IMPROVED GUIDING APPARATUS FOR KEEPING RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES UPON THEIR RAILS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hammon Reynolds, Commercial Traveller,.
and John Reynolds, Surgeon, both of Somerleyton Road, Brixton,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVED GUIDING
APPARATUS FOR KEEPING RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES UPON THEIR
RAILS."
Sealed the 12th April 1873, and dated the 10th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hammon Rey-
nolds and John Reynolds at the Office of the Commissioners of:
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th February 1873.
We, JOHN HAMMON REYNOLDS, Commercial Traveller, and JOHN
REYNOLDS, Surgeon, both of Somerleyton Road, Brixton, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IM-
PROVED GUIDING APPARATUS FOR KEEPING RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES UPON
THEIR RAILS," to be as follows :-
The object of our Invention is the prevention of accidents to railway

page_text: trains in motion through the engines or carriages thereof leaving the
rails.
Our said Invention consists in placing in or near the centre of each
pair of the rails of a railway a safety guiding rail, and in providing the
engines and carriages with wheels arranged in combination with the said
guiding rail in such a manner as to prevent the escape of the said
engines or carriages from their proper position on the rails, while
offering no obstruction or impediment to their progress or movement
thereon.
In carrying our said Invention into practice we prefer to construct
the said guiding rail with a horizontal flange on each side of its upper
edge. We use for this purpose T iron, or two pieces of angle iron
rivetted or bolted together. The said rail is supported and secured to
the sleepers by means of strong brackets or standards placed at suitable
distances apart. The top of the said central rail stands above the bearing
rails. The aforesaid wheels are fitted to turn upon studs or pins secured
in a frame carried below the main frame of the engine or carriage. The
said frame may be constructed in any suitable manner, but must be
strongly trussed or otherwise made sufficiently rigid to ensure an un-
yielding support to the said wheels. These wheels are formed with two
deep flanges; these flanges enclose the flanges of the rail, but they are
of such a depth that the wheels do not bear on the sides of the said rail
flange so long as the engine or carriage maintains its proper position
upon the line of rails; but if the said engine or carriage should be
thrown to either side of the line, the guide wheels on the opposite side 2
of the central rail would come in contact with the flange of the same,
and would immediately counteract the force tending to displace the said
engine or carriage.
The said guiding rail is designed to be continuous throughout each
ine of rails except for a short distance at the points, and at these 3
positions we place guard plates like those commonly used, but extending
above the top of the bearing rails.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hammon Reynolds and John Reynolds in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOHN
HAMMON REYNOLDS, Commercial Traveller, and JoпN REYNOLDS,
Surgeon, both of Somerleyton Road, Brixton, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Hammon Reynolds and
John Reynolds, Her special licence that we, the said John Hammon Rey-
nolds and John Reynolds, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Hammon Reynolds and John
Reynolds, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
* IMPROVED GUIDING APPARATUS FOR KEEPING RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES
UPON THEIR RAILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said John Hammon Reynolds and John Reynolds, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Hammon Reynolds and
John Reynolds, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specifi-
cation:-
The object of our Invention is the prevention of those railway
accidents which are occasioned by the engines or carriages of a train

page_text: leaving the rails while in motion. It is well known that these railway
accidents are more numerous, and are attended with more desastrous
results both to the passengers and to the railway companies than any
others. Moreover, while other accidents can be prevented or greatly
diminished by a good system of signalling, properly and carefully
observed, such precautions will be of no avail to prevent the running of
a train from the line when travelling at a high speed. And in the
working of an ordinary railway no foresight or care on the part of those
in charge of a train or connected with the railway can prevent the
existence of those conditions under which such accidents become un-
avoidable. It is therefore very desirable to provide apparatus which will
render it impossible for the engines and carriages to leave the line while
in motion, and will therefore, so far as relates to this class of accidents,
render the safety of the train and passengers absolutely independent of
any supervision on the part of the officials in charge of the train, or
connected with the working of the line. Our said Invention consists in
apparatus for effecting this object in the manner herein set forth.
In practising our said Invention we place at or near the centre of cach
pair of the rails of a railway a safety guiding rail, and we provide the
engines and carriages with wheels or rollers arranged in combination
with the said guiding rail in such a manner as to prevent the escape of
the said engines or carriages from their proper position on their rails,
while offering no obstruction or impediment to their progress or move-
ment thereon. And we extend our guiding apparatus over the points
and crossings, so that the said apparatus is continuous throughout the
railway, and not the smallest part of the same is left unprotected or
unprovided with the said safety apparatus.
We are aware that the principle of a central guiding or safety rail is
not altogether unknown and that attempts have been made to render the
same available for railways, but such attempts have been hitherto
altogether unsuccessful, as they disclosed no method of so constructing
the rails and other parts of the guiding apparatus as to render their
adoption practicable, and, moreover, they have stopped short of the
points and crossings which are the most dangerous portions of the line.
We construct the said guiding rail and secure the same to the sleepers in
such a manner as to obtain the required strength and rigidity with the
least practicable weight of metal. We may use for this purpose T iron
or two pieces of angle iron rivetted or bolted together, and supported.

page_text: and secured to the sleepers by strong brackets or standards placed at
suitable distances apart. But we prefer to employ a flat bar of sufficient
width, secured to such brackets or standards, as herein-after more fully
described. The top of the said central rail stands above the bearing
rails. The guide wheels or rollers which form the part of our apparatus,
attached to the engine or carriages, are fitted to turn upon studs or pins
secured in a frame carried below the main frame of the engine or
carriage. The said frame may be constructed in any suitable manner,
but must be strongly trussed or otherwise made sufficiently rigid to
ensure an unyielding support to the said guide wheels. These wheels
are formed with two deep flanges which embrace the flanges of the
guiding rail, but do not run in contact with the same. The lower flange
prevents the jumping of the engine or carriage from the rails, and the
upper flange prevents the dropping of the carriage in case of the fracture
of an axle or wheel. The said guiding rail is designed to be continuous
throughout each line of rails, except for a short distance at the points
and crossings, and to protect these parts of the line we use guard plates,
which may either be like those commonly used, but extending above the
top of the bearing rails, or constructed and arranged as shewn in the
Drawing and as herein-after described.
The manner in which our Invention may be most advantageously
carried into practice in connection with a railway carriage is illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, the application of the said Invention to
the engines being effected in substantially the same manner.
Figure 1 is a plan of the frame and wheels of a railway carriage and
part of a line of rails, shewing the application of our Invention to the
the same; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line x, x,
Figure 1; Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line y, y,
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan shewing the adaptation of our Invention to the
crossings and points or switches.
Similar letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
a, a, are the sleepers or cross-ties, and b, b, the ordinary railway rails;
c is the bar or plate of the aforesaid safety guide rail; and d, d, are the
brackets or standards for supporting the same.
It will be seen by
referring to Figures 2 and 4 that each of these standards consists of two
rods secured side by side in the plate c close together and spread widely

page_text: apart at the foot or base, where they are secured to the sleepers a. This
arrangement of the said bars gives great strength with very little weight
of metal, and its simplicity renders the construction of the guide rails
very inexpensive. e is part of the body of a railway carriage; f is the
ordinary frame or truck of the same; g is a light but strong frame
constructed of wood or metal and securely attached to the main frame f;
h, h, are tie rods for supporting and strengthening the frame g; i, i, are
the aforesaid guide wheels; they are fitted to turn freely upon the studs or
bolts j, which are securely fixed in the frame g and project downward
therefrom as shewn. The lubrication of the wheels i may be effected by
means of oil cups placed on the frame g, above the studs j, or through
tubes connected with the axle boxes, or any suitable reservoir of
lubricating matter. The wheels i are constructed with flanges i¹ which
embrace the bar c, but without touching the same, and which are
sufficiently far apart to allow the said rollers free vertical movement as
the carriage rides on its springs.
By referring to Figure 3 it will be plainly seen that the flanges i¹ of
the wheels or rollers i are of such a depth that so long as the carriage
remains in its proper position the said wheels are quite clear of the
guide bar c, but that a very slight deviation of the carriage to either 1
side of the track will bring the wheel on the opposite side into contact
with the guide bar. As this guide bar when constructed as above
described has great strength, and is rigidly supported throughout its
entire length, it cannot be displaced by any lateral pressure that will be
brought to bear on it, and the wheels i are immoveable with regard to a
their position on the carriage frame, therefore the effect of the contact of
these wheels with the guide rail flange will be to immediately counteract
the influence tending to throw the engine or carriage off of the rails.
Moreover, the guide bar c and wheels i are of such a depth that they
cannot be disengaged from each other by any lateral movement of the
engine or carriage, therefore the said engine or carriage will be kept
from jumping upward from the rails as well as from lateral displacement ;
and as herein-before specified if a carriage axle or wheel should be
fractured the carriage instead of dropping down and leaving the rails
and probably becoming a total wreck will simply be borne along with
the upper flange of the wheels i resting on the top of the guide rail,
and the friction between the said flanges and the rail will assist in
stopping the train.

page_text: By adapting our said Invention to the protection of the points or
switches and crossings, as shewn in Figure 4, it will be seen that not the
smallest portion of the line is left unprotected. In fact at these portions
of the railway which are the most dangerous to fast trains, our guiding
apparatus is constructed with greater strength and rigidity than at the
other portions of the railway, while at the same time it offers not the
slightest obstruction to the traffic over either the points or crossings, and
does not interfere with the ordinary adjustment or working of the points
or switches. It will also be seen by referring to the last named Figure
that the guide rail c of each line of rails is where intersected by the
other line brought so close to the intersecting rails on each side as to
leave only just sufficient room for the wheels to pass, therefore there
would be but a slight portion of the line unprotected if the apparatus
were left in this condition; but to make the protection complete and
absolute throughout we place at this portion of the line short pieces m
which are constructed in all respects like the aforesaid guide rails, that
is to say, they have a flat bar or plate c supported on brackets or
standards d, and these short guiding pieces m are so arranged that as
the engine or carriage passes over the crossings the wheels or rollers i
change their bearing from the outside of the main guide rails to the
inside of the short pieces m, thus continuing to be locked, so that the
said engine or carriage cannot run off or escape from the rails.
To adapt our said guide rail to work in combination with the points or
switches we use a flexible or jointed bar which is connected to the
switch, and adjusted to work in combination and simultaneously with
the same by the ordinary mechanism.
In Figure 4 we have shewn a steel or iron rail or bar n made of T
iron, the upper part of which coincides in its horizontal position with the
plate or bar c, and this upper part of the said T rail is sawn through on
each side to the vertical portion or web, as shewn at o, to give it the
required flexibility. This flexible rail or bar is connected by rods p to
two or more bell-crank levers q, which are connected with the ordinary
lever and rod r, s, of the switch, so that the said switch and T rail move
simultaneously when adjusted to bring the end n' of the T rail in line
with the end c¹ or the end c² of the guide rail. Instead of using this T
rail, made flexible as above set forth, we may use a rail constructed with
a number of steel or iron bars secured together in such a manner as to

page_text: give them the required strength and flexibility, or we may use a par or
rail with a number of joints, the object being to so construct the said
bar that in adjusting it with the switch it shall at all parts be kept
parallel with the rails. Morcover it is an important feature of this
apparatus that with the adjustable guide bar constructed and arranged
as above described if the switch should be carelessly set so that the said
bar does not properly meet either fixed portion of the guide bar, the
adjustable bar will be righted by the passage of the engine or carriage
over the same.
We wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not limit ourselves
to the particular construction of framing herein shewn and described for
carrying the guide rollers, as any suitably constructed framework may
be adopted, according to the build of the engine or carriage or the
judgment of the designer or constructor of the same; neither do we
limit ourselves to any number of the said guide rollers, or to any
particular position of the same upon the carriage, but the said rollers
must obviously in all cases be so placed as to effect the desired result,
namely, the counteracting of any tendency of the engine or carriage to
deviate from its proper position on the railway. We prefer to place
the said rollers far enough from the centre of the carriage to exert an
effectual restraining influence without having them so far apart or so
near the ends of the engine or carriage as to leave them liable to be
brought into contact with the guide rail by slight oscillations.
Moreover, although our said Invention is best carried into practice by
means of a single guide rail and wheels on each side of the same, yet we
may effect the desired purpose in some instances by using two guide
rails constructed as above described with single wheels formed with
suitable flanges fixed on the carriages or engines fitted between the
said rails.
Upon a railway provided with our improved apparatus the train a
cannot under any circumstances leave the line accidentally. The said
apparatus may be affixed to any existing permanent way and rolling
stock without requiring any alteration of the same, and without impeding
or interrupting the traffic on the line. The speed of a train protected
by our said apparatus may be accelerated to almost any extent with a
absolute safety so far as concerns the retention of the engines and

page_text: Fourth. The adaptation of our said Invention to the switches or
points, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Reynolds, for myself, and
on behalf of the said John Hammon Reynolds, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
W. ROBT. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
JOHN REYNOLDS. (L.S.)