IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TURNTABLES AND CRANES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Irlam, of Newton Heath, near the City of
Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TURNTABLES AND CRANES."
Sealed the 23rd March 1860, and dated the 8th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Irlam at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
October 1859.
I, WILLIAM IRLAM, of Newton Heath, near the City of Manchester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TURNTABLES AND CRANES," to be as
follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain improvements upon the
turntables for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the Twenty-sixth
day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, No. 3065. The
nature of my present improvements consist in making the girders of such
turntable platforms and the beam or beams for the centre pin, and the chairs
for the rails altogether of one solid piece of cast iron, thereby increasing the
strength, and economising labour.
Another part of my improvements in turntables consists in making the
chairs for the lower ring to support the guard or catch ring, and also to support
the rails of the permanent way where requisite. These chairs have flanges to
receive planks or plates of iron to form the pit.
My improvements in cranes relate to those known as jib cranes, and consist

page_text: in supporting a portable steam engine and boiler with water tank on the
platform of the crane to work the chain barrel, and to act as counterpoise to
the jib and load to be raised or lowered; also in an improved arrangement
and combination of the foundation plate, centre pin, and rim for the supporting
rollers to revolve upon. Also in constructing the jibs of cranes on the principle
of lattice-work bridges, in order to combine strength with lightness. These
improvements are applicable to stationary and moveable cranes; when applied
to a moveable crane the steam engine is connected to wheels, and can be made
to propel it along the rails of railways.
Another part of my Invention consists in placing the steam engine near the
crane, and in connecting the power to a centre shaft passing up the column
or centre pin of the crane; to this shaft is fixed a bevel wheel gearing into two
other bevel wheels on a cross shaft, by which motion is given to the hoisting
barrel, and to the apparatus for turning the crane round.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Irlam in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
IRLAM, of Newton Heath, near the City of Manchester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Irlam, Her special licence that I, the said William
Irlam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Irlam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY TURNTABLES AND CRANES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Irlam, 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

page_text: +
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 William Irlam, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and, by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain. improvements upon the
turntables for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the Twenty-sixth
day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, Number 3065.
The nature of my present improvements consists in making the girders of such
turntable platforms, and the beams for connecting them, and for the centre
pin, and the chairs for the. rails altogether of one solid. piece of cast iron,
thereby increasing the strength, and economizing labour:
Another part of my improvements in turntables consists in making the
chairs for the lower ring to support the guard or catch ring and the planks or
plates forming the pit, and the rails of the permanent way..
مان
My improvements in cranes relate to those known as jib cranes, and consist
in an, improved arrangement of a steam engine and boiler with water tank on
the platform of the crane to, work the chain barrel, and to act as counterpoise
to the jib and load to be raised or lowered; also in an improved arrangement
and construction of the foundation plate, centre pin, and rim for the supporting
rollers to revolve upon. Also in an improved mode of constructing the jibs of
cranes on the principle of lattice-work bridges, in order to combine strength
with lightness. These improvements are applicable to stationary and moveable
cranes; when applied to a moveable crane, the steam engine is connected to
wheels, and can be made to propel it along the rails of railways.
Another part of my Invention consists in communicating the power to a
centre shaft passing up the centre pin of the jib crane; to this shaft is fixed a
bevel wheel gearing into another bevel wheel. on a cross shaft, by which
motion is given to the hoisting barrel, and to the apparatus for turning the
crane round.
:
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily.
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying three Sheets
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a turntable constructed
according to my improvements; Figure 2 is another sectional elevation, taken
at right angles to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a plan of the same, turntable,
one-half of which is shewn with the planking of the platform removed. The
rails and planking of the platform are supported by the girders. a, a, which are.

page_text: chairs j, which
connected on the circumference by the segments a¹, a¹, and at the centre by
the beam a²; the centre pin c is supported in the beam a², and is furnished
with regulating bolts in the usual manner; the chairs a' for the rails b, b, are
also cast of the same piece as the girders a, segments a', and beam a², thereby
increasing the strength, and economizing labor in the construction. To the
segments a', and to the angle brackets a³, fixed to the rails b, is bolted the
circular double-headed rail d, which bears upon the rollers e of the live ring f
made in the usual manner; the platform is furnished with catches g', and it is
covered with planking 92, which is held down by the bolts of the cross rails h
passing through the flanges of the girders a; the planks are bound at the
circumference of the platform by the circular bar g³, as usual. The rollers e
bear upon the lower circular rail i, which is supported in the
are cast with flanges ¹, to which the guard or filling up plates
rails are bolted; these plates and rail form the outer curb or
turntable, and the catches g¹ take into notches in the rail ³;
rails of the permanent way marked k are also bolted to the
chairs j. The circular rail i is connected to the centre piece by the radiating
rods in the usual manner, and it is supported between the chairs ; by the
chairs. The general arrangement of these turntables is very similar to that
shewn in the Specification of the Letters Patent before referred to as being
granted to me on the Twenty-sixth day of December One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six; but the improvements herein shewn and described
increase their strength and reduce labour in the construction.
and circular
guard of the
the ends of the
flanges j¹ of the
On Sheet 2, Figure 4 is an elevation, partly in section, and Figure 5 is a
plan of a jib crane constructed according to my improvements.
m is the
foundation plate, in which is keyed the centre pin m¹ for the platform n to
swivel round upon; the platform is supported by the two large conical
rollers and smaller rollers n²; these rollers bear upon the circular rail m²
cast with the foundation plate. To the platform n are attached the steam
engines o, o, the boiler p (similar to that of a locomotive engine), and the water
tank 9; the connecting rods of the steam engines give motion to cranks 1
fixed to the shaft r; on this shaft are mounted the pinions and ³, which
are connected together, and capable of being slidden to and fro on the shaft;
the pinion gears into the wheel s², and the pinion 3 gears, when required,
into the wheel 83; both these wheels and the pinion s¹ are fixed to the shaft s;
the pinion s¹ gears into the wheel t¹ fixed to the axle of the chain drum t. On
the shaft are mounted loosely the mitre wheels and, between which is a
double clutch box 76; the wheels and gear into a similar wheel u¹ fixed
to the shaft u, to the other end of which is fixed the spur pinion u? gearing

page_text: into the wheel w³ on the shaft w, to the other end of which is fixed the bevel
pinion w gearing into the wheels n³, which are keyed to the axles of the
rollers n'. The jib of this crane consists of the beams & and stays a³, and the
chain, indicated by a dotted line, passes over a guide roller at the end of the
jib in the usual manner. The mode of operation is as follows:-When the
engines are at work, and great power is required, the pinion is put in gear
with the wheels, as shewn in Figure 5; but when greater speed is required,
the pinion is brought into gear with the wheel s. When the jib has to be
turned round, either to the right or left, the clutch box is moved so as to
connect one of the mitre wheels or with the shaft r, thereby giving motion
to the shafts u and w, and thus to the rollers n', which revolve in bearings in
the platform n. By means of this improved arrangement of parts the engines,
boiler, and tank, counterbalance the jib and load to be raised, and the crane is
easily worked and swivelled round when required.
On Sheet 3, Figure 6 is an elevation of another crane constructed according
to my improvements; Figure 7 is 'a plan of the same. As many of the parts
in this crane are similar to those shewn and described in reference to Figures
4 and 5, they are marked with corresponding letters of reference. In Figure 6
the power for working the crane is derived from a steam engine or other first
mover actuating the shaft y, which, by means of a pair of mitre wheels, gives
motion to the vertical shaft y¹ revolving in the centre pin m¹; to the top of.
the shaft y' is fixed a bevel wheel y gearing into the wheel y³, which is keyed
on the shaft y; this shaft revolves in bearings attached to the platform n,
which consists of two wrought-iron girders connected by the beams n³, nº,
and n'; the beam n' supports the bush, which swivels on the centre pin m¹;
the beam ne is furnished with bearings for the shaft w and rollers 22, and the
beam n supports the rollers n². To the shaft y' is fixed the spur wheel y³,
which gears into the wheel 7 on the shaft r; the requisite motion is imparted
to the chain drum t and to the rollers n¹ by the wheels and pinions on the
shaft r, as clearly shewn in the Drawing, and as described in reference to
Figure 4 and 5. The jib, shewn in Figures 6 and 7, is constructed on the
principle of the lattice-work bridges, and it consists of two angle irons and z¹,
rivetted to and forming part of the platform girders; these angle irons are
united at the extremity of the jib to the plates 3, which support the guide
roller of the lifting chain, and they are connected by cross rails and tie
rails. By this means the jib is rendered strong and light. I wish to
remark, that the lattice jib may be applied to the crane shewn in Figures 4
and 5; or the platform shewn in Figures 4 and 5 may be combined with the
mode of driving shewn in Figures 6 and 7.

page_text: My improvements are also applicable to moveable cranes, in which case the
platform or foundation plate would be mounted on wheels, and the steam
engine, by means of suitable gearing could be made to propel the crane along
the rails of railways.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I limit my claims to
the following particulars, namely:-
17 Gi
First, I claim as my improvements in the construction of railway turntables,
the casting of the girders a and the beams a' to which the circular rail d is
attached, and the beam a² for the centre pin c, and the chairs for the rails 6 of
one solid piece, as shewn and described.
Secondly, casting the chairs for the lower ring with flanges to support the
rails of the permanent way, the guard or catch ring, and the plates or planks
to form the pit, as shewn and described.
Thirdly, the general arrangement of parts forming a steam jib crane, as
shewn and described in reference to Figures 4 and 5.
And, fourthly, the general arrangement of parts forming a jib crane, as
shewn and described in reference to Figures 6 and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Irlam, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM IRLAM. (L.S.)