Improvements in Apparatus for the Simultaneous Locking and Unlocking of Railway Carriage Doors.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1891
VUMI LEIDDI BUITIAL
Improvements in Apparatus for the Simultaneous Locking and
Unlocking of Railway Carriage Doors.
I, JOHN WILLIAM SMITH, of Melbourne, in the County of Bourke, in the Colony
of Victoria, Railway Employe, 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 :-
This invention consists of an apparatus for the simultaneous locking and unlocking
of railway carriage doors by means of compressed air governed and controlled by
a valve placed upon the locomotive and under the control of the engine-driver.
This is accomplished by a combination of valves, cylinders, connecting rods, spring
bolts, dovetailed sliding slippers and other details so constructed and arranged that
by the use of compressed air all the carriage doors on either side of a train may be
simultaneously locked or unlocked as desired, by manipulating a valve under the
sole control of the engine-driver. This invention is thus adapted to prevent any of
the doors from being opened whilst the train is in motion, thereby preventing
accidents arising from passengers entering or leaving the train whilst the same is
in motion. When the doors are required to be locked on the starting of the train
the engine-driver merely turns on the compressed air, by moving a handle to the
central position on the valve which is attached to the locomotive, in the same
manner as the valve belonging to an automatic brake, by which action the com-
pressed air passes along connecting pipes underneath each railway carriage
to a point in the centre of the latter, where it enters another valve called a release
valve, thence at right angles to the outside of the frame work of under carriage,
into a cylinder containing a piston, with rod extending along the whole, length of
the carriage, and to which rod is attached at each door-way a lever, which, being
acted upon by the piston rod, actuates a slipper (moving in a dovetailed groove,
and containing a spring bolt) which upon being moved into position, thereby places
the spring bolt in contact with, and locking the door of the carriage, so that when
the doors are locked, they cannot be opened until the pressure of the compressed
air is taken off, by the engine-driver opening the valve under his control, by moving
the handle to the right or left, and thus by the latter action allowing the piston
rods of the cylinders to resume their normal position, thereby withdrawing the
slipper containing the spring bolt, thus breaking contact with and unlocking the
door, and allowing the same to be opened.
The whole of the doors of a train can be thus locked or unlocked practically
instantaneously.
My said invention is adapted not only to prevent accidents occurring, but also to
prevent any loss of time, since the passengers need never have to be detained whilst
the porters are unlocking the doors as in some existing systems.
The couplings are arranged and designed to prevent loss of time and inconvenience
in connecting or disconnecting.
Carriages may be added to or withdrawn from a train without impairing the
utility of the apparatus, and means are provided whereby the doors along each side
of a train are worked by independent mechanism, and derangement of the mechanism
of any individual lock will not affect the working of the other locks.
In explaining the nature of the apparatus by which this is accomplished, I will
now describe the invention, referring to the accompanying sheets of drawings which
form a part of this Specification.
Figure 1 is a front view of a lock showing the slipper moving in a frame secured
in the jamb of each carriage door, and showing the spring bolts, also the lever by
which the slipper is actuated.

page_text: "
Figure 2 is an end elevation or view of a frame, slipper, and spring bolt, as seen
in a door jamb and
Figure 3 is a side view of the same parts.
Figure 4 is an exterior view of a release valve showing mode of fixing to frame-
work, also inlet pipes, and pipes communicating with locking cylinders.
Figure 5 is an end view of parts shown in Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a sectional view of a release valve showing inlet pipes, and pipes to
locking cylinders, also spring piston governing release valve, also outlet for
compressed air.
Figure 7 is an exterior view of a cylinder, and part of the piston rod which
extends along the side of the carriage.
Figure 8 is a sectional view of parts in Figure 7, showing a piston, part of the
piston rod, and the spiral spring adapted to return or force the piston into its normal
position after the pressure of the compressed air is taken off.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the locking valve, placed on the locomotive, showing
the handle, outlet port, conduit pipes, and induction pipe.
Figure 10 is a plan of the locking valve on locomotive showing handle, with spring
bolt for keeping valve spigot or regulator in position.
Figure 11 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the locking valve shown in
Figure 9.
Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view of the locking valve taken through the
line YY in Figure 9 showing valves open to admit compressed air.
Figure 13 is a transverse sectional view through the line Z Z in Figure 9, showing
ports and valve spigot in position for releasing compressed air.
Figure 14 is a longitudinal elevation of valve spigot showing inlet and outlet
chambers.
Figure 15 is a view of intermediate joint or coupling, for connecting conduit
pipes between the adjacent ends of the carriages.
Figure 16 is a sectional view of the said coupling.
Figure 17 is a plan from beneath, showing framework of under carriage, and the
arrangement of the conduit pipes, release valves, compressed air reservoirs, cylinders
and piston rods.
Figure 18 shows a side elevation of a railway carriage with the locking apparatus
attached, showing conduit couplings, cylinders, piston rod, levers and spring bolt
attachments.
In all these drawings the same parts are designated by the same letters of
reference. A is the sliding slipper containing the spring bolts, and moving in lock
frame E which is secured to frame work or jamb of carriage door.
B is the spring
bolt and C the spring working in the slipper A which is actuated by the lever D.
F shows a release valve. G G are the induction pipes. H is the connection
between the release valve and the auxiliary reservoir. J is the connection between
the release valves and the cylinders N. K is the piston forming the automatic
release valve. L is the spiral spring acting upon the piston when the air pressure
is taken off and thereby bringing the ports M M into line and by that means
relieving the cylinders of air. N shows a cylinder in which the piston rod works,
and actuates the various levers attached to the various locks. O is a spiral spring
inside the cylinder, which acts upon the piston when the pressure of air is taken
off, and thereby forces the piston back to its normal position, which has the effect
of withdrawing the bolts of the locks. P is the piston. R is the piston rod which
is attached to all the levers actuating the locks. A is the lock valve; B the inlet
ports from the compressed air chamber not shown; C the outlet ports; D' the
valve spigot or regulator; E the handle of the regulator by which the valves are
opened or closed at the will of the driver or operator; F' is a pin or stop (actuated
by pressing a lever H2 and spring J³) which drops into one of three recesses or
holes shown, thus securing the regulator at the point required to admit or release
the compressed air through the ports desired. K² is the cover of the valve securing
the regulator in its place. M' is the self adjusting joint or air coupling; S the

page_text: guides in which the piston rods move; T is a pin or bolt upon which the lever D
swings; V is the auxiliary reservoir which contains a stove of compressed air
available on the carriage without requiring the air to travel all the way along
the train. W shows position of cocks for preventing escape of air from reservoirs V
when any carriage is disconnected, and so that if any derangement occurs in
connection with the locks on either side, such locks can be thrown out of action by
turning the corresponding cock.
It will be seen that, with the exception of the regulator valve, all the mechanism
is in duplicate there being an independent set for actuating the doors on each side
respectively. If the handle be put in a central position the compressed air enters
the pipes and passes into the cylinders on both sides of the train, and so locks all
the doors. When the doors are to be unlocked the handle is turned, and as soon
as it is turned slightly to the right or left, the inlet port on that side will be closed
and no air can escape from the reservoir through the regulator valve into the pipe
on that side of the train to which the handle is turned and as the handle is further
turned over against the stop or other equivalent device on the right or left side, as
may be required, the outlet will be opened, and the air allowed to escape from and
release the locks on that particular side of the train. It is not necessary to show
the air compressor reservoir on the locomotive, by which compressed air is supplied
to the mechanism I have described.
The doors are unlocked by the release valves allowing the air to escape, and by
the spiral springs in the cylinders causing the pistons to draw the bolts of the locks
back. When first locking the doors after coupling up the carriages all the doors
would be locked, after which the doors on one side only would be unlocked at a
time.
If, when the locking bolts are thrown into locking position any of the doors
happen to be standing open the doors may still be closed, (by reason of the bevel
on B which is actuated by the spring C) and when the doors are thus closed they
will remain locked until released by the engine-driver controlling the regulator
valve. It may occasionally be desirable to afford means by which individual doors
can be opened while leaving the remaining doors locked.
For this purpose I sometimes provide my said lock with a keyhole (not shown)
and use a key and means adapted in any well known manner to retract the locking
bolt B for this purpose the bolt slipping forward again when the pressure on the
key is removed.
I sometimes dispense with the use of the reservoirs V and the connections thereto
from the release valve as features not essential to the working of the locking and
unlocking apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A device for automatically locking and unlocking railway carriage doors
consisting of the combination of a locking valve A³, a series of pipes G, a series of
coupling joints M³, a series of release valves F, a series of auxiliary reservoirs V, a
series of injection pipes J, a series of cylinders N, a series of pistons P, and piston
rods R, a series of levers D, and a series of locks having movable slippers, working
in fixed frames and carrying spring bolts all substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
2. The lock valve A', with ports and chambers for controlling the transmission
and escape of compressed air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a device for automatically locking and unlocking railway carriage doors,
the combination of the double air tight couplings, with the double conduit or induction
pipes, as and for the purpose specified.
4. The release valve F with ports and chambers as and for the purpose
specified.
5. In a device for automatically locking and unlocking railway carriage doors,

page_text: the combination of the release valve F, with the auxiliary reservoir V, as and for
the purpose specified.
6. The cylinder N, in combination with the piston P, spiral spring O, and
piston rod R, as and for the purpose set forth.
7. In a device for automatically locking and unlocking railway carriage doors,
the combination of the cylinder N the piston P, the spiral spring O. and piston
rod R, with the lever D, as and for the purpose specified.
8. In a device for automatically locking and unlocking railway carriage doors,
the combination of a lever D, with a lock, having a sliding bolt or slipper A moving
in or on a fixed frame or bed E, and carrying a bevelled spring bolt B as and for
the purpose specified.
Dated this 1st day of October 1890.
Dated this 4th day of December 1890.
JOHN WILLIAM SMITH.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.