IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Nethersole, of Swansea, in the
County of Glamorgan, South Wales, Carriage Superintendant South
Wales Railway, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
Sealed the 14th August 1858, and dated the 20th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Nether-
sole at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th February 1858.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NETHERSOLE, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
South Wales, Carriage Superintendant South Wales Railway, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF PARTS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
In order to remedy a defect in the present mode of attaching and working
the coupling chains of railway carriages and to prevent the loss caused by
continual breakage of the said chains, I propose to furnish each chain with
a rod or bar to be worked within a cradle, so as to allow the chains free play.
On some lines of railway it is now customary to allow the draw bar to work
in a cradle affixed to the centre of the under framing of the railway carriage,
and this has been found to answer very well. I propose to place two small
cradles, one on each side of that in which the draw bar works, attached
thereto, but independent (as regards the working of the working of the chain
rods) thereof. The chain rods pass through the front and back bars of the
carriage frame and under the carriage till they reach .and pass through the
front and back bars.of.their cradles, when they are armed with india-rubber
or other springs to allow them to play in the manner of the draw bar.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Nethersole in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NETHERSOLE, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan, South Wales,
Carriage Superintendant South Wales Railway, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing
date the Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Nethersole," Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Nethersole, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Nethersole, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTS
OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Nethersole, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Edward Nethersole, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is.
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and forming part of this my Specification, and to the letters
of reference marked thereon to denote similar parts at each of the Figures
respectively. But before entering into the particulars of my Invention; I
would observe that subsequent to the Twentieth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight, which is the date on which my Provisional
Specification was filed, I communicated the particulars of my Invention to a
person or persons connected with, or interested in, Letters Patent granted to
Joshua Williams, of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan, Engineer, for "An
Improvement in Coupling and Connecting Carriages on Railways," Provisional

page_text: Protection, for which Invention bears date the Eleventh day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven; and that in the Final Specification
filed in regard to said Letters Patent a Diagram is given in the Drawing
thereunto annexed of a crude imitation of my Invention, with the words in
the descriptive part of the said Specification "Figure 10 shows another modifi-
cation which I sometimes adopt."
I now proceed to describe my Invention, which has for its object to render
the wear and tear to stock less than at present by remedying defects in the
usual mode of attaching and securing the side chains and their springs to
railway carriages. According to the present mode of securing the side chains;
in the event of a draw bar or any portion of the actual draw gear breaking or
giving way the strain immediately falls on the side chains, and from them is
conveyed to the end framing or headstock of the waggon, not only causing
frequent breakages to the side chains, but also to the frame of the truck, the
ends of which are liable to be pulled out or otherwise damaged by the strain
to which they are subjected. Now, by removing the side chain. springs from
the inside of the headstocks, and by the introduction of other apparatus, as
shewn hereafter, I am not only enabled to take the strain off the waggon
frame or headstocks, but render the side chains much ess liable to breakage,
by giving them the advantage of double spring to what they now have,
although actually without any addition as far as the springs are concerned.
In carrying out my object I place two small cradles, one on each side of the
larger one in which the ends of the draw bars now work; these small cradles
are attached to the larger one by means of lugs which slide on the side bars
of the larger cradle but in the working are totally independent of it or each
other. The side chain springs being removed from the headstock find their
places in my small cradles, the eye bolt of each side or coupling chain being
lengthened, so as to pass to the springs therein contained. The lugs on the
side cradles not only tend to keep everything in place, but in the event of
rupture of a draw bar (which is a matter of frequent occurrence, particularly
at the screw end) they prevent the cradle from being drawn through the
transoms, particularly where the draw bar is not fitted with stops. In the
Drawing hereunto annexed for illustration it will be observed that Figure 1
is a plan view of the under framing of a railway waggon or truck, with the
usual cradle and my side cradles shewn thereon. Figure 2 shews the usual
or old method of fixing the side chains and springs relating thereto. Figure 3
is a plan view of the three cradles detached, and drawn to an enlarged scale;
and Figure 4 denotes a horizontal section of Figure 3. On referring to the
-Diagrams-it will be seen i that three metallic cradles are here employed, the

page_text: centre A, usually termed the draw cradle being the one in ordinary use, the
two smaller or side cradles B, B, being of my Invention, and connected with
the former by lugs G extending over the side portion of the framework or
rods of the cradle A, secured by a spindle or bolt H, passing through the ends
of the lugs G, and rivetted or otherwise secured; thus enclosing the side
portion or rod of the cradle A, and while attaching the cradles B, B, to the
centre cradle A, allowing either cradle to play, as may be required, by the
action of the springs, et cetera, as shewn at all the Figures save Figure 2.
Within these cradles the draw bars and rods, in connexion with the side
chains, find their places, and to the end of these draw bars or rods E, E, are
fitted india-rubber or any other description of spring C, C, that may be
approved of, secured by washiers and nuts D, D, as shewn in the Drawings.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
practical effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the main characteristics or principle of my Invention; but what I
consider to be novel or original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to. me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the exclusive
use of the arrangement and adaptation of the two extra cradles B, B, attached
to, but working independently of, the centre cradle A, as herein-before set
forth and described and illustrated by or in the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Nethersole, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM EDWARD NETHERSOLE. (L.S.)
Witness,
HENRY ELLIOTT,
2, Mansel Street,
Swansea.