Improved Portable Aerial Railway.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Portable Aerial Railway.
We JOSEPH RITSON IRVINE of Lindsay Road Sunderland Durham Wire Rope
Manufacturer and WILLIAM OLIVER of Harrogate Street Sunderland Durham,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Improved Portable Aerial Railway suspended from trestles, and fitted with
travelling apparatus, from which hang rods, to which cars are attached, the whole or
any part to be used for recreative or business purposes and
To effect such object, we erect at suitable distances apart, a number of trestles,
these are half lapped, screwed and portable, and to the under part of each crosshead
of trestle we fix a tenter or hanging plate, in the form of an arch with inverted feet,
and angle iron clips or ears for fixing purposes.
Then to the bottom of these hanging plates, and by means of the clips we fix, by
bolts and screws, parallel lengths of T or C shaped iron, with a free running space
between, each angle iron. These parallel lengths constitute the rails of the overhead
or aerial railway, and aro marked C.
Our running gear consists of a traveller shewn in detail on the drawing annexed.
It is designed to have two or more running wheels A to traverse on the surface of
the parallel lines, and two or more guiding wheels B to traverse beneath the surface
plate of rails, and to steer the running wheels, true and steady, in the free running
space. The top wheels are joined bogie fashion, by nut and spindle to a strong
block of metal D drilled for a hanging rod to go through, this block of metal is
rigidly fixed to the guiding plate E, with the guiding wheels attached by spindle
socket and screw.
From the said block we suspend a hanging rod, fixed at the block above with
scrow and nut, this rod carries at the bottom a basket, car, saddle, wooden horse or
other suitable form, for carrying persons for purposes of recreation, or other purposes.
We do not place in our Invention the wooden trestles as referred to as a novelty.
What we specify for protection is, the overhead rails, carried by the tenter or
hanging plate, in conjunction with the traveller, with its arrangement of the running
and guiding wheels, this being our Invention for forming "Improved Portable
Aerial Railway" the mode, and novelty, of the working of which is generally
described in the drawing.
We do not restrict ourselves to material, as wood, or any of the metals are available,
and only one form of our Invention is now shown.
We specify that the railway may be round, oval, or any shape according to the
nature of the site, and that the motion is given to the cars, by inclination and
gravitation, and that for the purpose of multiplying the number of journies, we may
use mechanical aid, to pass over the lower to the bigher level, and keep up continuous
travelling as long as we may desire.
Dated this Second day of August Eighteen hundred and eighty-nine.

page_text: Improved Portable Aerial Railway.
Wo JOSEPH RITSON IRVINE of Lindsay Road Sunderland Durham Wire Rope
Manufacturer and WILLIAM OLIVER of Harrogate Street Sunderland Durham
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
"
Improved Portable Aerial Railway" suspended from trestles and fitted with
travelling apparatus from which hang rods to which cars are attached, the whole or
any part to be used for recreative or business purposes and
To effect such object we erect at suitable distances apart a number of trestles, these
are half lapped, screwed and portable. And to the under-part of each crosshead of
trestle we fix a tenter or hanging plate in the form of an arch with inverted feet and
angle iron clips or cars for fixing purposes.
Then to the bottom of these hanging plates and by means of the clips, we fix by
bolts and screws parallel lengths of T or shaped iron with a free running space
between each angle iron. These parallel lengths constitute the rails of the overhead
or aerial railway and are marked C.
Our running gear consists of a traveller shewn in detail on the drawing filed with
Provisional Specification. It is designed to have two or more running wheels A to
traverse on the surface of the parallel lines and two or more guiding wheels B to
traverse beneath the surface plate of rails and to steer the running wheels true and
steady in the free running space. The top wheels are joined, bogie fashion, by nut
and spindle, to a strong block of metal D drilled for a hanging rod to go through,
this block of metal is rigidly fixed to the guiding plate E with the guiding wheels
attached by spindle socket and screw.
From the said block we suspend a hanging rod fixed at the block above with
screw and nut, this rod carries at the bottom a basket car, saddle, woodenhorse or
other suitable form for carrying persons for purposes of recreation, or other
purposes.
Wo do not place in our invention the wooden trestles as referred to as a novelty.
What we specify for protection is the overhead rails carried by tenter or hanging
plate in conjunction with the traveller with its arrangement of the running and
guiding wheels this being our Invention for forming "Improved Portable Aerial
Railway" the mode & novelty of the working of which is generally described in
the drawing filed with Provisional Specification.
We do not restrict ourselves to material, as wood or any of the metals are avail-
able, and only one form of our invention is now shewn.
We specify that the railway may be round, oval, or any shape according to the
nature of the site, and that the motion is given to the cars by inclination and
gravitation, and that for the purpose of multiplying the number of journeys we may
use mechanical aid to pass over the lower to higher level, and keep up continuous
travelling as long as we may desire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
(1). The overhead rails carried by tenter or hanging plate, as set forth.
(2). The traveller with its arrangement of the winning and midine mhaala

page_text: (3). The mode & novelty of the working of the Improved Portable Aerial
Railway, as substantially set forth, and generally described in the drawing filed with
Provisional Specification.
Witness to the signatures hereof-
JOHN GREY WAUGH, Clerk,
13, Chepstow Street, Sunderland.
WILLIAM OLIVER.