Improvements in or connected with the Raising and Lowering of Railway Trains, Navigable Vessels, or the like from One Level to Another.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1890)
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 17th June, 1891
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE ASHCROFT, of 96, Pitt Street, Sydney,
in the Colony of New South Wales.]
Improvements in or connected with the Raising and Lowering of
Railway Trains, Navigable Vessels, or the like from One Level
to Another.
I, GRANVILLE DE MONTMORENCY MACKIRDY, of 7, Rumford Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows
-
According to this invention there is constructed and laid, at any convenient
angle, a line of rails on sleepers similar to those in ordinary use and in connection
with this there is provided a bridge fitted with wheels by means of which it is
enabled to move freely up and down on the railway first described.
Between the rails and attached to the sleepers by means of clips are provided
cylinders, two or more of which may be used as may be required. They are fitted
with rams or pistons made tight under pressure by means of glands and packing,
the said rams or pistons being guided by one or more grooved wheels arranged at
intervals upon the said sleepers.
To the pistons are attached crossheads having rods secured to the bridge, and
properly stayed with cross stays, so that when pressure is applied to the pistons,
causing them to move out of their cylinders, the bridge will move upwards along
the railway, and when the pressure is shut off a valve is opened the water from
them is permitted to escape; the bridge will then descend by its own gravity along
the said railway until stopped.
An accumulator or accumulators of the ordinary kind are provided, and are kept
under the necessary pressure by any available power available for the purpose,
such as a natural water supply, or by power transmitted by a motor and pumps. It
is preferred when working the invention on a large scale to employ several
accumulators as it enables the weight of the descending rams and bridge to be
readily utilized by storing up part of the power for further use.
This can be done by allowing the whole weight of the descending train or other
load to act upon three or more accumulator cylinders, and when these are raised to
the required height a valve provided for the purpose on one or more of the cylinders
would be opened, causing the weight so raised to fall upon the remainder, thus
increasing the pressure per square inch to the amount required to raise the bridge
for another train.
The manner of working the invention is as follows:-The bridge with the
cylinders and pistons above described being placed in such a position that the train
which it is desired to lift from a lower to a higher level can run freely onto it, and
be properly secured by means of stop blocks during the operation of raising, water
is admitted to the cylinders by means of a valve which can be worked from the
bridge. This causes the pistons to work out of the cylinders carrying with them
the bridge with the train upon it, till it arrives at the upper level, when the
stop blocks are released, and the train is run off the bridge onto a railway at a
higher level.
If the nature of the country is such as to make it desirable, two, three, or
more lifts can be erected; several of these can be worked by one set of pumps
and accumulators, and this can be done even if there are some considerable
distances apart.
In most cases two lifts would be required, as trains after passing the higher

page_text: level would require to be again let down to a lower level. A portion of the power
derived from the gravitation of the descending train could be utilized in the manner
hereinbefore described by being stored in the accumulator cylinders.
Although the invention is particularly applicable as a railway lift for use in hilly
districts, it is at the same time also applicable for lifting ships and boats guns in
fortresses, and other analogous uses.
Dated this 16th day of June 1890.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
VUMI MIN
Improvements in or connected with the Raising and Lowering of
Railway Trains, Navigable Vessels, or the like from One Level
to Another.
I, GRANVILLE DE MONTMORENCY MACKIRDY, of 7, Rumford Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to this invention there is constructed and laid, at any convenient
angle, a line of rails on sleepers similar to those in ordinary use, and in connection
with this there is provided a bridge fitted with wheels by means of which it is
enabled to move freely up and down on the railway first described.
Between the rails and attached to the sleepers by means of clips are provided
cylinders, two or more of which may be used as may be required. They are fitted
with rams or pistons made tight under pressure by means of glands and packing,
the said rams or pistons being guided by one or more grooved wheels arranged at
intervals upon the said sleepers.
To the pistons are attached crossheads having rods secured to the bridge, and
properly stayed with cross stays, so that when pressure is applied to the pistons
causing them to move out of their cylinders, the bridge will move upwards along
the railway, and when the pressure is shut off a valve is opened and the water
from the cylinders is permitted to escape; the bridge will then descend by its own
gravity along the said railway until stopped.
An accumulator or accumulators of the ordinary kind are provided, and are kept
under the necessary pressure by any power available for the purpose, such as a
natural water supply, or by power transmitted by a motor and pumps. It is preferred
when working the invention on a large scale to employ several accumulators as it
enables the weight of the descending rams and bridge to be readily utilized in
storing up part of the power for further use.
This can be done by allowing the whole weight of the descending train or other
load to act upon three or more accumulator cylinders, and when these are raised to
the required height a valve provided for the purpose on one or more of the cylinders
would be opened, causing the weight so raised to fall upon the remainder, thus
increasing the pressure per square inch to the amount required to raise the bridge
for another train.
The manner of working the invention is as follows:-The bridge with the
cylinders and pistons above described being placed in such a position that the train
which it is desired to lift from a lower to a higher level can run freely onto it, and
be properly secured by means of stop blocks during the operation of raising, water
is admitted to the cylinders by means of a valve which can be worked from the
bridge. This causes the pistons to work out of the cylinders, carrying with them
the bridge with the train upon it, till it arrives at the upper level, when the

page_text: stop blocks are released and the train is run off the bridge onto a railway at a
higher level.
If the nature of the country is such as to make it desirable, two, three, or
more lifts can be erected; several of these can be worked by one set of pumps
and accumulators, and this can be done even if they are some considerable
distance apart.
In most cases two lifts would be required, as trains after passing the higher level
would require to be again let down to a lower level. A portion of the power
derived from the gravitation of the descending train could be utilized in the manner
hereinbefore described by being stored in the accumulator cylinders.
Although the invention is particularly applicable as a railway lift for use in hilly
districts, it is at the same time also applicable for lifting ships and boats, guns in
fortresses, and other analogous uses.
With reference to the drawings which illustrate this invention,
Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating the application of the invention to the
raising and lowering of railway trains; and
Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation of same.
b is the
In the drawings, a is the bridge or carriage onto which the trains run.
bogie to which said bridge or carriage is fixed, being wheels thereof.
c are the
rails fixed to sleepers which lie upon the inclined side d of a hill, and on which
the wheels of the bogie run. e are hydraulic cylinders fixed to the sleepers c¹,
and e' are the rams which work therein, said rams having crossheads fat the upper
end thereof. are rods which connect the crossheads with the bogie b. his a
frame connecting the three ramsel together at their upper part, and i are diagonal
braces for same. This coupling and bracing up causes the stresses to be distributed
and equalized.
The lower rail level of the approach or departure lines is designated k, from
which level the trains run direct onto the bridge or carriage rail, and the upper
rail level is designated .
In operation, in elevating a train such train is run onto the bridge or carriage a
at the bottom of the hill from the rail level k. Communication between the rams e
and the accumulators is then made, and the train is clevated to the upper level kl.
When the carriage or bridge has arrived at this upper position the train runs off
it onto an ordinary permanent way as will be understood. The action of lowering
is, of course, merely the converse of that just described.
The ramse may be guided in their ascent by suitable anti-friction rollers suitably
mounted in their path.
It will of course be understood that any number of rams may be used, and that
such rams may be of the type shown, or of any known suitable kind. It will
also be understood that the example of the apparatus illustrated constitutes one
application only of the invention, and that it is applicable for lifting ships and
boats, guns in fortresses and other analogous uses, as already stated.
When used
for elevating ordnance in fortresses from one level or tier to another, the railway,
such as described and illustrated, may be laid upon the inner inclined surface of
the fortress wall and used to raise guns as described with reference to railway
trains. The railway may also be used for raising ordnance to forts built upon
eminences.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improved method or means of elevating and lowering trains, navigable
vessels, and other bodies, from one level to another, consisting in the employment
of hydraulic cylinders or rams, a railway arranged at an inclination, and a carriage
adapted to carry or support the train, ship, or other thing to be raised or lowered,
and to run upon the railway; substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The arrangement of inclined railway, hydraulic rams and cylinders, and
carriage or bridge, substantially as set forth with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 16th day of March 1891.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.