IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING BY PUBLIC VEHICLES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Archibald Ramsden and
William Dawes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th November 1873.
We, EDWARD ARCHIBALD RAMSDEN, of Park Row, Leeds, in the
County of York, Music Seller, and WILLIAM DAWES, of Kingston
Grove, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR INDICATING OR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING BY
PUBLIC VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
In or near the doorway or other suitable or convenient part of the
landing or platform over which the passengers must walk to enter or
leave the vehicle, we construct a pair of oblong or other shaped "weigh-
bridges" or "weighboards," of a similar size and appearance to an
ordinary door mat, and so fixed or suspended as to allow of about half
an inch of depression on receiving the weight of a passenger; then in
connection with each of these "weighboards," we employ a separate and
distinct mechanical "counter," not as heretofore, to indicate the number

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that is to say:-
We use the inside weighboard (or the one nearest the inside of the
vehicle) for registering upon its own counter the number of passengers
entering, and the outside weighboard (or the one nearest the outside of
the vehicle) for registering upon the other counter the number of
passengers leaving the vehicle; and to obtain this peculiar action or
effect without confusion we insert between the said weighboards and
their counters a mechanical movement or apparatus which shall so
control the indicating as to cause the latter or last pressed weighboard
only to actuate its indicator or counter. The first one of the pair which
is stepp'd upon, either in entering or leaving the vehicle, being so
arranged as not to register or move its counter, and this action or effect
is produced, although both of the weighboards are pressed down by
each passenger in entering and leaving the vehicle. To insure this
latter being effected (that is the pressing down of both weighboards by
every passenger), we place and proportion them so that a passenger
cannot well avoid stepping upon both of them; and to further insure
this we fix between them a thin iron "fender" or "guard," about six
inches broad or high, which from its nature and position will compel or
necessitate the use and action of both the weighboards.
It may be well to explain that although the first of the two weigh-
boards which is pressed down does not register, the last or other one (in
each case) will do so each time it is raised and pressed down again, even
should the first one be "held down" and not allowed to rise between
the actions of the then last or indicating one of the pair; and on the
other hand, the one which is at the time the first or non-indicating
weighboard will not register whilst the other is pressed down, even if it
is allowed to rise and then be pressed down again..
We also apply the before-named actions or movements to the upper
floor or roof of the vehicle when it is used to carry passengers by
merely substituting two of the "stairs" or "steps" for the two weigh-
boards, and similarly connecting them to their counters, always
employing two adjoining or consecutive steps for the purpose, and by
preference we select a pair near the top of the "flight." or total number
of steps.
In some cases where it is inconvenient to employ the two weighboards

page_text: or partially across the doorway, and coupled or united (clear of the
doorway) so as to work simultaneously, and also arranged to register the
ingress and egress of the passengers upon separate counters. These
arms may be made either to work "each way and back" to. their central
or normal position, or they may be made as a pair of short armed "turn-
stiles " to rotate both ways, still coupled to work simultaneously, and
thus register the ingress and egress upon separate counters, as before
explained.
"
The object of this double registering (in and out) is not only to
prevent the action of the apparatus from being tampered or interfered
with, as similar single acting arrangements would be liable to, but also
to enable us to note or register the number of passengers leaving the
vehicle in a given distance or "stage" between two stations, so as to
define the number remaining to continue their journey beyond a certain
'stage" or station at which the "fare" or charge is altered. In such cases
we construct an apparatus in connection with the rail or tramway
having two oblong studs within the groove which the wheel flange
traverses; these studs being so spaced and arranged that the said flange
by the passing of the car shall press them down in succession, similar to
the action or effect of a passenger upon the weighboards, and this (only)
shall cause a middle (third) stud to rise up and come in contact with a
suspended lever between the car wheels, and then as the car passes over
to retire or sink down into the groove of the rail, and be inert until the
passing of the next proper car or vehicle, thus insuring (by the adoption
of the same action or principle which we have explained in connection
with the double or duplex weighboards and their counters) the proper
action for the proper cars, and safety from any action at all from the
passing of other vehicles.
The office or object of the before-named "suspended lever" between
the car wheels is to act upon the egress counter or counters, either to
mark the number of passengers who have left the car up to that point
or stage, or to throw the egress counters out of action for the remainder
of the journey, and thus indicate the number.
We prefer to use a separate counter or separate counters for each
journey, and thus simplify the "reading off" or calculating of the
numbers and their different "rates" or "fares;" and we construct
these counters in such a manner that during each journey, and as the

page_text: numbers are being indicated, a slight spring is at the same time being
wound for the purpose of giving a proper check and solidity of action,
and also for the convenience of instantly returning them all to "nil" or
zero " when required, by means of a stud," "knob," or other
equivalent, and accessible only to the proper or authorized persons or
officials.
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