IMPROVEMENTS IN LOADING RAILWAY CATTLE TRUCKS, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR "
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rollo James Bulkeley, of Portrane, Maryborough,
in the Queen's County, Ireland, Esquire, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOADING RAILWAY CATTLE TRUCKS, AND IN THE
APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rollo James Bulkeley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st September 1871.
I, ROLLO JAMES BULKELEY, of Portrane, Maryborough, in the
Queen's County, Ireland, Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOADING RAILWAY CATTLE TRUCKS,
AND IN THE APparatus or MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the facilitating the loading of cattle
into railway trucks, and consists essentially in the employment for that

page_text: purpose of a specially constructed moveable platform, truck, or pen,
which alone is shifted in lieu of shifting the whole or portion of the
train as at present in order to bring each wagon thereof opposite the
fixed pens now in use. I am thus enabled to dispense with the use of
an engine during tho loading of the train, whilst injury to the cattle,
which often arises from the frequent shifting of the loaded train, is
prevented.
In carrying out this Invention a tramway is laid along the ordinary
raised stage or platform off which cattle are driven into railway wagons.
Upon this tramway there is placed a large but very low truck or trucks
or tramway platform or platforms slightly raised above the level of the
tramway to admit of the truck passing freely over the rails in front of
the railway wagons from one to the other of a train so as to be brought
immediately opposite the door of the wagon to be loaded. Upon this
traversing platform there is constructed a wooden pen through which
the cattle may be driven into the wagon to be loaded. This moveable
pen may then be shifted opposite to another wagon, and so on until all
the wagons forming the train are loaded. Doors may be attached to the
pen, which when open will servo to enlarge the same by forming
extensions of the sides while the cattle are being driven into it, and if
requisite to enclose them in the pen when shut.
In order to afford perfect solidity to the floor of the traversing
platform or pen it may be lowered so as to rest on the tramway by
means of side levers, and in the same manner raised again and
supported upon its wheels when it becomes requisite to move it to
another wagon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rollo James Bulkeley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROLLO 30
JAMES BULKELEY, of Portrane, Maryborough, in the Queen's County,
Ireland, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year

page_text: •
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the 35th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Rollo James Bulkeley, Ier special license
that I, the said Rollo James Bulkcley, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Rollo James Bulkeley, my
executors, administrators, or 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 LOADING RAILWAY CATTLE TRUCKS AND IN THE APPARATUS
OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Rollo James Bulkeley, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Rollo James Bulkeley, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention has for its object the facilitating the loading of
cattle into railway trucks, and consists essentially in the employment
for that purpose of one or more specially constructed moveable platforms,
trucks, or pens, which alone is or are shifted in lieu of shifting the
whole or portion of the train as is at present the practice in order to
bring each wagon thereof opposite the fixed pens now in usc.
I am
thus enabled to dispense with the use of a locomotive engine or horse or
manual power for moving the wagon during the loading of the train,
whilst injury to the cattle, which often arises from the frequent starting
and stopping of the partly loaded train, is prevented.
According to one mode of carrying out my Invention a tramway is
laid parallel to the siding of the railway along the ordinary raised stage
or platform off which cattle are driven into the cattle trucks. Upon

page_text: this tramway there is placed a large but very low tramway platform or
platforms mounted on wheels and constituting a moveable pen or pens,
which is or are slightly raised above the level of the tramway to admit
of the said pen or pens passing freely along the tramway rails in front
of the train of cattle trucks from one to the other of the said train of
trucks so as to be brought immediately opposite the door of any one of
the trucks to be loaded. Upon this traversing platform thero is
constructed a wooden pen through which the cattle may be driven
into the truck to be loaded. This moveable pen may then be shifted
opposite to another truck, and so on until..all the cattle trucks forming 1
the train are loaded: Doors may be attached to the pen, which when
open will serve to enlarge the same by forming extensions of the sides
while the cattle are being driven into it, and if requisite to enclose them
in the pen when shut.
In order to afford perfect solidity to the floor of the traversing 1
platform or pen it may if desired be lowered so as to rest on the
tramway by means of side levers, scrows, or otherwise, and in the
same manner raised again and supported upon its wheels wlien it
becomes requisite to move it to another wagon.
And in order that my'said Invention may be fully understood I shall 2
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a general plan of a cattle siding 2
arranged for the reception of my travelling pens, which are moved along
guide rails or tramways of their own alongside the cattle train ;
Figure 2 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale of the said
siding shewing one of the moveable pens in connection with a cattle
truck. This arrangement is intended to meet the case where an ordinary 3
raised cattle loading platform does not exist, as it can be casily erected
at almost any place along a line of railway at a very trifling cost.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2, but represents, the mode of
applying my travelling pens to the existing raised cattle loading
platforms or stations; and Figure 4 is a plan of one of the travelling
pcns.
A, A, (Figure 1) is a stationary train of cattle trucks drawn up
.
3

page_text: loading yard enclosed on all sides by a wall a, shewn-also-in-Figure 2.;
C is a waiting yard, for the reception of the cattle on first entering the
station, the cattle being-booked as they pass the booking office D on
their way to the loading yard; E, E, are two travelling pens supported
on wheels b, b, (Figures 2 and 3) which-run along guide rails c, c,
disposed parallel to the railway rails and situate the one outside the
boundry wall a and the other inside the loading yard as shown more
clearly in Figure 2. The platform or floor of the pen may be inclined,
as shewn in Figure 2; and it should be provided with strongly made
sides d, d, which should be so disposed 'as to leave a wide and free
entrance at e (Figure 4) for the cattle into the pen, and to contract the
opening on the opposite side of the pen next the cattle truck to about
the width only of the truck doorway. Hinged flaps 9, 9, may be
attached to the floor of the pen for forming an easy and unbroken
gangway for the cattle from the yard into the truck. The larger flap
may be raised and lowered by one man by having weighted levers or
handles connected therewith. If desired hinged doors h, h, may be
fitted to the front of cach pen, which when opened out, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 4, will form extensions of the sides of the pen, and when
closed across the entrance, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 4, will
serve to enclose any cattle within the pen when requisite to do so.
The intervening space between the sides of the pen and the side of the
cattle truck may be closed by the doors i of the truck itself, which
swing freely over the flap 9 when opened outwards, as shewn in Figure 2,
thereby insuring a gangway completely closed in on both sides and
narrowing gradually to the width of the truck doorway, hence the
cattle are not so liable to be frightened and their progress into the truck
is rendered more easy.
g
"
'
"
..
In Figure 2 the travelling pen is represented as bridging over the
boundary wall a over which it is free to travel without
any obstruction,
whilst the said wall forms a useful fence which allows the loading yard
B to be fully occupied by sheep or cattle at any time.
In Figure 3 the travelling pen E is represented as adapted to an
ordinary raised cattle station, the guide or tram rails c, c, being both
laid down along the raised or built platform B of the station. In this
case the floor of the pen may be quite horizontal and level with the
floor of the cattle truck, of which it may form when the flaps g, g, are
down a continuation. If desired these pens may be made capable of
.

page_text: being lowered down on to their supporting rails c so as to take a direct
bearing thereon and render the pens perfectly firm and steady when
brought opposite to any one of the trucks in the train. When the pen
is to be moved to the next truck its weight is again transferred to its
wheels, which may be easily accomplished by hand levers or screws,
and then run on to the door of any required truck in the train. It will
thus be seen that by my system of moveable or travelling pens a train
of cattle trucks may be loaded without being moved until it is ready to
start on its journey, by which means the cattle are protected from the
injury and fright occasioned by the constant starting, stopping, and:
backing of the trucks by the engine during the operation of loading in
order to bring the trucks opposite to the stationary pen through which
the cattle have to pass before entering the trucks.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
application and use of moveable or travelling platforms or pens for
facilitating the loading of cattle trucks, substantially in the manner
hcrcin-before described and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rollo James Bulkeley, have
to this my Specification set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
sixth day of February One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
ROLLO JAMES BULKELEY. (L.S.)