Improvements relating to the Ventilation of Railway and other Carriages, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
་
Improvements relating to the Ventilation of Railway and other
Carriages, and to Apparatus therefor.
We, GORDON DONALDSON PETERS, Manufacturer, and WILLIAM MCLAREN,
both of Moorgate Works, Moorfields, in the County of London, 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:—
Our invention relates to the ventilation of railway and other carriages, and to
apparatus therefor.
Our said invention comprises an improved method or manner of providing for
the ventilation of such carriages by intercepting and drawing in air at one side of
the carriage, while the latter is in motion, and at the same time drawing air out
of the carriage at the other side thereof. We thus produce, while the carriage is
in motion, a continuous current of air which flows through the carriage from one to
the other side thereof over the heads of the passengers, thus effectually removing
the vitiated air, without inconvenience to the passengers.
For this purpose, we combine, with a sliding or adjustable or other suitable
ventilator attached to or formed with the carriage-door or other suitable part of the
carriage, a device which is secured upon the outside of the carriage door or other
part of the carriage, in lieu of the bonnet or guard usually placed over the ordinary
ventilator. This device is open and preferably slightly flaring or bell-mouthed at
one extremity, so as to form a wind-scoop, wind-catcher or cowl. One or more of
these wind-catchers or cowls are provided upon each side of the carriage, those on
one side thereof being open at the forward end, and those on the other side thereof
being open at the rear end. When the carriage is in motion, the air will be caught
by the wind-catcher or cowl the mouth or aperture of which is pointing in the
direction of motion of the carriage, and will be forced into the said carriage in a
continuous current, which passes over the heads of the occupants. At the same
time, air will be drawn or sucked out of the opposite ventilator by induction by the
other device or cowl, the mouth or aperture of which points towards the rear of the
carriage and which forms a kind of ejector.
The admission of air to the interior
of the carriage may, if desired, be regulated or entirely cut off by the adjustment
of a sliding or other ventilator in the usual manner.
Our improvements are applicable to existing ventilators such as are ordinarily
employed in railway and other carriages, without necessitating any alteration
thereof.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the outside of a portion of a railway-
carriage door with our improved wind-catcher or cowl applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figures 1 and 2.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is the carriage-door, B is the window thereof, C is a sliding ventilator of the
kind ordinarily employed.
On the outside of the said door and in place of the usual bonnet or guard over
the ventilator, is secured a wind-scoop, wind-catcher or cowl D, which has a mouth
or aperture D' at one end and is closed at the other end and at the top and bottom.
The said wind-catcher or cowl is so arranged upon the door at one side of the
carriage or compartment that the mouth or aperture D¹ points in the direction of
the motion of the carriage (indicated in Figure 3 by the arrow 1), so that the air

page_text: will enter the said cowl and pass through the ventilator as indicated by the arrows 2
in Figure 3. The cowl on the other side of the carriage must be arranged so that
it points in the reverse direction, and, by moving through the air, will create a
partial vacuum and thus cause air to be drawn out of this side of the carriage.
The wind-catchers or cowls on opposite sides of the railway or other carriage
being pointed in opposite directions, it is evident that, should the direction of motion
of the carriage be reversed, the only difference resulting from such reversal, in
respect of the ventilation, will be in the direction of the current of air across the
interior of the carriage.
It is obvious that we can somewhat modify the form of our improved wind-scoop,
wind-catcher or cowl without departing from the nature of our said invention. For
instance suitable holes are sometimes formed in the closed end or in the bottom of
the scoop or cowl to permit particles of coal, dust or other foreign bodies that may
be carried in by the wind, to drop out of the said scoop or cowl or to be ejected
therefrom through the said holes by the action of the wind. We sometimes
provide a device, such as the curved plate E shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, for
preventing the entrance of too great a volume of air; and we may, if desired,
provide suitable means for regulating or controlling the admission of air to the scoop
or cowl.
It is evident, moreover, that our said invention, instead of being applied to
railway-carriage doors, may be applied to other parts of railway-carriages, and also
to other kinds of carriages where practicable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood that
we claim :-
First. The improved method or manner of providing for the ventilation of a
railway or other carriage whilst in motion, by the interception and drawing in of
air at one side of the carriage and the simultaneous drawing out of air from the
other side of the said carriage, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The combination, with a ventilator for a railway or other carriage, of a
wind-scoop, wind-catcher or cowl constructed and arranged substantially as
described and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 11th da...
Τ
1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.