AN INSTRUMENT FOR MOVING AND STOPPING TRUCKS AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS."
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foot, of Wellington, in the County of
Somerset, for the Invention of "AN INSTRUMENT FOR MOVING AND STOPPING
TRUCKS AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
December 1855.
I, WILLIAM FOOT, of Wellington, in the County of Somerset, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "AN INSTRUMENT FOR MOVING AND
STOPPING TRUCKS AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an instrument to be used or worked by
hand, in order to move trucks and carriages on railways when making up
trains or otherwise. For this purpose, a lever or bar (by preference of wood)
has fixed at one end a forked instrument, formed in such manner that one
prong comes on one side of the ring or felloe of the wheel, and the other prong
comes on the other side of the ring or felloe near where the wheel is resting
on a rail. One fork is bent or projects inwards, so as as to come on the inner
surface of the wheel. By the use of this instrument, when the lever or handle

page_text: is lifted, if the prong be at that part of the wheel which is resting on the rail,
the wheel will be caused to turn, and the carriage will move in a direction
away from the instrument; whilst, on the other hand, if the handle or lever bo
depressed on to the rail the wheel will be stopped; when the fork of the
instrument is applied to the upper part of the wheel, and the lever is depressed,
the carriage will be moved towards the instrument; and it will be found that
by using such an instrument at stations and other places, labourers will be
greatly facilitated in moving trucks and other carriages on the rails.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Foot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
Foor, of Wellington, in the County of Somerset, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Foot, Her special licence, that I, the said William
Foot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Foot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
INSTRUMENT FOR MOVING AND STOPPING TRUCKS AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON RAIL-
WAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Foot,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the naturo of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Foot, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention has for its object an instrument to be used or worked by
hand, in order to move trucks and carriages on railways when making up
trains or otherwise. For this purpose, a lever or bar (by preference of wood)
a, has fixed at one end a forked instrument b, c, formed in such manner that
one prong comes on one side of the ring or felloe of the wheel, and the
other prong c comes on the other side of the ring or felloe near where the
wheel is resting on a rail. One fork 6 is bent, or projects inwards, so as to
come on the inner surface of the wheel. By the use of this instrument, when
the lever or handle is lifted, if the prong be at that part of the wheel which is
resting on the rail the wheel will be caused to turn, and the carriage will
move in a direction away from the instrument; whilst, on the other hand, if the
handle or lever be depressed on to the rail the wheel will be stopped; when
the fork of the instrument is applied to the upper part of the wheel and the
lever is depressed, the carriago will be moved towards the instrument; and it
will be found that by using such an instrument at stations and other places,
labourers will be greatly facilitated in moving trucks and other carriages on
the rails.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Foot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
JNO. COOK.
WILLIAM FOOT. (L.S.)