IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR FACILITATING THE SHIPPING OF COAL FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Taylor of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS AND APPARATUS IN
CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR FACILITATING THE SHIPPING OF COAL FROM
RAILWAY WAGGONS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Taylor at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th May 1883.
GEORGE TAYLOR of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan, "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STAITHS AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR FACILITATING THE
SHIPPING OF COAL FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS."
My present Invention relates to the general arrangement and construction of
portable staiths and to the special means of rendering the same portable and to the
hoisting and tipping gear for the platform, and to other improvements in connection
with staiths having for their object to facilitate the running of the waggons into
the staith tipping them and running them out again.
The general arrangement and construction of the staith is such that it may
stand over a line or lines of railway without impeding the traffic thereon when the
staith is not in use, and is adapted to have the waggons run into or out of it at
either side or at the back, the construction of the framework and the arrangement
of the hoisting and tipping gear being designed to admit of this being done. The
frame of the staith is constructed of four or more strutted frames or legs connected
by cross frames and braced together in such way as to leave a clear passage
between them at the lower part.
The hoisting of the waggon is effected by a pair of hydraulic cylinders arranged
preferably between the uprights and struts of the rear corner frames so as to assist
in counterbalancing the shoot and its load at the front of the staith, and the
tipping of the waggon is effected by another pair of hydraulic cylinders also
arranged preferably at the back of the staith. The hoisting and tipping running
gear is combined so that the platform may be tipped at any point of its lift. For

page_text: this purpose the tipping chains are connected to a girder interposed in the hoisting
chains and rising and falling therewith, so that both the hoisting and tipping
chains are shortened and lengthened by the hoisting cylinders in raising and
lowering the platform, the tipping chains however running round sheaves so
arranged in connection with the tipping hydraulic cylinders that the said chains
may be operated independently by said cylinders for the purpose of tipping the
waggon.
To prevent unequal motion of the two ends of the platform in rising and falling,
chains connected to the moving girder above referred to are wound on drums
keyed on a shaft on which are also keyed sheaves for the hoisting chains so that
should one hydraulic ram tend to move faster than the other, it will take part of
the load of the slower one and unequal motion will be prevented.
The same construction of staith and combination of gear may be employed in
connection with counterweights instead of hydraulic cylinders when the waggons
are brought into the staith at a high level and lowered to the tipping point.
When the staith is constructed to straddle two lines of railway, the lifting
platform would be provided with a combined traversing and tipping apparatus in
order that waggons run into the staith by the rear line of rails, may be brought to
the front of the staith for the purpose of being tipped.
The corner frames or legs of the staith are supported each on a wheel or roller
whose axis turns in bearings in a foot or carriage capable of rotating on a vertical
axis beneath the base of the staith to enable the wheel to be turned in any
direction, ball bearings being interposed between the bearing surfaces to enable
the wheel to be easily turned under the weight of the staith, by means of worm or
other gear.
The running wheels have no flange and each is kept on the rail on
which it travels by two pairs of lateral guide rollers embracing the sides of the rail
head, said rollers being carried on vertical axes fitted in sockets on the revolving
foot or carriage and capable of being raised by means of a lever sufficiently to clear
the rail head and admit of the foot being revolved when a change of direction is
required.
The Invention also has for its object to facilitate the tipping of waggons without
the use of any turntables or other means, either inside or outside the staith, of
turning or bringing them end on towards the vessel, and whether the staith be
fixed or portable, provided it be constructed as above described so as to afford a
clear passage for trucks through it. This part of the Invention relates to a staith
constructed in this way and provided with a platform arranged to tip at either
Bide of the staith (instead of at, or in addition to, the front as usual) and a suitable
arrangement of shoots at either side adapted to receive the coal from the waggon
at the side of the staith and discharge it at the front of the staith into the hold of
the vessel. By this arrangement of through railway for the waggons beneath the
staith and side tipping platform, and shoots, a train of waggons may successively be
run in at one side of the staith, raised, tipped, lowered and run out at the other
side, thereby greatly facilitating the operation of loading the vessel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th November
1883.
GEORGE TAYLOR of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan IMPROVEMENTS IN
STAITHS AND APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR FACILITATING THE
SHIPPING OF COAL FROM RAILWAY WAGGONS
My present Invention relates to the general arrangement and construction of
portable staiths and to the special means of rendering the same portable, and to
the hoisting and tipping gear for the platform, and to other improvements in
connection with staiths having for their object to facilitate the running of the
waggons into the staith, tipping them, and running them out again.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
it in the accompanying drawings and will proceed to describe it in detail with
reference thereto.
Sheet 1 illustrates the general arrangement and construction of a portable staith
provided with the hoisting and tipping gear for the platform, and Sheet 2
illustrates the special means employed for rendering the same portable. Sheet 3
illustrates an arrangement wherein lowering gear is used in connection with a high
level line instead of hydraulic elevating gear for bringing the waggon to the tipping
point. Sheet 4 illustrates a portable staith for tipping end-door waggons without
bringing them end on towards the vessel. Sheet 5 illustrates the combined
traversing and tipping apparatus for use in side tipping staiths of the kind
illustrated in Sheet 3.
Referring to Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a rear elevation
of a portable staith constructed according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a horizontal
section just above the base showing the platform and the hydraulic cylinders in
plan. Figure 4 is a top plan of the staith. The general arrangement and
construction of the staith is such that it may stand over a line or lines of railway
without impeding the traffic thereon when the staith is not in use, and is adapted
to have the waggons run into or out of it at either side or at the back, the con-
struction of the framework and the arrangement of the hoisting and tipping gear
being designed to admit of this being done. The frame of the staith is constructed
of four strutted legs A connected together by horizontal and diagonal bracings
which at the two sides and back are so arranged as to leave a clear opening for the
passage of waggons. When the staith stands over a line of rails as shown, these
side openings allow of traffic through the staith when not in use. The legs and
their struts are constructed of iron plates and are made of box section, the adjacent
sides of the vertical and its strut being left open. The front and back legs are
connected together in pairs by horizontal girders B, the one at the back being so
constructed as to allow the passage over it of the waggon from the level of the
turn table or carrier at rear of the staith onto the platform in the staith, or vice
versa. The ends of these girders are supported on travelling wheels C running on
rails D and each mounted in a swivelling carriage hereafter described in detail
with reference to sheet 2. In addition to these travelling wheels, the front girder
is supported on packing screws b screwing into sockets directly beneath the vertical
legs of the staith and taking a bearing on the rail D when the staith is standing.
Each screw has a capstan head at its lower end by which it is turned and a loose
shoe which embraces the head of the rail. The rear girder may have similar screws
or may be wedged or otherwise packed. The top of the staith is framed together
by four girders suitably braced, which also serve to carry the overhead chain
gearing. The platform of the staith is constructed of two longitudinal girders E

page_text: framed together by transoms beneath them in such position that they can come
below the rail level in order to allow the level of the platform rails to come as low
as possible. F are the platform rails laid in open box girders G resting on the
transoms of the platform without being attached thereto and secured together by
two cross bars H I, of which H is pivoted at its ends in the girders E to constitute
a tilting platform for the truck. The ends of the cross bar I are the points to
which the tilting chains are attached. The main platform E is guided in its vertical
motion by angle irons fixed to the legs of the staith
The hoisting of the waggons is effected by a pair of hydraulic cylinders K
arranged preferably between the uprights and struts of the rear corner frames so
as to assist in counterbalancing the shoot and its load at the front of the staith,
and the tipping of the waggon is effected by one or a pair of hydraulic cylinders
also arranged preferably at the back of the staith. The hoisting and tipping
running gears are combined so that the platform may be tipped at any point of
its lift. K. are the hydraulic hoisting cylinders, and are the chains passing over
sheaves on the hydraulic rams, one end of each chain being attached to a fixed point
and the other passing down beneath a sheave c¹ and up again and attached to a
horizontal movable beam L. M is a horizontal shaft mounted in bearings on top.
of the staith immediately above the hydraulic cylinders K, and N are four suspen-
sion chains attached to the corners of the platform E and passing up over chain
wheels nn (of which n are keyed on the shaft M) and down again to the beam L,
to which all four chains are attached, the chains N thus virtually forming
continuations of the chains . O are spiral drums keyed on shaft M, and o are
chains attached to and wound on said drums and attached to the beam L so as to
ensure the simultaneous action of the lifting chains. P are a pair of hydraulic
tipping cylinders mounted in the back framing of the staith and p is a chain
passing over sheaves as shown and attached by its ends to the cross bar I of the
tilting platform. The course of the tilting chain is as follows:-Starting from the
end shown in figure 1 which corresponds to the end shown at the right hand side
of figure 2, the chain passes first up over sheave q on shaft ql, down beneath
sheave q² mounted on a fixed point, up over sheave q³ on the one ram head, down
beneath sheave q', mounted on a fixed point, up over sheave q keyed on shaft M,
down under sheave qe carried on the movable beam L whence it returns to the left
hand side of figure 2 by passing around a corresponding arrangement of sheaves q',
9, 9, 90 q in the order named. By this arrangement the tilting chain travels
simultaneously with the hoisting chains, the former chain then running idle round
the sheaves so that the tilting can be performed at any point of the lift of the
platform. The tilting is effected by the rams of the hydraulic cylinders P shortening
the tilting chain independently. By the arrangement of tilting chain shown, the
platform will be tilted equally notwithstanding any inequality in the action of
the hydraulic cylinders P.
10
The various hydraulic cylinders would be connected with mains suitably
arranged, by adjustable connections such as are used for other movable hydraulic
machinery and provided with suitable valves.
Figure 5 is an elevation, Figure 6 a half sectional elevation (at right angles to
figure 5) Figure 7 is a half sectional plan, and Figure 8 is a sectional part plan of
one of the travelling wheels and its carriage. B is the end of one of the girders on
which the strutted legs of the staith are mounted, and C is one of the travelling
wheels. This wheel runs on a rail as shown, and its axle turns in bearings R¹ at
the underside of the swivelling carriage R capable of rotating about a vertical
axis. To this end the carriage is placed beneath a horizontal ring S fixed to the
underside of the girder B and is so connected thereto as to be free to revolve about
it. It is recessed to embrace said ring and to admit between the bearing surfaces
of the ring S and carriage R a circle of anti-friction ballst placed in holes in a live
ring T. The carriage may be turned by a worm Z gearing with a ring of teeth Z'
around it as shown, the worm being operated by a ratchet lever or otherwise.
The travelling wheel C has no flange and is retained on its rail by a pair of lateral

page_text: guide rollers U at each side whose axes are mounted in sockets U₁ attached to the
carriage R and are free to be raised therein by means of a lever U² sufficiently to
enable these rollers to clear the rail when turning the wheel. The same con-
struction of staith and combination of gear may be employed in connection with
counterweights instead of hydraulic cylinders when the waggons are brought into
the staith at a high level and lowered to the tipping point. This is illustrated in
sheet 3, wherein Figure 9 is a side elevation and Figure 10 a rear elevation of a
portable staith similar in construction to that before described except that the
hydraulic cylinders K. and the chaina k and the hydraulic cylinders P and the
chains p are dispensed with. For the beam L is substituted a pair of counter-
weights L' L' the pair of chains leading from the front of the platform being
attached to L' and the pair of chains from the rear of the platform to L³ the latter
pair of chains passing freely through openings in L'. The combined weight of
counterweights is so much less than that of the loaded waggon and platform as to
ensure the descent of the latter under proper control and so much greater than
that of the empty waggon and platform as to raise the same. The uppermost
counterweight L¹ is heavier than the other one L' in order that the platform
may not tip by its fore part being loaded in excess of the rear part. As the
weight L cannot rise without carrying weight L¹ with it, the rear part of the
platform cannot drop from a similar cause. The sheaves over which the platform
chains pass are cupped to receive the links of the chains and are keyed in pairs on
their respective shafts. Y Z are friction brakes on the said shafts for controlling
the motion of either the front or back pair of chains.
Figure 11 is a side elevation, Figure 12 a vertical section looking towards the
front Figure 13 a plan and Figure 14 is a horizontal section above the platform of
a staith for tipping end-door waggons without the use of any turntables or any
other means (whether inside or outside the staith) of turning or bringing the
waggons end on towards the vessel. The staith is made portable and is constructed
so as to afford a clear passage for trucks through it from side to side as in the
former arrangement. The platform G is arranged to tip at either side of the staith
which is provided at each side with a shoot X adapted to receive the coal from the
waggon at the side of the staith and discharge it on board of the vessel laying in
front of the staith. The platform is guided when being raised and lowered in the
staith by guides W in which work guide blocks carrying the ends of the cross
bearers V supporting the platform, the ends of which bearers are passed through
slots V' in the platform to admit of the tilting motion of the platform whilst the
bearers remain in the guides W. By this arrangement of through railway for
the waggons beneath the staith and side tipping platform, and shoots a train
of waggons may successively be run in at one side of the staith, raised, tipped,
lowered and run out at the other side, thereby greatly facilitating the operation of
loading the vessel.
In this arrangement the platform is placed with its rails running from side to
side of the staith. The hoisting cylinders are arranged as before and the hoisting
chains run round sheaves on the tilting rams both the chains attached to the same
end of the platform being actuated by the same tilting ram, the two tilting
cylinders being in this case independent so that either may be operated without
the other according to the side at which the waggon is to be tipped.
Referring to sheet 5, Figure 15 represents combined traversing and tipping
apparatus for use in side tipping staiths of the kind last described when constructed
to straddle two lines of railway and to receive and discharge trucks by either or
both lines. Figures 16 and 17 are details. The purpose of this arrangement is
to enable waggons run into the staith by the rear line of rails to be brought to the
front of the staith for the purpose of being tipped. In this case the bearers V
which form the hoisting portion of the platform extend across the two lines of
railway and the tilting platform F is traversed upon them. The bearers terminate
in gudgeons v received in slide blocks w working in guides W of the staith as
before and as shown in detail Figure 17 the hoisting chains being attached to these

page_text: slide blocks w in both arrangements. The platform is guided along the cross
bearers V by inside stops V Figure 16 which prevent any end wise motion of the
platform in tilting.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is :-
1 The general construction and arrangement of portable staiths, substantially
as herein described and shown in sheet 1 of the drawings.
2nd The combined hoisting and tipping running gears arranged and operating
substantially as herein described and shown in sheet 1 of the drawings. whereby
the platform may be tipped at any point of its lift.
3 The construction of swivelling carriage for portable staiths substantially as
herein described and illustrated in sheet of the drawings.
4th The combination and arrangement of portable staith and gear for lowering
and tipping waggons by means of counterweights, substantially as herein described
and illustrated in sheet 3 of the drawings.
5th The combination of a portable staith, so constructed as to afford a clear
passage for trucks upon a railway passing thereunder and of a platform arranged
to tip at one or both sides of the staith, and of a suitable shoot to receive the coal
from the waggon and discharge it at the desired point, substantially as herein
described, and shown in sheet 4 of the drawings.
6th The combination of a portable staith so constructed as to straddle two lines
of railway and afford a clear passage for trucks thereon, and of a traversing
platform arranged to tip at one or both sides of the staith, and of a suitable shoot
or shoots to receive the coal from the waggon and discharge it at the desired point,
substantially as herein described and shown in Sheet 5 of the drawings.
In witness whereof I the said George Taylor, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Thirtieth day of November A.D. 1883.