IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE WHEELS, AXLES, BUFFER AND DRAW SPRINGS, AND HINGES FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
FISHER, of Birmingham, 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 the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of Decem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Fisher, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Samuel Fisher, my
exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Fisher, my
exors, adņiors, 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 expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE WHEELS, AXLES, BUFFER AND DRAW SPRINGS, AND
HINGES FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER DOORS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Samuel Fisher, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six

page_text: 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
Samuel Fisher, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and 5
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention consists,―
First, of improvements in the manufacture of railway carriage wheels.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in railway axles.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in railway buffer and draw
springs. And,
1
Fourthly, my Invention consists of improvements in hinges for railway 1.
carriage and other doors.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side view and a transverse section of a railway carriage 2
wheel, constructed according to part of my improvements. a, a, is the flanched
tyre; is the nave; and c, c, are a series of plates by which the nave and
the tyre are combined into a wheel. The plates c, c, are connected to each
other, and to the tyre bolts d, d, as shown. The parts of the nave where the
plates c, c, come against are conical, so that when the plates are pressed on by 2
the screw nuts e, e, on either side of the nave, which may be of wrought or
cast iron, the plates will be pressed on with a tendency to expand the wheel.
Figure 2 shows a side view in section, and Figure 3 a transverse. section of
another wheel, constructed according to other of my improvements. It consists
of a cast-iron wheel, having wrought-iron spokes enclosed within the casting. 3
a, a, are spokes of wrought iron bent into elbow bends at a³, forming together
a felloe or ring of wrought iron a³, a³, and these wrought-iron spokes and felloe
being laid into an iron mould, prepared for making a cast wheel, the cast
iron is run into a mould, and the wheel will thus be formed. I would remark,
that the shape of the wrought-iron spokes may be varied, and the form of the 3
cast portion (enclosing the wrought spokes) may be varied. This part of my
Invention consisting of employing wrought-iron spokes in cast-iron wheels, as .
herein cxplained.

page_text: I will now describe the second part of my Invention. Figure 4 shews
an axle constructed according to these improvements. The axle is made
in two parts a and 6; the part a passing into and revolving within the
tubular end of the part b, and in order to retain the two parts of the axle
together the collars c, c, are used, which are retained in their places by the set
screws d, d, each of the collars being composed of two half rings, and they
fill the grooves round the part a of the axle. Figure 5 shews a variation of
this mode of constructing axles, a separate tube being used, and the ends of
the two parts a, b, of the axle come together in the centre of the tube.
The parts of this axle are retained in the tube by collars and screws, in like
manner to the previous one. I would remark, that I do not claim the making
of axles in two parts, but only the manner of connecting the ends.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention. Figure 6 shews so
much of a railway carriage as will enable me to describe these improvements.
I would hcwever first remark, that heretofore the springs of railway carriages
for the buffers, and also for drawing the same, have been made of steel, in
some cases coiled springs, but for the most part such springs are made of
plates of steel. Now the present improvements consist of applying springs
of wood for such purpose in place of steel. In the Drawing a, a, are the
buffer springs, and 6, 6, are the draw springs, both of which are of wood, and
the best wood I believe for the purpose is beech, though other wood may be
employed. The shapes I prefer are those shewn in the Drawing, but the
same may be varied.
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention. Figure 7 shews a
door hung on a hinge, according to this part of my Invention, and Figure 8
shews a section thereof. The hinge I prefer to be from top to bottom of the
door, and it consists of india rubber; that which is called vulcanized india
rubber I believe to be the best for the purpose. The india rubber is shut
between two plates, both in fixing it to the door and also in fixing it to the
door post, but the mode of fixing such a hinge may be varied.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein given; but what I claim is,
First, the improvements in the manufacture of railway carriage wheels
herein described.
Secondly, I claim the improvements in railway carriage axles herein
described.
Thirdly, I claim the improvements in railway buffer and draw springs, by
annlving wood in place of steel as herein described. And
.

page_text: Fourthly, I claim the improvements in hinges for railway carriage and
other doors, by applying india rubber as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Fisher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.