IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE MOTION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND CARRIAGES ON THE CURVED PORTIONS OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Fox at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 10th December 1879.
WILLIAM Fox, of Burton-on-Trent, in the County of Stafford, Mechanical
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE MOTION OF
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND CARRIAGES ON THE CURVED PORTIONS OF RAILWAYS
AND TRAMWAYS."
In the motion of locomotive engines and carriages on the curved portions of
railways great friction is produced by the wheels on the opposite sides of the
locomotive or carriage having to simultaneously travel over different lengths of rail;
as the opposite wheels are respectively fixed rigidly to the opposite ends of their
common axle, they can only rotate at the same rate; as they travel on the curved
rails one or both must slip on the rail or rails, for while the rate at which the
wheels rotate is the same the lengths of rail on which they respectively advance are
different. The friction thus produced occasions loss or waste of the motive power
by which the propulsion is effected, besides rapidly wearing the flanges and rims of
the wheels and the rails.
Morcover there is a great tendency in the rims of the wheels to mount the rails,
and to cause the locomotive and carriages to got off the line. The same loss and
danger attend in a greater or less degree tramcars on tramways and vehicles
generally when travelling on the curved portions of tramways and other railways.
The object of my Invention is to prevent to a greater or less extent the loss of
power, the wear of the wheels and rails, and the danger of the locomotive or
carriage leaving the line, which ordinarily occur when locomotives and carriages
travel over the curved portions of the railway or tramway.
My said Invention consists in delivering a small stream of water or other
lubricant over the rims of the wheels of the locomotive or carriage while they
travel over the curved parts of railways and tramways, and of the apparatus
herein after described for the convenient delivery of the water or other lubricant
on the rims of the wheels when required.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a locomotive engine having a saddle
tank on its boiler. As the arrangement of parts is the same on each side of the
locomotive I will describe the arrangement of parts on one side only.
In the bottom of the tank, and preferably at a point midway between the two

page_text: wheels, a stopcock is fitted; connected to the said stopcock is a vertical pipe, which
descends through the foot board on the side of the locomotive. Immediately
beneath the foot board the said pipe is connected with a horizontal pipe situated in
the vertical plane in which the inner faces of the flanges of the wheels are situated,
or situated nearly in the same plane. The ends of this horizontal pipe terminate
respectively near the rims of the wheels, the extreme ends being slightly curved
downwards. To the plug of the stopcock an arm or lover is fixed, and to the end
of this lever a light connecting rod is jointed; this connecting rod passes to the fire
box end of the boiler working in a guide on the tank, and terminating in a handle
witbin convenient reach of the locomotive engine driver. As the locomotive
approaches a curved portion of the railway the engine driver by pulling the said
handle delivers a small stream of water from the tank onto the rims of the two
wheels on either or both sides of the locomotive. By the wetting of the rims and
flanges of the wheels and the rails the required slipping of the wheels on one or
both sides of the locomotive takes place without the friction; wear; and danger
herein before referred to.
The details of the apparatus must be varied to suit the particular construction of
locomotive engine or carriage to which it is applied. For example, in the case of a
coupled tank locomotive with side tanks, and in the case of a locomotive with a
tank under the boiler, and in the case of a locomotive having a tender, the details
of the construction and arrangement of the parts differ somewhat from the details
herein before described.
In tramway carriages a special reservoir is provided, preferably under the
carriage, for holding the water or lubricant. A special reservoir for the water or
lubricant may where desirable be employed on locomotive engines, so that the
lubrication may be independent of the water of the tank or tanks for supplying
the boiler.
Where a special reservoir is employed to hold the lubricant a solution of soap in
water or other liquid lubricant inay be employed in place of water, but I have
found water answer well in practice.