An Improved Snow-plough.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
An Improved Snow-plough.
A communication from HIPPOLYTE GALLIOT and ALEXANDRE FAVAREILLE,
both of 6, Rue Neuve de la, Chardonnière, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Gentlemen.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do, hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to a snow-plough of a novel construction and wholly
independent of the nature, shape or size of the means of locomotion used, while it is
mainly applicable to locomotive engines on railways, tramways, roads or streets,
and is adapted to rotate about a special pivot, so that its direction may be changed
or reversed without the employment of a turning platform.
The removal of snow from railways and the like at high speed has hitherto
remained an unsolved problem. The apparatus herein described enables this to be
accomplished methodically no matter whether the train travels at high or low speed
without allowing it to obstruct the road by agglomeration and without danger of the
operative parts breaking.
The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. is an inverted plan of the snow-plough fitted to a railway truck.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof and
Fig. 3 a vertical section on line 1-2 Fig. 1.
The truck consists of a frame a mounted upon two axles and a platform 6 pivoted
to the said frame at a so that it may turn thereon in any desired direction.
Either the frame or the platform may be provided with anti-friction rollers so as
to assist the movements of the truck.
A pawl or chock firmly arrests the platform after it has been brought to either of
its two normal positions.
To the platform is secured the snow-plough formed by a series of knife-
edges C C C2 C3 C4 C5 arranged one above the other and set off like inverted
steps. The uppermost knife-edges are farthest from the platform.
The knife-edges are arranged at acute angles the apices of which coincide with
the axial line of the truck or carriage and also with the central line of the track on
which it runs.
This arrangement of knife-edges is the essential feature of the
invention as it enables the snow to be removed uniformly and as it were method-
ically. Their operation is as follows:-
The knife-edges C first come in contact with, and cut the snow heap or block
encountered on the line and drive away the cut portions on either side of the line.
As they continue cutting, the next set of knife-edges C¹, situated somewhat behind
the first, are brought into contact with the snow in their turn and begin to cut away
another slice or layer of it which they similarly throw out of the way on either side,
and so on until the lowermost knife-edges are reached which dispose of the remain-
ing snow.
In this manner the heap of snow is not acted upon all at once but by successive
strata and therefore the objectionable crowding together of irregular heaps of snow
along the line are avoided while at the same time the volume to be acted upon being
divided so is also the resistance to the action of the knife-edges which resistance is
overcome in methodical order by the successive knife-edges. These may in fact be
said to assist each other by doing simultaneously a part of the work.
This snow-driver may conveniently consist of six superposed sets of knife-edges
and it has been found by experiment that after the passage of a train fitted with a

page_text: snow-driver of this description another train may pass through the portion of the
line cleared thereby, without having any additional snow to remove or coming in
contact with any snow on the sides:
A. scraper g arranged behind about one centimetre above each rail frees the latter
from the remaining snow which might otherwise interfere with the progress of the
wheels.
The main advantage of a snow-driver of this construction is as before stated, that
the snow is cut up into layers or slices. This not only enables the crowding together
of masses of snow to be avoided but permits the train to run at a very high speed
without necessitating any increase of the power of the snow-driver to overcome
resistance which are at all times comparatively insignificant as each succeeding
train is provided with similar apparatus and does its share of the clearing work,
while the snow removed accumulates on the sides of the line beyond the reach of
the passing trains.
The frame of the snow-plough may be provided with buffers and all other devices
that may be of use in coupling it together with engines, railway-carriages, tram-
cars, and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The construction and application of an improved snow-plough substantially as
described and shown in the accompanying drawings mainly consisting of series of
knife-edges set at acute angles and superposed in such a manner as to step-like
project beyond each other both at the apices and sides of such angles the whole being
mounted upon a-turning platform pivoted-to-a four-wheeled truck or frame. of
suitable construction calculated to impart to the snow-plough stability and casiness
of motion and provided with all necessary attachments to enable it to be coupled
to railway-engines, carriages and-the-like.
=
2: In a snow-plough a series of superposed angled knife-edges such as C-C³
each succeeding one projecting in advance of those below it substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of December 1900
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents-for-the-Applicant.