IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COVERING RAILWAY TRUCKS OR VANS AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Morgan and George Henry Morgan, of
No. 90, Grand Junction Terrace, Edgware Road, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
COVERING RAILWAY TRUCKS OR VANS AND OTHER CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 10th October 1865, and dated the 17th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Morgan and
George Henry Morgan at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 17th April 1865.
We, EDWARD MORGAN and GEORGE HENRY MORGAN, of No. 90, Grand
Junction Terrace, Edgware Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR COVERING RAILWAY TRUCKS OR VANS AND OTHER CARRIAGES," to bo as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for covering
railway trucks or vans and other carriages. For this purpose the ends of a
truck or van or other carriage are, by preference, made semicircular at the
top, and to stand up considerably higher than the sides, but this is not essential
in all cases. On these or other suitable ends are centres or axes; each
centre or axis has on it two radial arms which are connected together in pairs
at their outer ends by two horizontal bars passing from end to end of the
truck or van or other carriage; thus two frames are formed, and to these are

page_text: fixed the tarpauling or other covering material, which is divided into two
sheets; one edge of each sheet is fixed all along the horizontal bar of one of
the frames. The other edge of each of the covering sheets is fixed along the
upper edge of the side of the van or truck or other carriage; thus it will be
seen that when the radial arms are down in their lowest positions on each
side of the van or truck or other carriage, the covering sheets are folded up
close against the sides of the truck or van or carriage which is then open, but
when the radial arms are raised to an upright or vertical position or some-
what beyond the two sheets meet over the middle of the van and form an
arched roof over it. The ends of the covering sheets are retained by having
rings fixed upon them, which rings slide along guide rails or cords fixed to
the ends of the van. The radial arms may each be raised and lowered by
means of a connecting rod which connects it to a bell-crank lever turning
on a centre or axis fixed on the end of the van or truck or other carriage.
The two bell-crank levers are moved at the same time by means of a bar.
running from end to end of the van or truck or other carriage underneath its
platform, which has motion communicated to it by means of a screw or by
other convenient gear. The radial arms of the covering sheets may however
be moved up or down by other arrangements of levers and gearing. In some
cases four pairs of radial arms are used connected by horizontal bars as
before explained, and the covering sheet is in one piece of a size capable of
forming the desired arched covering to a truck, van, or other carriage. The
two edges of the cover are fixed to two horizontal bars, which connect two
pairs of the radial arms, whilst the middle portion of the cover is fixed to the
two other horizontal bars which connect the other two pairs of radial arms,
and such last-mentioned horizontal bars and their radial arms are kept apart
by arched pieces, hence the middle part of the covering is constantly extended,
and is capable of being moved towards the one side or the other of the truck
or van or other form of carriage, the other portion of the cover being capable
of being folded. In this arrangement the radial arms are moved by levers
and connecting rods actuated by gearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Morgan and George, Henry Morgan in the. Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
MORGAN and GEORGE HENRY MORGAN, of No. 90, Grand Junction Terrace,
Edgware Road, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, tho
said Edward Morgan and George Henry Morgan, Her special licence that
we, the said Edward Morgan and George Henry Morgan, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edward Morgan
and George Henry Morgan, our 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 APPARATUS FOR COVERING RAILWAY TRUCKS OR VANS AND
OTHER CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Edward Morgan and George Edward Morgan, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
band and seal of one of us or 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Morgan, on behalf of myself
and the said George Henry Morgan, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is
to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for covering
railway trucks or vans and other carriages. For this purpose the ends of a
truck or van or other carriage are, by preference, made semicircular at the
top, and to stand up considerably higher than the sides, but this is not essential
in all cases. On these or other suitable ends are centres or axes; each centre
or axis bas on it two radial arms which are connected together in pairs at
their outer ends by two horizontal bars passing from end to end of the truck
or van or other carriage, thus two frames are formed; and to these are fixed
the tarpaulin or other covering material, which is divided into two sheets;
one edge of each sheet is fixed all along the horizontal bar of one of the
frames. The other edge of each of the covering sheets is fixed along the
upper edge of the side of the van, or truck, or other carriage; thus it will be
seen that when the radial arms are down in their lowest position on each side

page_text: of the van, or truck, or other carriage, the covering sheets are folded up close
against the sides of the truck, or van, or carriage which is then open; but
when the radial arms are raised to an upright or vertical position, or some-
what beyond, the two sheets meet over the middle of the van, and form an
arched roof over it. The ends of the covering sheets are retained by having
rings fixed upon them, which rings slide along guide rails or cords fixed to
the ends of the van. The radial arms may cach be raised and lowered by
means of a connecting rod which connects it to a bell-crank lever turning on
a centre or axis fixed on the end of the van, or truck, or other carriage. The
two bell-crank levers are moved at the same time by means of a bar running
from end to end of the van or truck or other carriage underneath its platform,
which has motion communicated to it by means of a screw or by other con-
venient gear. The radial arms of the covering sheets may however be moved
up or down by other arrangements of levers and gearing. In some cases
four pairs of radial arms are used connected by horizontal bars as before
explained, and the covering sheet is in one piece of a size capable of forming
the desired arched cover to a truck, van, or other carriage. The two edges
of the cover are fixed to two horizontal bars which connect two pairs of the
radial arms, whilst the middle portion of the cover is fixed to the two other
horizontal bars which connect the other two pairs of radial arms and such
last-mentioned horizontal bars, and their radial arms are kept apart by arched
pieces, hence the middle part of the covering is constantly extended, and is
capable of being moved towards the one side or the other of the truck, or van,
or other form of carriage, the other portion of the cover being capable of being
folded. In this arrangement the radial arms are moved by levers and
connecting rods actuated by gearing.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention we will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews an end view of a
railway truck having a covering apparatus, such as herein first described,
applied thereto.
a and b are the two radial arms, each turning freely on the axis or pin c.
A similar pair of radial arms and axis or pin c are provided at each end of
the truck, and the arms at both ends are connected together in pairs by two
horizontal bars passing from end to end of the truck. d, d, are the two sheets
of tarpauling or covering material; one edge of one of these sheets is fixed
along the horizontal bar that connects together the pair of arms a, a; and

page_text: the opposite edge of this sheet is fixed along the upper edge of one side of
the truck. The other sheet of tarpauling or covering is in a similar manner
fixed to the bar that connects the arms b, b, and to the upper edge of the
other side of the truck. Each of the radial arms a and b forms the longer
arm of a cranked lever. The shorter arm of each of the levers a is connected
by a rod e with one arm of a bell-crank lever c; the other arm of this lever
is slotted, and in this slot a pin carried by the end of a bar e enters this bar,
runs from end to end of the truck or other carriage, and is similarly con-
nected to the bell-crank levers e² at each end of the truck. The shorter arms
of the levers a are in a similar manner connected with bell cranks f¹ to a
bar f. Near the centre of the truck each of the bars e³ and f has a screw g
working through it, there being a separate screw for each bar. Each screw g
at its end is suitably formed to receive a handle, by means of which the screw
can be turned, and thus either or both of the bars e³ and f can be drawn
towards the sides of the truck, and the bell cranks & or so caused to turn
on their axes, and by so doing turn the levers a and b, thus causing the
tarpauling or covering on one or both sides of the truck to be lowered. The
upper edges of the two sheets of tarpauling or covering material are so
arranged and fixed to the longitudinal bars h and i as not to butt together
but to overlap each other when drawn over the top of the truck or other
carriage.
In the arrangement of apparatus for covering a railway truck or other van
or carriage, shewn at Figure 3, the tarpauling or other covering is in one piece
in place of being in two parts as in the arrangement above described, and one
radial arm only at each end of the truck is employed to support it in the
centre; this radial arm forms the longer arm of a lever, as in the arrange-
ment above described; and the shorter arm of each lever is connected to one
arm of a bell crank x, the other arm of the bell crank being slotted into
this slot. A pin carried at the end of a bar y enters this bar y, runs from
end to end of the truck or carriage; and at the centre of the truck is acted on
by a screw, as in the arrangement above described. Each end of this
screw is formed to receive a handle by which the screw may be turned, and
the bar. y may thus be drawn to either side of the truck. This causes the
bell cranks to turn in one or other direction, and so gives motion to the radial
arm a, causing it to incline to one or other side of the truck. Near the upper
end of the arm a are cross arms a¹ to which are jointed levers a²; the lower
ends of these levers are connected to horizontal bars which run horizontally
along the side of the truck from one end of it to the other and to these
horizontal bars the lower edges of the tarpauling are attached; to the shorter.

page_text: arms of the levers a² are pin-jointed links a³, the lower ends of which are
slotted, and through these slots pins a', fixed to the ends of the truck, pass.
By this arrangement when the radial arm a is caused to incline to one side
or other of the truck the levers a are caused to turn on their centres, and
so assume one or other of the positions shewn by the red or the blue lines,
according to which side of the truck the lever a is caused to incline. The
covering of the truck can thus be opened at pleasure on either side by turning
the screw in one or other direction, and so permit of the truck being loaded
on either ide.
In Figure 4 of the Drawings is shewn an end view, and at Figure 5, a side
view, of a railway truck having a covering apparatus applied to it similar to
the second arrangement above described. In the arrangement however shewn
in these Figures the bars to which the lower ends of the sheet of tarpauling or
covering are attached are not directly attached to radius rods as there
described, but these bars are kept apart from the other horizontal bars
employed by rods or links, which rods or links are connected to the radial
arms.
In these Figures, a is the sheet of tarpauling or other covering material;
this sheet is connected to five horizontal bars b, which run from end to end
of the truck; these bars at their ends are connected together by links or
connecting rods c, c, as shewn. The links to which each end of the bottom
bars are attached are pin-jointed to the radial arms d, which at their other
ends turn on a fixed pin or centre d'. The other pairs of radial arms e and f
are pin-jointed at one of their ends to two of the bars b, and at their other
ends turn on a fixed pin or centre at g. The arms e and f form the longer
arms of cranked levers; the shorter arms of the levers e are connected by
rods h¹ to arms he fixed on the axis h; in a similar way the shorter arms of
the levers fare connected to an axis k. Near the middle of the truck each
of the axes h and has an arm descending from it in which is formed a slot
into which a pin carried by a nut enters.
each of which is formed to receive a handle, as shewn, by means of which it
can be caused to turn. When the screw is turned, which gives motion to the
axis h, the parts of the covering apparatus can be moved into the position
shewn by red lines; and when the screw is turned which gives motion to the
axis the parts can be turned into the position shewn by the blue lines. It
will thus be seen that by turning one or other of the screws the covering may
be thrown back, so that the truck may be loaded from either side. This
arrangement of covering also does not interfere with the doors usually placed
in the sides of the trucks. In place of the arrangement of mechanism above
These nuts work on screws 1, 1,

page_text: described for giving motion to the radial arms e and f other arrangements of
mechanism may be employed.
Covering apparatus similar to that above described may be used for covering
various kinds of vans or carriages.
At Figure 6 an apparatus of this description is shewn as applied to covering
the roof of an omnibus. Glass may then be employed in place of a portion of
the tarpaulin or other covering material, as shewn at a, a, a suitable frame
for supporting the glass being in this case carried by the horizontal bars b
and the end rods c. In the arrangement shown in this Figuro the radial
arnis e are carried by a hollow axis which runs from end to end of the
omnibus; and the radial arms fare carried by an axis which passes through
this hollow axis. At the back end of the omnibus are two toothed segments,
one attached to the end of the hollow axis, and the other to the end of the
solid axis. Each segment has a worm gearing into it which can be turned
by a handle, and by this means either or both of the arms e and f can be
turned on its axis so as to open or close the covering; or the arms e
and may, if preferred, have the requisite movement given them by other
When the covering is closed over the top of the omnibus the
covering is supported by a light arched framing 7, r, fixed to the top of the
means.
omnibus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Morgan, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
EDWARD MORGAN. (L.S.)