IMPROVED MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE CLOSING AND LOCKING OF RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS
Year: 1885

page_text: I CHARLES DOHRN DOUGLAS of 15 Queenhithe in the City of London, Lock
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED MEANS
FOR EFFECTING THE CLOSING AND LOCKING OF RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS to be
as follows:-
This invention has for its object to effect the simultaneous and noiseless closing
of all the doors in railway carriages, and the locking of the said doors so soon as
the train has started.
The invention aims at achieving these results by means of atmospheric pressure
and suitable apparatus, and it is a special feature of the invention that it can be
readily adapted to the existing and well known systems of air pressure or vacuum
brake apparatus, with but slight modifications or additions.
In carrying my invention into effect I combine with the main pipe or pipes of a
brake system such as the Westinghouse or Vacuum, an auxiliary or secondary pipe
or pipes; arranged to be coupled or uncoupled at the same time as the said main
pipe or pipes and at or near the point where the flexible portion of the main pipe
dips or passes below and between the carriage frames and is joined to the rigid
metal pipe beneath said carriage, I lead off a pair of branch pipes of suitable size
from the auxiliary air pipe (which is preferably arranged within the main pipe)
and leads therefrom at suitable points to the sides of the carriage, and fit thereto
suitable extensions or branch tubes at the side or sides of each door.
Beneath the seat or floor of each carriage and at the hinge side of each door
I arrange an air reservoir connected with which is a piston adapted to act, through
a suitable system of levers and connecting rods or their equivalent, on the door to
close it when the piston is operated by the air pressure on one side or the other, the
said piston being capable of regulation to travel at any required speed.
On the other side of the door and preferably at a point coincident with or near
to the striking plate or socket for the locking bolt or catch, is an orifice or pipe
terminal from which a sliding tongue or bolt is protruded when the door is closed,
and the air pressure is applied for the purpose of locking or holding locked the said
bolt or catch.

page_text: The admission of air pressure to or its discharge from the pipe or nozzle from
which the sliding tongue or piston bolt protrudes is regulated and controlled by the
movement of the door so that the retaining tongue or bolts is not operated until
the door has been properly closed and its locking bolt or catch has been properly
shot.
Means are provided in the guards van and it may be also in the several carriages
of the train, for releasing the pneumatic lock or catch retaining device while the
train is in motion, and the pump or ejector for maintaining the air pressure or
exhaust is in action.
A suitable valve will also be provided for enabling the door controlling system
to be actuated separately from or simultaneously with the brake system, or for
actuating the door controlling mechanism on one side only of a train or carriage.
The reservoirs and pistons for effecting the pneumatic closing of all the doors may
also be so proportioned and arranged that they alone may be found sufficient to
hold the doors shut.

page_text: Railway Carriage Doors.
I CHARLES DOHRN DOUGLAS of 15 Queenhithe in the City of London, Lock
Manufacturer 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 has for its object to effect the simultaneous and noiseless closing
of all the doors of the carriages of a Railway train, and the locking of the said
doors so soon as the train has started.
The invention aims at achieving these results by means of atmospheric pressure
and suitable apparatus, and it is a special feature of the invention that it can be
readily adapted to the existing and well-known systems of air pressure or vacuum
brake apparatus, with but slight modifications or additions.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of a railway
carriage with my Invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the
same; Fig. 3 is a partial cross section of the carriage. The remaining Figures of
Sheet I, and all the figures on Sheet II, show details of the apparatus, and will be
more particularly referred to hereafter.
A is the body of the carriage, and B the under frame thereof, both of which
are of the ordinary construction, and mounted on the wheel axles in the usual
manner.
C is the air pipe, as used for pressure or vacuum brakes, and which is placed
under the carriage in the usual manner. The coupling used to connect the air
pipes of each carriage will be of the usual construction, according to the system of
brake employed.
DD are auxiliary air pipes, which are intended to convey air to, or exhaust
from a suitable pneumatic lever or levers, as will be hereafter more particularly
referred to.
The auxiliary pipes of each carriage may be connected with those of the adjoin.
ing carriages by means of any well known couplings now in general use for the
brake pipes.
As, however, this would necessitate a multiplicity of couplings between each
carriage, I prefer to so combine the main air pipe C and the auxiliary pipes D D,
that one coupling will serve for both.
With this view I connect the auxiliary pipes D D, on opposite sides of the
carriage, to a single pipe D', which I place inside the main pipe C, and I modify
the coupling to make it available for the altered circumstances.
On Figures 4 and Figures 5 I have shewn the means which I propose to use to
carry out the above named object. Figs. 4 shew in side view and partial sectional
plan, the means for combining the pipes C and D. D¹.
E is an elongated hollow casting, to opposite ends of which the ends of the main
pipe C are secured in any convenient manner.

page_text: Formed with the casting E, and arranged transversely thereof, is a T-piece E¹,
to which the ends of the pipes D D, and of the single pipe D¹, are secured in any
convenient manner.
Figs. 5, Sheet II, show in longitudinal section and end view, the form of
coupling which I prefer to use.
;
Inside, and centrally of each half of the main coupling F, is secured, by radial
arms or stays or otherwise, a flanged tube or pipe F¹. The flanged ends of these
tubes are turned true, aud are provided with india rubber or other packing in the
same manner as the faces of the main coupling F, so that when the main pipe C is
coupled up, the coupling of the auxiliary pipes Di will also be secured. The form
of coupling shown on the drawings is that specially used in the vacuum brake
system, but the pressure brake coupling would be modified in a similar manner.
Each of the pipes D D is connected in any convenient manner to one or
more pneumatic levers G, which actuate the door-closing and locking mechanism.
I would here remark that my Invention is herein particularly described as being
worked on the vacuum principle, but that I do not therefore intend to confine
myself to that system, as the Westinghouse or other pressure principle is equally
applicable.
.
The pneumatic levers G may be of any convenient or suitable construction, and
are placed preferably one on either side of the carriage, so that each lever will
serve for working all the doors on that side, or a separate pneumatic lever placed
under the seat of the carriage may be adapted to each door, or one pneumatic lever
may be used for each carriage.
The pneumatic levers G shown in the drawing are the same as those used with
the vacuum brake apparatus.-The piston rod of each lever G is connected to
a rocking arm a keyed on a rock shaft b mounted in bearings carried by the under
frame B. The rock shaft b is provided with a counter weight c, and at its outer
end carries a second rocking arm d, which is connected by a link or connecting
rode with a bar or rod f sliding in guides g secured to the under frame B.-The
bar or rod f carries on its side, pairs of tappets h h¹, which, as the bar slides under
the influence of its pneumatic lever, serve to raise or lower the door locking
mechanism, the construction of which will be readily understood by reference to
Figs. 7 and 7, Sheet I of the drawings. Thus, if the bar be slidden in the
direction of the arrow, Fig. 7a, the tappet h will strike against a bell crank lever,
and withdraw or lower the locking bolt, and if the bar be slidden in the direction
of the arrow Fig. 7b, the tappet h¹ will strike against the bell crank lever, and raise
or shoot the locking bolt.
The working of this bar will be effected when the pressure of the external air is
allowed to act on the back of the piston in the vacuum chamber of the pneumatic
lever, by which means the piston or flexible diaphragm of the pneumatic lever will
be forced inwards, the shaft b will be rocked so as to bring the arms a and d into
the position shewn at Fig. 1, and the doors will be locked by the action of the
tappets h¹.
The closing of the doors is also effected by the sliding of the bar f in the
following manner. To the bottom of the door is firmly secured an arm k, see
Figures 6 and 6b, which show the door in both the closed and open positions.
When the door is closed (Fig. 6), this arm k will be parallel with the bar f, but
when open (Fig. 6b), the arm will be at right angles to the bar.-Secured upon the
bar is a stop or tappet L, which, as the bar f slides in the direction of the arrow,
Fig. 6b, under the influence of the pneumatic lever, will strike against the arm k,
and cause the door to turn on its hinges, and close. When the door is closed, the
tappets h of the locking mechanism will be in position to act on bolts to lock the
doors.
The movement of the bar in the opposite direction will not only unbolt the door,
as previously explained, but will bring the tappet 7 into the position shown at
Fig. 6b, which will permit of the door swinging open, or being pushed open; or the

page_text: arm k may be formed with a slotted projection, which will take over the tappet or
stop l, in which case the door will be opened by the movement of the bar f
In Figures 8 I have shown in elevation and sectional plan, a means whereby the
passengers inside the carriage may destroy the vacuum, to unlock the doors in case
of an accident.
m. m. are branch pipes in connection with the pneumatic levers, and these two
branch pipes m m meet in a valve box n secured in any convenient position on the
walls of the compartment or carriage. This valve box n is provided with a stopper
or plug n¹, which, when pulled out, will admit air to the pneumatic levers, and thus
destroy the vacuum therein, and unlock the doors. The valve box may be enclosed
in a glass case to prevent its being tampered with.
To maintain the locking mechanism in the position to keep the doors locked on
the off side of the carriage, I employ cocks o o, which are placed in the pipes D on
opposite sides of the pneumatic levers, or in any other convenient position, to
prevent the withdrawal of the pressure of the external air from the back of the
piston, by which means equilibrium would be restored, and the doors unlocked.-
These cocks will be opened or closed, as required, from the sides of the carriage, in
any convenient manner.
In Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, I have shown a special form of disc valve which
I employ for the purposes of my invention, and which serves both for operating the
brake and the door-closing and locking mechanisms.
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the valve and box; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the
seat; Fig. 11 is an underside plan view of the valve; and Fig. 12 a diagram of the
positions of the handle; Fig. 9a is a section on the line x. x Fig. 11, and Fig. 9 a
section on the line y. y of the same figure.
In the sectional view Fig. 9, the port p, Fig. 11, is open to both main pipe C and
auxiliary pipe D¹, and a vacuum is being created in both pipes, by which means the
brakes are off, and the doors are unlocked.
By turning the handle to the left into the position indicated by the dotted line,
the ports will be open to the pipe C, and the vacuum therein will be maintained,
but the pipe D¹ will be closed to the vacuum and opened to the external air; thus
the brakes will be held off, but the doors will be closed and locked.
To put on the brakes without unlocking the doors, the port r must be brought
over the pipes C and D¹, by which means external air will be admitted to both
pipes C and D¹; the brakes will be put on, and the locking of the doors maintained.
To put on the brakes and unlock the doors, the handle must be turned to the right,
to bring the port s over the pipe D¹, and the pipe C into communication with the
external air; thus a vacuum will be renewed in pipe D¹, to unlock the doors, and
will be broken in the pipe C, to put on the brakes.
By making the opening for the admission of the external air to the back of the
piston of the pneumatic lever, sufficiently small, the action of the lever will be
correspondingly retarded, and the doors, instead of being forcibly shut with great
noise, will be gradually and noiselessly closed.
I may here remark that the action of the pneumatic levers of the brake
apparatus, and those of the door apparatus, is generally opposed, that is to say,
that during the running of the train, the vacuum is being created in the brake
apparatus while the pressure of the external air is acting on the door apparatus,
and when the train is standing, the air pressure is on the brakes, and the vacuum
is being created in the door 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. The closing of the carriage doors of a railway train simultaneously by means
of pneumatic apparatus extending the whole length of the train, and set in action
by the driver or guard, as above explained.

page_text: 2. The arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein shown and described,
for effecting the noiseless closing of railway carriage doors by means of atmospheric
pressure, as set forth.
3. The arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein shown and described
for effecting the locking and unlocking of railway carriage doors by means of
atmospheric pressure and vacuum, as set forth.
4. The combination of pneumatic apparatus for closing, locking, and unlocking
the doors of railway carriages as above set forth.
5. The means described for coupling up simultaneously with the brake pipes, the
vacuum or air tubes connected with the closing and locking mechanism of railway
carriage doors.
6. The means described for combining the main brake pipe with the vacuum or
air tubes, substantially as described and shown with reference to Figs. 4 of the
drawings.
7. The means substantially as described and shown with reference to Figs. 8 of
the drawings, for unlocking the doors from the inside of the carriage.
8. The arrangement of disc valve, as described and shown with reference to
Figs. 9, 9ª, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the drawings, whereby the driver or guard has
control over both the door closing and locking mechanism and the brake apparatus.
Dated this 19th day of February 1886.