IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE PERMANENT WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, and of
Rathbone Place, both in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE PERMANENT WAY AND
ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS."-A communication from abroad by David
Harrison, of Fayette, Jefferson County, and State of Mississippi,
United States of America.
Scaled the 25th September 1869, and dated the 26th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th June 1869.
I, ALEXANDER CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, and of Rathbone Place,
both in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE PERMANENT
WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to enable railroad carriages to be
run with safety at great speed, to give sure warning of their approach
to a station, and to readily ascend steep gradients, and which shall

page_text: effect these objects in an easy, simple, and effective manner; and it
consists in the construction and combination of the various parts as
herein-after more fully described.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1,
of which shows a side view, and Figure 2 a transverse section of a line
of rails and carriage framing having the improvements applied.
A represents the tics; B; the rails; C, the carriage wheels; D, the
axles; and E, the frame of a railroad carriage, about the constructions of
which parts there is nothing new. Fare wheels attached to the ends
of the axle G which works in brackets II attached to the frame of the
engine or carriage, and projecting down so that the axle G may not
interfere with the bar C connecting the wheels of the engine. The
axle G should be long, so that the wheels F may be outside of the
wheels C as shown. In the case of ordinary carriages the wheels
may be attached to the projecting ends of the axles D.. I are rails
securely connected with and supported from the ties A in such a position.
as to be directly above the wheels F. The rails I are grooved longitu-
dinally upon their lower sides, and are so arranged that the bottoms of
said grooves may be about an iuch above the wheels F when the train
is at rest or running under ordinary circumstances; but should the
carriage jump the wheels F will come in contact with the rails I, and
the train will be prevented from getting off the track, thus enabling the
carriages to be run at any desired speed with perfect safety. At stations
and other places where not required the rails I may be interrupted, the
mouths of the grooves in the under sides of said rails being made flaring
to ensure the wheels F entering the said grooves. J are toothed mails
attached to the tics A at the inner sides of the rails B in places where
the grade is steep. Kare toothed wheels attached to the wheels C or to.
the axles D in such position that the teeth of the wheels K may gear with
the teeth of the racks J to assist in drawing the train up the incline.
Should the grade be so steep that there would be danger of the teeth of
the wheels K slipping from the teeth of the racks J tho wheels will
come in contact with the rails I, and hold the wheels K in gear with the
racks J however steep the grade may be. L are wires connected with
a bell at the station, and extending out a mile more or less along the
track. At suitable distances apart the wires L are interrupted and their
ends are connected to levers M, the lower ends of which are pivoted to
some suitable support connected with the roadway, and their upper ends

page_text: extend up
into such a position that they may be struck by the projecting
ends of the axle of the wheels F to operate the wire L and sound the
bell. The levers M should be arranged in pairs, and their lower parts
should be connected by a continuation of wires L, as shown in Figure 1;
so that when one of said levers is moved in one direction by the axle of
the wheel F, and the wire L moved in one direction to sound the bell,
the other lover when struck by the said axle may move the wire L back
to its former position ready to be again operated to again sound the bell.
By this arrangement as the train approaches the station at speed the
bell will be kept sounding for such a length of time as will enable 'any
who may be on the track to get out of the way leaving the whistle to be
used for giving other signals.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, and of Rathbone Place, both in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, 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 Alexander Clark, Her special licence
that I, the said Alexander Clark, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Clark, 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
APPLICABLE TO THE PERMANENT WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS," &
communication to me from abroad by David Harrison, of Fayette,
Jefferson County, and State of Mississippi, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Clark,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,

page_text: or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
saine 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 Alexander Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object to enable railroad carriages to be run
with safety at great speed. to give sure warning of their approach to a
station, and to readily ascend steep gradients, and which shall effect
these objects in any easy, simple, and effective manner; and it consists
in the construction and combination of the various parts as herein-after
more fully described.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is a top view of a portion
of a railroad track illustrating these improvements; Figure 2 is a side
view of the same, parts being broken away to show the construction;
Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the same taken through the
liner, x, Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A, represents the ties; B, the rails; C, the carriage wheels; D, the
axles, and E the frame of a carriage, about the construction of which parts
there is nothing new. F, are wheels attached to the ends of the axle G
which works in brackets HI attached to the frame of the engine or
carriage, and projecting down so that the axle G may not interfere with
the bar C connecting the wheels of the engine. The axle G should be
long so that the wheels may be outside of the wheels C as shown in
Figures 1 and 3. In the case of ordinary carriages the wheels F may
be attached to the projecting ends of the axles D. I are rails securely
connected with and supported from the ties A in such a position as to
be directly above the wheels F. The rails I are grooved longitudinally
upon their lower sides and are so arranged that the bottoms of said
grooves may be about an inch above the wheels F when the train is at
rest or running under ordinary circumstances; but should the carriage

page_text: jump the wheels F will come in contact with the rails I, and the train
will be prevented from getting off the track, thus enabling the carriage
to be run at any desired speed with perfect safety. At stations and other
places where not required the rails I may be interrupted, the mouths of
the grooves in the under sides of said rails being made flaring to ensure
the wheels entering the said grooves. J are toothed rails attached to
the ties A at the inner sides of the rails B in places where the grade is
steep. Karc toothed wheels attached to the wheels C or to the axles D,
in such position that the teeth of the wheels K may gear with the teeth
of the racks J to assist in drawing the train up the incline. Should the
grade be so steep that there would be danger of the teeth of the wheel K
slipping from the teeth of the racks J, the wheels F will come in contact
with the rails I and hold the wheels K in gear with the racks J, however,
steep the grade may be. L are wires connected with a bell at the station
and extending out a mile more or less along the track. At suitable
distances apart the wires L are interrupted and their ends are connected
to levers M, the lower ends of which are pivoted to some suitable sup-
port connected with the roadway, and their upper ends extend up into
such a position that they may be struck by the projecting ends of the
axle of the wheels F to operate the wire L and sound the bell. The
levers M should be arranged in pairs, and their lower parts should be
connected by a continuation of the wires L, as shown in Figure 2, so
that when one of said levers is moved in one direction by the axle of the
wheels I, and the wire L moved in one direction to sound the bell, the
other lever when struck by the said axle may move the wire L back to
its former position ready to be again operated to again sound the bell.
By this arrangement as the train approaches the station at speed the
bell will be kept sounding for such a length of time as will enable any
one who may be on the track to get out of the way leaving the whistle to
be used for giving other signals.
Having described the nature of this Iuvention and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim, as the Iuvention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination of the raised rails I grooved longitudinally
upon their lower sides with the ordinary track of the railroad, sub-
stantially as herein shewn and described, and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: in connection with the rails I, substantially as herein shown and for the
purpose set forth.
Thirdly. The combination of the toothed rails J with the rails I
grooved longitudinally upon their lower sides and with the ordinary
track B of a railroad, substantially as herein shown and described and i
for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly. The toothed wheels Kattached to the engine or carriages when
used in connection with the toothed rails J, grooved rails I, wheels F,
and the ordinary track of the railroad, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose set forth.
Fifthly. The wires L and levers M arranged and operating in con-
nection with the wheels F, grooved rails I, and the ordinary track of
the railroad, substantially as herein described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Clark have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
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