A New or Improved Door Check for Railway Wagon and other similarly operated Doors.
Year: 1897

page_text: A New or Improved Door Check for Railway Wagon and other
similarly operated Doors.
We, RICHARD MORRIS, J.P., of Beechfield, Doncaster, and WILLIAM HENRY
DUCKWORTH, Mechanic (First and True Inventor), of 1, Elmfield Road, Doncaster,
both in the County of Yorks, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention has for its object an arrangement for checking the fall of railway
wagon and other similarly operated doors, whereby wear and tear is greatly
reduced.
In carrying our invention into practical effect (describing the apparatus in
connection with the ordinary falling doors of railway wagons as generally in use
at the present time) we attach to the sole or frame of the wagon a short hollow
cylinder. This cylinder is placed in a line parallel to the sides of the wagon and
has an internally projecting collar close to one end thereof. The internal surface
of the cylinder has also two longitudinal grooves or keyways formed therein for
a purpose hereinafter described.
In the cylinder we place a coiled spring of less length, when extended, than the
cylinder, the remaining length of the cylinder being occupied by a circular nut
against which one end of the spring bears, whilst the other end thereof bears
against the said internal collar. The said circular nut, which is of the same
diameter as the inside of the cylinder, is internally screw-threaded and has two
externally projecting pieces or keys capable of running in the said grooves or
keyways in the cylinder and thus preventing the nut from revolving.
We now take a round bar or rod having one end thereof screw-threaded for a
considerable distance and having a projecting collar formed near the other end
thereof which then terminates in a short length square in section.
The screw-threaded end of this rod or bar is passed into the cylinder, passing
freely through the coiled spring and engaging with the circular nut: the collar
near the square end of the screw rod or bar bearing against the internal collar
in the cylinder (thus closing this end of the cylinder) and the said square end
projecting beyond the cylinder. The open end of the cylinder is now closed by
means of a suitable cap or the like.
The square projecting end of the screw rod or bar is attached to the door band
of the middle hinge.
When the door is now opened by being let fall, the door band in falling rotates
the screw rod or bar and thus causes the circular nut to travel along the inside
of the cylinder and compress the coiled spring, the latter offering sufficient resist-
ance to effectually check the fall of the door.
The whole apparatus is made of any suitable metal and may be provided with
any convenient means for lubricating.

page_text: We may in some cases, if necessary, employ more than one of these checks for
each door.
Dated this 13th day of August 1897.
CASTLE SMITH,
'Invention" Office, Mitre Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.
A New or Improved Door Check for Railway Wagon and other
similarly operated Doors.
We, RICHARD MORRIS, J.P., of Beechfield, Doncaster, and WILLIAM HENRY
DUCKWORTH, Mechanic (First and True Inventor), of 1, Elmfield Road, Doncaster,
both in the County of Yorks, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention has for its object an arrangement for checking the fall of railway
wagon and other similarly operated doors, whereby wear and tear is greatly
reduced.
In carrying our invention into practical effect (describing the apparatus in
connection with the ordinary falling doors of railway wagons as generally in use
at the present time) we attach to the sole or frame of the wagon a short hollow
cylinder. This cylinder is placed in a line parallel to the sides of the wagon and
has an internally projecting collar close to one end thereof. The internal surface
of the cylinder has also two longitudinal grooves or keyways formed therein for
a purpose hereinafter described.
In the cylinder we place a coiled spring of less length, when extended, than the
cylinder, the remaining length of the cylinder being occupied by a circular nut
against which one end of the spring bears, whilst the other end thereof bears
against the said internal collar. The said circular nut, which is of the same
diameter as the inside of the cylinder, is internally. screw-threaded and has two
externally projecting pieces or keys capable of running in the said grooves or
keyways in the cylinder and thus preventing the nut from revolving.
We now take a round bar or rod having one end thereof screw-threaded for a
considerable distance and having a projecting collar formed near the other end
thereof which then terminates in a short length square in section.
The screw-threaded end of this rod or bar is passed into the cylinder, passing
freely through the coiled spring and engaging with the circular nut: the collar
near the square end of the screw rod or bar bearing against the internal collar
in the cylinder, thus closing this end of the cylinder, and the said square end
projecting beyond the cylinder. The open end of the cylinder is now closed by
means of a suitable cap or the like.
The square projecting end of the screw rod or bar is attached to the door band
of the middle hinge.
We will now proceed to further describe our invention in connection with the
accompanying drawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate like parts
in the various figures.
Fig. 1 shows our invention fitted to the falling door of a wagon.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line - Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the door check, showing the cylinder and nut in
section.
Fig. 4 is an end view of the cylinder from the front.
Fig. 5 is an end plan of the ninsular nut

page_text: a represents the falling door of a railway van or truck, and b the band of the
middle hinge thereof. c is the frame or sole of the truck, to which the check is
attached.
The check consists of the plate & carrying the hollow cylinder d¹. This cylinder
is open at both ends, has an internal collare formed near one end thereof, and is
provided with the two keyways e e¹. Into this cylinder, from the end opposite
to the collar e is placed first the coiled spring s, and then the circular nut t, the
latter being internally screw-threaded and provided with keys or feathers t
capable of sliding in the keyways el el. Or only one of such keys and keyways
may be employed. One end of the springs bears against the nut, whilst the other
end thereof bears against the collar e; or a washer of rubber or the like w may be
interposed between the collar e and springs to lessen concussion, and, if required,
another similar washer between the nut t and spring s. Or these washers may
be of metal, or other suitable substance. Into the cylinder, from the end thereof
near which is situated the collar e, is inserted the spindle having one of its
ends screw-threaded and having a collar pl near the other end thereof which then
terminates in a short length 22 square in cross section. The collar p¹ bears
against the collar e as shown and thus closes this end of the cylinder; the screw-
threaded end of the spindle p engages with the nut t, and the other end of the
cylinder is closed by means of the plate 1. The end of the door band b, of the
middle or other hinge of the door, engages with the square end 72 of the spindle p.
When the door a is opened by being let fall, the door band b rotates the spindle p
and thus causes the circular nut to travel along the inside of the cylinder and
compress the springs, the keys or feathers t¹t travelling freely in the keyways el e¹
and thus preventing the nut from rotating. The spring s resists this movement
of the nut t, and thus checks the fall of the door.
The whole apparatus is made of any suitable metal and may be provided with
any convenient means for lubricating.
We may if necessary employ more than one of these checks for each door.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim iş:-
(1) A check for falling doors consisting of a hollow cylinder having an internal
collar near one end thereof and a keyway or keyways at the other end thereof, a
spring, travelling nut, and screw spindle engaging with one of the hinge bands of
the door, operated and substantially as described.
(2) In a check for falling doors, a spindle having one end thereof screw-threaded
and a collar near the other end thereof, substantially as described.
(3) In a check for falling doors, the combination of a spindle having one end
thereof screw-threaded and a collar formed near the other end thereof, with an
internally screw-threaded travelling nut, substantially as described.
(4) In a check for falling doors, the combination of a spindle having one end
thereof screw-threadled and a collar formed near the other end thereof, an inter-
nally screw-threaded travelling nut, and a coiled spring, substantially as described.
(5) Falling doors fitted with a check or checks substantially as described.
(6) The herein described method of checking the fall of falling doors.
Dated this 13th day of May 1898.
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, Mitre Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.