A METHOD OF PROVIDING A DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ANY GUARD AND ANY PASSENGER IN A RAILWAY TRAIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lansdown, of No. 53, Saint Augustine
Road, Camden Square, N.W., in the County of Middlesex, Surveyor,
for the Invention of "A METHOD OF PROVIDING A DIRECT COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN ANY GUARD AND ANY PASSENGER IN A RAILWAY TRAIN."
Sealed the 28th October 1864, and dated the 26th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lansdown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th July 1864.
I, GEORGE LANSDOWN, of No. 53, Saint Augustine Road, Camden Square,
N.W., in the County of Middlesex, Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "A METHOD OF PROVIDING A DIRECT COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN ANY GUARD AND ANY PASSENGER IN A RAILWAY TRAIN," to be as follows,
viz.
I create a permanent way in the interior or otherwise of each railway
carriage, and I connect the said way in a suitable manner between carriage
and carriage, so that any person may pass from the interior of one carriage
to the interior of another, or from end to end of the train, or put themselves
in direct communication with the occupants of any carriage without risk.or
injury; and I propose to accomplish this in the following way:-I apportion
off from each carriage a space capable of admitting of the passage of one or
more persons along the interior of the carriage, or where, from the. con-
formation of the line and carriages, it is possible and more expedient..along

page_text: the exterior, and I provide for the continuity of such way from end to end
of the train by forming a protected footway between one carriage and another,
which footway shall be so arranged as to adapt itself to the various curves in
the line of railway, and so as not to interfere with the efficient action of the
buffers or the necessary uncoupling of the carriages when not in use, and I
propose to effect this in the following manner, but I do not bind myself to
this particular arrangement so long as I create a permanent way through the
train. I place at the end or ends of each carriage, either in the centre or side
of same, as shall hereafter be found most advisable, a door or sliding panel
opening on to a strong footway capable of adjusting itself so as to admit of
the intervening space between the ends of the carriages being greater or less,
according to the motions of the train, without the integrity of such footway
being interfered with whilst the carriages are connected; and I further pro-
pose to protect this footway by enclosing or partly enclosing same by boarding,
framing, panelling, or other convenient appliance, padded or otherwise as
may be found desirable, and by a suitable appliance provide for the adaptation
of such enclosure to the various positions of the carriages. This footway and
enclosure may either be in one piece or two as circumstances may render
desirable, and may readily be connected, whenever the carriages are coupled,
by coupling irons or other suitable means. By this arrangement it will be
possible for a guard or guards, or any passenger, to pass from one end of the
train to the other.
The novelty of this Invention consists in providing a continuous passage
along the interior or exterior of railway carriages, so as to enable the guard to
pass from one end of the train to the other in perfect safety.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Lansdown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LANSDOWN, of No. 53, St. Augustine Road, Camden Square, N.W., in the
County of Middlesex, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Lansdown, Her special license that I, the said

page_text: George Lansdown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Lansdown, my executors, administrators, or 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 "A
METHOD OF PROVIDING A DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ANY GUARD AND ANY
PASSENGER IN A RAILWAY TRAIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1,
the said George Lansdown, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said George Lansdown, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereou, that is to say ;-
My said Invention relates to certain means for providing a direct com-
munication between the guards and passengers in railway trains, which are
applicable to the railway carriages at present in use in this country as well as
to new carriages.
In carrying out my Invention in practice, I form a permanent thorough-
fare or way in the interior or otherwise of each railway carriage, and 1 connect
such thoroughfares or ways in a suitable manner, as herein-after described, so
that a person may pass freely from the interior of one carriage to the interior
of another, or from end to end of the train with perfect safety. For this
purpose I apportion off from each carriage a space capable of admitting of
the passage of one or more persons along the interior of the carriage, or if
desired along the exterior thereof, and I provide for the continuity of such
thoroughfare or way from end to end of the train by forming a protected foot-
way between one carriage and another, which footway shall be so arranged
as to adapt itself to the various curves in the line of railway, and so as not
to interfere with the efficient action of the buffers, or the necessary uncoupling
of the carriages. I place at the end or ends of each carriage, either in the
centre or sides of the same as may be found most convenient, a door or sliding
panel opening on to a strong footway capable of adjusting itself so as to admit

page_text: of the intervening space between the ends of the carriages being greater or
less according to the motion of the train, without the integrity of such footing
being interfered with so long as the carriages are connected.
I also propose
to protect this footway by enclosing or partly enclosing the same by boarding,
framing, or panelling, or some other convenient appliance, padded or otherwise,
as may be found desirable, and by a suitable adjustable appliance I provide
for the adaptation of such enclosure to the various positions of the carriages.
The footway and enclosure may either be in one or in two separate parts, as
found desirable in practice, and may readily be connected when the carriages
are coupled.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I
shall refer to the several Figures on the four Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all
the Figures.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents an elevation of one
arrangement of adjustable footway between the adjoining ends of two railway
carriages when the footway is closed or out of use; Figure 2 is a similar
view shewing the footway extended so as to bridge across the space between
two adjoining carriages, the buffers being also here represented as fully
extended; Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 2; and Figures 4 and 5 are details
of parts of the apparatus.
A, A, are portions of two railway carriages, and B, B, are platforms of
wood or other suitable material, which are made to slide or run in or out of a
space left for that purpose underneath the floor of each carriage: These
platforms may be supported inside the carriage framing on rollers or slides as
preferred, and when extended or drawn out, as in Figures 2 and 3, they are
supported firmly by means of a system of lazy-tongs levers (which I shall for
brevity herein-after designate simply as jointed levers) forming, when extended
and connected together, a strong but light lattice girder. Each platform B
has a set of jointed levers of its own, the outer end only of such platforms
being connected to the jointed levers at D, whilst the inner end may rest upon
a roller in the carriage framing. A set of jointed levers is situate near each
side of the platforms, as shown in the under side plan, Figure 3, and they are
coupled together at E when extended by means of a key, bolt, pin, or other
convenient contrivance, and, if desired, the floors of the footways may be also
connected together. The part F of each set of jointed levers is free to slide
up or down a vertical guide rod or bar G fixed to the carriage framing, and
may be either jointed for that purpose to a collar or socket H (Figure 4)

page_text: which slides along a vertical spindle, or may be provided with two small anti-
friction rollers or stops running or sliding along a vertical T-shaped slot in
the guide bar, as shewn in Figure 5, the object of such sliding motion being
to permit of the extension or contraction of the jointed levers. The separate
levers in each set or series are jointed together by pin joints at K, and a
washer is interposed between them to allow of slight lateral adjustment when
passing round curves. The sets of jointed levers on opposite sides of the
platform are connected by transverse rollers L., over which the platforms run
when pushed in or drawn out, and the extreme outer ends are connected
transversely by a tie bar or plate M, to which the ends of the respective
platforms may be secured in any convenient manner. A portion of the
adjustable platform or footway may consist of a folding flap B', as shewn at
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Sheet 4), but in this case the jointed levers will be
fixed at M to bearers fixed to the under side of the footway B, so that the
folding flap may fall down on the bearers. Figure 6 represents an exterior
and interior elevation of a similarly constructed platform extended and also
enclosed on the sides and top, such enclosure being provided or not with
glazed windows N at the sides, and padded or otherwise lined or not on the
inside, as preferred. Figure 7 is a plan showing the enclosed platform or
footway extended, and Figure 8 is a similar view, shewing it closed. The side
coverings consist of two uprights O, P, connected by means of the hinged or
centred panels Q. Q, and the jointed levers R. The uprights O are secured to the
ends of the carriages, whilst those marked P are secured at the bottom to the
jointed levers R., and at the top to the sliding or adjustable roof covering S,
which slides in and out of a space left for that purpose in the roof of the carriage.
The jointed levers R act in a similar manner to the jointed levers C, already
described, and need no further description, as their arrangement will be clearly
understood on referring to the Drawings. T is a door on the end of each
carriage in the centre or on one side thereof, according to the arrangement of
the seats, as hercin-after described, such door being made to open inwards in
the arrangement shewn in Figures 6, 7, and 8, and may be glazed or not, as
preferred. The side coverings and sliding top (Figures 7 and 8) may be
connected together by any convenient fastening; a perfect covered way is thus
established between the several carriages of the train.
Figures and 2 (Sheet 2) represent in section and plan, with the platforms
extended, a slightly modified arrangement of that last described, each side
covering of the platforms being composed of two sets or pairs of folding panels
worked by four sets of jointed levers R; Figures 3 and 4 represent similar

page_text: closed or run in.
Figure 1 (Sheet 3) is a sectional plan of two railway carriages and part of
another, showing the passage U along the interior; in one case this passage
is shown as central and in the others slightly on one side. This view shows
also the mode of connecting the carriages by covered or enclosed platforms, as
herein-before described. Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line A, B,
showing the adjustable platform B centred to or connected by a rod or
socket V, with a transverse rod W, which is connected to the buffer rods so
that the platform will move with the buffers; when the carriages are uncoupled
this connection with the platforms is also uncoupled, so as to allow them
to be run in. Figure 3 is a sectional plan of two carriages, shewing a mode
of connecting the same by adjustable platforms or footways (which may or
may not be enclosed or covered in) in combination with a footway along the
exterior of each carriage, such footway being protected or not by a hand rail,
and may be raised to a level with the floor of the carriage. In this arrange-
ment, a longitudinal section of which is shewn at Figure 4, and an end elevation
at Figure 5, two adjustable platforms may be used, cach communicating with
a small compartment X at the end of the carriage provided with two doors Y,
which serve to close either the entrance to the platforms or to shut off the
middle portion of the compartment where provision is made for one or more
passengers on the seat Z, and space left on each side thereof for small parcels
or luggage; or the compartment X may be open through to both sides of the
carriage without a seat therein, as at X', or it may be divided in the centre,
and provided with accommodation for two or more passengers back to back
with the seats placed longitudinally, as shewn at X", the doors Y being made
double, and opening outwards over the platforms; or the compartment X may
be provided with seats for three or more passengers, if desired, by adopting
the arrangement shown at X. a, a, are the side entrances to the carriages
from the external footboard.
In Figure 41 have shewn the jointed lever C as being arranged above the
platforms so as to suspend the same in lieu of being situate beneath them, as
previously described. The adjustable platforms or footways B in combination
with the exterior passage may also be placed in the centre of the end of the
carriage, so that carriages having the external passage or footboard may be
connected with carriages having the internal passage U; thus the thorough-
fare or way will be formed partly along the exterior and partly along the interior
of the carriages®

page_text: A
Sheet 4 of my Drawings contains various views of an arrangement for
supporting the adjustable platforms, which may or may not be enclosed (the
Drawings shew them enclosed) without the intervention of jointed levers, as
previously described. Figure 1 is an end elevation of portion of a carriage;
Figure 2 is a plan; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of two carriage ends;
and Figure 4 is a plan of the same; in these views the platforms are shown
extended and closed. Each platform is attached to two metal slides b, which
rest upon antifriction rollers c, carried in the bearers d, which bearers are
pivotted at e to a bracket f fixed to the end framing of the carriage. g is a
connecting bar coupling the two main ends of the bearers d to keep them
parallel when moving or playing on their pivots during the running of the
train over curves. A ball castor h is situate on the upper side of each bearer
on the inner end, which supports the bearers against the under side of the
carriage flooring. The slides are pushed in under the carriage floor or
drawn out as required, a spring or springs of india-rubber i, or of metal if
preferred being attached thereto and to the carriage framing for the purpose
of keeping the slides and platforms run out when extended. The spring or
springs are disconnected when the platforms arc to remain closed.
portion of the side enclosure is fixed to the footway slides b, and conse-
quently moves with them, and to the upper ends of these parts k are fixed the
top sliding covers S, so that the top, sides, and platform move in or out
together. 1, 1, are double doors which open outwards from the end of the
carriage, and answer the double purpose of closing the end of the carriage, or
of forming part of the side enclosure of the platform, as shown in the
Drawings, stops being fitted on to each platform for these doors to fold
against when open. A small inclined or bevelled stop n is also fitted to each
door, so that when the platform is run in the parts by coming in contact
and sliding over such stops will partly close the doors against the carriage.
In this arrangement a portion of the platform consists of a folding flap B'
hinged to the rest of the platform; stops may be employed, or the hinges
themselves may form stops for preventing the doors from being opened when
the platforms are fully closed or run in, and for preventing the doors from
closing completely when the platform is in the act of being closed but not
fully run in. By placing the platforms or footways at a uniform level upon
the rails, and making the enclosures to a uniform size, or when the footways
or platforms are not in the centre but near the sides of the carriages, as shown
in Sheet 3 of my Drawings, by placing such communications at a uniform
distance from the centre carriages of different companies may be connected.
without in any way interfering with the communication; the several com-

page_text: munications between the carriages may be opened by levers or springs, or
drawn out by hand as required. If desired a single adjustable platform may
be made to bridge across the entire distance between the carriages in lieu of
having two platforms meeting half way, and they may be made to extend
laterally across the full width or any portion thereof of the carriages.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st., the general constructions and arrangements of railway carriages with
a view to the forming of a continuous thoroughfare or way along a train by
the aid of adjustable platforms or footways, substantially as herein-before
described.
2nd., the application and use to and in railway carriages of adjustable
open or enclosed platforms or footways which shall bridge across the space
between any two adjoining carriages, and have free play with the buffers,
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lansdown, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.
GEO. LANSDOWN. (L.S.)