, or such road may be
lowered below the line of railway.
Figure 1 represents an end elevation or transverse view of the siding above
the line B, B, while Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same;
Figure 3 represents a plan of the sidings M, arranged parallel to each other
and having traversing rails C, C, D, D, at each end of such sidings, E being
the main and arrival line. The rear of the sidings may rest on the ground,
level or otherwise, but in front I support the lines on brick pillars or
timbers a, a, the rails being supported therefrom on timbers 6, and suitably
planked over as at f, f, to form a platform; 1, 2, 3, Figure 2, represent
loaded trucks as they arrive in succession on same siding; immediately under
truck 3 is the delivery hopper or shoot F for the coals or other goods in bulk,
and in which they fall when the flap bottoms of the truck are released; this
shoot is made of the width between the rails, and in order to conduct and
direct the coals to such shoot the platform on each side of the rails is inclined
and raised as clearly shown at 61, 61, in Figures 1 and 2, forming, as it were, a
continuation of the hopper sides. The lines are placed sufficiently wide apart
to permit of a flat d at top of the inclines 61 for the workmen walking upon.
Instead of a flat top d, as shown, the inclines may be less steep as at X,
Figure 1, which will serve to walk upon and also to conduct the coals. The front
or empty traversing rails D, D, are supported on pillars, as seen on the right in
Figure 2, in such manner as to permit of the carts and waggons backing to
the weighing machines G. One of the traversing trucks H is represented in
Figure 1, with an empty truck shown dotted on its rails 9, 9, which are
turned up at the ends, as seen, to stop the progress of the empty truck; this
traversing truck is also shown in the plan,; Figure 3, and will be readily
understood without any special description. A like traversing truck is also
disposed on the loaded traversing line C, C, when such is used for bringing on
the loaded trucks, but without turned-up rails, the loaded truck coming on at
the one side and passing off at the other. The inclined hopper or shoot F is
usually kept full of coals, and is furnished with a sluice h, by which they are

page_text: drawn off into the sack i. By keeping shoot F filled, and it may be partly up
the inclines b', covered with the coals or goods in bulk, the flaps 1, 1, of the
truck will rest thereon when released, and will prevent any fall of the coals
when passing out of the trucks, at same time keeping up a continuous supply
of such goods as they are drawn away from below. The number of trucks
accommodated on each siding M will of course depend upon their length, but
should be several, say seven or eight, which come on loaded at the one end and
pass off empty at the other, and are then traversed to the down line L of the
main line of rails, as before described. An ample stock of coals or other
goods being always at hand no delay need occur in the delivery or waste of
inen's time, and no confusion or difficulty in the arrival of the full or departure
of the empty trucks, therefore great facilities will exist for the uniform and
convenient transference of a large quantity of goods arriving by a railway,
although confined to a comparatively small area. The different sidings may
of course be confined each to a particular kind of coals or goods, if desired, as
will be readily understood.
Figure 4 represents an enlarged view, and Figure 5 a section of the
bottom F of the shoot F which is simply a casting with the apertures for
the small coal and dust to pass through, arranged as seen, whereby any
continuous surface is avoided on which the small stuff can run to the bottom
as usual.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of perform-
ing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the general arrangement
of parts herein-before described and illustrated in the Drawings hereunto
annexed for facilitating and perfecting the unloading of coals and other goods
from railway waggons.
I also claim the improved screen bottom F¹ applied to the shoot F, as and
for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Plimsoll, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
SAMUEL PLIMSOLL.
(L.B.)

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