IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon
and Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent- Agents, of 38, South-.
ampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS." A communication from
abroad by Etienne Beïsson, of Paris, France, Architect.
Sealed the 13th June 1873, and dated the 20th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th December 1872.
I, WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-
Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is improvements in railways, and consists .
in a method of preventing accidents on railways from the trains running
off the metals. For this purpose I attach permanently on the sleepers™
between the ordinary rails at about the middle of the track two
additional rails set at a given distance apart say about one foot, their inner

page_text: faces leaning towards one another so as to form together an under cut
cavity, and on the locomotive tender or wagon I attach a vertical rod
provided at its lower extremity with a horizontal roller or smooth edge
wheel which runs in the space existing between these two additional
rails.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue
Gaillon, Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Morgan-Brown, Her special license
that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAYS," a communication to me from abroad by Etienne Beisson,
of Paris, France, Architect, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Morgan-Brown, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
The object of this Invention is improvements in railways, and consists
in a method of preventing accidents on railways from the trains running
off the metals, for this purpose I attach permanently on the 'sleepers
between the ordinary rails at about the middle of the track two
additional rails set at a given distance apart say about one foot, their
inner faces leaning towards one another so as to form together an under
cut cavity, and on the locomotive tender or wagon I attach a vertical
rod provided at its lower extremity with a horizontal roller or smooth
edge wheel, which runs in the space existing between these two
additional rails.
In order that my improvements in railways be clearly understood and
easily put into practice, I will proceed to describe the same conjointly
with the two Figures of the accompanying Drawing, of which Figure 1
is a tranverse section of an ordinary line of railway with a locomotive to
which my improvements have been added; and Figure 2 a similar
elevation of a modification of the system of construction indicated in the
first Figure.
In Figure 1 a, a, are the ordinary rails and 6 the sleepers to which
they are attached; c, c, two additional rails or guides of wrought or cast
iron which I attach securely on the same sleepers by any convenient
means such as screws, bolts, &c., and between which passes the horizontal
cast-iron roller d, which is adapted to turn freely on the lower extremity
of a vertical wrought-iron rod e suspended in any convenient manner
from the locomotive or other railway vehicle.
In the modification adopted in Figure 2 the ordinary rails a, a, and
the safety rails c, c, are made of one piece a, c, and secured to the
sleepers in any appropriate or convenient manner.
In practice it is preferable to adapt the rollers done at each extremity
of the locomotive or wagon to which my safety system is adapted, in
cases where one roller only is applied it should be placed as near the
centre of the vehicle as possible.
Having thus explained the nature of my improvements and the best
means that I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practice, I
wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact forms or

page_text: adaptation of parts described or illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the spirit of my Invention which I claim to be
and to consist in the permanent guide rails c, c, through which circulate
horizontal rollers & attached to the rolling stock.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown; have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
"
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)