IMPROVE. MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Rigg, of Crewe, in the County of Chester,
Assistant Locomotive Superintendent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Rigg at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
July 1865.
I, JOHN RIGG, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Assistant Locomotive
Superintendent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as
follows:-
My improvements in the construction of railway carriages consist in forming
a connection from end to end of the train by means of a corridor running
along one side or through the centre of the carriage, and connected from
carriage to carriage by means of telescopic tubes or slide and flexible
diaphragms or otherwise. Each compartment of the carriage is separated
from the corridor by doors sliding or otherwise suspended. The ends of the
carriages are or may be closed by means of doors. There are also, if required
sliding doors to shut across the corridor, to separate the classes of passengers
[Price 8d.]

page_text: or for other purposes; these corridors afford access to waterclosets, urinals,
and retiring rooms which are available for all the passengers in the train, and
they form a complete communication from one end of the train to the other,
and facilitate the application of speaking tubes, whistle or bell signal from
each compartment to the guard.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Rigg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RIGG, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Assistant Locomotive Superin-
tendent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her leirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Rigg, Her special license that I, the said John Rigg, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others us I, the said John
Rigg, 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, usc, 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 CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Rigg, 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 Lotters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Rigg, 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):
My improvements in the construction of railway carriages consist in forming
a connection from end to end of the train by means of a corridor running
along one side or through the centre of the carriage, and connected from

page_text: carriage to carriage by means of telescopic tubes or slides and flexible dia-
phragms, or otherwise. Each compartment of the carriage is separated
from the corridor by doors sliding or otherwise suspended The ends of
the carriages are or may be closed by means of doors. There are also, if
required, sliding doors to shut across the corridor to separate the classes
of passengers or for other purposes; these corridors afford access to
waterclosets, urinals, and retiring rouns which are available for all the
passengers in the train, and they form a complete communication from one
end of the train to the other, and facilitate the application of speaking
tubes, whistle or bell signals from each compartment to the guard.
And in order that my Invention may be readily carried into operation,
I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 is a transverse section, and Figure 3
a plan in section of two first-class passenger railway carriages constructed
according to my improvements. Each carriage is made with a corridor
marked A along one side, and each compartment of each carriage is in
communication with the corridor by a door, there are also doors in the outer
partition of the corridor for allowing the passengers to enter and leave the
carriage, and windows are provided in the partition of the corridor to admit
light to the carriage. The corridors are connected from one carriage to
another by means of the telescopic tubes or slides C, which fit easily into
each other, and are of sufficient length to allow for the expansion and con-
traction of the buffer springs, or the connection of the corridors may be
made by flexible diaphragms or otherwise. In every train one carriage
is provided with a watercloset and lavatory for ladies, as shewn at B, B, in
Figure 2, and similar conveniences are also provided for gentlemen, these
latter being by preference placed at the opposite end of the train. In mixed
trains the ends of the corridor of each class of passengers may be closed by
doors to separate the different classes of passengers; and the second and
third class carriages may also be provided with waterclosets and other
conveniences as described. The corridors form a complete communication
from end to end of the train, by means of which the guard or conductor can
pass from his van to any or every carriage to attend to the wants of the
passengers, or to examine or collect tickets at any part of the journey. The
corridor also facilitates the application of speaking tubes, whistle, bell, or
other signals from each passenger to the guard and driver, and enables the
passengers to go direct to the guard if they require to do so.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described a convenient

page_text: manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim the mode of
constructing railway carriages described, whereby a communication is
formed from one carriage to another throughout the whole length or any
portion of a train.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Rigg, have hereto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.
JOHN RIGG. (LS.)