Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Re-starting Tram-cars and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application. 28th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2 th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Re-starting Tram-cars
and similar Vehicles.
We, JOSEPH HEWINS, Builder, of Eleanor Street, and CHARLES HARDY, Contractor's
Foreman, of 84 Willingham Street, both at Great Grimsby in the County of Lincoln,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in improvements in apparatus whereby the force required to
retard or stop a tram-car or similar vehicle is stored and utilised for the purpose of
re-starting the tram-car for example, thus avoiding the injurious strain experienced by
horses when starting a car from a state of rest.
According to our invention and in applying the same to a tram-car for example,
we provide two or more springs situated underneath and at either end of the car, each
of which is adapted to be compressed or extended (according to the kind of spring
employed) by a chain which is wound on to a drum when the brake handle is operated.
Each drum is mounted on an oscillating shaft which shafts are permanently geared
together at one end so that the drum shafts revolve in reverse directions. At their
other ends these oscillating drum shafts are furnished with toothed wheels which are
adapted to be thrown in and out of gear with other toothed wheels mounted on the
axles of the car by means of a lever one end of which acts upon slotted connecting
links between the ends of the two oscillating drum shafts, the other end being
connected to an endless chain or rope which, after passing over suitable guide pulleys,
is attached to or geared with pulleys which are arranged to be rotated by the car
driver or attendant from one or other of the end platforms of the car. Either of these
actuating pulleys may be put into or taken out of gear by a clutch actuated by a pedal
or otherwise. The two car axles may be coupled together by pitch-chain or other
suitable gearing.
When it is required to stop a tram-car for example, the attendant, by placing his
foot on the beforementioned pedal, actuates the clutch, placing the brake mechanism
in gear with the wheel or handle at his end of the car. By turning the wheel, or
moving the handle, he draws the endless cord or chain until the beforementioned
lever causes the toothed wheel on one of the oscillating drum shafts to be brought
into gear with a toothed wheel fixed on one of the car axles. The rotatory movement
of the axle is thereby imparted to the first oscillating drum shaft causing that drum to
wind up the chain attached to one of the springs, and thus set the same. Motion is
also imparted by means of the gearing connecting the two drum shafts to the second
oscillating drum shaft which is thereby revolved, but in the opposite direction to the
first, and the other spring is thereby likewise set. As soon as the car is brought to
rest the attendant, by means of the wheel or handle and the endless cord or chain,
draws the beforementioned lever into its central position, thereby allowing the second
drum shaft, which is at that time out of gear with its car axle, to be drawn into gear
therewith by its spring.
The apparatus is now locked so that the car axles cannot revolve. When it is
required to re-start the car, the said lever is again operated so as to bring the wheel
on the first oscillating drum shaft out of gear with the wheel on its car axle, when
the combined force of the two set springs will be exerted on the second drum shaft
and cause its car axle to turn, thereby re-starting the car. When the force of the

page_text: springs has been expended the apparatus is returned into its normal position with
both drum shafts out of gear with the axles.
Dated this 28th day of November 1895.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stopping and Re-starting Tram-cars
and similar Vehicles.
We, JOSEPH HEWINS, Builder, of Eleanor Street, and CHARLES HARDY, Contractor's
Foreman, of 84 Willingham Street, both at Great Grimsby in the County of Lincoln,
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 consists in improvements in apparatus whereby the force required to
retard or stop a moving tram-car or other vehicle is stored up, and subsequently
utilised for the purpose of re-starting the tram-car or similar vehicle, thus avoiding
the injurious strain experienced by horses when starting the vehicle from a state
of rest.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood we will now proceed
to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan of the underpart of a tram-car with our invention
applied thereto, and Figure 2 a diagrammatic sectional elevation of the same.
A represents the under frame of a tram-car, B and B' the wheels, and C, C¹ the
respective axles of the wheels. D D' are springs placed underneath and at either end
of the car.
The spring D is adapted to be compressed by means of a chain E and the
spring D by means of the chain E. These chains are respectively wound on to
drums F F in the manner hereinafter described, when the brake handle is operated.
The drums F F are mounted on corresponding shafts G G¹ which are permanently
geared together at one end by toothed gearing H, I, J, K, and a countershaft L, or
otherwise so that the said drum shafts & G¹ revolve in reverse directions. These
drum shafts take at one end into pivotted bearings at G2, and at their other ends they
work in bearings adapted to slide to and fro in guides G³ on the under-frame A, they
are furnished with toothed wheels M M' respectively which are adapted to gear with
other toothed wheels N N' mounted respectively on the axles of the car
wheels B B¹. The said shafts are caused to oscillate on their pivotted bearings at G²
by means of a lever P pivotted at P', one end of which is provided with a pin P2
which takes into slots in the adjacent ends of two connecting links Q Q¹ the other
ends of which are formed with eyes which take on to the outer ends of the two
shafts G G¹, and the other end of the said lever P is connected to an endless chain or
rope R which, after passing round suitable guide pulleys S, is attached to or geared
with pulleys T T' on the brake shafts or handles U U' arranged to be rotated by the
car driver or attendant from one or other of the end platforms of the car. Either of
these actuating pulleys TT may be put into or taken out of gear with their respective
brake shaft and handle U or U₁ by a clutch V or V₁ sliding loosely with the
pulley T or T on the brake shaft U or U¹, so as to gear with the half clutch V2 or V³
secured on the brake shaft, the said clutch V or V₁ being caused to slide on the
shaft U or U by a pedal W or W' or otherwise. The two car axles C C¹ may be
coupled together by a pitch-chain X and suitable chain pulleys Y Y¹ or by other
suitable gearing if desired.

page_text: When it is required to stop the tram-car, the attendant, by placing his foot on one
of the beforementioned pedals, W for example, (assuming that the car is running in
the direction of the arrow in the drawings) actuates the clutch V, thereby connecting
the pulley T with the half clutch V2, thus placing the brake mechanism in gear
with the handle U at his end of the car. By turning the said handle U in the
direction of the curved arrow in Figure 1 he draws the endless cord or chain R until
the pin P' at the end of the beforementioned lever P comes against the end of the
slot in the link Q thereby causing the toothed wheel M on the drum shaft G to
be brought into gear with the toothed wheel N fixed on the car axle C. The rotatory
movement of the axle C is thereby imparted to the drum shaft G causing the drum F
on the shaft to wind up the chain E attached to the spring D, and thus to compress
and "set" the latter. Motion is also imparted by means of the gearing H, I, J, K,
and shaft L from the drum shaft G to the drum shaft G' which is thereby rotated, but
in the opposite direction to the shaft G, and the other spring D' is thereby likewise
compressed and "set." When the car is brought to rest the attendant, by turning the
brake handle U in the opposite direction, draws the beforementioned lever P into its
central position by means of the endless cord or chain R, thereby allowing the drum
shaft G, which is at that time out of gear with the wheel N¹ on the car axle C³, to be
drawn into gear therewith by its spring D¹ acting through the chain E¹. The
apparatus is now locked so that the car axles cannot revolve, because they are both
connected by the gearing M, N, and M³, N', with the two shafts G G¹ which can only
rotate in opposite directions, while the wheels B B are prevented from doing so by
the weight of the car resting on them. When it is required to re-start the car, the
handle is turned further in the same direction so as to operate the lever P again,
and bring the pin P¹ to act against the opposite end of the slot in the link Q and
thereby to bring the wheel M on the drum shaft G out of gear with the wheel N on
its car axle C; the combined force of the two compressed or "set" springs D D¹ will
then be exerted through the chains E E', to turn the drum F and shaft G₁ backwards,
and this motion is transmitted through the gearing M¹ N¹ to the car axle (", thereby
re-starting the car. When the force of the springs D D¹ has been expended the
lever P is returned by means of the handle U, into its central position with both drum
shafts and wheels M M¹ out of gear with the two wheels N N on the axles.
If the brake handle U' at the other end of the car be operated instead of the handle U
the springs D D¹ are compressed by the action of the drum F¹ rotated by the axle C₁,
and the car is thereby stopped, and the subsequent extension of the said springs acting
on the drum F causes the axle C to rotate and re-start the car.
In the arrangement above described, and illustrated in the drawings, the springs D D¹
take a bearing at one end against a fixed piece D2, and at the other end against
a cross head D³ on the end of a sliding rod D₁ round which the spring is coiled,
the said rod D being guided at the end to which the chain E or E' is attached, by the
fixed piece D2, and at the other by its cross-head D³ sliding on a guide rod D³. The
pull of the chain E or E¹ causes the cross-head D³ to compress the spring between
itself and the fixed piece D². The links QQ' may be provided with springs Z Z, to
hold them in position when the wheels M M are out of gear with the wheels N N¹.
It is obvious that by suitable arrangements of the mechanism instead of compressing
the springs by the stoppage of the vehicle and utilizing the expansion of the springs
for the re-starting, the springs may be extended or expanded by the stopping, and the
re-starting be effected by their contraction.
It will be seen from the above description that the stopping of the car is effected by
putting the springs D D¹ into a state of compression or tension by the rotation of one
of the wheel axles acting on one of the drum shafts G or G¹, and that the re-starting
of the car is effected by the expansion or contraction of the said springs causing the
rotation of the other of the drum shafts G or G¹ and consequently the rotation of the
other of the wheel axles.
Instead of effecting the connection of the drum-shafts with, and their disconnecting
from the axles by arranging the said shafts so that they can swivel on one end, the
same may be effected by arranging the shafts so that they remain constantly parallel

page_text: to the axles, and the toothed wheels M M' so that they can slide longitudinally on the
shafts in order to be put in or out of gear with the wheels N N' on the axles or any
suitable clutch gear may be employed for effecting the connection and disconnection of
the shafts with or from the axles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
-claim is :-
First. Mechanism for storing up the force required to retard or stop a moving
vehicle, and for utilizing such stored up force for the purpose of re-starting the
vehicle, arranged and operating substantially as described.
Second. Mechanism for storing up the force required to retard or stop a moving
vehicle, and for utilizing such stored-up force for the purpose of re-starting the
vehicle, which consists of two drum shafts geared together, gearing whereby the said
drum shafts can be connected to the axles of the wheels, and springs connected to the
said drum shafts by chains or other suitable flexible connections, combined, arranged
and operating substantially as described.
Third. In mechanism of the kind herein described, for stopping and re-starting a
vehicle, the devices for putting the drum-shafts in and out of gear with the wheel
axles which consist of a lever connected by a cord or chain with pulleys on the brake
shafts, such pulleys being connected with or disconnected from the said brake shafts
by means of clutches, and of slotted links connecting the said lever to the outer free
ends of the drum shafts, combined and operating substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of September 1896.