IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS, AND RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND CONVEYANCES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, 'HENRY
AUSTIN of Walbrook, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, and JOSEPH
QUICK, of Sumner Street, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty hath granted unto us
Her Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of March;
in the ninth year of Her reign, for making, using, exercising, and vending
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called
England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in
Her said Majesty's Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and
also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS, AND RAILWAY CARRIAGES
AND CONVEYANCES," subject to the usual proviso, obliging us to particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands
and seals or under the hand and seal of one of us; and to cause the same to be
inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Henry Austin and Joseph Quick, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention to consist in certain improvements, hereinafter particularly de-
scribed, in the construction of railway carriages and conveyances, and in the
jaying and arrangement of the rails of the two guages, called the broad and

page_text: narrow guages, at the meetings thereof; and at the crossings, sidings, and turn-
tables of the two guages, whereby the same railway carriages and conveyances
are enabled to travel both on the broad and narrow guages and to pass from
one guage to the other without stoppage, thus obviating and getting rid of the
great public inconvenience of the break of guage now so generally complained
of; and in further compliance with the said proviso, we, the said Henry Austen
and Joseph Quick, do hereby further declare that the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are par-
ticularly described and ascertained in the following explanation thereof, that
is to say:
The carriages and conveyances we employ are of the narrow guage dimen-
sions, and instead of the single pair of wheels to each axle as at present used
and placed, we use or apply two pairs of wheels of similar diameter and
substance to each axle of the carriages or conveyances, two of such wheels
being placed or fixed at each end of each axle and at such distances asunder
that the two outer wheels at either end are made to suit or fit the broad guage
and the two inner wheels at either end are made to suit or fit the narrow
guage, the axles being made of a proper and sufficient length for such
purpose. The axle bearings may be situated between the wheels at either
end or outside the outer wheels, as may be found most convenient, the grease
or lubricating box-being regulated according to the bearings, and being so
placed as to be readily accessible either through the spokes of the outer
wheels or in any other convenient manner according to the situation of the
axle bearings. It will be possible to place or fix the wheels for the two
guages on distinct axles instead of on the same axle, as above described, and
which would require separate bearings and springs on each axle, and separate
provision to be made for lubricating the same; but we prefer the mode first
described by us, which will be found the more practical, convenient, and
economical at the meetings of the rails of the broad and narrow guages
where the carriages and conveyances have to pass from the one guage to the
other. In order to effect this we proceed as follows:-The rails of the two
guages are arranged and laid so as to pass each other (the narrow guage rails
passing within the broad guage rails) for a sufficient distance, say about three
feet, to cause or enable the wheels appertaining to the guage to be passed on to
to be securely travelling on the rails of such guage before the other wheels
appertaining to the other guage. shall have quitted the rails of that guage, the
rails of each guage being turned outward sufficiently in order to avoid the
,striking of the flanges of the wheels against the rails at the crossings from one
Jine of rails to another on the same guage or at the sidings on each guage. The

page_text: arrangement of the rails necessary to allow the uninterrupted passage of the
flanges of the wheels not appertaining to the particular guage are similar to
what are now employed or used to allow the passing through of the flange of
each of the present wheels, at the crossing points, that is to say, additional
openings of a similar kind must be made across each rail at the point to be
crossed at the proper distance from and parallel to the rails travelled upon
each direction so as to allow the passage through of the flanges of the wheels
appertaining to the other guage, proper guide or check rails being provided
for each opening thus formed as is now practised, and which will be readily
understood by any one engaged in and acquainted with works of the kind. To
enable the carriages and conveyances furnished with these double sets of
wheels to be passed over and be turned upon the turntables, it is necessary
only that an additional square opening or notch similar to those now used for
the present number of wheels should be made across each rail of the turntable,
at the position necessary to allow the flange of each additional wheel to pass
through.
And we claim as our Invention the use or application to the same railway
carriage or conveyance of a double set of wheels, as before described, to fit
the two guages, called the broad and narrow guages, and the laying and
arrangement of the rails at the meetings of the two guages and at the
crossings, sidings, and turntables of each guage, herein-before respectively
described, for the purpose of enabling railway carriages and conveyances, so
fitted or constructed, to travel uninterruptedly over the lines of both guages, as
before described.
And such our said Invention being to the best of our knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called England, Her said Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or Her said Majesty's Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, or Her said Majesty's Plantations
or Colonies abroad, we do hereby declare this to be our Specification of the
same, and that we do verily believe this our said Specification doth comply
in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise with the proviso in the
said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained; whereby we hereby
claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to our said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Austen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of April,in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
HENRY
(L.S.)
AUSTIN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1846; the aforesaid Henry Austen came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.