AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fell, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FASTENING FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE
DOORS"
Sealed the 5th December 1879, and dated the 9th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1879.
WILLIAM FELL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "AN IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS."
The principal object of this Invention is to prevent the accidents which
frequently occur owing to the doors of railway carriages being either imperfectly
closed or not properly fastened.
By the use of the improved fastening the door cannot be closed without being
fastened, and it cannot be fastened without being perfectly closed, and at the same
time a visible signal is presented to the porters or other persons outside the carriage
at all times when the door is either not perfectly closed or not securely fastened.
Besides the safety of the passengers that of the porters or other officials is also
greatly increased, as in the event of a door being discovered to be unfastened when
the train is in motion, all that he has to do is to push the door as it passes instead
of running alongside the train while turning the handle as has now frequently to
be done, and which is a source of great danger.
The fastening consists mainly of a horizontal bolt capable of sliding to and fro at
the back of a lock plate. The bolt is provided with an oblique slot (or two
oblique slides) into which takes the short inner end of a lever, which passes through
the lock plate and is hinged thereto. The outer or longer end of this lever projects
outside the lock plate, and is (by preference) provided with a knob or disc. This
lever works at right angles to the lock plate, and is so mounted that when it is
raised into the horizontal position, its shorter end working in the oblique slot
causes the bolt to be withdrawn, and the door will thus be unfastened.
On the other hand when the outer end of the lever is allowed to fall, the weight

page_text: of the same (with its knob or disc at the end) will shoot the bolt forwards and
fasten the door.
Thus, it will be evident that the porter or other person responsible can at any
time see by the position of the levers (with their balls or discs) whether the doors
are all properly fastened.
In order to prevent the possibility of the lever falling and shooting the bolt
when the door is open or has not been perfectly closed, I attach to the lock
plate a spring carrying a stud or catch, which when the lever is raised falls into
a notch in the side of the bolt and holds it back, and keeps the lever in the hori-
zontal position till released.
When the door is perfectly closed the end of this spring is pressed against the
door frame, which withdraws the stud or catch and allows the lever to fall and
shoot the bolt. Thus, it will be evident that the bolt cannot be shot till the door
is perfectly closed, nor can the door be perfectly closed without being securely
fastened.
If on the starting of the train the porter sees a lever standing out horizontally
(thereby indicating that the door is unfastened), all that he has to do is to push the
door closer which will press on the spring, release the stud or catch and allow the
lever to fall and shoot the bolt.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Fell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th March
1880.
WILLIAM FELL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "AN IMPROVED
FASTENING FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS."
The principal object of this Invention is to prevent the accidents which
frequently occur, owing to the doors of railway carriages being either imperfectly
closed or not properly fastened.
By the use of the improved fastening the door cannot be closed without being
fastened, and it cannot be fastened without being perfectly closed, and at the same
time a visible signal is presented to the porters or other persons outside the
carriage at all times when the door is either not perfectly closed or not securely
fastened.
Besides the safety of the passengers that of the porters or other officials is also
greatly increased, as in the event of a door being discovered to be unfastened when
the train is motion, all that he has to do is to push the door as it passes instead
of running alongside the train while turning the handle as has now frequently to
be done, and which is a source of great danger.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through that part of a railway carriage door to which
the fastening is applied showing the fastening in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a back
view of the fastening, and Fig. 3 is a partial section of the carriage door, and jamb
or door post showing the fastening in plan view.
The fastening consists mainly of a horizontal bolt a, a, capable of sliding to and
fro at the back of a lock plate b, b. The bolt a, a, is provided with an oblique slot
or two oblique slides c, c, into which takes the short inner end of a lever d, dx,
which passes through the lock plate b, b, and is binged thereto at e. The outer or
longer end d* of this lever projects outside the lock plate b, b, and is (by preference)
provided with a knob f, f, or a disc. This lever d, d, works at right angles to the
lock plate b, b, and is so mounted that when it is raised into the horizontal position
(drawn in full lines at Fig. 1), its shorter end d working in the oblique slot c, c,
causes the bolt a, a, to be withdrawn, and the door will thus be unfastened.
On the other hand when the outer end d* of the lever d is allowed to fall (as
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1), the weight of the same (with its knob or disc at
the end) will shoot the bolt a, a, forwards and fasten the door.
Thus it will be evident that the porter or other person responsible can at any
time see by the position of the levers d, d* (with their balls f, f, or discs), whether
the doors are all properly fastened.
In order to prevent the possibility of the lever d, d*, falling and shooting the
bolt a, a, when the door is open or has not been perfectly closed, I attach to the
lock plate b, b, a spring g, g, carrying a catch h which when the lever d, d, is raised
falls into a notch in the side of the bolt a, a, see Fig. 3, and holds it back and
keeps the lever in the horizontal position till released.
When the door is perfectly closed a stud i, i, attached to the spring g, g, is
pressed against the door frame see Fig. 3, which withdraws the catch h and allows
the lever d, d*, to fall and shoot the bolt a, a. Thus, it will be evident that the
bolt cannot be shot till the door is perfectly closed, nor can the door be perfectly
closed without being securely fastened.

page_text: If on the starting of the train the porter sees a lever standing out. horizontally
(thereby indicating that the door is unfastened), all that he has to do is to push
the door closer which will press on the spring, release the stud or catch, and allow
the lever to fall and shoot the bolt.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the
improved fastening for railway carriage doors, as herein before described and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed, or any mere modification or imitation thereof,
constructed and operating in substantially the same or a similar manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fell, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM FELL. (L.S.)