Improvements in Protective Guards for Tram and like Cars.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Protective Guards for Tram and like Cars.
I, JOHN MEGOWN, of 1321, Mahoning Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.A.
Bricklayer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in protective
guards for tram, railway, motor and other cars whereby persons are caught,
without injury, when accidentally overtaken; the object of the invention being
to render the working of the guard more expeditious when required, and to
generally improve the construction thereof.
The invention comprises a suitable rectangular frame composed partly of side
bars which are adapted to slide in guides beneath the car platform to enable the
frame to be withdrawn thereunder or projected therefrom. The outer ends of
the side bars are connected by a tubular or other rod around which a spring or
springs are coiled, tending to turn it in one direction. Levers are pivoted at the
respective ends of the rod, parallel with the side bars, and have their longer arms
projecting forwardly therefrom and their shorter arms projecting rearwardly.
A suitable net has two of its sides connected, respectively, to a cross bar between
the longer arms, and hooks or the like on the front of the car platform, so that
the net, when stretched outwards, forms a hammock-shaped receptacle sloping
upwards from near the track. The shorter arms are connected, by links, to pivot-
pins on the sides of the car platform.
A rack-bar, parallel with the side bars and connected to the tubular or other
rod, aforementioned, extends rearwardly beneath the car platform. A pinion
meshes with the teeth of the rack and is capable of being rotated by a segment
having a hand-lever formed integral therewith. By raising this lever the rack-
bar and frame can be caused to recede, when required, to fold up the net, which,
by reason of the side levers assuming a substantially vertically position, it will
do automatically.
When the net is required the hand lever is simply released and the coiled
spring or springs will cause the parts to be projected.
In an alternative form the springs are dispensed with.
I, JOHN MEGOWN, of 1321, Mahoning Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.A.,
Bricklayer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
[Price 8d.]

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in protective
guards for tram railway, motor, and other cars, whereby persons are caught,
without injury, when accidentally overtaken.
The object of the invention is to render the working of the guard more expe-
ditious when required, and to generally improve the construction of the guard.
Reference being had to the drawings hereunto attached, Figure 1 is a side
elevation of so much of a tram or like car as will serve to illustrate my invention,
and Fig. 2 is a part plan thereof with the platform of the car indicated by broken
lines in order to shew the mechanism more clearly. Fig. 3 is a side view of a
slightly modified form of the protective guard, and Fig. 4 is a part plan thereof
with the platform of the car indicated by broken lines.
Inasmuch as the mechanism on opposite sides of the car is similar, only one
half thereof is shewn in Figs. 2 and 4.
The improved protective guard comprises a rectangular frame made up of side
bars 1 and a cross-rod 2 and levers 3 secured to the ends of the cross-rod 2.
The side bars are made to slide horizontally in brackets 4 depending from the
under side of the car platform. Racks 5 are secured to the side bars, or, if desired,
teeth may be formed on the under edge of the side bars, the brackets 4 being
designed for the passage of the teeth therethrough.
Hangers 6, depending from the car platform, carry the shaft 7 having pinions 8
at each end adapted for engagement with the racks 5, or with the side-bars 1
when the teeth are formed on their under edges. One pinion is of sufficient width
to allow it to mesh with the segment 9 of a hand lever 10, journalled on the
stud 11 in the upper part of one of the depending hangers 6.
The levers 3 have their shorter arms 13 connected, by connecting-rods 14,
with a bracket 15 on the car platform, and the longer arms 16 are perforated
at 17 for the passage therethrough of the cord or wire strand 18 which is then
passed in slots or perforations across the ends of the arms 16, thence over
hooks 20 secured in front of the car, and supports the net 21.
Springs 22 have one end secured to the cross rod 2 and their other ends to the
levers 3; the tension acting as a counter-balance to the weight of the arms 16.
It will be understood that when the hand-lever 10 is drawn down, as shewn
in Fig. 1. the segment 9 rotates the pinions 8 which cause the racks 5 and side-
bars to be projected from beneath the car platform, and the levers 3 and con-
necting rods 14 to assume the position shewn, with the net extended. When,
however, the net is not required, the hand-lever is released and the springs 22
cause the parts to assume the position shewn in broken lines with the net folded
adjacent to the front guard of the car.
In Figs. 3 and 4 a slightly modified form of the invention is shewn and illus-
trates the method of applying the same to cars of different construction.
In this construction, the levers 3, cross-rods 2, 23, consist of tubular metal,
such as gas-pipe, united by castings and T-pieces 24.
The hand-lever 10 is connected directly onto a shaft 25 journalled in
hangers 26, and can be retained in any desired position by the segment rack 27.
Lever arms 28 are secured to the shaft 25 and are connected to the shorter
arms 13 of levers 3 whilst the connecting-rods 14 are pivoted on studs 30 on the
brackets 31 secured to the posts 32, which support the roof of the car.
The arms 28 are provided with spring clips 33 which retain the ends of the
studs 34 in the ends of said arms. The cross-rod 29 passes through the connect-
ing rods at 35, but is secured to one connecting rod only in such manner that it
cannot move horizontally therethrough, whilst at the other end of the rod 29
a spring 36 thereon presses the connecting-rod 14 against a collar 37, thus keep-
ing the former pressed home upon the stud 30. This provision enables the rod 29
and the parts connected thereto to be readily removed when desired, and the

page_text: spring-clips 33 enable the studs 34 and the levers 3 to be detached. The removed
parts can then be readily applied to the other end of the car when desired.
The net 21 extends between the extremities of the lever arms 16 and the
rod 29.
The operation of this form of the mechanism is the same as of that described
with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, that is to say, when the hand lever is depressed
the arms 28 and 13 are raised and the lever arms 16 depressed and projected for-
wardly, whilst a reverse movement of the hand-lever causes the parts to assume
the positions indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) A protective guard for tram and like cars, comprising bars or rods adapted
to recede under and be projected from beneath the car platform, in combination
with levers for raising and lowering a net or like protective guard, substantially
as hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
(2) A protective guard for tram and like cars, comprising bars or rods slidably
mounted in brackets beneath the car platform, the means for operating said bars
cr reds comprising a rack on the under edge of said bars or a rack attached to
said bars, a shaft journalled beneath the racks, pinions mounted on the shaft
and adapted to mesh with said racks, a hand-lever having a segment at its lower
end mounted to rock beneath the car platform and adapted to mesh with one of
the pinions aforesaid, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before set
forth and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
(3) A protective guard for tram or like cars comprising bars or rods slidably
mounted beneath the car platform and means for operating the same, levers
pivotally attached to the forward ends of said slidable bars or rods each having
a short arm pivotally attached to a bracket or the like on the car by a connecting-
rod, and a longer arm having a net or the like secured to its extremity and to
hooks on the front guard of the tram, and springs arranged in connection with
said arms to counter-balance them, all substantially as and adapted to operate
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto attached.
(4) A protective guard for tram and like cars consisting of side-bars or levers
united by cross-rods, lever-arms detachably connected to the inner ends of said
side arms, a shaft journalled beneath the car platform and carrying said lever
arms, a hand-lever carried by said shaft, means, such as a segment rack, for
retaining said hand-lever in any desired position, levers detachably connected to
brackets arranged in front of and secured to the car and to the side-bars or levers
aforesaid, all substantially as and adapted to operate as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 25th day of November 1898.