IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POB STARTING, PROPELLING, AND STOPPINGPING RAILWAY TRAINS OR CARRIAGES SHIPS ORSSE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Muir, of 57, Claverton Street, Pimlico, in
the City of Westminster, Engineer and Machinist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS POB STARTING, PROPELLING, AND STOPPING
Sealed the 25th February 1868, and dated the 29th August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Muir at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,, on the
29th August 1867.
I, WILLIAM MUIR, of 57, Claverton Street, Pimlico, in the City of: West-
minster, Engineer and Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STARTING, PROPELLING, AND
STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS OR CARRIAGES AND SHIPS OR VESSELS," to be as.
follows:
This Invention consists in starting, propelling, and stopping railway trains,
or carriages by the adoption of a system of endless chains, bands, wire or..
other ropes, one at least of such endless chains, bands, or ropes being used..

page_text: for a given length of the railway, and being conducted along each side thereof
(near to each rail for instance, and over wheels or pulleys situated at right
angles to the lines of rails or in any other suitable position, one or both of
which may be used as driving wheels; besides which I use other wheels or
rollers as guides, one at least being adjustable for tightening the chain, rope,
or band. Power of a steam engine or other prime mover (stationary) will
by the driving wheels give motion to the arrangements aforesaid. Attached.
to the train or carriage are clips (one at least at each side) which by an
eccentric or other motion can respectively be made to take hold of the chain
or rope, thereby causing the train or carriage to be moved in one direction or
the other as the case may be, and the same may be stopped by easing or
throwing off both clips. For ships and vessels in rivers, canals, and other
such like places I should arrange the endless chain, rope, or band in a
similar manner by placing the same at each side of the river, canal, or such
like place, and the driving and guide wheels would be suitably disposed either
at bottom, on a bridge or erection above, or at one side, and the clip arrange-
ments would be attached to the ship or vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters' Patent, filed
by the said William Muir in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MUIR, of 57, Claverton Steet, Pimlico, in the City of Westminster, Engineer
and Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred' and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give' and grant unto me
the said William Muir, Her special licence that, I, the said William Muir,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Muir, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR STARTING, PROPELLING, AND STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS OR

page_text: CARRIAGES AND SHIPS OR VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Muir, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Muir, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement.
This Invention consists in starting, propelling, and stopping railway trains or
carriages by the adoption of a system of endless chains, bands, wire or other
ropes, one at least of such endless chains, bands, or ropes being used for a given
length of the railway, and being conducted along each side thereof (near to
each rail for instance) and over wheels or pulleys situated at right angles to the
lines of rails, or at the ends of the lines of rails, or in any other suitable position ;
one or both the wheels may be used as driving wheels; besides which I use
other wheels or pulleys as guides; one at least being adjustable for. tightening
the chain, rope; or band Power of a steam engine or other prime mover,
(stationary) will by the driving wheels give motion to the arrangements
aforesaid. Attached to the train or carriages are clips (one at least at each
side), which by an excentric or other motion can respectively be made. to take.
hold of the chain or rope, thereby causing the train or carriage to be moved.
in one direction or the other as the case may be, and. the same may be stopped;
by easing or throwing off both clips. For ships and vessels in rivers, canals,
and 'other such like places Tshould arrange the endless chain, rope, or band.
in a similar manner by placing the same at each side of the river, canal, or
such like place, and the driving and guide wheels would be suitably disposed
either at bottom, on a bridge or erection above, or at one side, and the clip
arrangements would be attached to the ship or vessel.
1. 1
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
and of the Invention thereby illustrated.
Fig. 1 à vertical transverse section shewing the clips and means of

page_text: pulleys, also the driving pulleys and arrangement for preventing moving off
the rails; Fig. 4 plan of carriage.
A, the franiework of carriage; B, the carriage wheels running loose on
the axles; a, the rope or chain; C, the guide pulleys; D, hand wheel for
putting clips in action by means of the bands E working round the system of
pulleys F, F, F, F, and actuating the lever G attached to the crank disc H.
Connecting rods I and I¹ are respectively connected to the disc H and to the
excentric discs d and d (I being connected to d and I to d¹); the said discs
having excentric slots to work on the pins fixed to the clips c and c¹ as the
hand wheel D is moved to or fro by the person in charge of the apparatus;
K and K', the apparatus for preventing the carriage from moving off the rails,
hither of which K or K¹ may be used; b, b', rollers connected to the clip
carriers to lift them clear of the guide pulleys C by moving up the inclined
planes f, f, which are placed near each guide pulley; L, plate fixed to the axle
and carrying the clip apparatus; O, framing to which the rails P are fixed with
india-rubber or any like suitable material between the joints; this framing
need not be of the exact form shewn by the Drawing, but could be made of
any suitable form. N the driving or adjusting pulley; there being one at
each end of the given length of railway, and round which the rope or chain
passes. M gearing for giving motion to the said driving pulley. The clip.
rollers and guide pulleys should be lined with vulcanized india-rubber or any
like suitable material to prevent wear and tear on the rope or chain; the
driving and adjusting pulley N can also be lined with india-rubber or other
material, and if desirable I can use rollers clipping the rope to the driving
pulley to prevent slipping. By giving a suitable rate of motion to the gearing.
M, it will drive the rope at a given speed and will pass over the pulley at the
other end, consequently the rope or chain is going up one side and down the
other; and by the person in charge of the apparatus moving the wheel D either
'way he can stop or start the carriage or move in one direction or the other,
doing away with the necessity for breaks to the wheels; by this means the power
for starting can be used for stopping. With regard to the application of this
Invention as herein-before described to propelling vessels along canals or
rivers, this will be readily understood from what has been herein-before stated,
and therefore needs no further description.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare
that I claim the improvements in apparatus for starting, propelling, and
stopping railway trains, or carriages, and ships or vessels, as herein-before
set forth and described, it being understood that I do not claim any of the
.

page_text: details of the mechanical construction as herein-before set forth per se and
apart from the purposes of my said Invention as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Muir, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ALEX. P. WRIGHT,
WM. MUIR.
(L.S.)
Secretary to the
Inventors' Patent Right Association (Limited),
21, Cockspur St.,
Charing Cross, W.