IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRANS- PERRING ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND WAGGONS PROM ONE LINE OF RAILS TO ANOTHER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ramsbottom, of Crewe, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRANS-
PERRING ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND WAGGONS PROM ONE LINE OF RAILS TO
ANOTHER."
"
Sealed the 5th July 1867, and dated the 12th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ramsbottom
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1867.
I, JOHN RAMBBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR
TRANSFERRING ENGINES, CARRIAGES; AND WAGGONS FROM ONE LINE OF RAILS TO
ANOTHER," to be as follows:-
My Invention is particularly useful in transferring rapidly a carriage or
waggon from one line of rails to the other, more especially when additional-
carriages are required to make up a departure train, but it may be used for
any purpose in lieu of the ordinary traversers and turntables, except for turning
carriages round.
In performing my Invention I attach two or more pairs of rails corresponding
to those of the permanent way to endless chains passing around toothed drums
or polygons, the length of these rails must be rather greater than the distance
between the wheels of the engine, carriage, or waggon to be transferred from
one line of rails to another. Motion is given in the direction required to one
or both sets of the toothed drums or polygons by hand, steam, or hydraulic
power, and when hydraulic power is used the high-pressure water required

page_text: may be taken from the town's mains, or it may be pumped by hand or
power into a tank placed sufficiently above the level of the rails to give the
desired pressure, or the water may be stored in an accumulator consisting of
a cylinder fitted or provided with a loaded ram or piston, or the power may be
accumulated by raising a weight, the descent of which would give the power
necessary for performing the work with sufficient rapidity. When the
carriage to be moved has been brought on to one pair of rails the endless
chains are put in motion, and the carriage is thus moved laterally until the
rails on which it is supported arrive in line with the rails on which the carriage
is required, the machine is then stopped until the carriage that has been moved
has been run on to the permanent way, and during the same time another
carriage may be run on to the rails fixed to another part of the endless chains,
the rails being secured in their proper places by suitable stops when necessary.
The rails slide on transverse beams supported by girders or on rollers, and the
lower part of the endless chains may be held up by rails or beams to prevent
them hanging loose to protect the transverse slides from dirt, and to afford
facilities to the workmen when moving carriages or waggons upon the traversing,
rails planks or boards may be placed parallel to the rails and attached to the
links of the chain.
My Invention may be modified by fixing one or more pairs of rails to a
traversing frame which is moved to and fro by hand, steam, or hydraulic
power; this traversing frame would be used instead of the endless chains above
described. When the traversing frame is provided with a single pair of rails
only other rails to fill up the gap in the permanent way may be connected
by chains to the rails supporting the carriage to be moved, or the rails necessary.
to fill up the gaps may be inserted by hand. When the traversing frame is
provided with three or more pairs of rails, the loose rails above described to
fill up the gaps may be dispensed with. In all cases as soon as the carriage
has been moved the gaps in the permanent way are filled up and the lines are.
safe for traffic.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ramsbottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMSBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters

page_text: Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the said John
Ramsbottom, Her special license that I, the said John Ramsbottom, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ramsbottom, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, 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 IN
MACHINERY FOR TRANSFERRING ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND WAGGONS FROM ONE LINE OF
RAILS TO ANOTHER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Ramsbottom, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ramsbottom, 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 (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention consists in transferring engines, carriages,
and waggons from one line of rails to another by means of two or more
pairs of rails attached to endless chains passing around toothed drums or
polygons which are turned round by steam or other power, or by fixing one or
more pairs of rails to a traversing frame which is moved to and fro by steam
or other power.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying three
Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 is a plan of
my improved machinery for transferring carriages and waggons from one
line of rails to another; and on Sheet 2, Figure 8 is a transverse section of
the same.
I wish to observe that my Invention is particularly useful in transferring
rapidly a carriage or waggon from one line of rails to another, more especially
when additional carriages are required to make up a departure train, but that

page_text: it may be used for any purpose in lieu of the ordinary traversers or turntables,
excepting for turning carriages round.
In Figure 2, a, a, represent the ends of the rails of three lines of the
permanent way to which my improved machinery is applied; b, b, are six
pairs of rails secured to the links of the endless chains c, c, which pass around
the toothed drums d, d¹. It is evident that by reducing or increasing the
length of the chains c, c, and the number of pairs of rails b, b, the machinery
may be adapted to any number of lines of rails; the links to which the rails b
are attached are expanded laterally to admit the connecting bolts, and the
projecting ends of the joint pins of the chains take into the toothed drums d, d',
the latter of which is turned round in the direction required by the shaft e and
bevel pinion e gearing into the wheel d on the axle of the drum d'; the shaft e
may be driven by hand, steam, or hydraulic power, and when hydraulic
power is used the high-pressure water required may be taken from the town's
mains, or it may be pumped by hand or power into a tank placed sufficiently
above the level of the rails to give the desired pressure, or the water may be
stored in an accumulater consisting of a cylinder fitted or provided with a
loaded ram or piston, or the power may be accumulated by raising a weight,
the descent of which would give the power necessary for performing the work
with sufficient rapidity, as will be described hereafter in reference to Figure 6.
When the carriage to be moved has been brought on to one pair of the rails b
the endless chain c are put in motion, and the carriage is thus moved laterally
until the rails 6 on which it is supported arrive in line with the rails of the
permanent way on which the carriage is required, the machine is then
stopped until the carriage that has been moved has been run on to the
permanent way, and during the same time another carriage may be run
on to the rails b fixed to another part of the endless chains c, the rails
being secured in their proper places by suitable stops when necessary.
In Figure 3 is shewn one mode of securing the rails. x is a cross shaft to
which is fixed the handle a and the forked arm a³, the handle is brought into a
convenient position for being moved by the attendant who applies the moving
power, and when the rails are near their proper places the attendant lets go
the handle to allow the forked arm to clip one of the rails. The rails b slide
either on transverse beams f supported by girders g, as shewn, to the right-
liand side of Figures 1, 2, and 3, or on balks of teak or other hard wood h, as
shewn to the left-hand side of the Drawing, and the lower part of the endless
chains are held up by the flooring to prevent them hanging loose. To protect
the transverse slides from dirt, and to afford facilities to the workmen when
moving carriages or waggons upon the traversing rails planks or boards may

page_text: be placed parallel to the rails and attached to the links of the chain, as shewn
to the right-hand side of Figures 1 and 2.
In Figures 4 and 5 of Sheet 2 I have shewn a modification in the con-
struction of the chains c above referred to; in these views the pins forming the
joints of the links are made long enough to support the antifriction rollers c¹,
which take into the teeth of the drums d and d¹, and which run upon guide
rails placed between the two drums, thereby reducing the friction on the chains.
Figure 6 represents an arrangement of gearing for raising a weight, the
descent of which would produce the requisite force for moving the chains c
with the requisite rapidity to traverse the carriage or waggon from one line of
rails to another. In this view i is the weight working up and down in a pit
or against the side of a building or otherwise; this weight is suspended to the
chain or cord i¹, one end of which is secured to the chain barrel i, and the
other to any fixed point. The chain barrel is turned round by the winch j
driven by hand or other power, and the pinion j¹ gearing into the wheel k, to
which is connected the pinion k¹ gearing into the wheel is. To the axle of the
chain barrel is fixed the bevel wheel i gearing alternately in the wheels e³,
which are connected to the shaft e (corresponding to the shaft e in Figures 2
and 3) by a key and groove. When the weight i is being raised both the
wheels are moved into a central position and out of gear with the wheel i*,
and as soon as the weight has been raised to the proper height it is held up
by an ordinary retaining catch. When the motion is required either one or
other of the wheels 2 is brought into gear with i*, according to the direction
of motion required to be given to the shaft e; the retaining catch is then lifted
and the weight is allowed to descend by its own gravity, but the velocity of its
descent can be regulated by applying the break to the wheel k, if requisite.
The above is only given as an illustration of a convenient mode of lifting and
lowering the weight, but the machinery for effecting the same result may be
varied considerably.
Figure 7 is an elevation in section, Figure 8 a plan, and Figure 9 an end
view in section of a modification of my Invention; in these views a, a', are the
ends of the rails of the permanent way, and b, b, the pair of rails to support
the carriage to be moved; these rails, instead of being fixed to endless chains,
as described in Figures 1, 2, and 3, are fixed to the traversing table l, which
is supported on the beams m. The table 7 is moved to and fro by water under
pressure acting on a piston connected to the piston rod n, which piston works
in the cylinder o placed under the platform, as shewn in Figure 7, or in any
convenient position, or the table 7 may be moved to and fro by hand, steam,
or other power. The pair of rails b, b, are intended to move carriages or

page_text: waggons from one pair of rails to another, and the rails 61 and 62 are only
required to fill up the gap in the rails a¹ when the traversing table is in the
position shewn in Figure 7. The rail ¹ is connected to the outer rail 6 by
the chains or links p, and the rail is connected to bi by the chains or links p¹;
the length of these chains or links is such that when the rails 6, 6, are in line
with the rails a, a, the rails 61 and 62 are in line with the rails a', a¹, as shewn
in Figure 7, and when the rails b, b,.are moved so as to bring the carriage
from the rails a to a', then the rails 61 and 62 are pushed to one side by the
outer rail b. It is evident that in order to close the gaps opposite the rails a
when the traversing table has been moved in line with a', a', rails similar to
b', b, may be affixed to the opposite side of the traversing table. The rails
and be to fill up the gaps in the line of the permanent way may be inserted
by band.
On Sheet 3, Figure 10 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 11 a plan of a
traversing frame suitable for four lines of rails; in these views the traversing
frame is made with five lines of rails b, and is adapted for traversing a
carriage from one line of rails to the adjacent line; the frame 7 is supported
on wheels running upon the rails 9; the piston rod n has a piston working
in the cylinder o placed under the platform, as in Figure 7; the rails b, b, are
fixed to the cross beams of the traversing frame. When this traversing appa-
ratus is at work a carriage or waggon can be moved from one line of rails a
to the adjacent line by admitting water under pressure to the cylinder o, but
by increasing the length of the stroke and the relative number of rails in the
traversing frame the carriages may be moved to the second and third line of
rails, or further if required; in this arrangement the loose rails 61 and 62,
shewn in Figure 7, are dispensed with, their places being supplied by the
extra number of rails on the traversing frame. When the traversing frame is
applied to several lines of rails I propose to provide handles at various points
near the frame to control conveniently the moving force by which it is worked,
whether it be steam, water, or other power, and retaining catches of the ordinary
construction may be applied to one or more of the rails to hold the traversing
frame in its proper position when moved. It will be observed that in all
cases when the traversing of the carriage has been effected the roads remain
intact and safe for traffic.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and describe the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the improved machinery described and shewn in Figures 1 to 6 for
transferring carriages from one line of rails to another by means of rails fixed
to endless chains.

page_text: And, secondly, I claim the machinery described and shewn in Figures 7
to 11, for transferring carriages from one line of rails to another by means of
rails fixed to a traversing table or frame.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
J. RAMSBOTTOM. (L.S.)