IMPROVED SAFETY APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Grindley Rowe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
November 1864.
I, JOSEPH GRINDLEY ROWE, of 5, Queen Square, Westminster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED SAFETY APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide additional safety to the public
upon railways by enabling the guard of a railway train to communicato at
any time by signal with the engine driver through the agency of compressed
air, and to apply the break apparatus to the wheels of the van or carriages,
or to the railway metals with increased force through the same agency, or
through the agency of any liquid not liable to freeze.
The Invention consists principally in improved apparatus for utilizing the
rotary motion and power of the running wheels of the guard's van to force air
or liquid substances into a receiver or reservoir, so as to be available either
for the purpose of sounding a whistle, trumpet, or other pneumatic signal
apparatus, sufficiently loud to be heard by the driver, or applying the break
apparatus, and also a dusting box to the wheels or metals.

page_text: The peculiar features of my Invention are, first, an arrangement of appa-
ratus, by which I obtain great propelling power from an eccentric (fixed on
the axle) by means of a lever working at any convenient angle in contact
therewith, and capable of being thrown in and out of gear without risk or
danger; secondly, in providing the receiver or reservoir with a plunger, so as
to maintain or
increase the pressure of the air or liquid contained therein
when applied for such purposes as is herein-before described; thirdly, in the
application and addition of a dusting box to the "rolling stock" of railways
partially filled with pounded resin, sand, or other equivalents, so as to traverse
and deposit the same upon the metals or wheels to produce friction and cause
the breaks or skidded wheels to adhere more firmly to such metals, and thus
stop the train in shorter distance.
The receiver or
may
either slide
As it is my intention to deposit plans with my Final Specification, and to
more fully describe my Invention by reference thereto, I will merely, for
the sake of example, give a description of one of the simplest methods of
putting my Invention into practice. I key or otherwise fix on one axle of
the running wheels of the guard's van an eccentric, which, if so desired, may
bo constructed so as to move to and from the centre at pleasure, by means of
a slot and wedge, or other suitable arrangement, and above the same at any
suitable angle I place a lever provided with a spring to keep it in position,
and a syphon to prevent friction on the eccentric. One end of the said lever
works in suitable bearings, and the other end is connected to the piston rod of
a force pump of any required strength and convenient form of construction.
The force pump has communication by means of an air passage with a
receiver or reservoir capable of sustaining great pressure.
reservoir is provided with a plunger working vertically, which
up and down at a fixed pressure, or be raised or lowered by the guard.at
pleasure, it being of course understood that the receiver or reservoir is to be
provided with a safety valve to prevent its fracture by any rush or careless
use of the plunger. The dusting box will, either by the action of the break
apparatus or by a separate contrivance be lowered to and traverse the metals
or wheels, and deposit upon the same as it revolves (through small holes
provided for that purpose) particles of the matter contained therein. To
sound the whistle or other signal apparatus it will only be necessary for the
guard to open a stop-cock, and the same action will apply to working the
break apparatus consisting of a piston, cylinder, and other well known
appliances. It will be seen that as the compressed air or liquid leaves the
receiver or reservoir the plunger will follow it, and thus maintain (or if so
desired) increase the pressure.

page_text: To put the apparatus in operation with the wheels of the train it will only
be necessary to release the lever when a spring fitted thereto or to the body
of the carriage will force it in contact with the eccentric on the axle, which
as it revolves with the wheels of the van or carriage will work the force pump.
To throw the apparatus out of gear it will only be necessary to draw the
aforesaid lever clear of the eccentric.