TurnAWNS IN WEIGHING MACHINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Roberts, of Inverness, Scotland, Traffic
Superintendent, Highland Railway, and William Stroudley, of
Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Locomotive Engineer, for the
Intention of 66. TurnAWNS IN WEIGHING MACHINES "
Scaled the 17th January 1871, and dated the 18th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Roberts and
William Stroudley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,.
with their Petition, on the 18th July 1870.
We, WILLIAM ROBERTS, of Inverness, Scotland, Traffic Superin-
tendent, Highland Railway, and WILLIAM STROUDLEY, of Brighton, in
the County of Sussex, Locomotive Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
weighing machines especially applicable to railway wagon weighing
machines for weighing trains in motion.

page_text: Instead of applying weights as a counterpoise to the balance we
propose to apply a spring with the addition of an index finger or fingers
to shew the weight weighed in conjunction with a cylinder fitted with a
piston, and filled or partly filled with water or other fluid. The piston
may be made so much smaller than the cylinder as to allow the water
or other fluid to pass by it slowly, or at such velocity as may be found
most convenient, the object of the application of the piston and cylinder
being to prevent excessive vibration of the index fingers, and to allow
the weights indicated to be read off by the attendant whilst the wagons
or other articles to be weighed are passing over the machine. By these
arrangements the necessity of adjusting a weight or weights on the scale
beam or balance is obviated, and the beam or lever acts directly on the
spring, which is made to indicate (by its extension) the weight shewn
upon the dial plate, around which the index finger or fingers travel; and
it is the combination of the piston and cylinder with the lever beam
and spring which constitutes the novelty of this Invention, whereby the
weight of each wagon in transit is shewn on the dial plate free from
the influence of vibration, and can consequently be read off and recorded
without any manipulation on the part of the attendant..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Roberts and William Stroudley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
ROBERTS, of Inverness, Scotland, Traffic Superintendent, Highland Rail-
way, and WILLIAM STROUDLEY, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Locomotive Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Roberts and William Stroudley,
Her special licence that we, the said William Roberts and William
Stroudley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said William Roberts and William Stroudley, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEIGHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Roberts and William Stroudley, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Stroudley, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention; and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:―
* Our Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
weighing machines especially applicable to railway wagon weighing
machines for weighing trains in motion.
Instead of applying weights as a counterpoise to the balance we
propose to apply a spring with the addition of an index finger or fingers
to shew the weight weighed in conjunction with a cylinder fitted with a
piston, and filled or partly filled with water or other fluid. The piston
may be made so much smaller than the cylinder as to allow the water
or other fluid to pass by it slowly, or at such velocity as may be found
most convenient, the object of the application of the piston and cylinder
being to prevent excessive vibration of the index fingers, and to allow
the weights indicated to be read off by the attendant whilst the wagons
or other articles to be weighed are passing over the machine. By these
arrangements the necessity of adjusting a weight or weights on the scale
beam or balance is obviated, and the beam or lever acts directly on the
spring, which is made to indicate (by its extension) the weight shewn
upon the dial plate, around which the index finger or fingers travel; and
it is the combination of the piston and cylinder with the lever beam
and spring which constitutes the novelty of this Invention, whereby the
weight of each wagon in transit is shewn on the dial plate free from
the influence of vibration, and can consequently be read off and recorded
without any manipulation on the part of the attendant. The elevation

page_text: of the beam acts on the indicator by means of a vertical rack, which
gears with a spiral pinion wheel on the axis of the indicator, which is
numbered and divided to weigh from 3 tons to 20 tons or thereabouts
for wagons, but which may be numbered and divided in any other
convenient way according to the purpose required.
In order that our Invention may be completely understood we annex
the accompanying Drawing, which represents an elevation, partly in
section, of the machine.
A, B, and E represent the pillars and beam of an ordinary weighing
machine, such as is used for weighing railway wagons; C is the cylinder;
P, the piston; S, the spring; D, the dial, and j, the indicator; R is
the rack, and W the spiral pinion wheel.
The operation of the Invention will be easily understood; it is
applicable to some of the existing weighing machines.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we claim, the improve-
ments in weighing machines as described with special reference to the
combination of the piston P and cylinder C in connection with the lever
beam and spring, or any other mechanism for weighing, whereby the
weight of each wagon in slow transit is shewn on the dial plate free
from the influence of vibration, and can be consequently read off and
recorded without any manipulation on the part of the attendant, all
substantially as herein specified and shewn by the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stroudley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of December, in the
wear of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and covanto
Witness,
DUGALD DRUMMOND,
No. 52, Hamilton Road,
Brighton.
WILLIAM STROUDLEY. (L.S..)