Improvements in Railway' Mineral Wagons.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Nov., 1893—Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
TRUVIDIONAL DIECITATION.
Improvements in Railway' Mineral Wagons.
I, MATTHEW HERON of No. 51 Montreal Street Cleator Moor, in the Parish
of Clentor, in the County of Cumberland, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention applies to that description of railway mineral wagon which is
discharged by the opening of a door or doors in the bottom so as to allow the
contents to discharge themselves by gravity.
In the usual form of wagon of this description there are sloping sides tapering
inwards towards the bottom of the wagon to what might be called (regarding it
without reference to its position) a truncated apex, and there is usually a door
fitted to the bottom of the wagon secured by hinges on one side, and by a bolt or
bolts on the other side so that when the bolt or bolts are withdrawn the weight of
the door, with or without the additional pressure due to the weight of the contents
of the wagon, causes it to fall open and to hang vertically by the hinges. When
the contents of the wagon are by these means discharged it is necessary to lift the
loose side of the door, which is unavoidably of considerable weight, and to secure
it in its position by means of the bolt or bolts before referred to. In this, the
usual arrangement of wagon, if a part of the contents stick in the wagon at the
corners or sides it is usual to beat the sides of the wagon so as by concussion to
shake out the last of the contents, and this is not only a laborious but a more or
less destructive operation, injuring the body of the wagon besides being inefficient
in the occasional instance of a part of the contents of the wagon being-wet and
perhaps frozen.
The door being however at the bottom it is inconvenient and even dangerous to
attempt to dislodge any part of the contents from below, and the only convenient
method of clearance is by concussion as described or by operations conducted from
the upper part of the wagon.
Now I by my invention construct the wagon so as that what I have called the
apex is not truncated but wedge shaped, that is to say in one view looking from
the side of the wagon it is shaped like the letter V, and in the other view at right
angles to the first view the apex appears as a straight line of a length corre-
sponding to the width of the sloping inside of the ends of the wagon at its narrowest
point. The door of the wagon for the discharge of the contents is formed of a
part of the actual end side of the wagon which, using the illustration I have
employed, would be the lower portion of one side of the letter V. This door is
not hinged directly in itself, but supports by which it is carried are hinged, and
there is besides an iron connection attached to it operated by bell crank and lever
on a weigh bar, or other equivalent device, so as that it can be moved outwards,
and slightly upwards, from the position it occupies when closed; the weight of the
contents of the wagon tending to facilitate the movement.
I may also for
convenience and facility of movement fit a guide or guides and wheel or wheels for
the door to run on. When the contents of the wagon are discharged, there is, in
the weight of the door, and in its position produced by the upward movement
before described, a natural tendency to facilitate the closing of the door, and thus
the working of the lever referred to is facilitated both ways. The lever by which
the opening and closing of the door is effected is situated at the side of the wagon
to which a catch plate may also be attached to regulate the amount of opening.
When the door is closed, the opening lever may be secured in any convenient way,
but I prefer to employ a catch operated by another lever so as to hold it shut until

page_text: released by the withdrawal of the catch, but these two operations may of course
be combined in one lever if desired, as is well understood. When the door of my
improved wagon is open it will be understood that from both sides the inside of the
wagon may be easily seen through the space between the door, and the body of the
wagon, and in order to facilitate the complete discharge of the wagon I can when
it is necessary, insert a bar or slice through a ring fixed on the frame of the wagon,
or to bear against a fixed fulcrum and to operate directly on any part of the
material to be dislodged which may be adherent to the sides. Being thus enabled
to see the whole of the inside of the wagon I can most easily assure myself
of its complete discharge when it is complete, and I require no precautionary
beating of the sides such as is expedient when the complete discharge is not
discoverable by sight, and no manipulation, with the bar or slice excepting in the
case of an actual stoppage.
Dated this Eighteenth day of October 1893.
J. JAMESON,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Mineral Wagons.
I, MATTHEW HERON, of No. 51 Montreal Street, Cleator Moor, in the Parish
of Cleator in the County of Cumberland, Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention applies to that description of railway mineral wagon which is
discharged by the opening of a door or doors in the bottom so as to allow the
contents to discharge themselves by gravity. In the usual form of wagon of this
description there are sloping sides tapering inwards towards the bottom of the
wagon to what might be called (regarding it without reference to its position) a
truncated apex, and there is usually a door fitted to the bottom of the wagon
secured by hinges on one side and by a bolt or bolts on the other side so that when
the bolt or bolts are withdrawn 'the weight of the door, with or without the
additional pressure due to the weight of the contents of the wagon causes it to fall
open and to hang vertically by the hinges. When the contents of the wagon are
by these means discharged it is necessary to lift the loose side of the door, which
is unavoidably of considerable weight, and to secure it in its position by means of
the bolt or bolts before referred to. In this, the usual arrangement of wagon, if a
part of the contents stick in the wagon at the corners or sides it is usual to beat
the sides of the wagon so as by concussion to shake out the last of the contents,
and this is not only a laborious but a more or less destructive operation, injuring
the body of the wagon besides being inefficient in the occasional instance of a part.
of the contents of the wagon being wet and perhaps frozen. The door. being
however at the bottom it is inconvenient and even dangerous to attempt to
dislodge any part of the contents from below, and the only convenient method
of, clearance is by concussion as described or by operations conducted from the
upper part of the wagon.
Now I by my invention construct the wagon so as that what I have called
the apex is not truncated but wedge shaped that is to say in one view looking
from the side of the wagon it is shaped like the letter V. and in the other view
at right angles to the first view the apex appears as a straight line of a length
corresponding to the width of the sloping inside of the ends of the wagon at its
narrowest point. The door of the wagon for the discharge of the contents is
formed of a part of the actual end side of the wagon which, using the illustration
I have employed, would be the lower portion of one side of the letter V. This
'

page_text: mugen unecity in sen, but supports by which it IS carried and
hinged, and there is besides an iron connection attached to it operated by bell
crank and lever on a weigh bar, or other equivalent device, so as that it can be
moved outwards, and slightly upwards, from the position it occupies when closed
the weight of the contents of the wagon tending to facilitate the movement, I may
also for convenience and facility of movement fit a guide or guides and wheel or
wheels for the door to run on. When the contents of the wagon are discharged,
there is, in the weight of the door and in its position produced by the upward
movement before described, a natural tendency to facilitate the closing of the
door, and thus the working of the lever referred to is facilitated both ways. The
lever by which the opening and closing of the door is effected is situated at
the side of the wagon, to which a catch plate may also be attached to regulate the
amount of opening. When the door is closed the opening lever may be secured
in any convenient way but I prefer to employ a catch operated by another lever so
as to hold it shut until released by the withdrawal of the catch, but these two
operations may of course be combined in one lever if desired, as is well under-
stood. When the door of my improved wagon open it will be understood that
from both sides the inside of the wagon may be easily seen through the space
between the door and the body of the wagon; and in order to facilitate the
complete discharge of the wagon I can when it is necessary insert a bar or slice
through a ring fixed on the frame of the wagon, or to bear against a fixed
fulcrum and to operate directly on any part of the material to be dislodged which
may be adherent to the sides, being thus enabled to see the whole of the inside of
the wagon I can most easily assure myself of its complete discharge, when it is
complete, and I require no precautionary beating of the sides such as is expedient
when the complete discharge is not discoverable by sight, and no manipulation
with the bar or slice excepting in the case of an actual stoppage.
In the drawings hereto attached
Fig. 1. is what may be called a ground plan of the wagon fitted according to my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.
Fig. 3. is an end view from the door end.
Fig. 4 is a section at the level of the top of the frame.
Fig. 5. is a section through the line B¹ B in the Fig. 4.
Fig. 6. is a section through the line A' A' in Fig. 4. and
Fig. 7. is an end view of the wagon at the end opposite to Fig. 3.
The same lettering applies to the same parts in each view.
In order to make the construction of wagons according to my invention more
clear, I have shewn in the drawings a good many parts of a wagon which do not
differ in any respect from an ordinary wagon, as for instance the wheels, buffers,
springs &c. &c., and I have also shewn a good deal of detail as to which variations
may be made without touching the essential features of my invention. I would
have it therefore understood that the drawings are intended to illustrate one
method by which my invention may be carried out but by no means the only
method. There may be for instance different forms of catches, different arrange-
ments of levers and weigh bars, different guides for the doors &c. &c. but what I
have drawn, and what I am about to describe appears to me to be the most
convenient and simple form of wagon in which my invention can be carried out.
In Fig. 1. is seen what I have described as the apex of the sloping sides of the
wagon shewing the junction of the door at the bottom, with the sloping sides as
a. straight line. In Fig. 2 this is shewn as V shaped. In all the views
A. represents the sloping sides which form the hopper, and B. represents the door,
A being a plate of iron forming a part of the hopper and intended to restrict the
opening. when the door is open and to cause the delivery of the contents of the
wagon to be localised to the desired degree instead of being spread more than is
desired at the edges of the door. The door B. is stiffened by a stiffening piece R*.
C, in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 are wheels (carrying the weight of the door B.) which run

page_text: upon the inclined planes Con Figs. 4 & 5. D. os a catch plate on the door
intended to hold it shut when desired by means of the catch lever G with its catch
rod E. Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6. E. and G, are thus parts of a locking lever, F. being a
weighbar on which this lever operates that is to say, the weighbar joins together
the parts G. and E. so as to make them practically one lever as I have described it.
Gare catch plates or bracket supports of ordinary construction for the weigh
bar F. carrying the lever G. H. is a lever to operate through the link M. the bell
crank O. N. which is formed by the combination of the levers O. and N. with the
weigh-bar N' Figs. 2 and 4. J. is a holder for the catch plate Z. and J¹ is the.
axis upon which J. moves, the object of which is to hold the door open when
desired. This may in alternative be done by an arrangement of usual form in the
catch plate of the lever H; J' is a hole and recess for the insertion if necessary of
a bar for liberating the catch plate Z. Figs. 2 and 4. K. is a carriage on the frame
of the wagon to carry the lever H, Fig. 2, and the weigh bar in this carriage serves
as a fulcrum with which to operate the connecting rod M. on the short end of the
bell-crank N. and the long end O, through the weigh bar N'. The long end of the
bell-crank drags by the link P. and through the iron shoe Q, which is fixed to
the door, the door itself into its open position and forces it into its shut position
by the same mechanism, when the lever H. is moved into the opposite position.
L. is a set pin or screw for keeping the lever H in desired position Figs. 2 and 4.-
R. Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are what might be called radius rods being hinged to a fixed
centre at R2 and hinged to a moving centre at R' so as to be capable of guiding
the door in a movement outwards and upwards in an arc of a circle whose centre
is R. R are stiffening pieces on the outside of the door, and R³ are corresponding
stiffening pieces to strengthen the sloping sides of the wagon, the sides in fact are
similarly strengthened all round, but this is common I believe to all wagons. S. is
the guide plate or catch plate for the lever H. and T. is the guide or catch plate
for lever G. I have said that in order to facilitate the complete discharge of the
wagon I can when it is necessary insert a bar or slice through rings fixed on the
frame of the wagon; W. Figs. 2, 4, and 5 are these rings. U & Z. Fig. 2. are
bracket and catch plate of automatic gear to hold the door open when required.
X. Fig. 2 being safety pins to prevent accidental opening. The mechanism being
thus arranged in accordance with the drawings or in an analogous mauuer so as to
preserve the essential points of peculiarity of my invention which are herein
described, it will be manifest that we have a wagon capable of discharging its
contents in the manner I have described by the movement of the lever G. which
liberates the door, and the lever H. which opens it; and it will be further manifest
that unlike the ordinary arrangement of door the opening of my improved wagon
may be a full or a partial opening according as it is desired to discharge the contents
rapidly or otherwise. It will be further seen that by the mere movement of the
lever H. the door may be closed and by the movement of the lever G. it may be
locked, and both these levers may be effectually held in the desired position with
great facility by the catch plates and their accessories. It will be further seen
that the power required to move the lever H. is reduced to a minimum by its being
assisted by the weight of material in the wagon when it requires to be opened, and '
that it is assisted by the weight of the door when it is required to be closed. It
will be seen also that a view of the inside of the wagon is obtained when the door
is open without the necessity of the observer moving from the sides of the wagon,
and that by this means and by the provision made for the operating of a slice or
bar any adherent mass of the contents may be dislodged without the danger of
attempting this operation from below, and without the trouble of operating from
above. I believe there is a further advantage in the arrangement according to my
invention as follows: When in an ordinary wagon the door is opened it usually
swings to more than a right angle at the first opening and then at the rebound it
swings heavily against the solid column of the descending contents of the wagon;
and there is injury done by this concussion which is aggravated by the descent of
the contents at a considerable velocity; and that these combined actions rasp and

page_text: tear the material of the door in a way which can not be experienced in my
improved wagon, inasmuch as the slope of the door and the slope of the opposite
side remain uniform during the discharge and the stratum of sliding material on the
door itself protects it against any concussion from the material coming down the
other side; and as the rapidity of discharge at the centre of the opening is much
greater than that at the sides of the opening there is, pro tanto, a much less rasping
action on my improved door than on the ordinary door; and thus it lasts longer
than the door of the ordinary wagon. I have already referred to another
advantage as pertaining to my improved wagon in that the view afforded of the
inside obviates the necessity of hammering the sides to ensure the complete
discharge, and need only remark here that this tends to reduce needless wear and
tear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The construction of a railway mineral wagon with sloping sides for self
discharging, with a door for its discharge opening outwards and upwards by means
of levers at the sides or equivalent device, substantially as described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of November 1893.
J. JAMESON,
Akinside Hill, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Agent for Applicant.