Improved Toy Engineering Constructions.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 28th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Toy Engineering Constructions.
I, THOMAS STURGEON, of Easby Drive, Ilkley, in the County of York, Engineer,
lo hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improved toys consist of a number of loose pieces so formed that they may be
readily put together and which when properly put in their respective places and
combined in the manner provided for will form models representing, as far as it is
possible to do so in a toy, engineering structures such as the Forth Bridge, the
Eiffel Tower, Suspension or American truss bridges, iron roofs and works of a similar
nature.
For this purpose I provide a number of pieces or slips of card-board, hoop-iron
sheet metal or other suitable material which are punched or otherwise formed into
the necessary shapes. Those pieces which form struts are made of material stiff
enough to resist what little compression they will be subjected to and I form.holes
or gaps at their ends which engage with pegs in other parts of the structure.
Those pieces which are to represent girders in a horizontal or nearly horizontal
position or the top and bottom booms of bridges may also be formed of narrow hoop
iron and the rafters of roofs may also be formed of similar material and holes or
gaps are formed in them in the required positions throughout their length to engage
with the pegs in the pieces to which they have to be connected.
I form tie rods and pieces which only have to resist a tensile strain, of wire bent
at the ends so as to form hooks or loops to go on the pegs and the long tie rods
of roofs may have also loops formed at the proper positions throughout their
length.
Little holes
Cross-pieces are formed of little slips of wood with tacks, screws or pins fixed
in their ends to form the pegs or cross-pieces may, in many cases, be simply
pieces of wood turned down at the ends so as to form the pegs.
are drilled through the ends of the peg, through which, when the different
pieces are put on the peg, a little pin is slipped to keep these parts on the peg.
In bridge building on the cantilever principle, piers may be formed of two flat
pieces of metal card-board or wood punched or otherwise formed into the required
shape with notches or holes formed in them in suitable positions near the top
and bottom so that when the cross-pieces are put in position with the pegs in
these notches or holes they will hold the two sides together and thus form a
structure of sufficient stability to commence building out from. Or the piers may
be formed of slips similar to those used for struts and properly braced together.
Two of the longest struts are first put in with their notches or holes at the bottom
ends resting on the proper pegs carried by the pier or by a cross-piece on the pier.
A cross-piece is then slipped in between the top ends of these struts with the
pegs in the notches or holes and a pair of top girders or ties is then slipped in so
as to connect this cross-bar to one of the cross-bars at the top of the pier. Two
of the wire tie rods are now put on, the hooks at their ends being hung on to the pegs
of the cross-bar at the top of the pier. A cross-bar is now hung on to the hooks
at the bottom of these wire tie rods and the bottom pair of girders is slipped on to
the pegs so that by the combined action of the tie rods and the girders this cross-
bar will be held out at the required distance from the pier.
The top cross-bar will also be held out at a corresponding distance by the combined
action of the struts and the top ties. Should the pier form the middle pier of a two
span bridge the structure is now carried out to the same extent and in the same
way on the other side of the pier. Another pair of struts and top ties is now put

page_text: on, the erection being carried out on the same principle, the pair of cross-bars last
put in being used as a starting point instead of those on the pier itself and so on
till the structure is complete.
In a toy model of an American truss bridge the tension and counter tension rods
are made of wire with hooks or loops at their ends and the perpendicular struts of
stiff card-board or slips of sheet metal with holes or gaps at the ends to go on to
the pegs at the ends of the cross-bars.
In building a tower I use a base formed of a square piece of wood with tacks or
pegs at the corners.
Similar square pieces of wood are used to form the higher stages, these squares
being smaller and smaller as the tower rises in height. When square pieces of wood
are used to form the higher stages of the tower, the cross-pieces and horizontal
girders are dispensed with.
The struts run up vertically at the corners of the squares and the diagonal ties
are formed of wire with eyes formed at the ends and of the proper lengths to reach
from peg to peg.
Instead of flat slips being used for the uprights, little pillars of
turned wood may be used, these pillars being reduced in diameter at the ends so as
to leave shoulders.
Corresponding holes are made in the square stages near the corners so that cach
stage will rest on the shoulders of its respective pillars and the diagonal tie rods
will brace the whole structure firmly together. A cheap and convenient way of
forming a toy-tower is to use the flat struts diagonally so that they will form both
struts and tie rods.
Toy railway signal posts may be constructed in this manner and in a somewhat
similar manner long vertical shafts for toy hoists may be built up in stages, the front
being left open
and guides being provided for the cage to run. in. Openings are
left in the stages for the cage to pass through. The stages for a hoist should of
course be equal in size. A double hoist made on this plan will form a very
entertaining toy.
In constructing toy roofs 1 use little strips of wood for the struts. These struts
should have gaps at their ends which may be simply formed by a notch cut by a
saw and a wire passed through the wood and across this
gap will represent a rivet
or bolt, the notch or hole in the rafter fitting on to this wire. The king and queen
bolts are short pieces of wire with hooks or loops formed at their ends. The tie
rods are longer pieces of wire with bends or eyes formed at suitable positions to
engage with hooks on the king and queen posts and the pins in the struts.
In erecting model suspension bridges, piers may be formed as already described
and I provide chains such as are used in some clocks and the tie rods may be hooked
on to these chains in suitable positions. The pegs in the ends of the cross-pieces
rest in the bottom hooks of these tie rods and little slips of wood representing
the roadway rest on the cross-pieces. The model is constructed on a board in
which are staples or hooks to which the ends of the chains are fixed. The chains
then pass over cross-pieces at the top of the piers.
..
Semicircular and other arches may be made by a combination of slips of metal
or cardboard with cross-pieces. The slips which form the outer arch are longer, in
the proper proportion, than those which form the inner arch and these two sets of
slips are braced together by diagonal slips or struts.
The pieces from which these models are to be formed are so arranged that
they may be readily put together and taken to pieces again even by children
and the erection of the various structures will form interesting occupation for young
people.
In many cases the same pieces, or some of them, may be used for two or more
different constructions.
To boys of engineering tastes the construction of the toys will impart valuable
information, impressing on their minds in an agreeable manner, the différent strains
sustained by various parts and teaching them to distinguish those parts. which are

page_text: under compression from those which are under tensile strains. Boys may also devise
plans of their own to be constructed out of the pieces.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of March 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Toy Engineering Constructions.
1, THOMAS STURGEON, of Easby Drive, Ilkley, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My improved toys consist of a number of loose pieces so formed that they may
be readily put together and which when properly put in their respective places
and combined in the manner provided for will form models representing, as far as
it is possible to do so in a toy, engineering structures such as the Forth Bridge or
the Eiffel Tower.
For this purpose I provide a number of pieces or slips of cardboard hoop-iron
sheet metal or other suitable material which are punched or otherwise formed into
the necessary shapes. Those pieces which form struts are made of material stiff
enough to resist what little compression they will be subjected to and I form
holes or gaps at their ends which engage with pegs in other parts of the structure.
I form the rods and pieces which only have to resist a tensile strain, of wire bent
at the ends so as to form hooks or loops to go on the pegs, but I prefer to form
those parts, which are only subjected to a tensile strain, of slips of metal or card-
board, printed in such a manner as to represent lattice girders. These slips have
holes at their ends by which they are hung on to the pegs.
Cross pieces are formed of little slips of wood with tacks screws or pins fixed
in their ends to form the pegs but I prefer them to be simply pieces of wood turned
down at their ends so as to form the pegs. Little holes are drilled through the
ends of the pegs through which, when the different pieces are put on the peg, a
little pin is slipped to keep these parts on the peg.
In bridge building on the cantilever principle, piers may be formed of two flat
pieces of metal, cardboard or wood punched or otherwise formed into the required
shape with notches or holes formed in them in suitable positions near the top and
bottom so that when the cross pieces are put in position with the pegs in these
notches or holes they will hold the two sides together and thus form a structure of
sufficient stability to commence building out from or the piers may be formed of
slips similar to those used for struts and properly braced together. Two of the
bottom struts are first put in with their notches or holes at one end resting on the
proper pegs carried by the pier or by a cross piece on the pier. A cross-piece is
then slipped in between the outer ends of these struts with the pegs in the notches
or holes and a pair of diagonal lattice girders is then slipped in so as to connect
this cross bar to one of the cross bars at the top of the pier.
Two of the longest struts are now put in with their notches or holes at the
bottom end resting on the pegs near the bottom of the pier. A cross bar is now
put between the loose ends of these struts and the first pair of top girders is put
on, the holes at one end of these lattice girders being placed on the pegs at the top
of the pier and the holes at the other end on the pegs on which the struts have just
been placed so that by the combined action of the lattice girders and struts the
cross bars will be held out at the required distance from the pier. Each step in the
construction should be carried out to the same extent and in the same way at both
sides of the intermediate piers before another step is commenced. Another pair of
lattice girder ties and struts is now put on, the erection being carried out on the
same principle, the pair of cross bars last put in being used as a starting point
instead of those on the pier itself and so on till the structure is complete.

page_text: gs
Fig. 1 is a front view of one of the upright slips from which the middle piers
are formed.
Fig. 2 being a side view of the same.
Fig. 3 shews one of the struts and
Fig. 4 one of the lattice girders.
Fig. 5 is one of the cross pieces the ends of which are reduced in size so as to
form pegs which pass through the holes at the ends of the struts and lattice girders
and in the uprights of the piers, these pieces being kept on to the cross-pieces by
the little pins which can be taken out of their holes and replaced.
The above details are shown the full size.
In Fig. 6. shew an isometric view, half size, of a portion of one side of a
bridge in order to shew the construction more fully. This portion consists of one
side of a middle pier with the first set of top lattice girders and diagonal struts and
the first set of bottom struts with their diagonal lattice-girders in position. Fig. 6
also shews a portion of the roadway.
In Fig. 7. I shew (also half size) the construction of one of the land piers.
In Figs. 8. 9. 10. 11 and 12. I shew a bridge in various stages of its construction.
Fig. 8 shews the first stage riz. the two intermediate piers erected.
Fig. 9. shews the second stage, that is to say, the first set of diagonal lattice
girders ties and bottom struts put on.
Fig. 10. is the third stage. First set of diagonal struts and top lattice girders
ties put on.
In Fig. 11. two more sets of lattice girder tics and struts are shewn put on.
In Fig. 12. the structure is shewn complete.
As I desire to make the bridge so that a little toy train may be run along
the roadway and as cross bars at the points a. a. a. Fig. 12. might interfere with
this by not allowing sufficient height-instead of using cross-bars at these points, I
use simple pegs such as shewn at Fig. 13.
The roadway consists of slips of wood which can be grooved as shewn at b. b.
Fig. 6 to take the wheels of a toy train.
A portion of the roadway is supported by the cross-pieces in the holes c. c. c.
Figs. 1 and 6 other portions being supported by projections one of which is
shewn at d Fig. 6. and also by the cross pieces at c. e. e. Fig. 12.
The different sections of the roadway are laid in as the construction of the
bridge progresses.
The construction of the land piers will be understood from Fig. 7 which is half size.
The central portion is provided with pegs g. g, and the sides h. h have corre-
sponding holes in them. The pieces have also pegs at the top shewn at ii to fit
into holes in the top piece k.
After all the girders have been put together, the pieces are inserted under the
girders. The sides are then put on in the positions shewn in Fig. 12 and the
top pushed down on to its pegs thus binding the various parts of the land pier
together.
The bottom ends of the slips forming the uprights of the intermediate piers are
bent round at right angles to form a foot which is screwed to a wooden base
made to represent the end of a stone pier projecting from the water. This is shewn
in Fig. 1 and 2 at 1. 1. and the pegs m. m. fit into corresponding holes in a board
or boards which form the foundation of the whole structure.
Numbers should be marked on the slips forming the girders and struts as shewn
in Figs. 3 and 4 and a key sketch, with corresponding numbers should be
furnished with each toy so as to guide the boy in putting the construction
together.
In building a tower I use a base formed of a square piece of wood with pegs at
the corners.
Similar square pieces of wood, with pegs near the corners are used
to form the higher stages, these squares being smaller and smaller as the tower rises
in height.

page_text: As to the struts I find the best way is to use flat struts diagonally so that they
will form both struts and tie rods.
The struts are kept in their places by means of little pins passed through the
ends of the pegs. The construction will be readily understood by a reference to
Fig. 14. which is an isometric view of a portion of a toy tower, full size.
Fig. 15 is a general isometric view, on a smaller scale of a complete toy
tower.
Fig. 16. is a plan of a portion of one of the squares forming the different stages
shewing the pegs at the corner.
I find that the other constructions described in my Provisional Specification
will involve too much complication to make them useful as toy constructions.
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 :-
Making toy engineering constructions such as cantilever bridges and towers by
providing a number of pieces and slips which are so arranged that they can be
readily put together by young persons, substantially as described.
Dated 22nd December 1800
GEO. DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.