IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Shaw, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Tool Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS
TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 29th November 1878, and dated the 14th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Shaw at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th Juno 1878.
HENRY SHAW, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tool
Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
My Invention consists of the improvements in or additions to railway carriages,
herein-after described, and has for its object to prevent the accidents which
frequently occur in consequence of persons falling between the carriages and the
platform of the railway station.
By my Invention the space between the carriages and platform is closed, and
accidents of the kind referred to cannot happen.
In constructing railway carriages according to my Invention I apply to the lower
edge or "fillet" at each side of the carriage a protecting board, the said board being
a little longer than the carriage, and extending from the buffer nozzle at one end of
the carriage to the buffer nozzle at the opposite end of the carriage. The said pro-
tecting board has an angular figure in cross section; that is, the upper half of the
said board which joins the lower part or "fillet" of the carriage is inclined to the
said carriage, while the lower half is situated vertically and parallel to the side of
the carriage. The inclined upper half of the said protecting board projects from the
carriage to a distance equal to the space between the side of the carriage and the
platform of the railway station. In the said protecting board the steps of the
carriage are formed, which steps may either be made of wood or of metal, and
the sides of the said steps are closed or boxed up. Hinged flaps are also made in
the board for gaining access to the grease boxes and springs of the carriage.
The protecting board may either be fixed to the "fillet" of the carriage by screw
bolts and nuts, or it may be hinged to the said carriage. In the latter case it may
Paving G71

page_text: be turned back against the side of the carriage when access is required to be
obtained to the under side or other parts of the carriage.
The angular shaped protecting board described is adapted both for high and low
platforms. When the carriage is brought to a high platform the base of the inclined
upper half of the said board is situated on a level with the top of the said platform,
and the space between the carriage and the platform is thus covered and protected;
and when the carriage is brought to a low platform the bottom edge of the vertical
lower half of the protecting board is situated on a level with the top of the low
platform, and the space between the carriage and platform is thereby covered and
protected.
In either case should a passenger slip in ascending to or descending from the
carriage the said passenger is protected either by the inclined or vertical part of the
board from falling between the platform and carriage, the striking of the passenger
against the said board causing him to be projected on to the platform.
In order that the spaces between the adjacent carriages of the train may be filled
up so as to form a continuous protecting board from end to end of the train I
adapt to each end of the carriage an end sliding block. These end sliding blocks
have the general figure of the protecting boards described, but they are prolonged
upwards and slide in brackets fixed to the end of the carriage. The prolonged
upper parts of the pair of sliding blocks at each end of the carriage are connected
together by cross rods passing from one side to the opposite side of the carriage.
These rods serve as steps for gaining access to the roof of the carriage. The said
sliding end blocks are pressed outwards by low or other springs bearing against the
prolonged upper parts of the said blocks.
When two carriages are coupled together the sliding blocks on their meeting ends
abut against each other, and their springs are compressed. The space between the
two adjacent carriages is thus closed at the lower part of the carriages, and when
the train is made up the protecting board is continuous from end to end of the
train.
Portions of the upper prolonged parts of the end sliding blocks are cut away to
form man-holes, through which access is gained to the ends of the carriages for
coupling and uncoupling them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th December
1878,
HENRY SHAW, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tool
Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
My Invention consists of the improvements in or additions to railway carriages,
herein-after described, and has for its object to prevent the accidents which frequently
occur in consequence of persons falling between the carriages and the platform of
the railway station.
By my Invention the space between the carriages and platform is closed, and
accidents of the kind referred to cannot happen.
In constructing railway carriages according to my Invention I apply to the lower
edge or "fillet" at each side of the carriage a protecting board, the said board being
a little longer than the carriage, and extending from the buffer nozzle at one end of
the carriage to the buffer nozzle at the opposite end of the carriage. The said pro-
tecting board has an angular figure in cross section; that is, the upper half of the
said board which joins the lower part or "fillet" of the carriage is inclined to the
said carriage, while the lower half is situated vertically and parallel to the side of
the carriage. The inclined upper half of the said protecting board projects from
the carriage to a distance equal to the space between the side of the carriage and
the platform of the railway station. In the said protecting board the steps of the
carriage are formed, which steps may either be made of wood or of metal, and the
sides and bottoms of the recesses in which the steps are made are closed or boxed
up; hinged flaps are also made in the board for gaining access to the grease boxes
and springs of the carriage.
The protecting board may either be fixed to the "fillet" of the carriage by screw
In the latter case it may
bolts and nuts, or it may be hinged to the said carriage.
be turned back against the side of the carriage when access is required to be
obtained to the under side or other parts of the carriage.
The angular shaped protecting board described is adapted both for high and low
platforms. When the carriage is brought to a high platform the base of tho
inclined upper half of the said board is situated on a level with the top of the low
platform, and the space between the carriage and platform is thereby covered and
protected.
In either case should a passenger slip in ascending to or descending from the
carriage the said passenger is! protected either by the inclined or vertical part of
the board from falling between the platform and carriage, the striking of the
passenger against the said board causing him to be projected on to the platform.
In order that the spaces between the adjacent carriages of the train may be
filled up so as to form a continuous protecting board from end to end of the train I
adapt to each end of the carriage an end sliding block, pressed outwards by springs,
the said sliding blocks being situated parallel to the buffer rods, and having the
general figure of the protecting board described.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in plan, Figure 3 in cross section,
and Figure 4 in end elevation, a railway carriage constructed according to my
Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, a², a, a³, represent the protecting boards fixed or applied to the lower edge or
"fillet" at each side of the carriage, each of the said protecting boards being a little
longer than the carriage, as represented. The angular figure of the protecting
board a, a, is best seen in the cross section, Figure 3. By an examination of the

page_text: said Figure 3 it will be seen that the upper half a of the said board which joins the
lower edge or "fillet" of the carriage is inclined to the said carriage, while the
lower half a is situated vertically and parallel to the side of the carriage, the said
inclined upper half a projecting from the carriage to a distance equal to the space
between the side 6 of the carriage and the platform c or c² of the railway station.
In the protecting board a, a², of the carriage, and opposite each of the doors of the
carriage, is a recess, containing a step d. The sides of the said recess are closed or
boxed up, and the bottom of the said recess is also closed or boxed up by the closing
piece e (see Figure 3). The steps d, d, may be made of wood or of metal.
said protecting board a, a, and opposite the wheels of the carriage, hinged flaps f, ƒ,
are made for gaining access to the grease boxes and springs of the carriage, as seen
in Figure 1.
In the
The protecting board a, a², may either be fixed to the "fillet" or lower edge of
the carriage by screw bolts and nuts, or the said protecting board may be hinged to
the said fillet. When the protecting board is hinged to the carriage it may be
raised or turned back against the carriage, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3,
when access is required to be obtained to the under side or other parts of the
carriage.
For the purpose of illustrating the adaptability of a railway carriage containing
my improvements to either high or low platforms of a railway station, I have
represented in Figure 3 a high platform, marked c at the left-hand side of the
carriage, and a low platform, marked c³ at the right-hand side of the carriage.
When the carriage b, b, is brought to the high platform c the base of the inclined
upper half a of the angular shaped protecting board a, a³, is on a level with the top
of the said platform c, and the space between the carriage and the said platform is
thus closed and protected; and when the carriage b, b, is brought to the low plat-
form the bottom edge of the vertical half a² of the protecting board is situated on
a level with the said low platform, and the space between the carriage and low
platform is thus closed .and protected. When the carriage is situated at the high
platform c the carriage steps d, d, in the protecting board are situated on a level
with the top of the platform, and the said steps d, d, are used by passengers in
ascending to or descending from the carriage; but when the carriage is situated at the
low platform c² the closing or boxing up pieces e, e, of the recesses containing the
steps d, d, are on a level with the top of the platform c³, and hence the said steps
are at a higher level than the platform, and passengers in ascending to or descending
from the carriage step from the platform to the step d, or the reverse.
In the case
of a low platform e² the closing pieces e, e, on a level with the said low platform
prevent anything falling at the step parts of the board between the platform and
carriage.
When the carriage is situated at either the high platform c or the low platform c²
should a passenger slip in ascending to or descending from the carriage the said
passenger is prevented either by the inclined part a, or by the vertical part a², or
by the closing pieco e of the protecting board from falling between the platform
and carriage, the falling of a passenger on the said board causing him to be rolled
or projected on to the platform c or c².
The said protecting board a, a², also prevents persons on the platform from
falling between the carriage and platform.
For the purpose of forming a continuous protecting board from end to end of the
train end sliding blocks may be arranged at the ends of each carriage to fill the
space between it and the next carriage. I have represented in Figures 1, 2, and 4
end sliding blocks for this purpose attached to one end only of the carriage.
a³, a³,
represent the end sliding blocks, the prolonged or upper parts of which slide by
means of pins and slots at g in the brackets h, h, fixed to the end of the carriage.
The said prolonged parts of the pair of sliding blocks a³, a³, at each end of the
carriage are connected together by cross rods a, a, passing from one side to the
opposite side of the carriage: these rods serve as steps for gaining access to the roof
of the carriage. The end blocks a³, a³, are pressed outwards by bow springs i (or

page_text: other springs) on the said blocks, bearing against the end of the carriage (seo
Figures 1 and 2).
When the carriages are coupled together in making up a train the sliding blocks
as, as, at the meeting ends of each carriage abut against each other, and their
springs i, i, are compressed. The space between the two carriages is thus closed at
the lower part of the carriages, and a continuous protecting board from end to end
of the train is produced.
The outer part at a³ of each of the sliding end blocks a³ is cut away, and the
opening thus left between two abutting end blocks forms a man-hole by which
access may be gained to the ends of the carriages for coupling and uncoupling
them.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,―
The improvements in or additions to railway carriages, herein-before described,
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, whereby persons are prevented from
falling between the said carriages and the platform of the railway station; that is
to say, closing the space between the carriage and the platform by fixing or hinging
to the lower edge or "fillet" at each side of the carriage a protecting board, of the
construction described and represented, the said protecting board being furnished
with recesses containing the carriage steps (the sides and bottoms of the said
recesses being closed or boxed up); and also with hinged flaps for gaining access to
the grease boxes and springs of the carriage, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Also the combination with the said protecting boards of end sliding blocks for
forming continuous protecting boards from end to end of the train, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Shaw, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
hundred and
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
HENRY SHAW. (L.S.)