GB191209475A - Improvements in Railway and Road Passenger Vehicles. - Google Patents

Abstract

9475. Huppert, L. C., Paul, A. F., and Tanner, A. J. April 22. Ingress and egress of passengers, controlling; doors; steps.-The stairways of double-deck fare-prepayment cars are arranged centrally with respect to the longitudinal centre line of the car so that they serve partly to define the entrance and exit spaces on the platform. They are divided wholly or at the bottom part to provide separate exit and entrance ways thereon. According to one arrangement, Fig. 1, the bottom steps 10, 11 are disposed near the doorways 3, 4, of the lower saloon, these doorways being closed by doors sliding into a central pocket 8. A gate 14 can be swung about a stanchion 15 to close access to or exit from either flight of steps. The conductor is stationed in the space A enclosed by the guide rail 12 and beneath the top steps. In a modification, Fig. 5, the bottom steps are disposed in the middle of the platform and the stairway ascends forwards therefrom. The conductor is stationed in the railed enclosure A and can operate the gate 14 as before. In the further arrangement shown in Fig. 3, a double stairway with a dividing rail 17 is provided. The conductor's station is defined by the rail 12 on an elevation 16 which forms also a common bottom step. To adapt this arrangement to a car having a shorter platform, the bulkhead 3 is set back within the body. Swinging doors 5, 7, are provided in this case. The invention may be applied to cars in which the motorman also acts as the conductor by disposing the controller at position K. According to the Provisional Specification, the heads of a divided stairway may turn in opposite directions so that the top doors therefor can be arranged in angular positions, enabling them to be made wider than usual.