An Improved Safety Apparatus for Securing the Doors of Railway Carriages and the like Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Safety Apparatus for Securing the Doors of Railway
Carriages and the like Vehicles.
I, PERCY ORMOND GRIFFITHS of 45+ Collins Street, Melbourne, in the
Colony of Victoria, Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described aud
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention provides a means by which railway carriage doors are locked
whilst a train is travelling between stations and which will automatically operate
to unlock the door on arrival at a railway station. The invention is devised to
obviate the existing danger to life due to carelessness of porters and others in
leaving the doors unfastened when train is leaving a station or through children or
others opening the doors during the travel of the train. In the employment of my
mechanism the doors cannot be opened until their arrival at a station in the ordinary
course. I provide, however, means by which the doors may be unlocked in case of
emergency, such as when required to be opened at any point not being a railway
station.
In order to make my invention clear I will now refer to the accompanying sheet
of drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of a carriage with my door-locking appliance attached.
Figure 2 is an elevation of a platform shewing the rail by which the appliance is
actuated when at a station.
Figure 3 shews a detail view of my appliance connected to a railway carriage
and also the rail by which same is actuated.
Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 3.
Figure 5 shews a plate attached to the door which lies over the locking bolt
when door is open.
In these drawings "A" represents a longitudinal shaft supported by bracket
bearings "B" hung from the railway carriage. This shaft "A" has securely
fastened thereto a number of arms "C" one arranged beneath each door of the
carriage. Each arm has a bifurcated end in which is set and secured a locking
bolt "D" by a bolt "C" which passes through a slot "D" in "D." This slot
is provided to allow of a vertical travel of "D" during the radial motion of the
arm "C." The locking bolt "D" passes through a bore in the frame "E" of the
carriage and enters a bore "F" arranged in the bottom of the door "F."
The bore "F" is formed preferably about nine inches from the hinged portion
so that the bolt. "D" will not be in the way of passengers when the door is
open.
The shaft "A" has rigidly fastened thereto an arm or lever "G," which carries
a weight "H" and terminates at its end in a spindle which carries a riding
roller "J" arranged to rotate upon the said spindle. This roller is kept in position
preferably by lock-nuts "K" screwed on to the end of the spindle.
"L" is a rail which is supported upon brackets "M," which latter are secured
to the platform "N." This rail extends almost the full length of the platform (see
Fig. 2), its ends "L" "L" being inclined downwardly so as to form a ramp for
the roller "J" as a train enters and leaves a station.
"P" (Figs. 3 and 5) shews a plate which is secured to the bottom of the door
and is arranged to cover the end of the bolt "D" which might in practice have a
tendency to project above the frame "E" when the door is open.
"Q shews a chain which is secured to the foot-board and terminates in a

page_text: hook "Q" arranged to enter the eyelet "Q" so as to hold the lever arm "G"
(into which eyelet is screwed) in the raised position. The chain is employed
when doors are required to be unlocked in case of emergency such as between
stations.
In Figure 1 an alternative arrangement is illustrated for this purpose "R" is
a handle bar which may be placed on the squared end of the shaft "A" and is
operated to turn the said shaft so as to lower the arms "C" and with it the
locking bolts "D" to unlock the door, any approved locking mechanism being
provided at "R" for holding the handle bar in position with doors unlocked.
S" shews the ordinary rails on which the carriages run.
The modus operandi of the invention is as follows:-
Assume a train to be approaching a railway station with the doors locked by
my appliance, the weighted lever "G" and riding roller "J" will be in their down
position. On arriving at a station the roller "J" will come in contact with the
ramped portion "L" (Fig. 2) of the rail "L" and will travel up the incline so
rising and turning the shaft "A" and lowering the arms "C" and locking
bolts "D." On arriving at the horizontal portion of the rail "L" the riding
roller "J" will be in its highest position (see dotted figure) with the arms "C" in
their lowest position, that is to say with the bolt "P" completely withdrawn from
the bore "F" in the door "F." The train having arrived at the station will now
come to a standstill and the doors will be free to open. On leaving a station the
roller "J" will arrive at and travel down the ramped portion "L" thus allowing
the weighted lever to drop and the bolt "D" to insert into the bore "Fi" of the
door "F."
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. In apparatus for locking the doors of railway carriages and like vehicles—
In combination a plug or analogous fastening as "D," riding roller as "J," and
a rail as "L," substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In apparatus for locking the doors of railway carriages and like vehicles-
A pin or analogous gripper or plug as "D" actuated by a lever motion as "G"
from a rail as "L" substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In apparatus for locking the doors of railway carriages and like vehicles-
The combination of a rail as "L" with an antifrictional lever mechanism as "J"
and "C" to operate a door fastener substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. In apparatus for locking the doors of railway carriages and like vehicles
In combination a longitudinal shaft as "A," lever mechanism as "G" and "C,"
riding roller as "J and rail as "L" substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
5. A shaft as "A" having handle bar as "R," riding roller as "J" and levers
as "C" and "G" substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In apparatus for locking the doors of railway carriages and like vehicles-
A shaft as "A" having handle bar as "R," a riding roller as "J," levers
as "C" and "G" and weight or spring as "H" substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
7. The combination and arrangement of the whole of the parts constituting my
railway carriage door locking apparatus substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
Dated this 21st day of September 1896.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.