IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARRIAGES, RAILWAY TRUCKS, AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Howarth at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th December
1867.
I, RICHARD HOWARTH, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARRIAGES, RAILWAY TRUCKS, AND OTHER VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in carriages, railway trucks,
and other vehicles, and relates firstly, to novel arrangements of means or
apparatus for facilitating the raising and lowering of the heads of carriages.
For this purpose I employ coiled springs fixed to and coiled around the pins or
axes of the "head pillars" and "turn-over" pieces. The springs around the
axes of the head pillars act to raise the carriage head, whilst cords or bands
of steel or other suitable. material are acted upon to lower it. Such cords
or bands are fixed at one end to the "turn-over" pieces, and after passing
over suitable guide pulleys are conducted to a suitable position to be acted
upon from the inside or outside of the carriage. The coiled springs around
the axes of the "turn-over" pieces I prefer to arrange so that the springs
fixed to the axes of one "turn-over" piece shall when allowed act to raise
such "turn-over" piece from the horizontal position, whilst those fixed to the
other "turn-over" piece act to close such part.
The mode in which I prefer to construct and apply the coiled springs is as
i

page_text: follows I form a square eye in the centre of the coil, which eye fits the
fixed pin or axis, the outer end of the spring being fixed to the head pillars or
"turn-over" pieces, and in some cases I place layers or coils of india-rubber
between the coils of the springs. The springs are provided with suitable
means for adjustment as will be well understood.
The Invention also consists in fixing coiled springs around the axes of the
ordinary outside head joints when such are employed, so as to assist or com-
pletely effect the raising of the carriage head. If desired the carriage head
may be lowered from the inside by means of links and levers connected
to the head pillars, or by other suitable means, and I would have it under-
stood that the improvements before described are applicable to carriages
having either single or double folding heads applied thereto.
The Invention also relates to improved means of lowering the windows of
such description of carriages when it is desired to open the door. For this
purpose I cause the windows or lights when closed to rest at their lower
ends upon bars or strips of brass or other suitable material fixed upon axes of
motion, and running from end to end of such windows, and one end of each
of such bars or strips I connect by a link to a lever fixed to the axis of the
door lock, so that upon turning the handle of the door lock the lower edge of
the window is thrown inwards, and the window caused to fall before the door
is opened.
The Invention also consists in forming the head locks with screw threads,
so that on turning them in one direction they shall act to draw the two halves
of the head of a carriage closely together, such head locks being provided
with bandles so as to be readily acted upon either from the inside or outside
of the carriage.
The Invention also consists in mounting the inside seats upon links
turning upon centres of motion connected to the carriage body, so that when
the carriage head is lowered the seats may be raised, and vice, versa, such
seats being provided if desired with stops or locking pieces to retain them in
one or the other position. If desired the seats may be connected by links to
arms, levers, or projections fixed to the head pillars, so that the raising of the
carriage head may effect the lowering of the seat, and vice versa.
The Invention also consists in improvements upon an Invention for which
Letters Patent were granted to me, dated 16th March 1864, No. 678, and
relates to the application of means or apparatus to afford greater facility in
raising and lowering the tarpaulin or other coverings of railway trucks and
other vehicles. For this purpose I mount the roller upon which the cover is

page_text: wound upon arms or levers fixed to worm wheels, which are carried by other
arms or links working around the axes of fixed worm wheels, and I employ
a worm or screw taking into each of such worm wheels, each pair of worms
or screws being geared together by suitable gearing. By these means the
covering may be raised and lowered with greater facility than heretofore.