Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 20th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1887
I WILLIAM PAITFIELD ENGLISH of 180 High Street in the town and county of the
town of Kingston-upon-Hull Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
In overhead railways whether the rails thereof be rigid or made of wire an evil is
experienced in that when these railways are once constructed the absolute or relative
elevations thereof or of the different parts thereof cannot easily and quickly be altered
and that the railway must be constructed for the particular place where it is to be
used and where it is made somewhat of a fixture and cannot easily or readily be
removed and erected in another place. The object of this invention is to obviate and
remove this evil by providing a suspender for these overhead railways which can be
fitted in any place and quickly be removed therefrom to another the level whereof can
also easily be adjusted and whereby the travelling of the article suspended from and
by the railway shall be greatly facilitated.
To carry out this object I make a frame of any convenient shape such for example
as semicircular or triangular or otherwise and to the top of this frame is attached an
appliance such for example as chain or rope or a rod or rods by which the frame can
be hung at the desired elevation from a beam or girder or other support overhead or
from a gallows or tripod or other supporting apparatus from below. The base of this
frame is divided and a certain desired portion thereof is cut away the ends being
preferably slightly turned up. The frame may have any ties or struts fitted to it to
enable the same to bear the weight that is to be suspended therefrom without unduly
losing its proper shape.
A proper number of these frames are so bung as aforesaid at the desired elevations
and at suitable distances apart where the overhead railway is required and one end of
a rail is placed and secured in the one frame on each side of the central aperture in
the base thereof the other end of the rail and the middle or other part thereof if
required being similarly placed in other frames or plates may be attached to each
frame in these positions on which the rails can rest.
When the length of the required railway is such that two rails one being on each

page_text: side of the central apertures in the frames are not long enough other rails can be used
in the same manner and I preferably so hang the frames that the same do not support
the extreme ends of the rails and the ends can be joined together if required by any
usual means or otherwise:
I then take two wheels of a convenient diameter and preferably when ordinary rails
are used with flanges and I mount these wheels on the ends of an axle in such wise
that the same can travel on the two rails borne by the frames and from the centre of
this axle to which preferably is attached a short rod 1 suspend the article or the
weight that is to be carried by this railway which rod or other suspending appliance
passes through the central apertures in the frames as the article travels along the
railway.
When wire is used instead of rigid rails I should proceed in the same manner but
obviously it would generally be necessary to put a tension on the wires in any usual
or convenient manner.
Whenever also it may be advisable from the weight of the article to be carried or
otherwise instead of the pair of wheels aforesaid I can use two or more pairs of wheels
fitted in the same manner and I can connect the axles of these pairs of wheels together
suspending the article therefrom as aforesaid.

page_text: I WILLIAM PAITFIELD ENGLISH of 180 High Street in the town and county of the
town of Kingston-upon-Hull Merchant 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 :-
In overhead railways as at the present time usually constructed whether the rails
thereof be rigid or made of wire or other rope an evil is experienced in that when
these railways are once constructed the absoluto or relative elevations thereof or of
the different parts thereof cannot easily and quickly be altered and that the railway
must be constructed for and in accordance with the particular place where it is to be
used and where it is made somewhat of a fixture which cannot easily and readily be
removed and re-erected in another place.
Now the object of this my invention is to obviate and remedy this evil principally
by providing adjustable suspenders for these overhead railways which can be fitted
and arranged in any place and can quickly be removed therefrom to another place
and the elevation whether absolute or relative whereof can also easily be altered and
adjusted and whereby the travelling of the load to be carried from and by the railway
shall be greatly facilitated not only by such alteration and adjustment of the level
but also because the load shall be borne very fairly and truly from and by the wheels
or rollers of this railway.
In order the more clearly to explain this my invention I append hereto three sheets
of drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a very convenient form and style
of the overhead railway Figure 2 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale of the
upper part of one of the gallows of the same with a suspender Figure 3 is an
horizontal section of one of the vertical side posts of the gallows Figure 4 is a vertical
section of this suspender Figure 5 shews another form of suspender Figure 6 is a
vertical section of this suspender Figure 7 is a front elevation of the upper part of
another form and style of the gallows with a suspender and Figure 8 is an elevation
partly in section of a convenient travelling carriage for this railway. The letters.
refer to the same or corresponding parts in all the Figures.
To carry out my object and to construct my railway I make a frame A of any
convenient shape and form such for example as quadrilateral as shewn in Figures 2
and 7 or somewhat circular or oval as shewn in Figure 5 or trilateral or otherwise
which frame A is preferably made either of angled metal as shewn in Figures 2 and 4
or of T shaped metal as shewn in Figures 5. 6 and 7 or it may be made of metal or
material of any other desired section and the base of this frame A is divided and a
certain portion thereof is cut away centrally as shewn at B and this frame A so
made and constructed as aforesaid constitutes and is my suspender for overhead
railways. When the suspender frame A is made of T shaped metal it will generally
be strong enough to bear the load that is to be suspended therefrom without unduly
losing its proper shape but when the same is made of angled metal and in other cases
when it may be desirable so to do any ties such for example as shewn at C in
Figures 2 and 4 or struts or other usual devices may be fitted and applied thereto in
any convenient and suitable manner to increase the strength thereof. To the top of
the suspender frame A is or are attached the appliance or appliances D by which the

page_text: same can be hung at the desired elevation which appliance or appliances D is or are
such and so formed and fitted and arranged that this elevation can easily and quickly
be altered and adjusted as may be desired. With this object the appliance can
conveniently be a rod D formed with a screw thread over which a corresponding
sleeve can engage as shewn in Figure 2 or it may be two rods on the ends whereof
are right and left handed screw threads over which a corresponding sleeve can
engage or the appliance can be a chain D₁ passed round a beam overhead as shewn in
this Figure 2 or a chain D² hooked on or shackled to a saddle on a beam overhead as
shewn in Figure 7 or the appliance can be a wire or other rope or any other usual
and convenient apparatus capable of being lengthened and shortened as may be
desired. A proper number of these suspender frames are so hung as aforesaid at the
desired elevations and at suitable distances apart from beams or girders or other
apparatus overhead or from gallows or tripods or other erections or supports from
below placed on the floor or ground or otherwise where the overhead railway is
required and if it is necessary or expedient so to do guys or other usual or convenient
appliances attached to the suspender frames or to some of them may be fitted and
used to obviate any possible tendency towards a swaying motion.
In the drawings I have shewn the suspender frames hung from a series of gallows
erected therefor and, this I consider a very convenient method of procedure especially
in places where there are no suitable overhead beams or girders from which the same
may be hung. According to this method the vertical side posts E of the gallows can
conveniently be stepped as shewn in Figure 1 in any suitable shoes or bases and the
cross beams F thereof can very conveniently be connected together by a central
longitudinal beam G or by two or more longitudinal beams G¹ which may be supported
in brackets on the cross beams F and secured in position by fish plates connecting the
ends of two adjacent longitudinal beams G together as shewn in Figure 1. By this
arrangement not only are the gallows rendered very firm and rigid but they can be
erected further apart than would otherwise be advisable as intermediate suspender
frames can be hung in a similar manner from these longitudinal beams as shewn in
Figures 1 and 7.
When the required number of these suspender frames A have been so hung as
aforesaid rails H are placed therein on both sides of the central apertures B in the
bases thereof. These rails may be of any desired section and of any weight having
regard to the distances between the suspender frames and the load that is to be carried
by this railway and the rails H may be secured to the suspender frames A or to plates
or brackets or angled pieces or in chairs attached thereto or formed therewith by
bolts or clamps or wedges or other usual and suitable devices and these rails H are
so placed and secured in the suspender frames A as to be parallel with each other
or thereabouts and any number or lengths of these rails H may be used being
connected together in the ordinary manner by fish plates or other convenient
appliances.
I then take two wheels or rollers J of any convenient diameter and preferably
when ordinary rails are used fitted with flanges like the usual railway wheels and
these wheels Jare mounted preferably loosely on the ends of an axle though they may
also be attached thereto in such wise that the same can travel on the two rails H
borne in and by the suspender frames A and two or more pairs of such wheels may
be connected together to form a travelling carriage from and by which is suspended
the load that is to be carried by this railway by any usual appliances and these
suspensory appliances are connected to this carriage or to the axles thereof at or
about the longitudinal centre line or the middles of the same or are so arranged and
fitted as to pass through the apertures B in the suspender frames A as the carriage
with its load travels along the railway so that the load is borne very fairly and truly
in this railway as is desired.
This carriage may be constructed in any usual or convenient manner as may be
desirable in each particular case. I shew in the drawings one very suitable manner
wherein a central bar K passes over and clasps the two axles the ends of this bar K
being so prolonged downwards as to reach somewhat below the suspender frames A

page_text: where they terminate in hooks wherefrom the load can be suspended as shown in
Figure 8 while two connecting rods L are or may be secured round the axles on each
side of the bar K to ensure the parallelism of the two axles or a little play may be
allowed in these connecting rods L. whereby the exact parallelism of the two axles is
not necessarily and at all times preserved and thus this carriage can pass over curves
in the railway of a comparatively large radius. Other suspensory appliances can
also if desired be hung from the central bar K in its length between the two axles.
As is aforesaid the carriage can be fitted with two or more pairs of wheels and in
Figure 1 shew a carriage P with two pairs of wheels and a carriage Qwith four
pairs of wheels and in this latter case it very convenient to fit each two pairs of
wheels in a bogie whereby this kind of carriage could pass over curves in the railway
of a comparatively small radius.
When gallows are to be used and on other occasions also when it may be desirable
or expedient so to do the suspender frames A may be rigidly connected at the desired
elevations to the cross beams F of the gallows or to the longitudinal beams G thereof
or to the side posts E thereof or to the overhead beams or girders or other apparatus
by bolts or bars or rods or otherwise.
The cross beams F of the gallows may also be fitted and formed as to be capable of
sliding on or in the side posts E of the same being supported at the desired elevations
by chains or ropes or rods or pins or otherwise. I shew in Figures 2 and 3 one
convenient method of effecting this object wherein the side posts 2 of the gallows are
made hollow and rods R pass up therein whereon are screw threads and on these screw
rods R are mounted suitable sleeves attached to the ends of the cross beams F the
elevations whereof can therefore be altered and adjusted by revolving the screw rods R
in any usual or convenient manner.
When wire or other rope is to be used instead of rigid rails as herein before
described I should proceed to construct the railway in a similar manner but obviously
it would generally be desirable to put a tension on the ropes in any usual or
convenient manner.
I have thus described and I have shewn in the accompanying drawings what I
consider to be extremely suitable forms and proportions of this my overhead railway
and of the several parts thereof and also very convenient methods and arrangements
and details of and for constructing and fitting the same but it is obvious and I would
have it clearly understood that I do not limit myself thereto for this my overhead
railway and all the several parts thereof may be made of such forms and proportions
and may be constructed and fitted in such a manner as may be expedient in each
particular case having regard to the place in which and the purpose for which the
railway is required the loads that are to be carried thereby and the likelihood or
otherwise of there being any necessity or advisability of making frequent changes in
the positions or elevations of the railway or of the different parts thereof.
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 arrangement and combination of parts and appliances constituting my
overhead railway substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The use of the adjustable suspender frames A for overhead railways substantially
as hereinbefore described and set forth.
1
0011 1
1007
HART & Co.,
186, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.