Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1900
NOTE IN is specification, truck means the broad gauge transter truck, and
wagon or carriage the narrow gauge wagon or carriage.
A. The skeleton truck (so called because it is intended to be made chiefly of
iron or steel bars placed lengthwise and crosswise for lightness and strength) is
a long, low broad gauge truck without raised sides on two pairs of very low
wheels of the ordinary kind or four pairs of low bogie wheels, according as tho
truck is intended to carry one or more narrow gauge wagons or carriages, with
iron rails running along the full length of the floor to receive the wheels of the
narrow gauge wagon, with hooks and catches to bind the wagon firmly to the
rails of the truck; and if necessary a lowered or sloping floor, sloping inwards
and downwards to within a few inches of the axles of the truck. The rails to
project about a foot at each end of the truck to enable them to fit into their places
in the siding and join the siding rails, where they are held in their places by the
siding hooks, thus forming continuous rails from wagon to siding.
In the flooring or in the sides and ends of the truck are placed strong hooks
to which the wagon couplings and extra chains hanging from the sides of the
wagon, when in position on the truck, are to be fixed and tightened to hold the
wagon firmly on the truck.
B. The converted or altered truck.
This is an ordinary, open, broad-gauge railway truck, as at present in use on
all railways, converted and altered without impairing its efficiency as an ordinary
truck e.when not required for use as a transfer truck it can be utilized to
carry coal, ballast, &c.
The raised back and front (sides) are converted into hinged flaps folding in-
wards and downwards inside the truck. On the outer surfaces of the flaps are
fixed iron rails whose outer ends project for about a foot and fit into their places -
in the iron front of the siding when the flaps are down, joining the siding rails.
Between the inner ends of the flap rails and on the floor of the truck are two
other rails joining them and forming with them and the siding rails two con-
tinuous rails, to enable the wagon from the siding to be shunted on to the truck,
the siding hooks preventing the truck from moving away during the shunting
of the wagon, and the hollow in the face of the siding receiving the truck buffers
(both the skeleton and the converted truck buffers remain in this hollow during
abunting)

page_text: Iron hooks are placed on the upper ends or edges of the flaps and in the sides
of the truck, to the former of which the coupling chains and to the latter the extra
side chains of the wagon are to be attached to hold the latter to the truck, with
iron catches to bind its wheels to the truck rails.
C. The raised iron-fronted siding.
This is raised to the height of the broad-gauge truck, the rails on which exactly
join those on the siding. The upper portion of the siding, i.e.:-of the iron
front of the siding, is sufficiently thin to pass between the projecting truck rails
and the buffers, and the hollow below it receives the buffers when the truck is
placed against the siding; the siding hooks holding the truck and siding
together. Stays support the front of the siding.
The object of the invention in the case of goods carried, is to avoid breaking
bulk and causing damage, and chiefly to prevent the numerous thefts that now
take place at those stations where bulk is broken, to enable goods to be forwarded
for transit by other lines of railway. The transfer of the wagon to a transfer
truck of the broad-gauge line, would enable the wagon with its contents to be
shunted to the broad-gauge line which must, of necessity, be extended to the
narrow-gauge railway station where the raised iron-fronted siding is; or the
narrow-gauge line may be continued to the broad-gauge one and the siding be
erected there. Or both railways may erect such sidings in places most convenient
to them.
Dated the 02-d down of Wa1900
Improvements in Railway Transfer Trucks and Sidings for Use
therewith.
I, CHARLES KIERNANDER, the Head Appraiser of the Madras Custom House,
residing at No. 14, Pantheon Road, Egmore, in the Town of Madras, in the East
Indies, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
. "This invention relates to improvements in railway transfer trucks and sidings
'for use therewith."
In the accompanying drawings : —
Figure 1 shows a flat, platform or skeleton truck with rails on it to receive the
transferred, wagon, and with hooks to bind the latter to the rails on the truck.
Figure 2 shows a converted coal or ballast truck with its end sides or walls
folding inwards and downwards in flaps, rails on the latter, and connecting rails
on the floor of the truck. In this figure, the side walls are indicated by broken
lines.
Figure 3 shows the iron-fronted siding, the projecting plate of which passes
between the projecting rails and the buffers of the truck.
Figures 4 and 5 show the cross section and back elevation of the wagon and
truck in position.
Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, the skeleton truck, (so called because
it is intended to be made chiefly of iron or steel bars, placed lengthwise or cross-
wise, for lightness and strength) is a long, low, broad-gauge truck on two pairs
of low ordinary wheels, or four or more pairs of bogie wheels, accordingly as the
truck is intended to carry one or more narrow-gauge (or single line) wagons or
carriages. It has no raised sides or ends but has two or more rails A laid on

page_text: its floor, parallel to each other, running along the full length of the truck and
projecting slightly beyond it at both ends, to enable the said rails to rest on the
iron plate of the siding and join the siding rails, thus forming continuous rails
from truck to siding. The floor of the truck may, if small wheels cannot be
obtained, be sloped inwards and downwards (Figure 4) at the sides over the
wheels to within a few inches of the axles of the truck, in order to reduce the
height between the broad-gauge line of rails and the top of the wagon when
on the truck.
In the ends and sides of the flooring of the truck are fixed strong iron hooks C
to which the couplings of the wagon (which must have side couplings also in
addition to its ordinary couplings), when in position on the truck, are to be
fixed and tightened to hold the wagon firmly on the truck. Iron hooks or
catches D are also to be fixed under the truck rails to bind the wagon wheels
to them. Eyes E are placed at the sides towards the ends of the truck, to enable
the siding hooks to hold the truck to the siding.
Figure 2 shows the converted or altered truck. This is an ordinary, open,
flat-floored, broad-gauge truck as at present in use on all railways to carry coal
or ballast, converted into a transfer truck without impairing its efficiency as a
coal or ballast truck.
The front and back ends or walls are made to fold inwards and downwards on
hinges, thus forming hinged flaps, having pieces of rail A fixed on the outer
surfaces of the flaps, across their width and parallel to each other, and at distances
corresponding to the gauges of the wagons to be transferred, so that, when the
flaps are folded down, they rest on the floor of the truck, rails uppermost. These
rails are continued outwards for somewhat less than a foot beyond the hinges in
order that the projecting portions may rest on the iron plate of the siding, and
almost touch the siding rails with which they form continuous rails from truck
to siding. When the truck is used as a transfer truck and is placed against the
siding with the flaps down, the projecting rails rest on the siding, and prevent
the further end of the truck from tipping up when the wagon is passing over
the end of the truck nearest the siding, the siding hooks holding the truck to the
siding. The said projecting portions of the rails also keep the flaps from falling
outwards when raised, and bolts placed on either side, keep the said flaps up-
right when required. The buffers of the truck enter the space or hollow under the
iron plate, while the siding hooks hold the truck by the eyes and prevent the
truck separating from the siding.
On the floor of the truck, between the inner ends of the rails on the flaps, are
fixed other rails, raised to a level with those on the flaps, and forming with these
latter continuous rails running throughout the full length of the truck to receive
the transferred wagon.
On the upper end of each flap, and on the floor at the sides of the truck, are
placed strong iron hooks C to which the couplings B of the wagon or carriage
are to be hooked and tightened when the wagon or carriage is on the truck;
iron catches or hooks D, extending from below the floor-rails, bind the wheels
to the rails, as in the skeleton truck. The eyes E are intended to receive the
siding hooks.
Side couplings B, similar to the front and back couplings at present in use,
are to be placed in the sides of all wagons and carriages to be used with the
transfer truck..
If the wheels of the present coal trucks are too high to permit the passage of
the transfer truck, when loaded with the transferred wagon, under the bridges
and archways on the broad-gauge lines, smaller wheels must be substituted, or
the floors of the trucks may be lowered by sloping them inwards and downwards
over the wheels to within a few inches of the axles of the truck.
In Figure 3 is shown the raised iron-fronted siding. This is an ordinary
narrow-gauge siding raised sufficiently high at one end to bring its rails on a level
with those on the broad-gauge truck. At the raised end of the siding, immedi-

page_text: ately under the rails, is a thick iron plate G running the full width of the siding
and strong enough to bear the weight of a loaded wagon. The outer end of the
plate G (supported if necessary by stays) projects sufficiently beyond the rail
ends to permit the plate to enter between the projecting rails and the buffers of
the transfer truck, and allow the ends of the truck rails to rest thereon, and so
that the latter almost touch the siding rails. Thus, when the truck is fixed to
the siding, the tipping up of the further end of the truck when the wagon is
passing over the end nearest the siding is prevented. The non-projecting or
back portion of the plate is embedded in wood and stone or brick work, and the
portion immediately under its front is hollowed out to receive the buffers of the
truck. In the sides of the siding are placed long bars of iron with hooks Hat
one end to fit into the truck eyes E and hold the truck to the siding. The other
ends of the bars are loosely fixed to transverse iron hooks F let into the brick-
work of the siding near the ground. A support for the bars, when not in use,
is also provided.
To transfer a wagon to the truck, the latter is placed against the raised front
of the siding and held to it by the siding hooks. In this position the projecting
rails rest on the iron plate, nearly touching the siding rails, and forming with
these continuous rails. All that therefore remains to be done is to push the
wagon from the top of the siding onto the truck and to fasten it there by the
couplings, hooks and catches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
(1). The placing of more than two rails along the length and on the floor of
the truck and parallel to each other to receive the wheels of trucks of different
gauges.
(2). The rails placed on the outer surfaces of the hinged flaps and the rails in
the centre of the truck to form continuous rails (Fig. 2).
(3). The prolongation of the truck rails to meet the siding rails.
(4). The iron hooks and catches to be fixed to the flap ends and sides of the
truck and below the truck rails.
(5). The siding hooks, and the eyes in the truck ends.
(6). The side couplings for the wagons and carriages.
(7). The sloping sides to lower the floor of the truck.
(8). The projecting iron plate of the siding.
(9). The hollow or space below the iron plate to receive the truck buffers.
The 15th November 1899