IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Scott Tucker, of Duke Street, in the City of
Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 30th September 1864, and dated the 14th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Scott Tucker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th July 1864.
I, JOHN SCOTT TUCKER, of Duke Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway
carriages, the object of which improvements being to enable communication
to be established between the different compartments of the carriages, with
the view of preventing or detecting those outrages which have hitherto

page_text: been so frequent. In order to effect this purpose, I propose to fix in the
bulkheads or partitions dividing the carriages into the various compart-
ments one or more glazed check lights" or windows, or to form apertures
therein; I also propose to apply reflectors in the compartments in order
to assist the view, such reflectors being placed in any required position
or angle. By these arrangements the passengers in one compartment,
hearing any disturbance in the next compartment, could observe the nature
of the same, and by communicating generally throughout the carriage
intelligence could be conveyed to the guard, and thence to the engine
driver. I also propose to aid this object to make apertures at the ends of
each carriage closed by falling doors or flaps, so that the occupants of the
end compartments might communicate together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Scott Tucker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN SCOTT
TUCKER, of Duke Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Scott Tucker, Her special licence that I, the said John
Scott Tucker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Scott Tucker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Scott Tucker, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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

page_text: 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 John Scott Tucker, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement'
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway
carriages, the objects of which improvements are to enable communication to
be established between the different carriages and compartments of the
carriages, first class as well as others, with the view of preventing or detecting
the perpetrators of such crimes and offences as those which have lately been
so frequent.
In order to effect this purpose, I fix in the bulkheads or
partitions dividing the carriages into boxed compartments one or more glazed
"check lights" or panels, capable of being opened or not, at an elevation
altogether above that of the eyes of seated passengers, so as not to interfere
with the ordinary general privacy of travellers; I also apply or not reflectors
inside as also outside the carriages in order to assist the view, such reflectors
being placed in or at any required positions or angles. By these arrangements
the passengers in one compartment hearing or seeing any disturbance or
irregularity in another compartment, could observe the nature of the same,
and communicate generally throughout the carriage or carriages. To aid this
object I propose to make an aperture or apertures at the ends of each carriage,
closed by falling or folding doors, flaps, or slides, composed partly of glass, if
required, so that the occupants of the end compartments of adjoining carriages
might communicate together.
To render my Invention perfectly understood I annex a Sheet of Drawings,
shewing various examples of glazed check lights or panels, differing in their
form, as applied to the upper part of the bulkheads or boxing forming the
partitions of railway carriages.
Fig. 1 represents a partition of a carriage supplied with three windows or
check lights a, a, a, of a circular form; Fig. 2 shews a partition provided
with an oval form of check light or panel; Fig. 3 is an example of a central
oval panel, with two horizontal narrow glass slips, one on each side of the panel;
Fig. 4 shews a horizontal slip in the centre with two narrow vertical panels,
one on each side thereof; Fig. 5 shews an oval in the centre with. an
elongated oval panel or light on each side; and Fig. 6 shews three octagonal
panels or lights in the bulkhead.

page_text: It will be evident that by the application of any of these forms of glazed
panels or "check lights," as described, observation could be made from one
compartment to another by a passenger in an adjoining compartment or
carriage, but although it would thus be easy to observe fellow passengers on
the further side of the next compartment, it might be difficult in some cases
to obtain a view into such compartment below and on the same side as the
check lights in the bulkhead. To remedy or overcome this difficulty I
purpose to apply above the panels or "check lights" a reflector or reflectors,
and if these reflectors were placed at proper angles they would expose to view,
as in a looking glass, the passengers opposite them, to the checking or detection
of irregularity and outrage.
One panel or check light or more in each bulkhead or boxed partition, or a
portion of the back of the seat, may be made to open so as to permit of actual,
verbal, or personal communication between every compartment in cases of
emergency.
At the end of every carriage such apertures would form an easy means of
communication from one carriage to the next. I also propose to fix in each
carriage bells, whistles, strikers, or alarums connected by cords, wires, rods,
pipes, or chains to similar bells, whistles, strikers, or alarums in the next
carriage, for the purpose of assisting passengers to communicate one with
another, and thus ultimately intelligence could be conveyed to the guard, and
if necessary to the engine driver. When desired curtains or blinds may be
applied to one or both sides of the check lights in any particular compartment
or compartments, which curtains or blinds could readily be raised, parted, or
removed, and the glasses struck or even broken to attract the attention of
fellow travellers as aids or witnesses, the abuse of which might be guarded
against by legislative enactment.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I do not restrict
myself to the particular forms of openings, panels, or check lights described
and shewn, nor yet to the method of sounding the bells, whistles, strikers, or
alarums, since they may be varied in many ways without affecting the
principle and object of the Invention; neither do I think it necessary to define
any special form or construction of reflector or reflectors as applicable to my
Invention; but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the herein in
part recited Letters Patent is, the application to the partitions forming the
boxed compartments or divisions of railway carriages of glazed check lights, or
wire gauze, or panels, or apertures, and of reflectors, blinds, curtains, bells, or

page_text: alarums in combination or not therewith, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scott Tucker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. M. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
J. SCOTT TUCKER. (L.B.)