IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRAMWAY CARS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER VEHICLES, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR DELIVERING TICKETS AND CHECKING THE FARES RECEIVED BY THE CONDUCTORS OF SUCH VEHICLES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McWhinnie, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN INDICATING DISTANCES
TRAVELLED BY RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRAMWAY CARS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER
VEHICLES, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR DELIVERING TICKETS AND
CHECKING THE FARES RECEIVED BY THE CONDUCTORS OF SUCH VEHICLES."
Sealed the 29th December 1876, and dated the 24th October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John McWhinnie at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th October 1876.
JOHN MCWHINNIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN INDICATING DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY RAILWAY CARRIAGES,
TRAMWAY CARS, OMNIBUSES, AND OTHER VEHICLES, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE
FOR DELIVERING TICKETS AND CHECKING THE FARES RECEIVED BY THE CONDUCTORS
OF SUCH VEHICLES."
This Invention, which relates to means for indicating the distance travelled by
railway carriages, tramway cars, or other vehicles, has for its object in the first
place to enable passengers to detect at once such distance, so that they may know
when necessary the distance travelled, and the correct amount to pay for that
distance, thereby preventing fraud being practised on them by guards or conductors,
which the existing system of payment of fares without passengers knowing the
distance travelled facilitates.
The Invention consists in gearing to the axle of, or driving by one of the wheels
of railway carriages, tramway cars, or other vehicles, a pitch chain. This pitch
chain gears into a pitch wheel upon an intermediate shaft to which is connected
gearing which slowly rotates a disc or dial with divisions thereon for showing the
distance travelled. A pointer is situated in front of the dise or dial, by which as
the disc or dial rotates the distances are pointed out; and this finger or pointer has
an eccentric or the equivalent thereof attached to it, which by being turned round
lifts the disc or dial out of gear with the mechanism by which it is driven when
required, or the eccentric or its equivalent for this purpose may be dispensed with,

page_text: By means of this apparatus a passenger entering a tramway car observing the
position of the disc or dial at the time of entrance, and observing the position at the
time of exit, knows thereby the distance in miles or fractions of a mile travelled.
In the second place this Invention has for its object to enable the proprietors of
tramway cars, omnibuses, or other vehicles, to ascertain the amount received in
fares during a day's work or other period of time by the conductors or persons who
receive such fares, thereby preventing such persons from tampering with the
receipts, and at all times acting as a certain check upon the amount in fares
received. This apparatus also indicates to passengers the correct fare to pay. This
second part of the Invention then consists in either placing upon the shaft which
carries the dial herein-before described, or upon a second shaft driven off it, and at
the same speed, a circular box with divisions or spaces in its periphery, exactly
corresponding with the divisions or spaces on the dial itself. The object of these
divisions in the circular box is that each one of them shall hold several consecutively
numbered tickets, each ticket also bearing a number which corresponds with the
number on the corresponding division of the dial.
As the circular box rotates synchronously with the dial its uppermost or other
division presents the tickets, one of which is taken out for or by each person
entering the car at the time such division of the ticket box is so presented, and is
paid for according to the distance for which the ticket is taken, this being
preferably marked on the ticket. By means of this arrangement, and the numbering
or marking of the tickets in the manner herein-before described, the absence of any
number of such tickets from the stock handed to the conductor or receiver of fares
at the beginning of a day's work or other period of time shows exactly the amount
of money which he has to pay over to the proprietors, and thus a constant and
exact check is maintained upon his proceedings.
For the purpose of rendering this last part of the Invention more perfect several
such circular ticket boxes may be provided, these being changed at the end of every
mile or other distance, the tickets in each of which boxes are of different colours,
the colours corresponding to the successive miles or other division of distance
travelled. The time for changing the ticket boxes is indicated to the conductor by
the ringing of a bell or by an equivalent audible signal operated from the
mechanism itself.
In place of changing the ticket boxes in the manner now last described a
compound ticket box, that is to say, one having a successive series of such divisions,
each one of such series being charged with tickets of different colours, may be
substituted.