Volume Eleven - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - some more aspects - Patent Applications by George Taylor, of Penarth, 1883 . . .

I. is a pair of endless chains running on sheaves K. and connected by cross bars i. which successively arrive at the bottom end of the inclined part of guide E1. at the moment that the plates D. arrive at the same point, so that as the front ends of the plates leave the guides they will be received on and supported by the cross bars i.

The sheaves of the chains I. G. are geared together by a pair of endless chains L. to ensure the proper correspondence of the plates and cross bars, all these chains engaging with the pulleys or sheaves in any ordinary way to prevent slip and power being applied to the sheaves K. over which chain L. runs. All the sheaves except those H. are in pairs fixed on cross shafts, whilst H1. are separately mounted to admit of the plates D. rising between them in passing from the return to the outgoing guides which is effected by the following means.

M. is a switch being a plate hinged to a cross plate m. fixed between the return and the lower of the outgoing pair of guides, the switch plate being so situated that as the plates D. return they will pass under the switch plate and raise it up, and at the moment that the pivots d. reach their extreme backward position in passing round the sheaves H1., the switch will escape from the plate D. and drop into such position that the forward end of the plate D. will on its outgoing motion ride up the switch plate M. and be thereby guided onto the upper pair of guides E1.

N. is a curved lifter which is pivoted at one end and raised at the other by a weight whereby when the forward end of the plate D. comes on the lifter it will be raised sufficiently to ensure its mounting the switch.

In operation, the coal is discharged from the waggon onto the plates D. just after they have passed the switch and entered on the outgoing guides, being prevented by a short inclined flap or cover plate O. from falling on the plates when in the act of transference from the one set of guides to the other. The coal is carried outwards and lowered into the hold by the plates which are retained in their horizontal position by means of the guides and by the chains G. and I. until they reach their lowest position in the hold.

On arriving at this point the plates in passing round sheaves H. are successively disengaged from their supposing cross bars i., drop and discharge their load. They then return by guides F. in the manner shown.