IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS USED ON RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Rayner Banks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th September 1874.
I, JOHN RAYNER BANKS, Engineer, of Bristol, Gloucestershire, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS USED ON RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS," to be as follows:-
1stly. An internal arrangement of carriage, such as to combine the
system of distinct compartments with that of through communication
with all carriages forming a train.
2ndly. An improved arrangement of combined central buffing and
draw gear, allowing the draw bars to be screwed up so as to take in the
slack of the coupling and preserving constant contact between the
buffers.
3rdly. A system of applying breaks to the wheels of the said vehicles
wherein the motion of the wheel itself is employed as a retarding
force.

page_text: .
the end of the carriage, and through a door at the right-hand corner, as
seen when facing the carriage, so that when the carriages are coupled
together the two half platforms of any two carriages form a continuous
platform across or along the ends of the vehicles, and the two entrance
doors are situated diagonally in relation one to the other. On entering the
carriage a passage or corridor is formed to the right hand, while the com-
partments, with open or closed entrances, are divided off to the left. At
some convenient point near to the centre of the carriage the passage or
corridor is diverted across to the other side of the carriage, and from that
point continue to the left hand with the compartments divided off to the
right hand. Where thought necessary side doors may be applied opening
into the corridors, in order to facilitate rapidity in entering and leaving
of carriages.
In the second of these improvements a buffer acting upon an india-
rubber or other spring on the outside of the headstock is formed solid
with the draw bar at the one end of the vehicle, while at the opposite end
a sleeve or hollow buffer is fixed, acting on a spring placed on the outside
of the headstock as before, but independently of the draw bar, which is
so formed as to work freely through the said sleeve or hollow buffer
without acting upon the spring. The draw bars are connected by a
twitch screw coupling near the centre of the under frame, and by means
of this coupling the slack of the draw link or other attachment from
vehicle to vehicle may be taken up and the desired pressure brought
upon the buffers. The stroke of the buffers is taken up by slots in the
twitch screw coupling. The form of coupling here introduced may also
be employed to facilitate the close coupling of vehicles with side
buffers, in which case the draw hook at present in use may be dispensed
with.
In the third of these improvements a frame of angle, channel, or
other iron is securely fixed to the axle boxes, and from this frame are
suspended two rocking shafts, one at each end of the vehicle outside the
wheel base. Upon these rocking shafts are placed friction rollers which
are pressed again the wheel tyres by means of a screw spindle working
a bell crank on the rocking shaft in the usual manner. On the inside
of the above mentioned friction rollers, and forming part of them, is
cast or formed an eccentric, which by means of a chain, flat band, or
other connection gives a reciprocating motion to other cross bars or shafts,
hung from the frame before mentioned; but inside the wheel base, on

page_text: these last-mentioned cross bars or shafts are break blocks of wood or
metal which are brought into firm contact with, and again released from
the tyre at each revolution of the wheel.
The chain, flat band, rod, or other connection, transmitting the throw
of the eccentrics to the brake blocks acts through a spiral or other
suitable spring so as to take up unequal wear of the blocks, especially
when used as a continuous brake..