Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Closing or Opening the Doors of Railway Carriages.MATICAL
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Closing or Opening
the Doors of Railway Carriages.
I, CHARLES HENRY CROWTHER 23 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield in the County
of York, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING OR OPENING THE
DOORS OF OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for automatically closing or
opening the doors of Railway Carriages, but more particularly to the closing of
such doors, to be operated either from the guards van, or from other suitable part
of the Train, and the operation to be either partial or complete as may be preferred,
the object labour, to avoid accidental damaged to the doors, and to ensure the
safety of the passengers.
It consists (speaking broadly) of a system of connecting rods, wire ropes, or their
equivalents, attached (but so that they can be drawn backwards or forwards longi-
tudinally) to the top or roof, or to the underside, or other convenient place on the
carriage to which they approximate in length, these rods or equivalents being
attached or connected to levers that are arranged to operate upon the doors in the
desired direction.
The lengths of connecting rod, wire rope, or other equivalents are connected by
suitable means between each carriage and are finally attached to a lever, or a
system of levers or other gearing in the Guards Van, or other van, or on the
Engine. Thus (for example) when the train had started, the Guard in his van
could close all the doors on one side of the train simultaneously, and with little
noise, and retain them closed until the next station.
In one arrangement for carrying out my invention, I fix a long sliding bar or rod
on the top of the carriage, and over each door I fix a cross lever also upon the roof,
having a suitable termination depending down from the roof so as to come in
contact with the top of the door, and to close it when the sliding rod is drawn in
the opposite direction.
A spring may be placed in some intermediate position, on the rod or levers of
each door so that if any obstruction occured, the spring would permit of any
individual door being held partially open until the obstruction was removed.

page_text: The before described arrangement may with slight variations in the details be
placed underneath the carriages and the lever be made to act against the bottom
part of the door.
If it is desired that the apparatus shall both close the door and also open it, it is
only necessary that the end of the lever in contact with the door shall pass under a
stay, or be connected to the door in an equivalent manner.
In the case of a train be made up with some of the carriages reversed, that is
with the doors opening the reverse-way to the others, it would be necessary to
connect the sliding rod or bar to the lever, on the opposite side of its fulcrum, or
by attaching the rod or bar to an auxiliary lever, acting upon the usual lever
causing it to move in the opposite direction.

page_text: improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Closing or Opening
the Doors of Railway Carriages.
I, CHARLES HENRY CROWTHER 23 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield in the County
of York, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING OR OPENING THE DOORS OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES 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:
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for closing or opening the
doors of Railway Carriages, but it is more particularly applicable to closing the
said doors; it is intended to be worked from the Guards Van, but it may be
arranged to be operated from the Engine or other suitable part of the train. The
object of the invention is to save labour, to prevent damage to the doors, and to
ensure the safety of the passengers.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood, I have annexed a sheet
of explanatory drawings of a simple method of carrying out my invention.
Fig. 1. represents the roof of a railway Carriage with the apparatus, the doors on
one side being closed, those on the other partly open.
Fig. 2, shows the contiguous ends of two carriages the doors of which are
partially closed.
Fig. 8, enlarged sectional view of roof, and
Fig. 4, Capstan in Guards Van.
Fig. 5, modification of closing appliance.
My invention consists of a system of levers arranged to act against the top or
other part of the carriage doors and operated by a line of connecting rods, wire
rope or equivalent means, passing longitudinally across the tops of the carriages
and connected together by suitable appliances or couplings, with a Lever or
Capstan, or similar mechanical gear in the Guards Van for drawing the connecting
rod or its equivalent longitudinally when required.
The foregoing is a broad description, as it will be understood that I do not bind
myself to carry the connecting rods on the outside of the roof, as a similar
arrangement may be worked underneath the carriages.
In carrying out the invention as shown in the sheet of drawings, I fix a lever A
upon the roof of the carriage over each door, capable of partial rotation upon a
fixed axis B, the front end of the lever C, is returned towards the door, and carries
a small antifriction roller D, or equivalent device, which is brought in contact with
and travels upon the door as the door opens and closes, it is therefore advisable to
have a metal plate upon the door for the roller to bear against.
*On one or both sides of the axis B, I form a slot or opening E, through which
(and through other guides such as are shown at F,) the connecting rods G, are
passed, and against which the stops H, upon the rods, can exert pressure and cause
the levers to act against the carriage doors.
Each length of rod G, is provided with a coupling or suitable means of
connecting them when the carriages are brought together; this coupling I, may

page_text: consist of a right and left hand screw engaging with nuts attached to strong spiral
springs, the object of the springs being to give a certain amount of elasticity to the
apparatus, so that should any obstruction occur, or anything be caught between a
door and its frame, the spring would permit of the door being forced or held
partially open until the obstruction was removed.
In the Guards Van, or other place from which it may be desirable to work the
said apparatus, the connecting rod is attached to a chain J which passes over a
pulley K turned by a Capstan Wheel L, by means of which the connecting rod,
and the others connected with it can be drawn forward in the bearings with
sufficient force to work the levers and close all open doors.
Thus for example on the starting of the Train the Guard would turn the Capstan
and close all the doors that were open at the time, simultaneously and with very
little noise, and could retain them closed until the train arrived at the next station,
when the retaining pressure would be removed and the apparatus released; any of
.the doors could then be opened by the passengera, and the dangerous practice of
persons getting out of the train before it stops would be prevented.
In some cases the movement of the rods may be accomplished by a hand lever
attached directly to the connecting rod.
When the apparatus is intended to both close and open the doors, I prefer to
make the connecting rods tubular, and so that they are rigid when pushed from
one end, but are slightly expansible when pulled, this action may be readily
obtained by a telescopic or sliding joint with an internal spring.
In this case the ends of the levers A, in contact with the doors must pass under
stays, or be otherwise connected with the doors so that they may both pull and
push the door as the levers are moved in one direction or the other.
The details of my invention may be modified in various ways, thus in Fig. 5, a
vertical rod may be connected to the lever, and may press upon any convenient part
of the door.
Thus where my invention is adopted it is impossible for any of the carriage doors
to swing open and so become damaged, or be the means of causing damage by
striking against any person or thing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st The method of opening or of closing the doors of Railway Carriages, by
means of a system of levers and connecting rods, under the control of the guard or
other appointed person, substantially as herein described and illustrated, or any
mere modification thereof.
2nd In a mechanical arrangement for closing the doors of Railway Carriages, the
combination of the levers the connecting rods (or their equivalents) actuated by a
Capstan Wheel or other hand leverage, substantially as hereinbefore described and
shown,