Improvements in and relating to the Lighting of Railway Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1895-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1895
Improvements in and relating to the Lighting of Railway Carriages
and other Vehicles.
I ARTHUR FITZSIMMONS, of 17 Frederick Street, Bury, Lancashire Fireman,.
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:-
My invention relates to an apparatus intended for use in railway carriages and
other vehicles and has for its object the automatic regulation of the gas or electric
light supply so that the same may be turned on or off as persons enter or leave
the vehicles thus effecting a most economic supply of either gas or electric
light.
'
At the present time the gas or electric light in railway carriages and other
vehicles is fully turned on whether the compartment is occupied or not thereby
expending a large amount of the illuminant unnecessarily.
With my invention the gas is turned very low when the vehicle is unoccupied
but immediately anyone sits down upon the seat the light is automatically turned
on. When using the electric light the light would be entirely turned or switched
off when the vehicle was unoccupied and would again be turned or switched on
automatically whenever a passenger might sit down upon the seat. The method
usually adopted to achieve the above result has been to make the seats of the
vehicle or compartment loose so that they would fall or rise as the passengers
might sit down or get up from them.
This arrangement has never been a success, because of the great expense
incurred in altering the present seats of railway carriages or other vehicles, I have
therefore designed the following invention with the object of providing a cheaper
method of applying the automatic regulator.
This invention is principally intended to work (as shown by the drawings here-
with) in conjunction with my Patent No.. 5351 1895 but may also be applied
separately whenever required.
By this invention the ordinary seats as now used may be kept fixed or rigid,
and in order to get the necessary motion I use a moveable board fixed in front of
the existing seat (hereafter termed the front board) secured to suitable levers
and brackets.
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is had to
the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a cross section of the carriage."
In Fig. 1. A is the side of the carriage or compartment to which are secured
the seats B exactly as at present used, to the back of the carriage at C are secured
the brackets D which may be any number as required, the brackets D support the
shafts E in which it may freely turn.
Secured to the shafts E are the arms or
levers F preferably three in number (one at each side and one in the centre
underneath the seat of the carriage) on the outer end of the arms or levers F
are fixed the front boards G which project slightly above the cushions of the
existing seats, attached to the centre arms F are the vertical rods H which pass
through brackets J secured to the floor K of the carriage, the bottom end of the
vertical rods H are secured in a rigid manner to the triangular framework L to
which is attached (also rigid) the vertical rod M, underneath the triangular
frame L and surrounding the vertical rod M is an extending spiral spring O

page_text: which is supported by the guide, stay N. the lower end of the vertical rod M is
secured by the pin P to the vertical spindle R of a suitably constructed gas
valve S on the main service pipe T the smaller pipe U is attached to the lamp
of the compartment or carriage, and gets its full supply of gas through the
valve S and its small supply through the bypass W which can be regulated by the
small tap X to suit the smallest possible light that may be required. Attached to
the arms or levers F are fixed studs V (which pass through the seat board B.) on
the upper end of which and immediately under the cushion is fixed a check bar X²
(of wood or iron as required) passing the full length of the seat from end to end,
so that should a person lie down upon the seat or otherwise release the front board G
the gas will still be kept at the full supply.
When the electric light is to be used I substitute an electric switch to be acted
upon by the rod M (in place of the gas valve: S).
When the carriage is unoccupied the front boards G. arms F. rods H. check
bars X2 triangular frame L vertical rods M. and valve spindle B are all held up
by the spiral spring O. and so long as they are kept in that position the gas supply
is cut off through the valve S and only a small supply may pass up the pipe U
through the by-pass W which can easily be regulated as may be required by means
of the small tap X thus turning the light very low in the compartment or.
carriage.
Immediately any person sits down on the seat B. the front board G. is pressed
down also the arms F. rods H. check bars X2 triangular frame L. vertical rod M.
and valve spindle R. as shown in dotted lines, this downward motion immediately
opens the gas valve S. and allows a full supply of gas to pass from the main
pipes T. through the valve S. and into the supply pipe U thus lighting up the
compartment or carriage to full extent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
".
(1.) A moveable front board with the necessary arms or levers for supporting
same (or their equivalents) substantially as, and for the purpose herein described
and as shown.
(2.) A check bar under the cushion or seat with the necessary arms or levers
for supporting same (or their equivalents) substantially as and for the purpose
herein described and as shown.
(3.) A gas valve with a vertical spindle in conjunction with a small by-pass pipe
substantially as and for the purpose herein described and as shown.
(4.) An electric switch (when electric light is to be used) to be operated
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Dated this 15th day of July 1895.
ARTHUR FITZSIMMONS.