IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY GOODS WAGONS
Year: 1869

page_text: TTERS PATENT to Charles Francis, of No. 22, Austin Friars, in
.the City of London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY GOODS WAGONS."-A communication
from abroad by Franklin Prestage, of Barrackpore, in the Province-
of Bengal, in the East Indies, Esquire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Francis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd June 1869.
I, CHARLES FRANCIS, of No. 22, Austin Friars, in the City of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the..said. Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY GOODS WAGONS," to be as
follows:-.
This Invention has for its, object improvements in the construction
of railway goods wagons. For this purpose, the body of the wagon
instead of being built on, or secured to a framing forming the bed of the
is formed of a shell-of wrought iron, steel, or other metal, or
wagon.
Plice Sdl

page_text: material in the form of or approximately in the form of a cylinder, the
lower part transversely presenting no acute angles, and such body is
let down between the sole bars or side timbers of the frame and the
headstocks or buffer beams to which it is securely fastened, so that
part of the load is carried below the level of the platform of ordinary
wagons. The ends of the cylindrical body are by preference closed in
with fixed convex ends, and suitable entrance doors are provided in the
sides of the cylindrical body near its top. The plates from which the
cylindrical body are formed may if desired be corrugated plates.
Instead of using a draw bar with the ordinary gearing the two buffer
beams are securely tied together by a tie bar running through the body
of the wagon and forked at each end to allow of an ordinary indian-
rubber washer or volute draw spring being used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Francis in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FRANCIS, of No. 22, Austin Friars, in the City of London, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Fler
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles Francis, Her special licence that
I, the said Charles Francis, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as 1, the said Charles Francis, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agreo 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF RAILWAY GOODS WAGGONS," being a communication to me from
abroad by Franklin Prestage, of Burrackpore, in the Province of Bengal,
in the East Indies, Esquire, upon the condition (amongst others) that
1, the said Charles Francis, my executors or administrators, by an

page_text: 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 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 Charles Francis, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Railway
Goods Waggons," has for its object to construct these waggons in such
a manner that they will be lighter, stronger, and more capacious than
goods waggons of the ordinary construction. To this end the body of
the waggon instead of being built of wood and secured to a wooden
framing is constructed of plain or corrugated iron or steel plates, and is
preferably made of a cylindrical form, or some such shape, so as to
present no sharp angles. This wrought iron or steel body or shell is let
down between the wheels, recesses being made in the bottom or under
side to allow the axles to pass. A considerable portion of the body or
shell, aud consequently the load carried therein, will thus be below the
level of the platform of ordinary waggons and the headstocks or buffer
beams to which it is securely fastened. The closed ends of the cylin-
drical body or shell are by preference convex, and suitable entrance
doors are provided in the sides of the body in some position convenient
for obtaining access to the interior.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn various views of railway
goods waggons constructed according to my improvements.
Fig. 1, Sheet L., is a sectional elevation of a portion of a goods
waggon; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, partly in section.
a, a, is the cylindrical body or shell of the waggon, in both sides of
which there is a door a¹ to obtain access to the interior. These doors
may be either hinged so as to open like an ordinary door, or they may
be provided at their lower edge with friction rollers, which may run on
guides or rails, so that the doors may be slidden sideways; b, b, are

page_text: the buffers, which are of the ordinary construction, and are attached to
the headstocks or wrought-iron box buffer beams to which the cylin-
drical body or shell is rivetted; c is the draw hook, which when in
action compressos a volute spring d in the wrought box, which forms the
headstock or buffer benm; c, e, are the running wheels; f, f. the
bearing springs, and the horn plates, which instead of being attached
to a framing as usual is bolted to the angle iron h. Fig. 2, which is
secured to the body or shell a, and takes the buffing and traction strain.
Instead of the part h being made of angle iron, as shewn in the Drawing,
it may consist of a balk of wood, but angle iron if preferable. Fig. 3 is
a vertical section of a sheet-iron shell or body, in which the horn
plates, g, are secured or bolted to a piece of channel iron h', which is
rivetted to the body, and is shewn detached, drawn upon an enlarged
scale, at Fig. 3. This forms a much stronger connection than the angle
iron of Fig. 2, and is therefore preferred. It will be seen on referring
to Fig. 1 that the shell or body a is cylindrical throughout its length,
recesses being made, as already mentioned, to receive the axles and the
running wheels, as shewn at Figures 1 and 2. In Sheets 11. and III.
the ends of the shell or body a are bevilled off on their under sides, and
are strengthened at that part by the use of the iron webs or gussets i, i,
Fig. 4. Sheet II. is a side elevation of a goods waggon complete, and
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 6, Sheet III., is an end
elevation, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a portion of one end of
a goods waggon. The shell or body is shewn at a, a, and b, b, are the
buffers, c the draw hook, which acts on a volute spring, as already
explained; and in Figures 5 and 7 d is the tie rod, which passes
through the body or shell from end to end, and thus connects together
the two crosshead stocks or buffer beams b¹, b¹; c, e, are the running
wheels the bearing springs, and g, g, the horn plates, which in
this instance are bolted to the angle iron h. Fig. 8 is a detached view
showing an end clevation of the horn plate, and Fig. 9 a vertical section
of the same taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 4. In order to give rigidity to
the structure the angle iron h extends from end to end of the shell or
body at or near the ordinary level of the buffing and traction. The
structure is still further strengthened by the wrought-iron abutment
niece

page_text: line . Fig. 6 may be made either with curved sides, as shewn in the
Figure, or the sides may if preferred be made vertical. This will form
an open truck suitable for conveying minerals and other materials
which are not liable to damage from exposure to the weather. The third
or upper portion forms a hood or cover whereby the waggon is converted
into a closed chamber. By constructing goods waggons in this manner
the several parts may be interchangeable.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Railway Goods Waggons," as communicated to me
from abroad, and having explained the manner of currying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention which I desire to secure by Letters
Patent, constructing railway goods waggons of a cylindrical or partly
cylindrical or some such form as herein set forth, whereby the body or
shell of the wagon is made to do duty as a frame for carrying the other
parts, so that a separate frame may be dispensed with. The peculiar
coustruction of the several parts, morcover, admitting of the load being
brought down below the line of traction, and the strains due from carry-
ing it being more suitably distributed through the entire structure
than heretofore, while the dead weight of the vehicle is reduced, and its
carrying capacity increased.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Francis, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
ninc.