IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK WITH THE OBJECT OF ENSURING THE SAFETY OF TRAVELLERS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th May
1866. A communication from abroad by Léon Edouard Laurency, of
Paris, France.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 23, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK WITH THE OBJECT OF ENSURING THE SAFETY OF
TRAVELLERS," (a communication to me from abroad by Léon Edouard Laurency,
of Paris, France,) to be as follows:-
The improvements, the subject of this Invention, may be divided into four
parts.
Firstly, the opening and shutting of the carriage doors of railway trains.
At the back of the last carriage of the train and in front of the tender is
placed a lever within reach of the hand. To these levers are fixed small.
chains one above the other and following horizontally the upper part of the
carriages; these small chains are as numerous as the carriages forming the
train, and each of them work the doors of one carriage by means of small
cranks placed plumb with each carriage door, and of small vertical chains
which descend from these cranks and are fixed to small moveable pieces
placed and hidden in the thickness of the carriage facing staples on the doors;

page_text: these moveable pieces are the bolts which keep the doors shut. Small springs
placed at the ends of the carriages keep the chains stretched on each of the
carriages when these latter are detached. When a train is formed the chains
are attached together from carriage to carriage by means of small splits
which are for each carriage near the ends of these chains, and all the carriages
may thus be worked by the levers placed on the last carriage and the tender.
The operation of this mechanical arrangement will be readily understood.
The guard when desirous of opening the doors acts on the lever which pulls
the chains, these latter act on the cranks, which in their turn work the vertical
chains, these latter cause the bolts to leave their respective staples, and the
doors are open. The closing of the doors takes place of itself, the top and bottom
hinge not being on the same line. In addition to this arrangement the guard
carries a key with which he can when requisite open any of the doors from
within or without.
Secondly, signals from the interior of the carriages. These signals are of
two kinds; namely, day signals and night signals. The day signals are
composed of two alarms in each compartment of the carriage, the one on the
right, the other on the left; these alarms are each worked by a small
cord within reach of the hand; these cords act at the same time on indicating
plates placed above the carriage, and which may be raised or lowered according
to requirement. All the alarms on one side of a same carriage are in con-
nection; thus if a person on the right side of a compartment pulls the cord
all the alarms of the other compartments of the same carriage are set at
work, and the corresponding indicators rise; the alarm is thus given through-
out the carriage, and the guard is at the same time informed by the indicators
that something unusual is occuring in the carriage thus indicated. The
indicators do not all rise in the same direction, in order that the wind, if there
is any, may not blow them all down. For night signals very natural addition
is made to the above arrangement; the lantern in the middle of the carriage
is shut front and back by two vertical plates, which can move horizontally so
as to cover the light at a given moment; these plates are connected to the cords
which work the alarms.
Thirdly, a break to stop the train as instantly as possible in case of danger.
Use is made of a novel arrangement of break, with which each wheel should
be furnished to regulate the stoppage and cause it to take place without shock.
Each of these breaks is composed of a strong piece of cast iron or shoe, in
which are arranged horizontally three friction rollers moveable round their
axles; these three rollers form curve or arch; the two upper ones are thicker
than the bottom one, so that when the wheel enters the break its fat part

page_text: bearing on the rollers in turning follows its movement until it ceases to
rotate. The break may slide on the rail without getting displaced, being held
in position by the tyre of the wheel, which enters the curve existing between
the friction rollers and the flange of the break. The break is set beneath
the carriages, so that to withdraw it from beneath the wheel it is only
necessary to pull a cord or chain fixed at the back of the break, and which
passes beneath the carriages to a windlass placed at the back of the tender
and worked by a crank within reach of the engine driver.
is attached to all the brakes of the train. To put on the breaks it is only
necessary to let go at the windlass and each brake by its own weight places
itself under its respective wheel. The cords or chains placed under each
carriage are united from one carriage to another by means of split rings or
other contrivance in order to form but one single chain when the train is
formed.
This cord or chain
Fourthly, the means of passing trains from one line of rail on to another.
This improved method permits the instantaneous passage of the train from
one line to another at any desired point. The locomotive carries a horizontal
drum placed in front of it and provided with a handle and crank. On this
drum is rolled a pair of rails (formed of flat links like a "Vancanson" or band
chain), these two rails forming way have guage bars placed from yard to yard
to keep them apart. A rod within reach of the engine driver permits him to
lift the paul from the ratchet on the drum and the rails by their own weight
and a special guide place themselves under the wheels of the locomotive and
unroll, laying themselves across the way at any angle previously determined.
The locomotive runs on this new way and passes on to the other line, followed
by its carriages, and when the train which was to be avoided has passed it
returns backwards on to the line it has quitted, and the false rails are
enrolled on the drum by means of cranks. A lantern placed in front of the
locomotive is worked by the same rod which releases the drum; this lantern
gives the necessary signals for the direction of the train which it is desired to
avoid.
The four ancamants where desanibed combing in sacuring the fa
C