Year: 1885

page_text: I FLEETWOOD WALTER WEBB of Star Hotel Newhall Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Hotel Proprietor do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the means of locking railway
carriage doors so that passengers have no means of opening the doors unless the
guard or other attendant permit the same to be done. Hitherto this has been
found impracticable for although the doors can be locked there has been nothing
to prevent passengers carrying keys with them and which are now commonly sold
to the public for the very purpose. Railway Companys have been anxious to
prevent the public from having control over the locks but without success. Now
my invention effects this in the following manner.
I will explain the invention as applied to a single Railway Carriage which is all
that is necessary:-To the swinging edge of each door I affix a lip or permanent
projection which is hidden from view or from coming in contact with the passengers
by an ornamental rosette which completely covers it. By the side of each door
I mount a vertical bolt or bar which when the door is shut always remains over
the said projection which most effectively prevents the door from opening. Each
of these bars or bolts extend upwards and are connected either directly or otherwise
with a communicating cord which is connected with the compartment of the guard
or other attendant of the train. The connection may be made by placing a pulley
on the top of the bolt and also one on each side of it but still higher up upon the
side of the carriage or other part the cord is thus looped down passing under the
pulley upon the bolt so that immediately the cord is drawn tightly from the
attendants compartment each bolt throughout the train is lifted from before
the said permanent projection and then the doors may be opened in the usual
way. It will thus be seen that I do not propose to interfere with the present
ordinary fastenings of the trains but to place this arrangement in addition thereto
so that the attendant controls the main private fastenings until within stations..
The bolts would thus be released by the attendant the last thing before leaving
his compartment and two main advantages are gained viz Accident is prevented.
by people leaving the carriages before the train has stopped and dishonest persons
are also prevented from jumping from the train at any part of its journey or on

page_text: the six foot side of the train. Instead of the continuous cord I may mount other
mechanical arrangements such for instance as a horizontal bar in bearings which
would carry a series of small levers or cranks attached to the bolts from one side
and on the other side a larger crank from which a cord passes and also under other
pulleys on the roof of the carriage so that an upper loop in the case is made and
the main lever is pulled down which turns the bar upon its axis and lifts the bolt
aforesaid.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means of Locking Railway Carriage Doors.
I FLEETWOOD WALTER WEBB, of Star Hotel Newhall Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick, Hotel Proprietor 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 :-
This invention has for its object improvements in the means of locking Railway
Carriage doors so that passengers have no means of opening the doors unless the
guard or other attendant permit the same to be done. Hitherto this has been
found impracticable for although the doors can be locked there has been nothing to
prevent passengers from carrying keys with them and which are now commonly
Bold to the public for the very purpose. Railway Companies have been anxious
to prevent the public from having control over the locks but without success-
Now my invention effects this in the following manner.
I will explain the invention as applied to a single Railway Carriage which is all
that is necessary:-To the swinging edge of each door I affix a lip a permanent
projection which is hidden from view or from coming in contact with the passengers
by an ornamental rosette which completely covers it. By the side of each door I
mount a vertical bolt or bar which when the door is shut always remains over the
said projection which most effectively prevents the door from opening.
Each of these bars or bolts extend upwards and are connected either directly or
otherwise with a communicating cord which is connected with the compartment of
The connection may be made by
the guard or other attendant of the train.
placing a pulley on the top of the bolt and also one on each side of it but still

page_text: higher up upon the side of the carriage or other part the cord is thus looped down
passing under the pulley upon the bolt so that immediately the cord is drawn
tightly from the attendants compartments each bolt throughtout the train is lifted
from before the said permanent projection and then the doors may be opened in
the usual way. It will thus be seen that I do not propose to interfere with the
present ordinary fastenings of trains but to place this arrangement in addition
thereto so that the attendant controls the main private fastenings until within
stations.
The bolts would thus be released by the attendant the last thing before leaving
his compartment and two main advantages are gained viz accident is prevented by
people leaving the Carriages before the trains has stopped and dishonest persons
are also prevented from jumping from the train at any part of its journey or on
the six foot side of the train.
Instead of the continuous cord I may mount other mechanical arrangements
such for instance as a horrizontal bar in bearings which would carry a series of
small levers or cranks attached to the bolts from one side and on the other side a
larger crank upon which I mount a pulley over which a cord passes and also under
other pulleys on the roof of the carriage so that an upper loop in the case is made
and the main lever is pulled down which turns the bar upon its axis and lifts the
bolts aforesaid.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice I have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings upon which I have
illustrated two examples of the manner in which my invention may be applied to
existing Railway carriages.
Figure 1 shews part of a passengers carriage and part of a guards van having
my invention applied thereto.
Figure 2. is a section of the vertical bolt A and the projection B.
Figure 3 is a section through the guards van shewing the winding arrangement
for drawing up the bolts.
Figure 4 shews portions of a carriage having the horizontal bar C mounted upon
the top and acted by the cord D, one of the carriage doors being shewn closed and
locked and having the covering L the other being shown open and the covering L
removed.
Figure 5 is a section shewing the bolt A down over the protection B and the
covering L removed.
Figure 6 is an elevation shewing the bolt A drawn up and the projection B
released and the whole covered by the case L.
Figure 7 is a plan of Figure 4.
To the swinging edge of the door I affix the lip B which may be formed by
wedging the present catches which is hidden from view by the ornamental rosette E
which completely covers it. By the side of the door I mount the vertical bolt A
which when the door is shut remains over the projection B this bar is raised by
means of the cord D which is threaded under the pulley a¹ and over the fixed
pullies a and a³ and continued on and connected to the wheel F which is fixed in
the guards van and operated by the hand wheel M and has a ratchet f¹ having a
pawl working therein connected with a knob f' outside by which means the
guard can release the wheel F loosing the cord D and allowing the vertical bolts A
to fall by means of the springs K over the projection or catch and thereby locking
all doors previous to entering the van.
Another method is shown in Figure 4 where the horizontal bar G is connected
to each vertical bars A by means of the levers g¹ and to the cord by means of the
lever H having the pulley h¹ hung to the end over which the cord is passed and
being passed under the fixed pullies J and J¹ each side depresses the lever H and at
the same time raises the vertical bars A, A which in all cases would be protected
from being tampered with by the case L. The cord is connected with the guards
van as in the previous example.

page_text: It will be evident that the bolts used may be greatly varied as well as the mode
of operating the same and the power for operating them may be any power
available such as the hand winch steam or electricity and the details would of
course be suited to each particular case or to the power employed. Instead of
having the fast lips or projection E, loose bolts may be shot into the door from the
framing either by the levers or by electricity.
Having therefor now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed what I claim is
The improvements in the means of locking Railway carriage doors of a series of
bolts or bars operated from the guards van or Engine either by a winch or other
equivalent power so that all the doors are instanteously locked or unlocked on
one or both sides of the train substantially as and for the purpose as herein set
forth.