Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
1, ALFRED HENRY WILSON, of Cedar Terrace, Bromsgrove, in the County of
Worcester, Accountant, 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 relates to an improved puzzle or game for drawing room and
other uses, the object being to reverse the coaches or carriages with the least
possible number of moves, so that when the puzzle is solved they remain in the
same consecutive order.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have appended hereunto
a double sized sheet of drawings upon which I have illustrated an example of an
engine with six coaches for the purpose of explaining the object of my puzzle.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the engine and six coaches.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing the engine and coaches reversed
or in the position they assume after the puzzle has been solved.
In carrying my invention into practice I form two grooves or projections in or on
the base A for the engine, which forms the main object, and coaches, which are
numbered 1 to 6 inclusive and form the supplementary objects, to slide or move
upon, and in the centre of this base or track I form a turntable sufficiently large to
enable the engine and two coaches to stand upon it and be reversed or turned
round. The track is limited on either side of this turatable to carry four coaches
only and the whole may be enclosed in a box or casing, one end of which may be
made detachable. The engine and coaches have projections formed on the under
side, when grooves are formed in the base for the track or railroad as shown upon
the drawings, which fit into these grooves, and they may be formed dovetail to
prevent the coaches being lifted off the track. The engine is not supposed to move
any further than the width of the turntable in either direction and in order to
ensure this I may cut away the centre portion of the track on the turntable and
form the projections band 2 at the back and front of the engine which when it is
moved in either direction butt against the centres a² of the other portions of the
track. Supposing the engine and coaches to be facing the left as shown at Figure 1
the object of the puzzle is to transfer all the coaches to the other side of the track
and facing the right in proper numerical order with the engine in front facing the
right also, as shown at Figure 3 by means of the turntable in the least possible
number of moves. Instead of numbering the coaches 1 to 6 inclusive they may be
marked with other distinctive devices, such for instance as to represent the decades
of the Queen's reign, but in any case they must be marked so as to indicate when
they are facing in the right direction.
Although I have shown a locomotive engine as constituting the principal moving
object and coaches the supplementary objects of my puzzle it will be easily under-
stood that any other main object with its supplementary objects may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
The improved puzzle or game consisting of a locomotive engine or other principal

page_text: -object in combination with the railway coaches or supplemental objects in
conjunction with the railroad or track and turntable constructed so as to operate in
the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein before described and as
shown upon the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Dated this 11th day of March 1897.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.