Improvements in Means or Appliances for Securing and Releasing the Doors of Railway Carriages.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 13th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 13th Sept., 1887.
Improvements in Means or Appliances for Securing and Releasing
the Doors of Railway Carriages.
We FRANCIS TEMPLE PAGE and ORMEROD BEVIL GRANVILLE, both of 3 George
Yard, Lombard Street in the City of London, Gentlemen do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to enable all the doors of the Carriages of a Railway
train to be simultaneously locked and unlocked from the guards van or other desired
position or positions on the train. For this purpose we provide bolts or fastenings
which are acted upon by means of fluid pressure conveyed along the train and applied
to either lock or unlock fastenings. For example air under pressure may be supplied
from the air reservoir of the brake to cylinders one in the carriage body under each
door and cach containing a piston to which the bolt or fastening is connected so that
when pressure is admitted to the cylinders the pistons will all be moved to shoot the
bolts or fastenings and simultaneously secure all the doors. By letting out the air the
pistons can be returned by a spring or weight and the doors be simultaneously
unfastened. It will he evident that we may operate the bolts or fastenings by fluid
pressure either to unfasten or to fasten them or both as may be convenient for example
the bolts or fastenings may tend normally to take their securing position and the fluid
pressure be applied to release them. We do not limit ourselves to any particular
details by which to carry our Invention into effect.
D
L: 19th da.. of Antahan 1986
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the said Francis Temple Page and
Ormerod Bevil Granville.

page_text: the Doors of Railway Carriages.
We FRANCIS TEMPLE PAGE and ORMEROD BEVIL GRANVILLE both of 3 George
Yard Lombard Street in the City of London, Gentlemen do hereby declare the nature
of this Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of our Invention is to enable the locking and unlocking of the doors of
the Carriages of a railway train to be controlled from the Guard's van or engine or
from other desired position or positions on the train. For this purpose we provide
bolts or fastenings which are acted upon by means of fluid pressure conveyed along
the train and applied to either lock or unlock or to both lock and unlock the
fastenings. For example air under pressure may be supplied from the compressed
air reservoir of the brakes to cylinders arranged in proximity to each door of each
carriage composing the train (or such of them as are to be under the said control)
each cylinder containing a piston or diaphragm to which a bolt or fastening for the
door is connected so that when pressure is admitted to the cylinders the pistons or
diaphragms will all be moved to shoot the bolts or fastenings and simultaneously
secure all the doors. By letting out the fluid the pistons can be returned by a spring
or weight and the doors be simultaneously unfastened. It will be evident that we
may operate the bolts or fastenings by fluid pressure either by admitting fluid pressure
as described or by creating vacuum in the cylinders so that atmospheric pressure is
exercised either to unfasten or to fasten the doors or both as may be convenient for
example the bolts or fastenings may tend normally to take their securing position and
the fluid under pressure be admitted or the vacuum be created to release them. We
do not limit ourselves to the particular details hereinafter described and illustrated as
means by which to carry our Invention into effect, but in order that our said Invention
may be clearly understood we will further describe the same with reference to the
accompanying drawing which represents one mode of carrying out our Invention with
the use of compressed air from which it will be readily understood how other fluid
pressure or vacuum may be similarly employed. It will also be understood that
although we have shewn the bolts as being shot from the side that they may be shot
into the top or the bottom of the door as may be most convenient.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a portion of a railway carriage and a portion
of a locomotive engine of a train provided with apparatus according to our Invention
and Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the air cylinders and door bolt.
A is an air pump or a reservoir of compressed air carried by the locomotive (or by
the guard's van or in other suitable part of the train). The reservoir may be the
same as that used for operating the brakes, or it may be a special reservoir or an air
pump. From the reservoir A is a pipe A2 connected with a valve G under the control

page_text: of the driver (or other person in charge) to which valve is also connected a pipe B
extending along the train the connections of the said pipe B between the several
carriages being made by flexible or other suitable points B2 which may resemble those
used in vacuum brakes.
From the pipe B extend branch tubes Cone for each of the doors to be controlled.
Each branch tube C terminates in a cylinder D containing a piston E (see Figure 2).
This piston works air tightly in the cylinder D and is provided on one side with a
bolt F projecting through the cylinder end and having a bevel f formed thereon
similar to the latch bolt of an ordinary door lock. When the door is shut and the
piston is acted upon by the pressure of air, the bolt is forced out through the end of
the cylinder into an opening or recess y provided in the door to receive it so as to
securely hold the door in its closed position until the pressure is released from behind
the piston.
The compressed air is admitted to the pipe B from the reservoir A by means of the
cock or valve G provided with passages by which the air may be admitted to and
discharged from the pipe B as required. The air admitted to the pipe B passes thence
through the branch pipes C into the cylinders D and by acting upon the pistons E
simultaneously forces the holts of all the doors of the system outwards to lock the
doors. To release the doors the cock or valve G is turned so as to allow the air to
escape from the cylinders D and pipes B and C whereupon all the bolts will under the
action of springs H or their equivalents be withdrawn from the recesses in the doors
to admit of their being opened. Should the doors be open when the air is admitted
to the cylinders D so as to project the bolts F the doors can be closed owing to the
inclines, the pressure on the back of the pistons acting then as a spring. Instead of
cylinders with air-tight pistons as described, vessels containing flexible diaphragms
in connection with the bolts may be employed. Each branch pipe may be provided
with a cock or valve I by means of which air may be confined in any one or more of
the cylinders so as to prevent the door or doors in connection therewith being
unfastened when the air is discharged from the pipe B or any of the bolts can be
prevented from being operated to lock the doors if so desired. A suitable valve for
this purpose is shewn in section in Figure 3 which represents the plug I of the valve
in three different positions. When the plug is in the position shewn at x com-
munication is established between the main-pipe B and the cylinder D through the
passages 1 and 2 in the plug so that fluid pressure can be admitted to and exhausted
from the cylinder to operate the bolt. In order to retain in the cylinder the fluid
pressure after the main pipe is exhausted, the plug I of the valve is turned into the
position shown at y so as to close the passage 3 leading to the cylinder by the solid
portion of the plug. If it be desired to open the door even while the pressure is
inaintained in the main-pipe, this may be effected by turning the plug of the valve
into the position shewn at Z, so as to open a communication between the cylinder and
the atmosphere through the passages 3, 4, 2 and 5. If desired, two main-pipes
extending along the train may be employed one being in connection with the doors
on one side of the train and the other in connection with the doors on the opposite
side thereof so as to admit of the doors on one side being released independently of
the doors on the opposite side or one pipe B may have branches C for the doors on
each side of the train if the doors on both sides are to be locked and unlocked
simultaneously.
If desired the doors may be secured in their closed position by springs or their
equivalents acting on the pistons or diaphragms carrying the bolts, and the said bolts
be released from the doors by the fluid pressure acting on the piston or diaphragm
against the pressure of the said springs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is.―
1st. Means or appliances for securing or for releasing or for both securing and
releasing Railway Carriage doors, by fluid pressure or vacuum substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2nd. For securing or for releasing or for both securing and releasing Railway
Carriage doors, the combination with air exhausting or air forcing apparatus of a pipe
or pipes extending along the train and communicating with cylinders and pistons for
operating bolts of the doors of the carriages substantially as herein before described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3rd. For securing or for releasing or for both securing and releasing the Railway-
Carriage doors by fluid pressure or by vacuum the combination with air exhausting or
air forcing apparatus of a pipe extending along the train provided with a cock or valve
for regulating the admissions of air to and the escape of air from the said pipe and
with branch pipes fitted with valves or cocks for retaining when required the pressure
on the vacuum as the case may be in the cylinders or for preventing the securing of
either of the doors if so required, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.