Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1899
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The object of this invention is to provide a more secure foothold than usual
for persons entering and leaving railway carriages.
For this purpose I fix upon and near to the edge of the upper surface of the
footboard or step of the carriage and opposite the doorway or cach doorway
thereof, a tread consisting of a strip of material such for example as india
rubber, rubber mixture, or rubber substitute that will afford a good foothold to
persons entering and leaving the carriage.
Each tread can be secured in place, with its upper surface preferably slightly
above that of the footboard, by any suitable means. For this purpose the tread
may be placed in a recessed part of the footboard, its outer edge being held
down by a strip of material secured to the vertical edge of the footboard and
provided with an inwardly extending projection that engages with a corre-
spondingly formed part of the outer edge of the tread, the inner edge and ends
of the tread being secured in place by other strips of material that are adapted
to engage such edge and ends.
According to one construction, the tread consists of a block of vulcanized
india rubber of approximately rectangular shape in plan, its outer vertical side
or edge being formed with a longitudinal groove of rectangular section and its
inner edge and ends being provided near the bottom with a flange formed with
a groove of rectangular shape in section bordered by a rib of similar section.
The tread is arranged partly in a recess in the footboard to which its outer
edge is secured by a longitudinal strip of metal of plano-convex section that
is formed on its inner side with a longitudinal projection of rectangular section
engaging the longitudinal groove in the outer edge of the tread, and is secured
to the footboard by screws. The inner side and ends of the tread are secured
in place by metal strips of rectangular section fixed by screws in recessed
parts of the footboard and each formed on the underside with a groove of
rectangular section to receive and hold the correspondingly shaped rib on the
flanged part of the tread, the portion of the metal strip between the groove
therein and the edge thereof fitting the rectangular groove in the flange.
In a modified construction, the outer edge of the tread is formed with a
recess having a rounded bottom and bordered by a rib having a rounded top.
the upper part of the outer longitudinal clamping strip being formed with an
inwardly extending hook like part of a shape in section to fit such groove,
the flanges at the inner side and ends of the tread being formed each with a
groove and rib having a rounded bottom and top respectively and the under-
side of the metal clamping strip for engagement therewith being correspondingly
shaped.
The upper surface of the treads may be corrugated, recessed, channelled or
otherwise formed to increase their holding power, and their under surfaces

page_text: may be recessed or otherwise shaped to save material, or to increase the
resiliency of the treads.
Dated thin 10th day of Tonuar 1890
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
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 this invention is to provide a more secure foothold than usual
for persons entering and leaving railway carriages, and at the same time to
prevent undue wear of the footboards or steps of the carriages.
For this purpose I fix upon and near to the edge of the upper surface of the
footboard of the carriage and opposite the doorway or each doorway thereof,
a tread consisting of a strip of material such for example as india rubber,
rubber mixture, or rubber substitute that will afford a good foothold to persons
entering and leaving the carriage.
Each tread can be secured in place, with its upper surface preferably slightly
above that of the footboard, by any suitable means. For this purpose the tread
may be placed in a recessed part of the footboard, its outer edge being held
down by a strip of material secured to the vertical edge of the footboard and
provided with an inwardly extending projection that engages with a corre-
spondingly formed part of the outer edge of the tread, the inner edge and ends
of the tread being secured in place by other strips of material that are adapted
to engage such edge and ends.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying illustrative drawings show respectively
in cross section and plan, and to different scales, part of a carriage footboard
provided with a tread according to this invention.
In this example, the tread consists of a block 1 of vulcanized india rubber
of rectangular or approximately rectangular shape in plan, its outer vertical
side or edge being formed with a longitudinal gioove 2 of rectangular section,
and its inner edge and ends being provided near the bottom with a flange 3
formed with a groove 3 of rectangular shape in section bordered by a rib 3b
of similar section. The tread is arranged partly in a recess 4 in the footboard 5
to which its outer edge is secured by a longitudinal strip 6 of metal which is
of plano-convex section, is formed on its inner side with a longitudinal pro-
jection 7 of rectangular section engaging the longitudinal groove 2 in the
outer edge of the tread 1, and is secured to the footboard 5 by screws 8.
inner side and ends of the tread are each secured in place by a metal strip 9
of rectangular section fixed by screws 10 in recessed parts 11 of the footboard.
Each strip 9 is formed on the underside with a groove 9° of rectangular section
to receive and hold the correspondingly shaped rib 3b on the flanged part 3
of the tread, the portion 9b of the metal strip between the groove 9 therein
and the edge thereof, fitting the rectangular groove in the flange 3.
The
Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction wherein
the outer edge of the tread 1 is formed with a recess 2 having a rounded bottom

page_text: and bordered by a rib 2ª having a rounded top, the upper part of the outer
longitudinal clamping strip 6 being formed with an inwardly extending hook-
like part 6 of a shape in section to fit such groove. The flange 3 at the inner
side and each end of the tread is formed with a groove 3 and rib 3b having a
rounded bottom and top respectively, and the underside of the metal clamping
strip 9 for engagement therewith is correspondingly shaped.
Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing a further modified construction
wherein the inner edge of the tread 1 is formed with a longitudinal groove 12
corresponding to the groove 2 in its outer edge and is held in place by a metal
The
strip 9 having a longitudinal projection 3 that fits the said groove 12.
ends of the tread may be similarly grooved and held in place by metal strips
like that for the inner edge or they may be formed and held in place in the
manner described with reference to Figs. and 2, or to Fig. 3. By this con-
struction, when the upper surface of the tread becomes unduly worn away near
the outer side or edge, the tread can be turned round so as to make what was
previously the inner edge, the outer edge, thereby enabling the tread to be main-
tained in an effective condition for a longer time than would otherwise be the
case.
The upper surface of the treads in each case may, as shown in Fig. 2, be
corrugated, recessed or channelled, or be otherwise formed to increase their
holding power, and their under surfaces may be recessed as indicated by the
dotted line 1b in Fig. 1, or be otherwise shaped to save material, or to increase
the resiliency of the treads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination with the footboard of a railway carriage of a tread con-
sisting of a strip of material such as india rubber or the like secured to the
upper side of the footboard opposite a doorway of the carriage, substantially as
described for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with a railway carriage footboard, of a tread comprising
a strip or block of material such as india rubber or the like placed in a recessed
part of the footboard, and holding down strips secured to the front and upper
side of the footboard and adapted to engage with the sides and ends of the
said strip or block and hold the same in place, substantially as described.
3. A combined footboard, tread, and holding down means, constructed and
arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in
Figs. 1 and 2; in Fig. 3; and in Fig. 4 of the drawings annexed.
D.Lih 10
of Cinta 1900