Improved Portable Platform for Roundabout or other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Portable Platform for Roundabout or other Vehicles.
We, THOMAS WALKER, and GEORGE FREDERICK ALDER, of Oldbury
Works, Tewkesbury in the County of Gloucester, Engineers, and JACOB STUDT
of 13 Crawshay Street, Penarth Road Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan
Roundabout Proprietor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide a portable platform generally known.
as a gantry or tram for supporting the centre truck of a roundabout or any vehicle
which may require to be packed up or supported off the ground, the said portable
platform or gantry being also capable of being used as an ordinary waggon to carry
a load, easily erected or dismantled so as to save labour in building up and taking
down a roundabout machine or other vehicle for which it may be used.
We construct the under part of the portable platform as an ordinary waggon in
the bed of which we provide longitudinal or equivalent bearers of sufficient strength
to carry the centre truck or other vehicle, the said bearers may be made in one
piece or more pieces may be used and may be braced together similar to a lattice
girder according to the heigth and strength required.
These bearers are supported from the ground by means of vertical or diagonal
stays or supports, framed trestles or other equivalent means and braced crosswise
with diagonal or equivalent braces, such being attached to or supported by horizontal
tram planks under the wheels which form a base or foundation for the portable
platform when built up.
The portable platform is provided with an ordinary bed to carry a load the same
being cut through or parts removed where required to clear cross stays or other
obstacles.
We prefer to employ four wheels to carry the portable platform the two fore
ones being attached to a swivelling undercarriage for the purpose of guiding in
the ordinary way, but two or any number of wheels may be used.
Supports may be used between the wheels and longitudinal bearers as required
when built up so as to relieve the weight off the springs and make the portable
platform as rigid as possible.
To raise the centre truck or other vehicle on the top of the portable platform
we employ an inclined tramway which inay be attached to the portable platform or
tram, the centre truck or other vehicle being moved along the inclined tramway by
means of suitable winding gear which may be attached to the portable platform or
other suitable means may be employed such as a traction engine or a winding or
crab winch.
Various modifications may be used and the portable platform made to any
heigth as may be required and any suitable material employed in its construction."
Dated this 11th day of February 1896.
THOMAS
WALKER.
GEORGE FREDERICK ALDER.
JACOB STUDT.

page_text: Improved Portable Platform for Roundabout or other Vehicles.
We, THOMAS WALKER and GEORGE FREDERICK ALDER of Oldbury
Works, Tewkesbury in the County of Gloucester, Engineers, and JACOB STUDT
of 13 Crawshay Street, Penarth Road, Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan,.
Roundabout Proprietor, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to provide a portable platform generally known
as a gantry or tram for supporting the centre truck of a roundabout or any vehicle
which may require to be packed up or supported off the ground the said portable
platform or gantry being also capable of being used as an ordinary waggon to
carry a load, easily erected or dismantled so as to save labour in building up or
taking down a roundabout machine or other vehicle for which it may be used.
We construct the under part of the portable platform as an ordinary waggon in
the bed of which we provide longitudinal or equivalent bearers of sufficient strength
to carry the centre truck or other vehicle the said bearers may be made in one
piece or more pieces may be used and may be braced together similar to a latticed
girder according to the height and strength required. These bearers are supported
from the ground by means of vertical or diagonal stays or supports, framed trestles
or other equivalent means and braced crosswise with diagonal or equivalent traces
such being attached to or supported by horizontal tram planks under the wheels
which form a base or foundation for the portable platform when built up.
The portable platform is provided with an ordinary bed to carry a load, the same
being cut through or parts removed where required to clear cross stays or other
obstacles.
We prefer to employ four wheels to carry the portable platform the two fore
ones being attached to a swivelling undercarriage for the purpose of guiding in the
ordinary way, but two or any number of wheels may be used.
Supports may be used between the wheels and longitudinal bearers as required
when built up so as to relieve the weight off the springs and make the portable
platform as rigid as possible.
To raise the centre truck or other vehicle on the top of the portable platform
we employ an inclined tramway which may be attached to the portable platform
or tram the centre truck or other vehicle being moved along the inclined tramway
by means of suitable winding gear which may be attached to the portable platform
or other suitable means may be employed such as a traction engine, or winding or
crab winch.
Various modifications may be used and the portable platform made to any
height as may be required and any suitable material employed in its construction.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the portable
gantry or tram made with four wheels with the framed trestles, diagonal end
supports and wheel blocks all in position and resting on the tram or foundation
planks to support in an elevated position the centre truck of a roundabout which is
shown on the top of the gantry in the same figure.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same showing the construction of longitudinal
bearers in or on the bed of the gantry.
Similar letters denote corresponding parts in both figures.
A. A. A are horizontal cross ground planks.
B. B. B are longitudinal ground planks.
C. C. C. C. are the diagonal stays or end supports.
D is the framed trestle to support the longitudinal bearer one on each side.

page_text: E. E. are blocks placed between the wheels and longitudinal bearers for the
same purpose.
F is the swivelling guide or undercarriage to the fore wheels.
G. G. G. are longitudinal bearers in this case framed and braced together to
give the desired height, and strength.
H. H. H. are cross rails to hold the longitudinal bearers together and also to
attach the inclined platform for raising or lowering the centre truck or other
vehicle.
I. I is the centre truck of a roundabout supported by the portable gantry or
tram.
To make the gantry or tram ready for travelling on the road all that is necessary
is to remove the diagonal stays C. C. C. C. the framed trestles D and the wheel
blocks E. E. and these and other material may be packed or loaded on the bed of
the gantry or tram between the longitudinal bearers G. G. G.
The centre truck or other vehicle may travel on the gantry or tram if required,
or lowered by means of the inclined tramway to travel independently.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination of a portable platform generally known as a gantry or tram
capable of being used to support in an elevated position a centre truck of a
roundabout or other vehicle and also as an ordinary waggon to carry a load.
2. The combination of a gantry or tram as aforesaid having wheels, axles, and
a swivelling guide or undercarriage as in an ordinary waggon.
3. The combination of a gantry or tram as aforesaid having diagonal stays,
framed trestles, wheel blocks, and longitudinal bearers or other equivalent means
to rigidly support a vehicle or other weight when being used as an ordinary gantry
or tram substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying-
drawings.
Dated this Tenth day of November 1896
THOMAS WALKER.
GEORGE FREDERICK ALDER..
JACOB STUDT.