IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Samson Thomas at 'the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th November 1880.
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FREDERICK SAMSON THOMAS, of Albion Grove, Barnsbury, in the County of
Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND
IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
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The object of my Invention is to prevent injury, and to save the lives of
passengers under the effect of a blow or collision of the carriages, such Invention
being supplemental to my Patent for improvements in railway carriages, dated
13th October, A.D. 1853, No. 2376, and for improvements in railway carriages and
locomotive carriages, described in a Provisional Specification dated 9th January
1869, No. 69.
The respective objects of my above named two Inventions and my present
improvements compared with other public railway carriage safety provisions
entirely differ in the mode and means of obtaining the objects in view, namely, to
prevent injury and loss of life from the effects of a blow or collision.
In both the existing systems and my own, we anticipate the occurrence of a blow
or collision as inevitable at some period under all attempted provisions for protection
a against such railway accidents or collisions, but we differ in the proposed mode of
curing the effects, for the carriages which are now in general use are prepared or
invented to receive the blow and to lessen or overcome its destructive effects or
the results of a collision by different principles and by opposite Inventions compared
with mine, so that upon all present carriages we expect to receive the blow of a
collision, but propose and prepare to reject and to defy it; and so by offering rigid
obstruction to the shock the carriage are destroyed, whilst mine on the contrary
prepare to accept the blow to lessen its force mechanically, and to exhaust and
disperse its destructive effects constructively by yielding partially to the blow and by.
distributing mechanically its crushing power, so that by accepting, yielding to, and
transmitting the blow by the compressibility and rebound caused by my mechanical
devices combined with suitable material, my carriages are preserved and the
occupants thereof are not injured.
The present system of constructing railway carriages are by quality and
quantity of materials (comparatively to mine) ponderous, rigid, inflexible, non

page_text: compressible, non-expansive, brittle, and liable to be splintered, whilst mine are
(comparatively) imponderous, flexible, compressible under 'a blow, expansive upon
the subsiding of its pressure, and are tough and not liable to be splintered.
The following is a constructive description of the several parts of my improve-
ment.
In my former Inventions hereinbefore mentioned, I used telescopic metal tubes
and springs in constructing the outer framework of the carriages; these I will now
omit, or only partly use, in combination with other elastic material, such as
compressed wool, hair, and straw matresses, or equivalent material, worked, shaped,
and pressed into such forms as may be required to suit the different parts or form
of the carriage, composing its sides, bottom, top ends, and interior partitions, which
are bound together and retained into proper position or united form by leather,
gutta percha, or india rubber bands, or by any other suitable binding material.
The seats and arms of the carriages are composed of similar material to the body,
and any known kind or form of padding is used for the seats and cushions. The
windows, doors, and other aperture frames may be composed of the usual material,
suitably arranged with the elastic material composing the body of the carriage. The
exterior forms of the carriages may be similar to those now in common use, but I
prefer to make the ends of the carriages of semicircular or oval shape in their
vertical section, as being stronger and more elastic, and consequently capable of
resisting a greater blow without injury. The whole carriage thus constructed of
flexible material combined with forms to give the greatest resistance, are capable of
receiving the blow of a collision without disrupture, but possesses sufficient elasticity
to yield to the concussion of a blow from a collision, and recover its original shape
as soon as relieved from the pressure of the blow.
The carriages thus constructed are the strongest and most unyielding part of my
train, and it is not possible to do them any injury until the buffer springs loose
their elasticity, and this I prevent by increasing the extent of the butter springs
and mode of applying them, as hereinafter stated.
Another portion of my improvement relates to the buffer, which are made to
extend over the entire back and front of adjoining carriages; it also extends over
the top and under the bottom of each carriage and meets at their centres, and
thereby forms a continuous buffer from end to end of the train. These buffers are
made wide enough to extend beyond the sides of the carriages (a foot, more or less)
to prevent any injury in case of lateral collision, so that if a carriage upsets, the
blow is received upon the projecting sides of the buffers.
The butlers are made about six feet thick (more or less) between the carriages,
and are usually composed of straw mattresses placed vertically at suitable distances
apart, thus forming a series of compartments or cells. These compartments are
entirely filled with springs, and each compartment is provided with an inlet and
outlet valve for the ingress and egress of air when the buffers are compressed and
expanded. These buffers are suspended to the carriages, and have no other frame-
work to unite, but are attached by springs and other connections. The matresses
and springs are kept in place and together by elastic or other bands, and the whole
is covered with leather or some flexible or elastic material to prevent cutting,
wearing, and exposure.
Another portion of my improvement relates to the breaks, which are auto-
matically and simultaneously worked by motion taken from the compression and
expansion of the buffers attached to the back or front ends of each carriage, which
is done in cases of collision, as well as of intention at other times when stopping
the train at stations and other places. I employ two levers as a medium for
working the break or applying the power on each wheel; these levers are sus-
pended by fulcrums at their centres; and connected to suitable parts of the carriage
or buffers, and are usually suspended in a suitable position to any conveniently
expanding and compressive portion of the buffer by means of a link or otherwise,
and the lower ends of said levers are provided with break blocks or shoes to act
on the wheels by the break lever, thus attached to the buffers between each

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carriage. When the buffers are compressed by collision or other causes, it gives
the required motion to the break levers for acting on the wheels for stopping the
train, and when the buffers expand by the starting of the train the breaks are
automatically and simultaneously released and leave the wheels free to revolve;
and the whole of my carriages and buffers of each description act longitudinally
and laterally as an articulated vertebré.
Another portion of my improvement consists in providing the front and rear of
each train of carriages with a guard carriage or box provided with a buffer similar
in structure to that described for the carriages. These buffers I denominate
'guard buffers," and are intended to receive the blow, first, from a collision or
other cause in front and rear, and transmit it by means of all other buffers
between and over and under the carriage through the entire train, and thereby
its effect is destroyed or absorbed by the continuous buffers without doing any
injury to the carriages.
Another portion of my improvement is providing each of the guard buffers
with mechanism for the working of clip or clamp levers by the guard for taking
hold of the rail for acting as a break to arrest the train or guard carriage.
This mechanism. is composed of a screw and clip lever or their equivalent, the
latter being properly fulcrumed and made of suitable shape at the ends to become
elastic and to embrace the form of the rails, and thereby cause sufficient friction to
arrest the train or guard carriage and cause the several break levers attached to
the buffers springs to act automatically and simultaneously on the wheels of each
carriage. However I do not confine myself to the use of the clip or clamp break,
as above described, as any known construction of break may be applied to my
guard buffer for first arresting the train or guard carriage to put my improved
buffer breaks into operation, but I prefer to use the clamp breaks to other modes of
breakage.
Another portion of my improvement consists in the manner of working the
carriage axles.
Instead of working my carriage axles at their ends in boxes
attached to the sides of the carriages, as is usually done, I construct the axles
to be worked at their centres in suitable swivelled bearings provided with guard
arms and wheels for keeping the axles at all times at right angles with that portion
of the rail they are moving over. By this improvement I avoid all undue twisting
of the axle in passing over curved portions of the rail, which is a frequent cause of
injury and serious accident, and in the meantime I save tractive power and
destructive wearing of the rails.
Another portion of my improvement is the application of wheels of larger
diameter to my passenger carriages for certain advantages hereinafter stated,
and at the same time to retain the carriages at the usual or any required height
from the rail, or to keep the centre of gravity of the carriage bodies as low or as
near the metals as desired. In order to do this it is necessary to use bent or
curved axles; this is usually done by bending the axles at each end similar to a
crank. The bent portions of the axles hang down while in working position, and
the carriage bodies are partly suspended in the bends or between the ends of the
axles. The ends of the axles are firmly attached to any suitable part of the carriage
body or frame, and as the axles do not revolve the wheels are made to revolve on
the axles. By thus using a larger wheel it saves power, causes less wear on the
wheels and rails, and the wheels are not so likely to leave the rails while in motion.
I prefer using wheels about twice the diameter of those now usually employed, but
do not confine myself to any particular size.
Another portion of my improvement consists in constructing locomotive carriages
flexible longitudiually with the carriage, and transversely with the metals; this
I do by joining the carriages together at three points. Each third part of the
carriage is provided with an axle and pair of wheels, and special guide arms and
wheels to keep it in proper position on the rail in passing curves,' as before stated
in connection with the carriages.

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The boiler and mechanism of the locomotive is fixed on the central portion of
the carriage; its ends are supported by and confined to central plates, and are left
free to move in any lateral direction.
Another portion of my improvement relates to the construction of the tenders.
In addition to the buffers being extended entirely between the ends of adjoining
carriages for receiving the blow from a collision, shunting, or other causes, I con-
struct a tender to my train of leather, india rubber, or other suitable flexible or
elastic material, which is capable of being compressed and expanded, so that in
cases of collision no damage is done to the tender, and in the meantime it absorbs
its due proportion of the blow from the collision.
Another portion of my improvement is, combining with each seat of my improved
carriage an adjustable girdle, by the use of which each person has all convenient
movement unrestrained, yet is incapable of being thrown or projected from his seat
in case of collision, and consequently will avoid all injury from this source. These
girdles are attached to the back or sides of each passenger seat.
My improved carriages are provided with steps so as to pass over the top edge
of station platforms, with only sufficient space between the bottom of the step
and top of the platform to allow a free passage of the carriage step over the platform.
By thus providing my carriages with steps I prevent the possibility of accidents by
persons getting down between the carriage and platform when entering and leaving
the carriage, or at other times.