IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY SIDINGS, TO FACILITATE THE MARSHALLING OR ARRANGING OF THE SEVERAL VEHICLES OF A RAILWAY TRAIN INTO ANY ORDER DESIRED
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Footner, of the Engineers' Office, Crewe
Station, in the County of Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY SIDINGS, TO FACILITATE THE MARSHALLING OR ARRANGING
OF THE SEVERAL VEHICLES OF A RAILWAY TRAIN INTO ANY ORDER DESIRED,"
Sealed the 20th October 1873, and dated the 15th May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Footner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1873.
I, HARRY FOOTNER, of the Engineers' Office, Crewe Station, in the
County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SIDINGS, TO FACILITATE THE MARSHALLING OR
ARRANGING OF THE SEVERAL VEHICLES OF A RAILWAY TRAIN INTO ANY ORDER
DESIRED," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the marshalling or
arranging of the several waggons or vehicles of a railway train into any
order desired. For this purpose I use two sets of short sidings, combined

page_text: :
r
in the manner shewn at Diagram 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
together with a line of siding leading from each set of sufficient length
to receive the maximum length of train which may require to be
"marshalled." The number and length of the lines of rail in the two
sets of short sidings is regulated by the maximum number and length of 5
the vehicles in any train or portion of a train to be dealt with at one
operation.
The sidings are by preference all placed on an incline in such manner
that the several vehicles of any train standing on the siding A, B, can be
allowed to run by gravity over any of the short sidings and on to the 1
siding D, E. The propelling of the carriages might however be effected
by steam, horse, or other power.
By way of illustration I will describe one method of marshalling or
arranging the several vehicles of a train of 25 vehicles upon sidings such
as shewn at Diagram 1. In this Diagram there are five separate lines in 1
each of the two short sets of sidings marked B, C, C, D, and each of
these is of sufficient length to receive at least five wagons.
On the siding A, B, I have represented by numbers a train of wagons
in any order (technically" in the rough"). The first operation is to
allow the wagons one by one to run into the short sidings B, C, the 2
five wagons which are to be the first of the train when marshalled
being directed on to one siding, the second five on to another, and so on.
When this has been effected the five wagons which are to be first, and
which now occupy one of the sidings B, C, are allowed to run into each
of the five lines of the second set C, D. The five wagons which are to
come next are dealt with in a similar manner, and so on for all of them.
The leading vehicles in the sidings C, D, are now allowed to run forward
one by one in the order desired into the siding D, E, and the second and
remaining sets are afterwards similarly dealt with; thus, in whatever
order the 25 wagons of the train on the siding A, B, may have been 3
in they will arrive on the siding D, E, in their proper order.
The several operations above described are indicated on the Diagram
by the positions of the several Figures marked upon it.
In place of employing two sets of short sidings, as above described,
interposed between two sidings of sufficient length to receive the train to a
be acted upon, one set of short sidings only may be so interposed, as

page_text: shewn at Diagram 2. In this case the wagons of a train on A, B,
having been partially sorted on to the short sidings B, C, and run on to
the siding C, D, may all be pushed back together on to the siding A, B,
and the sorting be completed at a second operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harry Footner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
FOOTNER, of the Engineers' Office, Crewe Station, in the County of
Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Harry Footner, Her special license
that I, the said Harry Footner, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Harry Footner, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SIDINGS, TO FACILITATE THE MARSHALLING OR ARRANGING OF THE SEVERAL VEHICLES
OF A RAIWAY TRAIN INTO ANY ORDER DESIRED," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Harry Footner, 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 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.

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the marshalling or
arranging of the several wagons or vehicles of a railway train into any
order desired. For this purpose I use two sets of sidings, combined in
the manner shewn at Diagram 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
together with a line of siding leading from cach set, which it is desirable
should be of sufficient length to receive the maximum length of train
which may require to bo marshalled. The number and length of the
lines of rail in the two sets of short sidings is regulated by the maximum 1
number and length of the vehicles in any train or portion of a train to be
dealt with at one operation.
The sidings are by preference all placed on an incline in such manner
that the several vehicles of any train standing on the siding A, B, can be
allowed to run by gravitation over any of the short sidings, and on to the
siding D, E. The propelling of the carriages might however be effected
by steam, horse, or other power.
By way of illustration I will describe one method of marshalling or
arranging the several vehicles of a train of 25 vehicles upon sidings such
as shewn at Diagram 1. In this Diagram there are five separate lines a
in each of the two short sets of sidings marked B, C, C, D, and cach of
these is of sufficient length to receive at least five wagons.
On the siding A, B, I have represented by numbers a train of wagons
in any order (technically "in the rough"). The first operation is to
allow the wagons one by one to run into the short sidings B, C, or if the a
wagons happen to come in the right order two or moro wagons may be
simultaneously run into such short sidings, the five wagons which are to
be the first of the train when marshalled being directed on to one siding,
the second five on to another, and so on. When this has been effected
the five wagons which are to be first in the train when marshalled,
and which now occupy one of the sidings B, C, are allowed to run one
into each of the five lines of the second set C, D, or, as will in practice
frequently occur, the first wagon happens to be first in the first set of
sidings when the first operation is completed, it may when once again
on the move be advantageously allowed to run through the second set of a
sidings and on to the single line beyond, and so for any others that have
a clear course before them. The five wagons which are to come next

page_text: are dealt with in a similar manner, and so on for all of them. The
leading vehicles in the siding C, D, are now allowed to run forward one
by one in any order desired into the siding D, E, and the second and
remaining sets are afterwards similarly dealt with; thus, in whatever
order the 25 wagons of the train on the siding A, B, may have been in,
they will arrive on the siding D, E, in their proper order.
The several operations above described are indicated on the Diagram
by the position of the several Figures marked upon it.
In place of employing two sets of short sidings, as above described,
interposed between two sidings of sufficient length to receive the train to
be acted upon, one set of short sidings only may be so interposed, as shewn
at Diagram 2. In this case the wagons of a train on A, B, having been
partially sorted on to the short sidings B, C, and run on to the siding C, D,
may all be pushed back together on to the siding A, B, and the sorting
be completed at a second operation.
Diagram 3 shews on a larger scale an assemblage of three double sets
of marshalling sidings similar to those shewn at Diagram 1; Diagram 4
shews a somewhat modified arrangement of such marshalling sidings;
and Diagram 5 shews the same arrangement, with the exception that the
second set of sidings are only large enough to deal with the wagons from
one line of the first set at a time.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim, the
combined arrangement of railway sidings, substantially as herein
described, to facilitate the marshalling or arranging of the several
vehicles of a railway train into any order desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Footner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.