IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN BREAKS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Farrell, of the City of Dublin, Ireland,
Architect, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES,
AND IN BREAKS FOR THE SAME."
Scaled the 31st January. 1865, and dated the 5th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Farrell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
August 1864.
I, ISAAC FARRELL, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, Architect, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, AND IN BREAKS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an arrangement of apparatus to be applied
to railway carriages whereby the simultaneous opening of all the doors on one
side of a carriage may be effected at one operation.
This apparatus consists of a rod passing longitudinally along the carriage
framing, and attached thereto by staples or sockets which allow the rod to
slide freely in a longitudinal direction. Under each door are fitted appliances
for opening and closing the same, such appliances being connected with the
rod, so that when it is drawn forward a few inches the doors will be closed, and
when moved in the reverse direction they will be opened or vice versa, these
movements of the longitudinal rod being effected by a lever handle attached
to one end of the carriage. The apparatus is the same on both sides of the
carriage, and when not in action the doors are all free to be opened or shut
in the ordinary manner.

page_text: The second part of this Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of
mechanism for establishing a communication between the guard and driver of
a train, and consists in the employment of couplings which allow of a longi-
tudinal motion, but connect all the rods herein-before referred to under the
first head of this Invention, throughout the entire length of the train so as to
form a continuous line of shafting, which is connected by bevel gearing with
an upright shaft in the guard's van, by which he is enabled to impart a rotatory
motion to the shafting, which, by acting upon any suitable or well-known
alarum apparatus, enables a communication by signal to be established
between the guard and driver when requisite.
Under the third head of this Invention it is proposed to cause the rotatory
motion of the shafting above described to apply a series of breaks to the
wheels of some or all the carriages in the train. The break blocks may be of
the usual or other suitable form, but they are each placed so as to work
vertically between guides fixed on the carriage framing directly over the
wheels. The break blocks are each supported by an upright rod, which rests
upon and is secured to the axle bearing. The upper end of this rod, where it
passes through the iron cheeks of the break block, is provided with a screw
thread, on which works a travelling nut which serves to force down the break
block with any required force upon the periphery of the wheel. This
travelling nut is rotated by means of an endless screw formed upon the
longitudinal horizontal rod or shafting herein-before mentioned. It will thus
be seen that this shafting has two movements, the one being longitudinal for
the opening and closing of the carriage doors, and the other rotatory for the
purpose of communicating with the driver and of applying the breaks, but
both these movements are arranged so as not to interfere with each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isaac Farrell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
FARRELL, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Isaac Farrell, Her special license that I, the said Isaac Farrell,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Isaac Farrell, 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 vent, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN BREAKS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Isaac Farrell; my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under the band and seal
of one of them, 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 Isaac Farrell, 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 :-
J
My said Invention relates, firstly, to an arrangement of apparatus to be
applied to railway carriages, whereby the simultaneous opening and closing of.
all the doors on one side of a carriage may be effected at one operation.
This apparatus consists of a rod passing longitudinally along the carriage:
framing and attached thereto by staples or sockets which allow the rod to
slide freely in a longitudinal direction. Under each door are fitted appliances
for opening and closing the same, such appliances being connected with the
rod so that when it is pushed or drawn forward in one direction a few inches.
the doors will be closed, and when moved in the reverse direction they will.be.
opened, these movements of the longitudinal rod being effected by a lever
handle attached to one end of the carriage or by a handle attached to the rod
itself. The apparatus is the same on both sides of the carriage, and. when
not in action the doors are all free to be opened or shut in the ordinary.
manner.
The second part of this Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement. of
mechanism for establishing a communication between the guard and driver of
a train, and consists in the employment of couplings which allow of a longi-
tudinal motion, but connect all the rods herein-before referred to under, the:
first head of this Invention throughout the entire length of the train. so as to,
form a continuous line of shafting which is connected by bevel gearing with an:

page_text: upright shaft in the guard's van, by which he is enabled to impart a rotatory
motion to the shafting, which, by acting upon any suitable or well-known
alarum apparatus, enables a communication by signal to be established
between the guard and driver when requisite.
.
Under the third head of this Invention it is proposed to cause the rotatory
motion of the shafting above described to apply a series of breaks to the
wheels of some or all the carriages in the train. The break blocks may be of
the usual or other suitable form, but they are each placed so as to work
vertically. between guides fixed on the carriage framing directly over the
wheels. The break blocks are each supported by an upright, spindle which
rests upon and is secured to the axle box or bearing. The upper end of this
spindle, where it passes through the iron cheeks of the break block, is provided
with a.screw thread which works in an internal screw or tapped hole in the
cheek of the break block so as to force down the break block with any
required force upon the periphery of the wheel when the upright spindle is
rotated. This spindle is rotated by means of an endless screw carried by the
longitudinal horizontal rod or shafting herein-before mentioned and gearing
into a worm wheel on the upper end of the upright spindle. It will thus be
seen that the longitudinal shafting has two movements, the one being longi-
tudinal for the opening and closing of the carriage doors, and the other rotary
for the purpose of communicating with the driver and of applying the breaks,
but both these movements are arranged so as not to interfere with each other,
and may be applied separately, that is, the rod may be used for the simul-
taneous opening of the doors only, as under the first head; in such case the
couplings and break apparatus, will be dispensed with. Or the rod may be
applied for the purposes under the second and third head only, that is, to form
a communication between the guard and driver, and to apply the breaks.
In such case the appliances for opening the doors will be dispensed with.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation and partial vertical
section of a portion of a railway carriage having my improvements attached
thereto; Figure 2 is an end elevation of a portion of the same; Figure 3
is a plan of a portion of the carriage shewing the mode of coupling
together the longitudinal sliding and rotating rods or shafts of the several
carriages; Figure 4 is a plan of a portion of the carriage shewing the
mechanism for opening or closing the doors simultaneously on either side

page_text: thereof, and also a portion of the mechanism for applying the breaks; Figure 5
is a transverse vertical section through the door of a portion of the carriage;
Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section of a portion of the carriage taken
through the middle of the break block; Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of the
break mechanism; and Figure 8 is an enlarged detail of a spring latch which
is fitted to the bottom of each door of the carriage.
In these Figures, A represents the under framing of a railway carriage;
B, the carriage body; and C, the flooring boards of the same. Along each
side of the carriage is situate a longitudinal rod D, which is capable of sliding
longitudinally and also of being rotated in suitable guides or staples E secured
to the carriage floor. One of these rods only is shewn in the Drawings, but
the arrangement is precisely similar on both sides of the carriage. The rod D
is concealed by the covering board F and a metal plate f screwed thereon,
the board F being screwed upon the flooring board of the carriage so as to
be readily removed in case of repairs being required in the mechanism con-
tained underneath. The ends of the rods D project through suitable
openings made for that purpose in the extreme ends of the carriage, and are
provided with coupling bars G, which are hinged thereto, so that on con-
necting the bars G, the series of longitudinal rods throughout the train will be
coupled together, and may consequently be rotated simultaneously when
required, whilst the joints or hinges are so disposed as to allow for the free
play of the carriages during the running of the train. I have not considered
it necessary to illustrate the mode by which a rotatory motion may be com-.
municated to the rods D, as any well-known mechanical contrivance as, for
example, a bevel wheel on the end of the rod D, gearing into a bevel wheel on
a vertical shaft provided with a winch handle or hand wheel situate inside the
guard's van at the rear end of the train, may be employed for that purpose.
The several coupling bars G are so constructed as to slide or play freely along
each other in a longitudinal direction, thereby allowing for the play of the
buffers and draw springs of the carriages during the running of the train.
For this purpose I prefer to couple the bars G by means of a sliding tube g,
so shaped as to slide freely along the rods but to rotate with them. This tube.
may be connected by pins with the bars G, such pins passing transversely
through the ends of the tube and through slots made longitudinally in the
bars as shewn, one of the pins being removeable for the convenience of dis-
connecting the coupling bars. Other arrangements of coupling fulfilling the
same object may, however, be adopted. The sole object of the longitudinal
motion of the rods D is to open or close the whole of the doors simultaneously.
on, one side of the carriage, and this movement is effected by means of the

page_text: handle H, which is fitted on to one end of each of the longitudinal rods, and is
in a convenient position to be seized by the band of the porter or attendant on
the train, and pushed in or drawn out as the case may be. I is a safety
handle fixed to the end of the carriage for the porter to lay hold of when
moving the rod D. Beneath each door of the carriage there. is a horizontal
lever K, concealed by the board F, and provided with a slot near the middle
which works on a fixed vertical pin or fulcrum & secured to the carriage floor.
The inner end of each of these levers is connected by a pin joint to a socket
or collar L on the rod D, such collar being kept in its place on the rod by a
shoulder or collar on each side thereof. The outer end of each of the levers K
is provided on its upper surface with two stu 's 1, 2. The stud.1 serves to
open the corresponding door, by pressing against the inner side thereof at the
bottom when the lever is in the act of being brought over from the position
shown in dotted lines; in Figure Four, to that shown in full lines by drawing
out the rod D longitudinally. The stud 2 affects the closing of the door by
the reverse motion of the rod D, such stud pressing against the outside of the
door at the bottom thereof, and preventing the door from being opened until
the position of the lever K is reserved. Each door may be provided with a
sneck or fastening of any convenient form (in the Drawings I have shown
two arrangements at M and M' respectively), such fastening being opened by
the action of the rod D just before the stud 1 begins to press against the door
for the purpose of pushing it open. This release or opening of the fastening
M or M' is effected by connecting such fastening by a rod m inclosed within
the door with a spring sneck n (shown in enlarged detail at. Fig. 8) fitted
into a notch or recess made in the bottom of the door at the part where the
outer stud 2 presents itself when the door is closed. The outer end of the
sneck n is curved and fits over the top of the stud 2, so that immediately such
stud moves outwards with the lever K, it will, by passing under the curved
part of the sneck n, lift up such sneck, and by so doing will either lift up the
latch M or draw back the bolt M', as the case may be, as will be readily
understood on referring to the Drawings. In order that this release of the
fastening M or M' may take place just before the stud 1 comes into action,
that stud is placed on the lever k a little distance from the door so as to
allow sufficient play of the lever K and stud 2 to open the fastening before
the stud I comes in contact with the door to open it. When closing the door
again the stud 2 will slide along the bottom outer edge of the door and place
itself again beneath the curved part of the speck n in readiness for the opening
of the fastening of the door when required. The stud 2 in completing the
closing of the door presses against the vertical bent part of the succk n. In

page_text: order to prevent the doors; from being suddenly opened to their full extent,
which might endanger the limbs of any passenger leaning against the door at
the time, I propose to employ a catch lever K jointed to the end of the carriage
and engaging against one or other of two stops o, p, formed on the lever
handle H, so that when such handle is pulled it will only move the rod Da
distance equal to the distance between the stops o, p, the catch lever pre-
venting any further movement of such rod until it is lifted up clear of the
stops. Any of the doors may be opened singly by the attendants or porters
by simply lifting up the spring sneck n, when, the door fastening being
released, the door itself may be opened, the slot or notch with the sneck in it
passing clear over the top of the stud 2, and when shutting the door again the
sneck which is inclined is lifted up of itself by its passage over the stud 2.
In order to apply the breaks to some or all of the carriages in the train simul-
taneously, and to transmit a signal from the guard's van to the engine driver,
it is simply necessary to impart a rotatory motion to the series of longitudinal
rods D, which motion may be obtained by any suitable or well-known arrange-
ment of gearing in the guard's van, whereby the motion of a hand wheel
revolving either in a horizontal or vertical plane may be transmitted to the
last of the rods D, and thence by suitable couplings herein-before referred to
to the rest of the rods D in the train. To obtain the power of signalling, any
suitable or well-known signal apparatus, such as a bell or gong, is to be fitted
on to the engine or tender, and its bammer made to operate by the rotation of
the rod D by any simple and well-known arrangement of mechanism, which
will readily suggest itself to the practical man without the aid of Drawings.
This rotation of the rods D is also caused to apply the breaks, and this is
accomplished by means of a series of endless screws 0 (one for each break)
fitted on to a feather on the rods D so as to turn with such rods but to allow
the rods freedom of longitudinal play or traverse through the bosses of the
screws. Each screw is retained in its proper position by being enclosed
within a metal box P secured to the floor of the carriage, through the sides
of svhich boxes the rods D pass. The squared end of a vertical spindle Q,
shown clearly in the enlarged detail, Figure 7, passes up through a round holo
in the bottom and top of the box P, and through a square hole in the boss of a
worm wheel R contained therein, so that on rotating the screws O, the corre-
sponding worm wheels R and vertical spindles Q will also be rotated. The
lower end of each spindle Q has a left-hand screw thread formed upon it,
which works in an internal screw or tapped socket formed on a ring or clip S,
fixed to the axle box, or it may be formed on the axle box itself, so that the
spindle indirectly obtains a bearing upon the bearing of the axle, and has

page_text: free play in a vertical direction through the box P and worm wheel therein, to
allow for the play of the carriage springs. The actual break consists of a
block of wood T fitting on to the upper part of the periphery of the carriage
wheel U and secured to a metal cheek V, which has an internal screw thread
ar uut v formed on or fitted to it, through which nut or internal screw works
a right-handed screw thread w, also formed on the vertical spindle Q.
W, W, are diagonal braces or tie bars, which are connected at their outer ends
to the ends of the break block, and unite together in a collar a, which slides
along the spindle Q when the break is applied or taken off; X, X, are two
guides fixed to or forming part of the carriage framing, between which guides
the break block works in a vertical direction, and is thereby maintained in its
proper position over the wheel. It will thus be seen that on rotating the
séveral spindles Q in the manner described, their right and left screws will
tend to force down the break blocks upon the upper portions of the peripheries
of the wheels, and thereby stop or retard the motion of the train.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
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 bo
novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in. part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st, the general construction of railway carriages and of breaks for the
same, as herein-before described.
2nd, the combination and arrangement of apparatus or mechanism for
opening or closing the whole of the doors simultaneously on each side of a
railway carriage, substantially as herein-before described.
Srd, the peculiar combination and arrangement of apparatus or mechanism
for signalling between the guard and driver of a train, and for applying
breaks to some or all of the carriages simultaneously, substantially as herein-
bofore described...
i In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Farrell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
ISAAC FARRELL. (LS.)
ISAAC FARRELL. (L.S.)