Improvements in Means for Showing the Weight or Tare of Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Showing the Weight or Tare of Railway
and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS MORGAN, of Park Place, Tredegar, in the County of Monmouthshire,
Traffic Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a device to be attached to railway-waggons, trucks, and
coaches, and certain road vehicles, for the purpose of showing at a glance the
up-to-date weight or tare of same, its object being that when the tare or weight
shewn upon a vehicle is proved to be incorrect, the same may be quickly and
easily altered, to show that which is known to be correct, by any authorized
person in the employ of the railway company, or other person or persons owning
the vehicle.
For the purposes of commerce it is necessary that the weight or tare of railway
trucks and waggons, and certain road vehicles, should be known, and seen at a
glance, in order to ascertain the weight of the contents, when such vehicle is
loaded and weighed, and for this purpose it has hitherto been customary, when
such vehicles are first built, and when subsequently repaired, to paint or other-
wise permanently place upon the side or other conspicuous part of the vehicle,
such figures, or numerals, as will denote the tare or weight of the vehicle, but
it frequently happens that when the paint upon the vehicle becomes worn, so,
that rain and other moisture impregnates the timber, that such vehicle may then
weigh considerably more than that denoted by such numerals, the same error
applying when the vehicle, after lengthy use, becomes knocked about, which
may then weigh less than that shewn by the said numerals, such inaccuracies
operating in fraud of the company, or the person or firms buying or selling
the contents of the vehicle, and hitherto when such inaccuracies of tare have
been discovered, it is usual to write in chalk upon the vehicle the difference
between the actual and the weight shewn, the same error occurring again and
again when such chalk becomes obliterated by the weather, or purposely altered
by interested persons, but according to my invention such inconveniences are
entirely avoided.
My invention consists of a suitably shaped metallic or other device, of any
convenient size, shape, or configuration, adapted to be screwed, bolted or other-
wise fixed upon the side or other desired part of a railway truck, waggon, or
coach, or road vehicle, where the same may be readily seen and got at, the front
or other part of which said device is adapted to open or be removed, for the
purpose of inserting any number slips or tablets of waterproof-cardboard,
enamelled-iron celluloid, bone or other suitable material, each bearing a letter
or numeral of different value to the others, the whole being secured, when
placed therein, by the return of the portion so opened or removed, which may
then be fastened by a lock and key, the figures or letters desired to indicate
the tare or weight of the vehicle, and any other desired information, being so
placed as to be read through suitable apertures formed in the front of the said
device, which said apertures may be either open, or glazed with glass, celluloid

page_text: or other transparent material, and by this means, when the tare shown is found
to be incorrect, the device may be unlocked by any one of the railway or other
servants or person authorized to carry a key for that purpose), and the cards,
tablets or the like be so changed, that those showing the correct figures may be
placed in front, and be read when the device is again closed and locked.
D11. 0041
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Showing the Weight or Tare of Railway
and other Vehicles.
I, THOMAS MORGAN, of Park Place, Tredegar, in the County of Monmouthshire,
Traffic Manager, 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:-
My invention relates to a device to be attached to railway wagons, trucks, and
coaches, and certain-road vehicles, for the purpose of showing at a glance the
up-to-date weight or tare of same, its object being that when the tare or weight
shewn upon a vehicle is proved to be incorrect, the same may be quickly and
easily altered, to show that which is known to be correct, by any authorized
person in the employ of the railway company, or other person or persons owning
the vehicle.
For the purposes of commerce it is necessary that the weight or tare of railway
trucks and wagons, and certain road vehicles should be known and seen at a
glance, in order to ascertain the weight of the contents, when such vehicle is
loaded and weighed, and for this purpose it has hitherto been customary, when
such vehicles are first built, and when subsequently repaired, to paint or other-
wise permanently place upon the side or other conspicuous part of the vehicle,
such figures or numerals as will denote the tare or weight of the vehicle, but
it frequently happens that when the said paint upon the vehicle becomes worn, so
that rain and other moisture impregnates the timber, that such vehicle may then
weigh considerably more than that denoted by such numerals, the same error
applying when the vehicle, after lengthy use, becomes knocked about, which
may then weigh less than that shewn by the said numerals, such inaccuracies
operating in fraud of the company or the person or firm buying or selling
the contents of the vehicle, and hitherto when such inaccuracies of tare have
been discovered, it is usual to write in chalk upon the vehicle the difference
between the actual and the weight shewn, the same error occurring again and
again when such chalk becomes obliterated by the weather, or purposely altered
by interested persons, but according to my invention such inconveniences are
entirely avoided.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have hereunto
appended a sheet of drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my said invention as it would appear when
in use.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a front elevation shewing my apparatus unlocked for alteration of
tare tickets.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 viewed from right to left.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line A B of Fig. 1, illustrating the locking
arrangement while,
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the form of key used for unlocking the apparatus.
My invention consists of a preferably rectangular metallic or other frame A,
of any convenient size, adapted to be screwed, bolted, rivetted, or otherwise fixed
upon the side or other desired part of a railway truck, waggon, or coach, or road
vehicle, in such a manner that permits of easy access when occasion requires.
The said frame A is preferably divided into three spaces or apertures BCD
(Fig. 2) with or without coverings of glass celluloid, or other transparent
material, for the reception of any number of water-proof cardboard, enamelled
iron, celluloid, bone or other suitable tickets E, each bearing a letter or
numeral of different value to the others as shewn in Fig. 1, the said tickets being
held in position by beads F of the frame A independent of the locking device.
Upon the ends of the frame A are formed integrally therewith two semi-
circulars extension pieces G and G', the latter of which has arranged an inclined
slot H terminating in a circular groove (Fig. 3) and the former being provided
with a central circular opening only, into which is inserted a circular pin upon
the end of a second part frame J, the pin a upon the opposite end whereof being
dropped into the slot H, and rests upon the groove at the bottom, thereby forming
a hinge for the opening and closing of the part frame J, and at the same time
renders it easily detachable at will. Formed integrally with the frame J is a
circular boss K, the underneath part of which fits when closed over a circular
hollow plate L, having a slot M therein for the purpose of receiving a locking
tongue N fixed upon a spindle O, passing through the said boss K, the said
spindle being in fixed connection with a disc P, a circular motion imparted to
which turns the spindle O and tongue N thereon and causes the latter to engage
behind the plate L and so locks the part frame J to the frame A with the
tickets E therein.
The disc P is provided with two preferably ✓ shaped openings bb, and is
operated when the apparatus is to be unlocked by means of a key such as Q
(shewn enlarged by Fig. 5) having two preferably V shaped legs or projections R
which engage with the corresponding openings in the disc P and enable the
latter to be rotated. The position of the V shaped openings in the said disc P
in relation to the mark upon the boss K telling the operator at a glance when
the apparatus is locked and unlocked, the latter being only when the opening b
is opposite the said mark and the former when otherwise.
When the tare as shewn in Fig. 1 and any other desired information is to
be changed the frame J would be unlocked in the manner described, and placed
in the position shewn by Fig. 2, when the tickets E may be changed as required
and the apparatus relocked (by any one of the railway or other servants or person
authorized to carry a key such as Q for that purpose.
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:
1
1st. The herein described means and apparatus for shewing the weight or tare
of railway and other vehicles, the said tare being interchangeable at will, sub-
stantially as herein described and shewn by the drawings.
2nd. In the herein described means and apparatus for shewing the weight or
tare of railway and other vehicles, consisting of the combination of a frame A
with aperture or openings B C D therein, for the reception of tickets E, the
said frame having extension pieces G G for receiving the bearing pins of a
locking frame J, having a boss K with locking button N adapted to engage with
the under surface of a hollow plate L upon the frame A, the said button N

page_text: being actuated by a disc P, operated by a key such as Q substantially as herein
described and shewn.
Doted this 20th day of July 1899
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.
Agent for the Applicant.