IMPROVEMENTS IN TURN- TABLES
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
THOROLD, of Norwich, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirteenth day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the eleventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Thorold, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Thorold, my exors,
adñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Thorold, my exors,
adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURN-
TABLES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
William Thorold, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
William Thorold, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1.-A is a side view of my improved centre pin, having a circular
inclined plane and ratchet combined; a, a, being the pin; b, b, the circular
inclined plane; c, c, the ratchet wheel; B is a bird's-eye view of the ratchet
wheel, with two holes a, a, to receive a spanner, to be used when adjustment
is required; C shows in section the recess in the centre of a turntable top
frame to receive the improved centre pin; a, being for the pin; b, b, for the
circular inclined plane, and acting as a female screw; c, c, is to receive the
ratchet wheel and its pall, so as to be below the covering of the table.
Figure 2 is a bird's-eye view of one of my improved top frames, shewing the
ratchet and pall a and b in its place. Now, it will be evident, on referring to
the above description, that by turning the centre pin the frame can be raised
or lowered, as may be required, within the limits of height of the inclined
plane b.
Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2, and the same letters of reference will
apply. c, c, c, c, shews the centre square of the top frame, with the rails
thereon, independant of that part of the top frame d, d, d, d, which carries the
angle rails, and having the power of sliding up or down under any inequality
of the centre bearing, while the other part d, d, d, d, has a constant bearing
on the rolls.
To keep off extraneous matters from the working parts and for clearing
away any such matters I prefer the following apparatus:-e, e, e, e, is a
circular shield, shewn in section, and also by a bird's-eye view on Figure 4.
This circular shield obviously will divert any extraneous matter from the
working parts, and the sweeper i attached to the roll frame will carry any
such matters into the receptacle k, k, through an aperture in the bottom
frame f.
Figure 4 exhibits my improved working rolls. I would remark that I
prefer making the working rings or surfaces parallel with each other, and
I use three of the rolls 1, 1, 1, cylindrical with the edges turned off; three
rolls m, m, m, portions of spherical, with a flat part, produced by removing
part of the metals all round; and three rolls n, n, n, each consisting of two
short cylinders. The use of the rollers m and n is new to turntables, and
in combination therewith the use of the rollers 1, 1, 1, is new.

page_text: Figure 5 shows, in section, another method of preserving the working
surfaces parallel, a, a, b, b, being turned up in one or more steps to correspond
very nearly with the theoretical bevil line in case bevil rolls be adopted;
c, c, shows the rolls, also in section, stepped to correspond as near as possible.
with the working rings.
Figure 6 is a section of another of my improved top frames; and Figure 7 is.
a bird's-eye view of the same, shewing the method of constructing the same in
several divisions or compartments, and of various kinds of materials. a, a, a,.
is the outer ring with the outer working surface in one member; b, b, b, b, are
wrought-iron bearers or girders, with one end resting on the ring a, a, and the-
other on the centre boss c, c, c, c; d, d, d, d, is one compartment in cast iron
with the wrought-iron rails fixed thereon; e, e, e, e, is another compartment:
(for the sake of illustration) constructed of wrought iron, by merely bending.
and fitting a suitable bar and cutting out the gaps to form the usual railway;
ff, ff, is another compartment, constructed of solid balk timber bolted
together, as shewn by the dotted lines 9, 9, 9, 9, and the working rails bolted'
thereon; h, h, h, h, is one of the compartments shewn vacant for the sake of
illustration, but the dotted lines obviously denote the position of the rails to.
complete the table; i, i, i, i, is the centre cross to keep all the compartments
and the centre itself in their proper relative positions. In constructing a
table either of the three methods may be resorted to.
Figure 8 is the method I prefer when I construct the outer ring and
working surface wholly of wrought iron; a, a, being a ring of L iron forming
its flange outwards; b, b, is also a ring of angle iron with a flange inwards; the
two being rivetted together forms the ring c, c.
Figure 9 shews my mode of constructing tables without centre pins or
centre bearings; the bottom frame, shewn in section a, a, having the internal
surface b, b, turned concentric. The top frame c, c, is constructed in the usual
way, and I prefer its concentricity and also the concentricity of the working
rolls by means of guide rods d, d, attached by a pin to the top frame, c, c, or e,
attached to the roll frame, and f attached to the top frame; but I prefer
the double rolls d, d, on account of the relative speed of the two rolls (being
of different diameters) approximately opening with the speed required at their
respective working surfaces. 9, 9, 9, 9, are sleepers of timber to carry the table
without any other foundation on the ballast.
Another part of my Invention consists of using chill castings for the working
surfaces of turntables, by which these parts will be rendered more lasting.
Chill casting for other purposes is well known, and therefore is not claimed by
me, but this part of my Invention consists of applying that process in making

page_text: the working parts of turntables. A, A, (Figure 10) is an elevation upon a
small scale of my improved table of the larger kind; B, B, is a bird's-eye
view of the same; a, a, is a girder frame resting and turning upon a centre
pin, and its outer extremities having gudgeons or fulcra b, b, b, b, to carry two
other girder frames c, c, c, c, and d, d, d, d, upon which are fixed the working
line of railway. In order to restrict the frames from getting out of a hori-
zontal position, but at the same time allow sufficient play for adjustment,
the friction wheels e, e, and f, f, are fixed to the girders c, c, and d, d, (one of
the wheels e not being in sight). The carriage for the wheels e, e, are bolted
to the frame c, c, and the frame d, d, is connected thereto by a toothed
joint g, g; the wheels e, e, run upon a ring h, h, the wheels f, f, supporting
the outer ends of the girders c, c, and d, d, in upon the outer ring i, i. To
produce a more perfect mode of stopping these tables at the point of con-
nection with the line of railway, I make the outer ring two arcs of different
radii k, k, k, and 1, 1, 1, each accommodating its peculiar pair of friction wheels
to effect half a revolution of the table, and at the termination of each half
revolution the ends of these ares are turned up, as shewn at m, m, and o, o, to
prevent the friction wheels progressing any further in that direction. A, A, is
an elevation; B, B, a bird's-eye view.
Figure 11 shews another method of constructing this kind of table by using
a common turntable as a nucleus. a, a, a, and two girder frames b, b, b, b,
attached to the nucleus by toothed joints, and their outer ends supported by
friction wheels, as has been before described, using EL complete circle for an
outer ring i, i, on two arcs of different radii, as may be preferred.
Figures 12 and 13 is an elevation and plan of my mode of applying the
power of the locomotive engine to turn the table when the engine and
tender require reversing to proceed in an opposite direction. a, a, a, b, b, b, c,
is a table forming a nucleus, as described in Figure 9; e, e, e, are girder
f es supported as before described in Fig. 11; h shews one of two
friction wheels hung upon the same axis 9, 9, and supported by plum-
mer blocks bolted to the nucleus frame; is a worm, also hung upon
the same axis as the friction wheels 7 and h; k, k, k, are horizontal
friction wheels, which I term fliers. Now upon
these fliers the driving
wheels of the locomotive engine are brought to bear, as shewn by dotted
lines i, i, i, on Figure 12, and in elevation at Figure 13^. The life
guards of the engine must be brought against the stop p, p. The engine may
now be set to work, the worm limpinging upon the wheel m, m, which is
prevented from turning in one direction by the ratchet wheel q. The table
is carried round half a revolution and stopped by the apparatus described in

page_text: Figure 10, just previous to which the tappet r comes in contact with the posts,
which discharges the foot guards, and the engine proceeds off the table without
further assistance. When engines having more than one pair of driving
wheels are used, I add fliers, as shewn at Figure 134, and in the plan by
dotted lines t, t, t, t, to accommodate them. The table can easily be reversed
by hand when light. Figures 14 and 16 exhibit two modes of constructing
single line tables in an economical manner. A, B, Figure 14, is a bird's-
eye view; C, D, is a section through the line m, n, on A, B, and E, F, is
a section through the line o, p, also on A, B; a, a, a, a, is the top frame
to support the rails, and carry the rails in one casting, either with a common
centre pin or my improved centre pins. The cover of the table v, v, v, v,
shewn in part only, rests on the frame a, a, a, a, and the rollers r, r, running
upon the working ring s, s. t, t, are segments of wood to support the outer
edge of the cover v, v, and also to carry a sheet-iron shield u, u, and a sweeper x,
for the purpose described in Figure 3. A, B, Figure 16, is a bird's-eye view;
C, D, is a section through i, k; E, F, a section through 7, m; a, a, and b, b,
shews the top frame in two separate castings, meeting in the line i, k, supported
by the bars f, f. on the rolls 9, 9; and the boss and fixed pin d, e, of each being
fixed in the boss d, and the other ends supported by the rolls g, g, running
upon the working ring h, h, it is evident the cover can be applied as in
Figure 14, as shewn on C, D, and the shield u, u, applied as before.
Figure 15, an enlarged view of another of my improved centre pins, with
a method of raising the top frame by the centre pin. a, a, is a section of the
centre part of the top frame; b, b, is the centre pin, divided into two; between
these a wiper c is inserted, attached to the shaft d, d, as shewn on Figure 14,
upon which is fixed the lever h, i, and also a catch for retaining the table
in its proper place, and the handle h; when it is necessary to turn the table,
lift up the handle to get the lever h, i, into a perpendicular position, and the
top will be raised to the extent of the dip of the wiper.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, for the improved centre pin.
Secondly, for the mode of constructing the centre squares of the top frames
with the rails thereon independent of the other parts of the frame.
Thirdly, for the method or apparatus to divert rain, dust, or other ex-
traneous matters from the working parts, and also for clearing away any such
extraneous matters.
Fourthly, for the modes of constructing and arranging the working rollers.
Fifthly, for the mode of constructing the top frame in several divisions or

page_text: compartments, and of various kinds of materials, in the manner described in
the Drawings.
Sixthly, for the mode of constructing turntables without centre pins, and
without the usual parts attached to centre pins and centre bearings.
Seventhly, for the exclusive privilege of casting the working parts of turn-
tables on chills, the same never having been practised before.
Eighthly, for the mode of constructing the larger kinds of turntables with
moveable joints in the girders or beams supporting the rails, and also for a
more perfect mode of stopping such tables at the point for communicating with
the line of rail.
Ninthly, for the method of constructing the larger kinds of turntables so
that the power of a locomotive engine can be applied to turn the table when
loaded with the engine and its tender when the same shall require reversing
on the line of railway.
Tenthly, for the method of constructing single line tables in a more econo-
mical mode than heretofore.
Eleventhly, for the method of raising or locking the centre of turntables
when they require turning.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thorold, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-eight
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.