PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR CONVEYING CATTLE
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Buchanan at the Office of the
Coinmissioners of Patents on the 30th April 1878.
"IM-
JAMES BUCHANAN, of Chipping Campden, in the County of Gloucester.
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TRUCKS FOR CONVEYING CATTLE."
This Invention has for its object to construct railway cattle trucks in such a
manner that cattle may be conveyed in them without their being liable to injure
one another, and also so that they may readily be supplied from time to time
during their journey with water and food without removing them from the
trucks.
For this purpose iron boxes for containing water, and, if required, cake, meal, or
such like food, and also iron racks for hay, are fixed at the ends of the trucks where
the cattle are intended to be tied up during their journey.
The water boxes are placed about 2 feet 4 inches above the floor line of the
truck, and project but slightly into the interior of the truck, as I form the upper
parts of the ends of the truck where the water boxes and racks are carried to pro-
ject somewhat beyond the lower part of the truck.
One of the end boards by which the end projection is boarded in is hinged and
made to fall down outwards into a horizontal position just above the level of the
top of the water troughs whenever required; and the boards so let down from the
ends of two adjoining trucks of a railway train will serve as a platform for a man
to stand on to supply water to the troughs and hay to the racks.
For supplying water to the troughs I use a water barrow with a pump, by which
water can be pumped from the barrow through a flexible pipe or hose. The man
standing on the platform before mentioned between the trucks holds the end of the
hose and guides the water into the troughs, which can thus be filled as quickly as
a man can pump water out of the barrow.
At the top of the projection at the end of the trucks another horizontal board
can be turned up or down on hinges to allow of hay being placed into the hay
racks; these racks are formed of iron rods secured at their upper ends to a bar
placed across the truck just below the roof, and at their lower ends to one of the
horizontal beams forming part of the framework of the end of the truck.
011

page_text: The spaces between the top of the water boxes and lower part of the racks gives
the animals plenty of room for their horns when drinking, and the recess is just the
height at which they will hold their heads when standing at ease.
The water should first be supplied to the water troughs, so that the water may
be drunk up by the beasts whilst the train is stationary; the hay can be eaten
whilst the train is in motion. The forage stations where food is supplied to the
cattle should be at distances on a line of railway, say, of about 100 miles apart.
When the troughs and racks have been supplied with water and hay the boards
which have been turned down can be again closed and secured, so as to shut in the
end of the truck.
To the vertical beams of the end framework of the truck I secure vertical iron
rods, each provided with a strong cow tie, which can rise or fall on the rods. There
are four of such rods at each end of a truck.
As the beasts are to be tied up side by side with the heads towards the ends of
a truck, and as after three beasts have been tied up side by side there is only just
room for the fourth beast to pass into his place; I provide openings at the sides of
the truck through which a man may insert his arms for the purpose of tying the
animal up; these openings are fitted with doors, by which they can be closed.