IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING THE RAILS ON CERTAIN PARTS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
TODD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Engineer, and WILLIAM JOHNSTON,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of December, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Todd and William Johnston, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said John Todd and William Johnston,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as we, the said
John Todd and William Johnston, our executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING THE RAILS ON CERTAIN PARTS
OF RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a provisò obliging
us, the said John Todd and William Johnston, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, particu-
larly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled

page_text: in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Todd, on behalf of myself and of the said William Johnston, do hereby
declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, is particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
--
Our Invention of Improvements in Arranging the Rails on Certain Parts of
Railways, relates,―
First, to a novel or improved mode of arranging the rails in the engine or
carriage station houses, whereby any one engine and tender, or passenger or
goods carriage, may be removed from the station without the necessity of
deranging or moving any of the others placed therein; and,
Second, to an improved mode of constructing switch boxes for railways.
It is well known that the sheds or buildings on which the engines and car-
riages are placed when not in use, are sometimes built of considerable length,
for the purpose of containing a large number of carriages, which may be
always ready when wanted. These sheds or buildings have two or more lines
of rails laid along the ground, for the purpose of receiving the engines or car-
riages; and if an engine or carriage that happens to be in or near the centre
of the building is required, it becomes necessary to move out several of the
carriages before the one that is wanted can be removed from the shed or
building; and, after this has been done, all those carriages which are not
required must be moved back again, thereby occasioning a great loss of time
and labor. The object of our Invention is to remedy these inconveniences.
and the means whereby we are enabled to effect this object is, by constructing
two or more main lines through an engine or carriage house or shed, and
laying down a series of branch lines, which are made to diverge from these
main lines, and are capable of containing one or more engine and tender or
carriages, which may be drawn forward on to the main line, and removed from
the engine or carriage house or shed without interfering with any of the other
engines or carriages contained therein. It will be obvious to any engineer
that this object may be carried into effect in a variety of ways; and we have
shewn in the accompanying Drawings several plans of doing so, which are
intended to suit different circumstances.

page_text: No. 1 represents one plan of an engine house or carriage shed, with a single
line of rails running straight through the middle of the building, and have
short branch lines diverging from it on each side, for the purpose of receiving
the engines and carriages from the main line, which must always be kept free
from obstructions. There is a turn-table at each end of the building as usual,
and it will be seen that the carriages are arranged on the different lines in
such a manner that any single, one may be removed from the shed without
interfering with either of the others. No. II. represents a plan of another mode
of arranging the diverging lines, in which case there are are two main lines
running through the building, and having the branch lines diverging from only
one side of each of the main lines. No. III. is a modification of the plan shewn
in No. II., and therefore need not be more minutely described. No. IV.represents
a plan in which three main lines of rails are laid down in the building, and
having branch lines diverging from both sides of the centre line, and from the
inner side of each of the side lines. No. V. is a modification of No. IV., but
constructed in such a manner that any carriage may be removed to the central
or either side of the main lines. No. VI. represents a plan, in which there are
four main lines of rails, having short branch lines diverging therefrom, as in
the other instances. The use of turn-tables for reversing the positions of the
engines or carriages is, however, dispensed with, and, in lieu thereof, two curve
lines of rails are employed, whereby the engines or carriages may be brought
on to the travelling line of the railway either end foremost. No. VII. is a modi-
fication of No. 6, and having the same means of reversing the position of the
engines or carriages, the principal difference being that in No. VII. there are
three engine or carriage houses in place of only one large one. The other
parts will be clearly understood by referring to the Drawings.
Our improvements in the construction of switch boxes are shewn in
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, which represent different views of a double
switch box constructed according to our improvements. Figure 8 represents
a plan of the box, with the lid or top plate removed, and shewn detached at
Figure 9. Figure 10 is a section in the line B, B, of Figures 8; and
Figure 11 is a section in the line C, C; and Figure 12, a section in the
line D, D, of Figure 8. A, A, A, A, is a box, made of cast iron, and divided
into two parts by a central position B, B. The points or switches are con-
nected by means of the rod G and the link F, which is a continuation thereof,
to the bell-crank lever H, H, the opposite end of which carries a weight I.
The hand lever J (by which the switches are worked) is mounted on the same
pin as the bell-crank lever H, but moves independent of this latter, and there-
fore is not so likely to be shaken and injuriously acted upon by the passage of

page_text: the train as if fixed on the shaft. By making the box a double switch box, it
will answer the purpose of two single ones, will be less expensive, and may be
more firmly secured in its seat.
Having now described our Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, we should observe that it must be evident to any intelligent
engineer that various plans other than those herein shewn and described may
be devised for carrying our Invention into effect. We do not therefore intend
to confind ourselves rigidly to the methods above set forth, nor do we wish to
claim, ás constituting any part of our Invention, such parts above described and
shewn in the Drawings as may have been heretofore employed for similar
purposes. But what we consider to be new, and therefore wish to claim under
the herein before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, arranging engines or carriages in an engine house, shed, or building,
on short branch lines of rail diverging from the main line or lines of rails
laid down in such building, whereby any single engine or carriage may be
removed from the said building without interfering with or being obliged to
move any other engine or carriage.
Secondly, the improved construction of switch box, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Todd, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this *
day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and foster com