New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Unlocking and Locking all the Doors of a Railway Train Simultaneously.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Unlocking and Locking
all the Doors of a Railway Train Simultaneously.
JOSEPH CHEETHAM Bedford Villas Victoria Road Romford, Essex General
Dealer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A cylinder is fastened on top of the carriage at any part most suitable.
To the piston-rod is connected a horizontal rod running the whole length of the
carriage and having attached to it a crank with a bolt suspended over each door and
dropping into slots to fasten.
Air is forced into the cylinder, driving the piston-rod back and also drawing the
horizontal rod with it, lifts the bolts on the cranks and releases the doors.
When the air pressure is released, the piston is forced forward by a spring at
the back of the piston, and the bolts are again dropped into their sockets and lock
the door.
Provision is made for an accident by the piston-rod running through the cylinder
and having a screw-handle at the end of it to enable any person to unlock all the
doors of one carriage at once by hand power.
A flexible tube connects the different pipes on the separate carriages and this
may be disconnected at will to allow of attaching or detaching carriages when
necessary.
"
The air is supplied from a pump on the engine or other source and unlocks and
locks all doors on the train simultaneously.
Dated the 0th dow of Maua 1001
JOSEPH CHEETHAM.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means or Apparatus for Unlocking and Locking
all the Doors of a Railway Train Simultaneously.
JOSEPH CHEETHAM Bedford Villas Victoria Road Romford Essex General
Dealer 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 :-
Over the top of each door is fixed upon the roof of the carriage a crank-lever (G)
the said lever being connected at the extremity of the lower arm to a loose bolt (N)
which drops through a slot or box (I) fastened just over the door and another one
on the door (J) itself, thus locking it.
The upper arm of each crank-lever is connected with a horizontal rod (A)
running the whole length of each carriage in such a manner that the whole of the
bolts (for example say six) will by a movement of the horizontal rod, be lifted
out or dropped into the sockets on the doors.
The movement of the horizontal rod is produced by the piston-rod (B) of a
cylinder (D) fastened upon the roof and in a direct line with the end of the rod
and connected to it by a loose joint (L) to allow for the small rise & fall in the
rod whilst working; the power for working the piston to be compressed air supplied
from a pump on the engine or other source.
Each cylinder (D) to receive its supply of air by a branch from a pipe (K)
running over the tops of the carriages, the pipe in question being made of any
material most fit for the purpose but the separate pipes on the different carriages
to be connected by a flexible tube (P) which may be disconnected to allow for the
attaching & detaching of carriages when necessary.

page_text: The piston (C) is forced back into the cylinder (D) by the air being admitted
into the front part of the cylinder through the branch before mentioned thus
draws with it the horizontal rod (A) which acting on the crank-levers (G) thus
draws the bolts upwards and releases each carriage's doors simultaneously. When
it is necessary to lock the doors the air pressure is withdrawn and the piston-
rod (B) is forced out of the cylinder (D) by a powerful spring (E) acting in
opposition to the air and affixed to the back of the piston (C) and again to the
inside end of the cylinder. This operation is also assisted by the weight of the
bolts etc.
This apparatus to be affixed on each side of the roof of the carriage and each
separate cylinder receiving its supply from separate pipes, the supply of the pipe
on the off or six-foot side of the carriage to be turned off if necessary and thus
keep that side of the carriages locked.
In the possible event of an accident which would break the connection and thus
by allowing the air to escape (H) lock the doors, provision is made by the piston
rod (B) running through the cylinder (D) and having at its end a screw-wheel (M)
so that any person by a few turns may unlock all the doors of that side of the
carriage at once.
This arrangement would also enable persons to open the doors of carriages
for the purpose of cleaning etc. when at rest in a siding or detached from the
engine.
A tap or valve (F) will be affixed at each end of the pipes on the carriages so
as to block the escape of air at the end of the train or when connecting or dis-
connecting carriage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The bolts not being withdrawn until a train is at a standstill and being
dropped into the sockets before it starts again, it will thus prevent any person
from leaving or entering a train while in motion and thus endangering not only
their own lives and limbs but also of those who frequently have to hazard theirs in
rescueing such persons from perilous positions.
(2) It will effectually prevent any persons falling out of the train when in motion
through the present fastening becoming loose; it will be an impossibility for any
one to open the doors of the off side of the carriage and stepping out in error.
(3) It will prevent anyone stepping out of a train when brought to a standstill
short of a station under the impression they are at their destination.
(4) It will tend to check murder and crime by not allowing a would-be criminal
to travel along the foot-board in search of a victim; the knowledge also that it is
an impossibility to escape from one compartment to another will tend to prevent
any of those criminal assaults on unprotected females which have become so
common.
(5) In the remote contingency of a porter omitting to close a door and this
fact escaping the notice of the driver, the bolt would of course prevent the doors
from being closed by a passenger until it was raised again. This fact however
far from being a vice would prove a virtue. As in the present case if a handle is
not turned the door is to every appearance on the inside, duly fastened and becomes
little less than a death trap to the unsuspecting passenger. In the other case the
door would be unable to swing close to and anybody riding in the carriage would
see the danger at a glance.
Dated this Thirteenth day of June 1891.
JOSEPH CHEETHAM.