IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TIPPING WAGGONS OR TRUCKS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the
Office of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1883. commu-
nicated to him from abroad by William Fallon, of Newbury, in the County
of Orange and State of New York, United States of America, Engineer
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TIPPING WAGGONS OR TRUCKS." [communicated
to him from abroad by William Fallon, of Newbury, in the County of Orange and
State of New York, United States of America, Engineer]
This Invention relates to improvements in tip waggons or trucks which are
constructed with a platform composed of two wings of equal dimensions hinged
together at their junction and resting on the cap sills. Two or more eyebolts are
secured to the under face of the platform at the junction of its hinged wings
through which passes an elevator bar, which also passes through eye bolts on the
upper ends of rack bars passing through corresponding openings in the floor of the
truck. Vertical guides are secured transversely to the ends of the floor of the
truck, and provided each with a central slot for the reception and guidance of the
elevator bar such guides being provided with loops on the upper ends over their
central slots, for the purpose of securing the bar in position in the slots. The
platform is furnished with transverse end pieces and side pieces which are hinged
to the outer edges of the wings and secured by means of latch locks the one which
locks the right hand side of the platform being hinged to the left hand transverse
end piece, and vice versa, so that the latch locks rest on the upper surface of the
end pieces when locked the inner ends of these end pieces raising the latch locks
and unlocking the sides on commencing to tip by elevating the platform at its
centre. The outer ends of the latch locks or more properly speaking their catches,
are made capable of turning on their shanks, in order to unlock the catches.on
either side and tip the whole load on one side, or one half the load on one side may
be discharged on one side, and the other half on the other side of the truck as
follows
The catches are pivoted to the shanks of the latch locks by a sleeve joint properly
secured on the shank, whereby the catch can be turned on its shank to lock or
unlock the sides when desired. The hinged joint between the wings of the platform
is covered by a strip of iron or other material, rounded on its upper face, and
secured longitudinally to one wing and projecting over the joint so as to completely
cover it in the raised or lowered position of the platform and prevent any of the
load passing through the joint and at the same time dividing the load as near its

page_text: centre as possible. Plates are secured to the inner faces of the inner ends of two
of the opposite transverse end pieces the plates projecting beyond the joint between
the pieces to prevent the load escaping at the joints when the platform is being
elevated. Latch locks are employed on the end pieces, and supplementary hooks
are secured to the outer ends of the transverse pieces, and are adapted to engage
with the side pieces for a purpose hereinafter described. Shafts journaled in
bearings are arranged on the under face of the floor of the truck each carrying a
pinion, adapted to gear with a pinion on one of the truck axles. These shafts
slide in their bearings and are provided with spring clutches by means of which
the pinions can be put in, geared by means of a lever connected with the shafts,
the springs separating the pinions when the lever is reversed.
When
One of the objects of this Invention is to convert temporarily, an ordinary rail
road truck into a tip truck or waggon and as the wheels of such trucks are
ordinarily shrunk upon their axles, a difficulty arises in securing the pinions to the
truck axles, To obviate this difficulty and at the same time to allow for the
turning of curves the pinions are composed of two sections, divided longitudinally
in the line of the axle and composed each of a central globular or egg shaped part,
provided with teeth of proper shape in the centre and tapering toward its
*extremities, the tapering ends of the sections being bolted to the axle, and each
other. By this construction the pinions on the shaft will always gear with the
pinion on the axle, in following curves, or when the truck is running on the straight.
The pinions on the shaft gear with a rack bar which passes through the floor of the
truck and into Channels which serve to guide the bar in its movement. These channels
are partly open on one side to allow the pinions to gear with the rack bar.
the pinions are thrown into gear an upward movement is imparted to the elevator
bar, thereby raising the platform at its middle, and automatically disengaging the
latch lock whereupon the sides will fall by their weight and the load will be
separated along its central line tipping the load on both sides of the truck. If it
be desired to discharge the entire load on one side the shanks of the latch locks
are clamped to the transverse end pieces by means of suitable mechanism, the
catches on the side to be tipped are turned out of engagement with its side which
falls, the platform is fastened down on the side to be tipped by a hook or chain
secured to the truck, the platform is raised by the mechanism described and the
load discharged on one side of the truck. If it be desired to discharge one half
only of a load on one side of the truck suitable hooks are engaged with the hinged
sides on the wing carrying the half of the load to be reserved the load on the other
wing is discharged as before described and the remaining half of the load
subsequently discharged by disengaging the books from the side piece, and repeating
the elevating process. In order to automatically raise the sides after tipping I
employ levers weighted at their outer ends, and projecting transversely from
opposite sides of the truck and journaled on a shaft having bearings suspended
'from the bottom of the truck floor. To the inner ends of the levers are secured
vertical rods which pass through holes in the floor and are provided with buttons
or heads on their upper ends, that will be pressed downwards hy the depression of
the platform which falls by its own weight after tipping thereby raising the outer
.weighted end of the levers, which are thus brought to bear against blocks, secured
to the outer faces of the sides opposite the levers and thus automatically close the
sides which pass under the catches of the latch locks, which securely fasten the
sides in place.
The levers are weighted in order to cause them to fall by gravity out of the way
`when not in use when raising the sides.