IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR VERIFYING THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE RAILS OF A RAILWAY OR A TRAMWAY
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon
and Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, South-
ampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR VERIFYING THE RELATIVE
POSITIONS OF THE RAILS OF A RAILWAY OR A TRAMWAY."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Camozzi and Schlösser, of Frankfort-on-the
Main, Prussia.
Sealed the 9th September 1873, and dated the 3rd April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd April 1873.
I, WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-
Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR VERIFYING THE RELATIVE
POSITIONS OF THE RAILS OF A RAILWAY OR A TRAMWAY," to be as follows :—
This Invention is for improvements in machines for verifying the
relative positions of the rails of a railway or a tramway, and consists in

page_text: an arrangement of mechanical parts as follows:-I take four or more
flanged wheels turning freely on horizontal axles fixed in an appropriate
framing, the said wheels being set apart at such a distance that they
may run easily on the rails to be guaged. Provision is made that one of
these wheels can slide laterally on its axis, and it is kept up to the rail
by a spring or weight. The two wheels on this axle are therefore fitting
accurately to the rails. The outer extremity of a horizontal rod is
caused to remain constantly pressing on the inner face of one of these
wheels, preferably the wheel sliding laterally on its axis. The inner
extremity of this rod is jointed to the lower extremity of a vertical lever
suspended towards its centre on the said framing, whilst its upper
extremity stands in front of a scale fixed on the framing, thus whilst
this species of vohicle is being propelled on the rails the flanges of two
of the said wheels mounted on the same axis are constantly maintained
in contact with the inner faces of the rails, and the loose wheel will:
indicate on the scale every inequality in the distance apart of the
rails.
For the purpose of ascortaining either the degree of inclination of both
rails with reference to the gradients of a line, or the rise of one rail
above the others as usually adopted at curves, we suspend from the said
framing a jointed rod, the lower extremity of which swings over a
horizontal graduated scale attached to the framing.
In some cases where desired we attach revolving cylinders of or sheets
of paper moved by a train of wheels in connection with one of the
wheels upon the rail, so that a pencil attached to either of the rods
above named traces the irregularities of the rails either in varying
distances, or in inequality of gradients.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th September 1873.
•
3
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers.
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Ruc
Gaillon, Paris, send greeting,

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-.
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Morgan-Brown, Her special license
that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Morgan-Brown, 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 MACHINES FOR VERIFYING THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE RAILS OF A RAIL-
WAY OR A TRAMWAY," a communication to me from abroad by Camozzi
3 and Schlösser, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Prussia, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 William Morgan-Brown, 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 thereof, that is to say :—
.
·
This Invention has for its object improvements in machines for
verifying the relative positions of the rails of a railway or a tramway,
and consists of an arrangement of mechanical parts as follows:-I take
four or more flanged wheels turning freely on horizontal axles fixed in
an appropriate framing, the said wheels being set apart at such a dis-
tance that they may run casily on the rails to be guaged. Provision is
made that one of these wheels can slide laterally on its axis, and it is
kept up to the rail by a spring or weight, the two wheels on this axle
are therefore fitted accurately to the rails. The outer extremity of a
horizontal rod is caused to remain constantly pressing on the inner face'
of one of these wheels, preferably the wheel sliding laterally on its axis.
The inner extremity of this rod is jointed to the lower extremity of a

page_text: vertical lever suspended towards its centro on the said framing, whilst
its upper extremity stands in front of a scale fixed on the framing; thus
whilst this species of vehicle is being propelled on the rails the flanges
of two of the said wheels mounted on the same axis are constantly main-
tained in contact with the inner faces of the rails, and the loose wheel 5
will indicate on the scale every inequality in the distance apart of the
rails.
For the purpose of ascertaining either the degree of inclination of
both rails with reference to the gradients of a line, or the rise of one rail
above the others as usually adapted at curves, I suspend from the said 1
framing a jointed rod, the lower extremity of which swings over a
horizontal graduated scale attached to the framing.
In some cases where desired I attach revolving cylinders or sheets of
paper moved by a train of wheels in connection with one of the wheels
upon the rail, so that a pencil attached to cither of the rods above 1
named traces the inequalities of the rails either in varying distances or
in inequalities of gradient.
The state of the rails composing a railway or a tramway, and more
especially their distance apart, is of the greatest importance with
reference to the security of a line, and however carefully and accurately 2
a line may have been laid down in the first instance the running of the
trains in most cases causes an early derangement of the same, which
necessitates a constant verification and rectification of the rails. This is
generally effected by means of a metallic rod or bar provided underneath
with two stops or blocks placed at the same distance apart as the guage 2
of the rails, and which is lowered from place to place along the line.
This operation is laborious, requires much time, and is doubtful as to
its accuracy. These defects are remedied by a simple and inexpensive
machine to run over the line very rapidly, and at the same time ascertain
not only the exact distance apart of the rails, but also their relative 3
elevation at the curves of the line, such indications being thus obtained
in a continuous manner along the entire length of the line, and not here
and there as in the usual manner. For this purpose the apparatus is
mounted on four wheels divided in pairs, two of which rest on each rail
of the line, and which the party employing the same propels along the 3
line by means of handles placed at an appropriate height. Two of these
wheels running on one of the rails rotate on fixed horizontal trunnions,

page_text: whilst the other two, running on the other rail, by the action of springs
or of weights are caused to move also horizontally on their trunnions
according to the varying distance apart of the rails, and there is placed
in contact with the inner face of one of these wheels a small roller
3. turning freely on the outer extremity of a horizontal rod which slides
also freely in bearings mounted on the frame of the machine, and which
is constantly driven by a spring in contact with the said inner face of
the said wheel. The inner extremity of this sliding rod is jointed to an
upright lever hung on the above-mentioned framing, the upper extremity
of which travels over a scale also fixed on the framing, thus indicating
exactly and at all times all the inequalities as to distance apart of the
rails, and in order at the same time to verify the horizontal position or
elevation of one rail with reference to the other, there is suspended
towards the centre of the framing a lower vertical lever, the under.
extremity of which is charged with a weight, whilst its upper extremity
is provided with a curvilinear rack, the teeth of which gear into a similar
rack, forming the lower extremity of an upper vertical lever, the upper
extremity of which runs over a scale fixed on the plate above mentioned.
In order that the Invention be clearly understood I will proceed to
describe the same conjointly with the three Figures of the accompanying
Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a front elevation; and
Figure 3, a lateral elevation.
In these Figures a, a¹, are the rails attached to sleepers 6, 6; c, c, the
fixed rotating wheels; d, d³, the rotating and sliding wheels, and e the
framing supported on the trunnions f,f,f,f, of said wheels, the wheels d
and d¹ being constantly impelled against the inner face of the rail a by
internal spiral springs g. is the horizontally sliding rod supported in.
bearings h¹, h³, provided at its outer extremity with a roller i, which is
impelled against the inner face of the wheel d by a spiral spring k, the
inner extremity of said rod being jointed to the lower extremity of the
vertical lover pivotted at A on the upright framing, whilst its upper
extremity, formed as a pointer, travels over a fixed graduated scale m
engraved on or fixed to the stationary plate n. o is the under vertical and
loaded lever pivotted to the framing at o', provided at its lower extremity
with a ball weight p, and at its upper extremity with a sextant rack q,
the teeth of which gear into a rack r forming the lower extremity of an
uppor vertical lever s pivotted to the vertical framing at s¹; and ter-
minated at its upper extremity with a pointer t running over a fixed

page_text: graduated scale u engraved on or attached to the stationary plate n.
v, v, are the handles for propelling this species of vehicle along the
line.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would
have it understood that what I claim is,―
'
Firstly. The construction and arrangement of parts for indicating on
the graduated scale m the inequalities in the distance apart of the rails
a, a³, whilst the improved guaging machine is being propelled along
a line.
Secondly: The construction and arrangement of parts for indicating
on the graduated scale the relative elevations of the rails a and a¹,
whilst the improved guaging machine is being propelled along a line.
In witness whereof, I the said William Morgan-Brown, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Thirtieth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.