IM- PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING OBSTRUCTIONS ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Sharrocks, of Red Brook Mill, Bury Road,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF
REMOVING OBSTRUCTIONS ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 1st February 1870, and dated the 2nd August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left-by the said James Sharrocks at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd August 1869.
I, JAMES SHARROCKS, of Red Brook Mill, Bury Road, Rochdale, in
the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR THE
PURPOSE OF REMOVING OBSTRUCTIONS ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements applicable to locomotive
engines, the object being to remove impediments or obstructions on or
between the lines of rails, and in cases where a human being is the

page_text: obstruction and the engine is progressing slowly to remove the same
without the necessity of material injury, and even when the engine may
be travelling at considerable speed without mangling or destroying it,
as is at present the result of such removal. To accomplish these ends I
propose to apply to the front or rear or to both ends of the locomotive
an apron formed of chain work connected at top and bottom by iron or
brass or other metal rods to two piston rods working horizontally on
each side of the engine and placed within two tubes extending along the
entire length of the engine, and under and close alongside the inner
side of the wheel; these tubes being provided midway with bosses or
sockets partly bored through to receive the extremities of the rods, and
to permit of their play to and fro as required. These tubes are fixed by
brackets to the engine beams, and guides for the rods are applied to each
end of the brackets as also slides for the top cross rods. To the cross
rods horizontal rods are connected in connection with a circular slotted
plate underneath the engine and in gear with the steam pipe which
supplies the cylinders on cach side of the engine, such plate forming a
valve on which are fitted two studs attached to two rods, one running to
and fixed to the bottom bar or rod on the chain apron, and the other
extending from the opposite end of the engine to the corresponding side
or periphery of the circular valve above which the steam pipe conveys
the steam to the cylinders. Studs are fixed to the horizontal rods which
actuate the circular cut off valve, and a handle is applied thereto for the
purpose of adjusting the same, which is controlled by a spindle. The
top bars work on vertical slides, on which helical springs are placed to
ease the weight and cause their return to their normal position when the
weight removed from the rails is discharged. The arrangement of the
circular slotted plate valve compels the engine driver to leave his engine
and re-adjust it, after it has been shut off by an obstruction on the rails,
and before he can start again. Within the tubes containing the piston
rods helical springs are also applied, surrounding the rods. and acting
against the fixed bosses and the sliding bosses at their front and rear.
These appliances might in many cases be affixed to the guard's van, so
as to be available during the process of shunting.
The operation of this Invention is as follows When any obstruction
touches the bottom bar of the chain apron, which should be placed from
one to two inches or thereabouts above the level of the surface of the

page_text: rails, it will cause the helical springs inside the tubes to be compressed,
so that by the yielding of the apron the obstruction would be caught up
by the chain apron, which would then be thrown outwards or forwards
(and thus form a sort of concavity) by the descent of the top bar against
the action of the springs on the vertical slides. The obstruction would
thus be permitted a resting place until the engine should be stopped,
which would be the case immediately if the progress were slow, as one
of the horizontal rods would at once act on the circular valve and shut
off the steam, and if going at a great or ordinary speed it would also
stop in a reasonable time, as the steam would be shut off immediately the
obstruction struck the bottom bar or rod of the chain apron, and thus
give immediate notice thereof to the driver or guard. The studs an rods
on the circular wheel would not allow the steam to be turned on until
regulated by the handle on the circular valve.
By these improvements the wheels of the engine will not come in
contact with the impediments or obstructions on the rails, but the pro-
tecting chain apron will receive them, thus preventing the engine from
running off the rails and avoiding destruction to the impediment, which
is chiefly of importance where human life is concerned.
O SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Sharrocks in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SHARROCKS, of Red Brook Mill, Bury Road, Rochdale, in the County
of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Sharrocks, Her special licence that I,
the said James Sharrocks, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or.
such others as I, the said James Sharrocks, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: "
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, 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 APPLICABLE TO
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF REMOVING OBSTRUCTIONS ON RAILWAYS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Sharrocks,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Sharrocks, 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 :--
My Invention relates to certain improvements applicable to loco-
motive engines, the object being to remove impediments or obstructions
on or between the lines of rails, and in cases where a human being is
the obstruction and the engine is progressing slowly. to remove the
same without the necessity of material injury, and even when the
engine may be travelling at considerable speed without mangling or
destroying it as is at present the result of such removal. To accomplish
these ends I propose to apply to the front or rear or to both ends of the
locomotive an apron or bag formed of chain work, connected at top
and bottom by iron or brass or other metal rods to two piston rods
working horizontally on each side of the engine and placed within two
tubes extending along the entire length of the engine, and under and
close alongside the inner side of the wheel; these tubes being provided
midway with bosses or sockets partly bored through to receive the
extremities of the rods, and to permit of their play to and fro as required.
These tubes are fixed by brackets to the engine beams, and guides
for the rods are applied to each end of the brackets, as also slides
for the top cross rods. To the bottom cross rods horizontal rods are
connected in connection with a circular slotted plate underneath the
engine, and in gear with a valve in the steam pipe which supplies the
cylinders on each side of the engine, such plate working the said valve

page_text: on which are fitted two studs attached to the two rods, one running to
and fixed to the bottom bar or rod on the chain apron or bag, and the
other extending from the opposite end of the engine to the correspond-
ing side or periphery of the circular slot in the valve plate, thus which-
ever end of the engine is in front. the bottom bar of the chain apron
or bag communicates its motion to the rods and actuates the circular
valve in the steam pipe which conveys the steam to the cylinders.
Studs are fixed to the horizontal rods which actuate the circular cut-off
valve, and a handle is applied to the plate for the purpose of adjusting
the same, which is controlled by a spindle. The top bars work on
vertical slides, on which helical springs are placed to ease the weight
and cause their return to their normal position when the weight re-
moved from the rails is discharged. The arrangement of the circular
slotted plate valve compels the engine driver to leave his engine and re-
adjust it after it has been shut off by an obstruction on the rails, and
before he can start again. Within the tubes containing the piston rods
helical springs are also applied surrounding the rods and acting against
the fixed bosses and the sliding bosses at their front and rear. These
appliances might in many cases be affixed to the guard's van so as to be
available during the process of shunting.
The operation of this Invention is as follows:-When any obstruction
touches the bottom bar of the chain apron, which should be placed from
one to two inches or thereabouts above the level of the surface of the
rails and one to two inches or thereabouts between and below the level
of the rails, it will cause the helical springs inside the tubes to be com-
pressed, so that by the yielding of the apron the obstruction would be
caught up by the chain apron, which would then be thrown outwards
or forwards (and thus form a sort of concavity) by the descent of the
top bar against the action of the springs on the vertical slides. The
obstruction would thus be permitted a resting place until the engine
should be stopped, which would be the case immediately if the progress
were slow, as one of the horizontal rods would at once act on the
circular valve and shut off the steam, and if going at a great or ordi-
nary speed it would also stop in a reasonable time, as the steam would
be shut off immediately the obstruction struck the bottom bar or rod
of the chain apron, and thus give immediate notice thereof to the
driver or guard. The studs and rods on the circular wheel would not

page_text: allow the steam to be turned on until regulated by the handle on the
circular valve.
By these improvements the wheels of the engine will not come in con-
tact with the impediments or obstructions on the rails, but the projecting
chain apron will receive them or throw them off the rails, thus pre-
venting the engine from running off the rails, and avoiding destruc-
tion to the impediment, which is chiefly of importance where human life
is concerned.
In order that my said Invention may be more completely understood, I
annex the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation,
and Fig 2 a plan view; similar letters denoting corresponding parts.
A, A, a, a, are two tubes extending from end to end of the engine;
B, B, two bosses bored part way through for guides for the rods L, L, 1, 1;
C, C, c, c, sliding bosses for. the tubes A, A, a, a; D, D, d, d, front and
rear cross rods; E, E, e, e, rods for working the circular plate G; f, f,
steam pipe communicating with the cylinders; G, G, circular plate attached
to the steam valve J; H, h, studs attached to the rods E, e, and the
plate G; J, plug valve between the pipes f,f; J, handle for adjusting
the valve I; K, K, k, k, spiral springs in the tubes A, A, a, a; L, L, 1, 1,
rods sliding in the tubes A, A, a, a; M, m, chain aprons or bags fixed to
the cross rods D, d, and P, p; N, N, n, n, brackets to fix the tubes to the
engine beams; 0, 0, 0, 0, guides for the rods L, L, 1, 1; P, p, top cross
rails to which the chain bags or aprons M, m, are fixed; Q, q, brackets
for the slides R, r; R, r, slides for the top cross rails P, p; S, 8, spiral.
springs on the slides R, r; T, valve spindle; U, u, slots in the circular
plate G.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I
do not limit myself to the exact details and configuration of parts
which I have expressed and shewn, as the same may obviously be varied
or modified by other equivalents without in any degree departing from the
objects required; but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by
the herein in part recited Letters Patent is, the general construction and
arrangement of parts in combination constituting my improvements
applicable to locomotive engines for the purpose of removing obstruc-
tions on railways, more especially during the operation of shunting, or

page_text: near stations where the speed is slow, and whereby life may be saved,
or the mangling or cutting of a human body be prevented, and the engine
stopped, substantially in the manner herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Sharrocks, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
Witness,
WILLIAM GRANDIDGE,
Hudson Street,
Rochdale.
JAMES SHARROCKS. (L.S.)