IMPROVEMENTS IN CATTLE TRUCKS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Welch, of Southall, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CATTLE TRUCKS."
Sealed the 29th March 1870, and dated the 9th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Welch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1869.
I, ALFRED WELCH, of Southall, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CATTLE TRUCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cattle trucks.
In constructing cattle trucks, or in adapting cattle trucks now in use,
so that cattle travelling by the trucks may be watered and fed in them
on the journey, thereby doing away with the otherwise necessity of
unloading the cattle to feed and water them, and of reloading them on
their journey between two given points, I introduce just underneath
and about 9 inches below the roof of an ordinary cattle truck a rack or
open floor, though the bars of which the cattle can draw the hay. This

page_text: rack or floor is formed of metal or wood bars stretching transversely
across the truck, each pair of bars being held together and strengthened
by short blocks bolted through them and the bars. To introduce hay
or fodder upon this rack I make in the roof of the truck six moveable
slides, three on either side of it, which are arranged to be pushed upwards
towards the centre of the roof, and drawn back into place again when
the fodder has been introduced through them upon the rack. Next, for
watering the cattle, I place longitudinally resting upon and throughout
the length of the roof of the cattle truck a trough to serve as a reservoir
for water; it is constructed with an aperture upon the top of it readily to
receive the water from the engine tank. This water by means of two
pipes, one at each end of the reservoir, I distribute to the troughs for
the cattle to drink from, and which troughs, with the exception of the
space taken up by the doors of the trucks, I place in the ends and along
the sides of the trucks. The troughs are made of metal or wood, and
placed flush with the inside of the trucks and slightly projecting outside
the trucks, and I suspend over the troughs a swing board, the lower end
of which is confined to the inner edge of the trough by a catch when
the troughs are not required to be used for the cattle. By lifting the
catch the board will be set free, so that the cattle may readily drink
from the troughs. The catch is notched to clip the outer side of the
trough, and at the other end is fixed to the swing board, and works with
a joint, so that when fastened it forms a stiff strut to fix the swing board
firmly against the inside inner edge of the cattle trough, and to prevent
the cattle getting their feet into the trough. In trucks fitted with these
troughs to enable the doors to be opened back flat against the sides of
the trucks whilst the cattle are being loaded I shorten the length of the
doors, so that they may open back just over above the troughs, and I
proportionately lengthen the under flap upon which the cattle walk into
the trucks. I pave the bottom of the trucks with bricks edgeways to
prevent the cattle from slipping about, and I lay the paving slightly
convex to permit the moisture from the cattle to drain from the floor
of the trucks through the side of the trucks. The above adaptations to
trucks in present use will permit cattle to be loaded in them in loose
order and unconfined in the trucks, according to the present system.
My next adaptation of cattle trucks is to water and feed the cattle
in the trucks, and to furnish each individual beast with a stall, which
will not render necessary the tieing up of the animal. I have the roof of

page_text: the truck fixed as at present, but I fix longitudinally over and upon the
top of it a tank with an aperture to receive the water from the engine
tank, and as a reservoir for the water to supply the drinking troughs
for the cattle. These troughs are six in number, and are fitted into the
ends of the trucks and project equal inside and outside a trough for
each head of cattle. These troughs are fed from the reservoir by six
pipes with tap at the lower end, the upper end being fixed into the
reservoir. Over each trough I place a rack covered on the top for
fodder, which is introduced from the outside into the rack, and which
fodder the beasts are enabled to eat by drawing it through bars placed
in the ends of the trucks opposite the hay in the racks. To divide the
truck into six compartments, making a stall for each beast, and to keep
them separate, I divide the truck by four moveable longitudinal slides
or stallings, the bottom edges of which are slid on metal rails.
In loading the cattle into the trucks the four slides are pulled outwards.
through vertical openings in the ends of the carriages just wide enough
to allow them to pass. As cach beast is loaded into its stall with its head
towards the end of the truck the slide is pushed back into the truck,
confining the animal to its allotted space with its head towards the
receptacle for hay and water, and preventing it turning round or goring its
companions. A bar moving on a pinion rests upon the upper edge of the
stallings, and can be turned as a barrier behind each beast when in his.
stall to keep the animal from backing out. The slides are prevented from
being drawn out of the trucks any further than necessary by a shoulder
in the lower edge, and when pushed into the truck they are confined
to their places by a moveable vertical iron bar, which runs through the
substance of the stalling or slide and drops into a hole in the rail upon
which the stalling or slide runs. The stalling or slide is also suspended
by two bars, which run by eyes upon an iron rod fixed in the same
direction as the stallings work. Inside the trucks the stallings do not
butt close against each other end to end, but sufficient distance is left
between their ends to permit, if requisite, a man to walk from the
doorways of the trucks across the carriages to attend to the cattle in
each stall. These adaptations will not render necessary any alteration.
to the doors at present fitted to cattle trucks. Also I pave the floors of
the trucks with bricks to prevent the cattle slipping, and I place the
bricks edgeways and lay them in convex form to permit the moisture
from the cattle to drain out through the sides of the trucks. Trans-

page_text: versely at the ends of the trucks between the buffers when driven in
and the ends of the trucks I make a platform for the convenience of
standing upon to pull out and push in the stallings, and to enable the
attendants on the cattle readily to fodder and water them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Welch in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
WELCH, of Southall, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 1
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Welch, Her special licence
that I, the said Alfred Welch, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Welch, 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
CATTLE TRUCKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Welch, 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 Alfred Welch, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to a
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cattle trucks.

page_text: In constructing cattle trucks or in adapting cattle trucks now in use
so that cattle travelling by the trucks may be watered and fed in them
on the journey, thereby doing away with the otherwise necessity of
unloading the cattle to feed and water them, and of reloading them on
their journey between two given points, I introduce just underneath and
about 9 inches below the roof of an ordinary cattle truck a rack or open
floor, through the bars of which the cattle can draw the hay. This rack
or floor is formed of metal or wood bars stretching transversely across
the truck, each pair of bars being held together and strengthened by
short blocks. To introduce hay or fodder upon this rack I make in the
roof of the truck six moveable slides, thrce on either side of it, which are
arranged to be pushed upwards towards the centre of the roof and drawn
back into place again when the fodder has been introduced through
them upon the rack. Next, for watering the cattle, I place longi-
tudinally, resting upon and throughout the length of the roof of the
cattle truck, a trough to serve as a reservoir for water; it is constructed
with an aperture upon the top of it readily to receive the water from the
engine tank. This water by means of two pipes, one at each end of the
reservoir, I distribute to the troughs for the cattle to drink from, and
which troughs I place in the ends and along the sides of the trucks.
The troughs are made of metal or wood and placed flush with the
inside of the trucks and slightly projecting outside the trucks. In
trucks fitted with these troughs to enable the doors to be opened back
flat against the sides of the trucks whilst the cattle are being loaded
I shorten the length of the doors, so that they may open back just over
above the troughs, and I proportionately lengthen the under flap upon
which the cattle walk into the trucks. I pave the bottom of the trucks
with bricks edgeways to prevent the cattle from slipping about and I lay
the paving slightly convex to permit the moisture from the cattle to drain
from the floor of the trucks through the sides of the trucks. The above
adaptations to trucks in present use will permit cattle to be loaded in
them in loose order and unconfined in the trucks according to the
present system.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a side view; and Figure 3, a transverse
section.
a, a, are the sliding shutters in the roof of the carriage one of them is
shewn open in Figures 1 and 3 to allow of hay being placed on the rack
immediately beneath, which is formed of bars 6 strengthened by blocks 6'

page_text: at distances apart. c is a water tank on the roof of the carriage, it is
surrounded by a casing c¹, and the space between the two is filled with
sawdust or other slow conductor of heat; c² is a cover to an aperture in
the top of the tank which is removed to allow the tank to be filled from
the water crane which supplies the engine; d is a lever for opening and
closing a cock to allow the water to flow into the water troughs e, e,
fixed at the ends and sides of the trucks; the pipes which convey the
water are indicated by red lines. If as is represented in the Drawings
the doors of the truck are provided with water troughs c', they are
placed at a higher level than the troughs e to be clear of them when the
doors are opened; ff. are the doors, they do not extend so low as is
usual to admit of their swinging back over the troughs e. The flap g of
the door is made longer in proportion.
The floor of the truck is paved with small paving bricks or tiles.
Figures 4shew a paving brick such as I prefer to employ.
Another improvement in cattle trucks is to water and feed the cattle
in the trucks and to furnish cach individual beast with a stall which
will not render necessary the tieing up of the animal. I have the roof of
the truck fixed as at present, but I fix longitudinally over and upon the
top of it a tank with an aperture to receive the water from the engine
tank and as a reservoir for the water to supply the drinking troughs for
the cattle; these troughs are 6 in number, and are fitted into the ends
of the trucks and project equally inside and outside a trough for each
head of cattle. These troughs are fed from the reservoir by six pipes
with a tap at the lower end, the upper end being fixed into the reser-
voir. Over each trough I place a rack covered on the top for fodder
which is introduced from the outside into the rack, and which fodder the
beasts are enabled to eat by drawing it through bars placed in the ends
of the trucks opposite the hay in the racks. To divide the truck into
6 compartments making a stall for each beast to keep them separate
I divide the truck by four moveable longitudinal slides or stallings, the
bottom edges of which are slid on metal rails.
In loading the cattle into the trucks the four slides are pulled
outwards through vertical openings in the ends of the carriage just wide
enough to allow them to pass. As each beast is loaded into its stall
with its head towards the end of the truck the slide is pushed back into
the truck confining the animal to its allotted space with its head towards
the receptacle for hay and water and preventing it turning round or

page_text: goring its companions. A bar at the back of the stall can be placed
as a barrier behind each beast when in his stall to keep the animal from
backing out. The slides are prevented from being drawn out of the
trucks any further than necessary by a shoulder in the lower edge, and
when pushed into the truck they are confined to their places by a
moveable vertical iron bar or bolt which runs through the substance of
the stalling or slide and drops into a hole in the rail upon which the
stalling or slide runs. The stalling or slide is also suspended by two
bars which run by eyes upon an iron rod fixed in the same direction as
the stallings work. Inside the trucks the stallings do not butt close
against each other, end to end, but sufficient distance is left between
their ends to permit if requisite a man to walk from the doorways of the
trucks across the carriages to attend to the cattle in cach stall. These
adaptations will not render necessary any alteration to the doors at
present fitted to cattle trucks. Also I pave the floors of these trucks
with bricks to prevent the cattle slipping, and I place the bricks edge-
ways and lay them in convex form to permit the moisture from the
cattle to drain out through the sides of the trucks. Transversely, at the
ends of the trucks between the buffers when driven in and the ends of
the trucks I make a platform for the convenience of standing upon
to pull out and push in the stallings, and to enable the attendants on the
cattle readily to fodder and water them.
Figure 5 is a transverse section, and Figure 6 a portion of a longi-
tudinal section of a truck thus arranged. a, a, is the water tank as before
supplying by pipes six troughs b, b, three at each end; c, c, are the hay
racks supplied from the outside; c', are lids which are opened for filling
the racks; d, d, are moveable slides or stallings hung at the top from the
bar e and guided at the bottom by the rails f; g is a platform on the
outside over the buffers on to which the stallings d are drawn out as
far as the stops d' admit when loading the trucks; d* are vertical bars
or bolts with which the stallings d are provided to lock them in
position.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is,―
First. The constructing cattle trucks with hay racks extending
across the truck just under the roof and accessible by sliding doors
in the roof with water troughs in the ends and sides supplied from a

page_text: tank on the roof and with doors capable of opening back over the
troughs, substantially as described in respect to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the
Drawings.
Second. The constructing cattle trucks with stallings or partitions
capable of sliding longitudinally through openings in the ends of
the trucks on to and from exterior platforms and the providing trucks
so stalled with hay racks and water troughs, substantially as described in
respect to Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
Third. The constructing cattle trucks with paved bottoms or floors
substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Welch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of. April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.