IMPROVEMENTS IN CAUSING ADHESION OF THE DRIVING WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO OR UPON THE RAILS UPON WHICH THEY RUN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir Charles Fox, Knight, of New Street, Spring
Gardens, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAUSING ADHESION OF THE DRIVING WHEELS OF
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO OR UPON THE RAILS UPON
WHICH THEY RUN."- Partly a communication from abroad by Jared
Wilson Post, of 181, Broadway, New York, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 21st June 1864, and dated the 26th April 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Sir Charles Fox at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 26th April 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that I, Sir CHARLES Fox, Knight, of New Street, Spring Gardens,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAUSING ADHESION OF THE DRIVING
WHEELS OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO OR UPON THE RAILS
UPON WHICH THEY RUN," the result partly of a communication from abroad,

page_text: made to me by Jared Wilson Post, of 181, Broadway, New York, in the
United States of America, and partly of invention and discovery made by
me, and in what manner is to be performed, to be particularly described in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The said Invention embraces a novel mode of application of electro-magnetic
force or attraction, and a novel construction of apparatus to be used in such
application, for the purpose of preventing the wheels from skidding on the
rails, the which force or attraction, though proposed at various times for
accomplishing the object, has not been hitherto effectively or successfully
applied. And the said mode of application and construction of apparatus
consists of or in the following improvements; namely, in the disposing arched
or deflected belts of insulated wire around the lower parts of the wheels for
transforming them into magnets or causing magnetic adhesion to or against
the rails by the passage of electricity along the deflected belts. Also in the
connecting together into a system or combination of such deflected belts
around the wheels, those which are situate on one side of an engine or
carriage, and into another system or combination those which are situate on
the opposite side, these connections or combinations being effected by bars or
armatures surrounded by coils of the insulated wire. Also in the special con-
struction of the deflected belts by winding, banking up, or building the
insulated wire in a sort of cradle fashion, so that the lower members or wires
of the belt being supported may hold up or within them the remaining. mem-
bers, the method of winding being such that the wire may follow continuously
from bottom to top, and thence from top to bottom, and then from bottom to
top, and so on, whereby a great saving of power is effected by having less
resistance in the electric current than if the wire were laid from bottom to
top, the end crossed, and then continued from bottom to top again, and so on.
And also, whether in combination or not in combination with deflected belts
as above set forth, this Invention embraces the construction of armatures,
covered with insulated wire, and formed into, a bridged shape with pendent
ends or poles presented very close to or against but not touching the rails on
which the engine or carriage runs.
And having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being
had to the accompanying illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon', to' facilitate such reference.
Figure 1 is an outline sketch in side elevation of a locomotive engine, with
my apparatus applied, and Figure 2'is a corresponding transverse section of

page_text: one of the driving wheels, both Figures illustrating more particularly the..
improvement firstly set forth.
a, a, are the driving wheels, and. 6, 6, the arched or .deflected. belts, the
insulated wires of which completely surround the wheels at the part repre:
sented. The belts are held by slings c, c, to the frame of the engine, and to
prevent swaying about and touching the wheels are firmly braced by stays,
not, shewn in the Drawing; d, d, are screw adjustments to the slings for
regulating the height of the belts above the rail. The ends of the wires
constituting the belts are carried to an ordinary "quantitative" battery
situate at any convenient place upon the engine. The axles uniting these
wheels with the respective wheels on the opposite side constitute armatures,
and each pair of wheels, with their deflected belts and axle uniting the wheels,
is thus formed into a magnet or exercises magnetic adhesion to or against the
rails, which by the deflected form of the belts has the greatest effect at the
apices; or points of contact between the wheels and the rails. Figure 3
represents in red lines in side elevation two, driving wheels, furnished with the
deflected belts, both wheels placed as for and on one side of an engine, and
the two belts and wheels being connected or combined into one system by a
bar, or. armature h, which latter is shewn in, black lines, and illustrates. more
particularly the improvements secondly above set forth. Figure 4 is an end
view of one of the wheels to correspond. The bar or armature h is made of
a soft iron tube about 2½ or. 3 inches in diameter, and filled with small pieces
of-round, soft iron, steel, or iron filings, and the ends fit with a socket fitting
upon dowels or projections upon the saddles. B, B, over the naves C; C, of
the respective wheels, and which saddles are preferred also to be of soft iron,
and to be let. into grooves formed for their reception, so as to: increase. the
surfaces in contact. The wheels are to be insulated by short tubes of brass
around the axles, which tubes are marked D, D, in the Figure 3. The armature h
is to be covered with a coil of insulated wire in connection with a battery, and
when to be used is to be applied to the naves as above described. This will
constitute one system or combination on one side of the engine or carriage, and
together with the other or second system or combination on the opposite side, and
with the two axles or cross armatures will constitute.or exercise the effect of a
compound magnet of greatly increased. power. Figures 5 and 6 represent an
end elevation and cross section, at Z, Z, of the mould or apparatus, I. employ
for banking up or winding the wire to form the belts. in the deflected form.
The said mould consists, of. two main pieces m and n, separable from each
other for the purpose of removing the belt when formed, but used together

page_text: while the winding proceeds, for which purpose it is mounted on axes to turn
on frames o, o. The Figure 7 is an end view of part of the piece m,: as seen
in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5; and shews particularly the pins 'p; p,
at, the ends; for keeping up or holding the wires from falling, which they
would do if not supported, and to prevent which the ends of the belts are to be
packed up with short lengths or pieces of the wire extending across the ends,
nearly but not quite to the full width of the ends, and placed to fill up the
spaces left in forming each layer before the next succeeding layer is banked
upon it. Marine glue or shellac is to be applied to the wire as it is wound on
to the mould, and this will serve to hold in position the short packing lengths
or pieces of wire above described; s, s, are clips or guides applied at the sides
of the mould, and these also are for keeping: the wire in its placé while
winding; and are removeable so as to be applied. to either piece m or n,
according to the direction in which the belt is being coiled, that is to say,
right to left or left to right, in Figure 5, corresponding with bottom to top or
top to bottom in the former Figures. The insulated wire is to be wound from
off a reel or drum, at a convenient distance, the glue or shellac being applied
so as to surround and coat every part; and when the belt is formed and further.
payed over and coated with the glue or shellac, it is to be taken from off the
mould, the pins p and clamps s being. first.removed. therefrom... It is then to
be secured by a temporary binding of. strips. of cloth to hold it in shape, and
to be baked in an oven at a temperature of about. 170 degrees Fahrenheit, for
about. 8 or 10 hours to dry out the moisture. The temporary binding strips
may then be, removed, and the belt covered with waterproof cloth, or any
.other water-repellent substance, and sometimes a thin sheathing or boxing of
brass or other metal may be added. The belt is then complete. It is to be
understood that each belt is to have the two ends of the continuous wire left
out for connecting with the battery.
The blue lines. in Figure 3 illustrate the feature or division of the Invention
lastly above set forth, both in respect of the combination referred to and
otherwise; w is one of a pair of the armatures with pendent ends w*, w*, and
a corresponding armature is to be used on the opposite side of the engine or
carriage. If the said armatures be supposed to rest upon or be supported
by the saddles B, B, then the Drawing illustrates the combination with
the deflected belts, but if the said armatures be not supported by the
saddles, but are supported independently from the frame of the engine or
carriage, then the blue lines alone, that is to say, without the red and
black lines, illustrate the absence of the combination referred to. In either'

page_text: case, excepting at the extremities of the pendents w*, w*, the armatures should
be bound or covered with a coil of insulated wire extending over the whole of
their length.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir Charles Fox, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES FOX. (L.S.)