LoCOMOTIVE CAR
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Page Woodbury, of Boston, in the County
of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America,
for the Invention of a "LoCOMOTIVE CAR,"
- COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Page Woodbury
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 13th September 1865, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joseгn
PAGE WOODBURY, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts, of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for a "LOCOMOTIVE CAR,"
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made
solemn Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Page Woodbury, do hereby
[Price RI

page_text: declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings forming a part of this Specification,
in which Figure 1 is a side elevation ofone of my cars; Figure 2 is a horizontal
section in the line y of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical central
section through the engine room, and a part of the car in the line x, x, of
Figure 2, showing the boiler in perspective; Figure 4 is a horizontal section
in the line of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan of the circular platform and
truck frame showing the antifriction rollers in the line x of Figures 1 and 7;
Figure 6 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through one of the anti-
friction rollers with its frame and the track or groove on or in which it
traverses; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the boiler and engine room, and a
part of the car representing the engine and boiler as partially independent
of the car, the car being attached to the centre pin of the engine room and
engine-truck frame by connecting bars at the top and bottom, so that the
engine room may partially revolve within a part of the front end of the car;
Figure 8 is a horizontal section in the line y of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a
horizontal section in the line z of Figure 7 showing the connecting bar con-
necting the top of the car with the centre pin at the top of the engine and
boiler room; Figure 10 is a horizontal section in the line y of Figure 7
representing the boiler room and truck frame elongated in order to give
more space for the engine and boiler if required.
The remaining Figures represent modifications and details of the above,
with various additions to be hereafter explained, in which Figure 11 is a side
elevation of a car; Figure 12 a horizontal section of Figure 11 in the line
of the bottom of the windows; Figure 13 is a side elevation of the front end of
a car enlarged, and Figure 14 is a vertical central section through the same,
showing a side elevation of the boiler with its appendages; Figure 15 is an
enlarged plan of the driving wheels and their immediate appendages; and
Figure 16 is a similar view of the same showing two sets of driving pinions;
Figure 17 is a plan of a truck in which the axles of the wheels are driven by
means of cranks and connecting rods instead of gear wheels; Figure 18 is a
top view of a revolving circular platform; Figure 19 is a front elevation of a
rotating cutter or plow arranged in front of the car; and Figure 20 is a top
view of a bonnet or deflector arranged above said wheel; Figure 21 is an
enlarged longitudinal central section through a portion of the driving shaft(Y)
of Figure 16 showing the "cup and saucer" friction clutch, by means of

page_text: which the driving power may be shifted from one set of pinions to the other;
Figure 22 is a side elevation of a car having the space between the engine
and back trucks brought down below the top of the same within about ten
inches of the track, and with doors on each side to enable passengers to get
in and out with greater facility; Figure 23 is a side elevation of a car having
the wheels of the back truck less in diameter than the wheels of the engine
truck, and the bottom of the car back of the engine brought down nearer to
the rails to enable passengers to get in and out with ease; Figure 24 is a side
elevation of a car showing another method of bringing the bottom of the
car nearer to the track, i.e., by having the back truck wheels less in diameter"
than the engine truck wheels, and the circular platform of the engine truck
recessed up into the car the difference between the diameter of the back and
the engine wheels; Figure 25 is a longitudinal vertical section through the
front of the car and the engine truck, showing how the circular platform is
recessed up into the end of the car; Figure 26 is a longitudinal vertical
central section through the circular platform of the boiler and engine room
and the truck on which it rests, representing the driving shaft (Y') as con-
nected with said circular platform by means of a vibrating or pendulous
hanger; and Fig. 27 is a side elevation of the circular platform of the boiler
and engine room and the truck on which it rests, representing the driving
shaft (Y) as connected with the said platform by means of a pendulous
hanger, and stayed by means of vertical slotted housings or hangers fast to the
said truck frame. Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the
Figures.
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improvements in the con-
struction of what are known as "dummy engine," or street steam railway
cars or locomotive cars, whereby they are enabled to run with perfect ease
and freedom round the shortest curves that ever occur in any street, or other
railway tracks, and are rendered in various other respects superior to any
known or used before.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements, 1
will now proceed to describe their construction and operation.
I will first describe the first ten Figures by themselves, and then the
remaining ones. The ar is divided by the partition Cinto two compartments
A and B. The rear and larger compartment A (provided with seats X, X, X,
as shown in Figure 2) is the passenger room. The front and smaller com-
partment is the engine and boiler room, or rather the shell or cover in and
under which the forward truck with the engine and boiler moves horizontally

page_text: around a centre pin, as the curvature of the railway track may require. The
general construction of the body of the car, with the above exception, is sub-
stantially like that of other railway cars in common use. The body of the
car rests upon two four-wheel trucks E and I, as represented in Figure 1
the wheels of which are fast to their axles. The front and rear wheels of the
truck E are disconnected, so that the two sets may turn independently of each
other; but the front and rear wheels L and M of the truck I are united by
two connecting rods N in the manner of locomotive engine wheels, so that
both sets of wheels must turn together in order to secure the requisite
traction.
D is the passenger platform; 0, 0, are the brakes of the engine truck
under the control of the engineer and conductor; G, G, are the brakes of
the rear truck; and H is the crank shaft by which they are operated; I is
the framework of the engine truck, of wood or iron, to the under side of
which, as seen in Figure 3, are attached the hangers S, which are provided
with suitable boxes for the axles J and K to turn in, T, T, being the rubber
springs in general use. On the top of this truck frame I is firmly secured
a circular track or way i, as represented in Figure 5. This track i may be a
separate piece or pieces, or cast in one with the truck frame I. g, g, are
two vertical flanges extending round the outer and inner edges of the circular
track i, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, forming between them a groove in
which traverse the antifriction rollers h. j,j, are two concentric rings
between which the rollers h are arranged, as represented in Figures 5 and 6,
to turn upon their axles k, k, whereby they (the said rollers) are kept at a
fixed and proper distance apart, the rings being united by means of studs h³,h¹,
as shown in Figure 5, and forming with the rollers a circular carriage.
These rollers in order to traverse on the circular track with perfect freedom
should be slightly conical, i.e., the opposite sides of a longitudinal central
section through one of them should be described by two radii of the circular
track itself. In some cases however (as in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10) in place
of this travelling circular carriage I propose to make use of friction wheels
turning on axles, fixed either in the bottom of the car (where it rests upon
the engine truck frame), or in the top of the engine truck frame directly
under the car frame (where the circular end rests upon the engine truck
frame). W is a suitable platform or covering of wood or metal placed upon
the truck I inside of the circular track, and forming a floor for the engine,
boiler, and engineer. a is a nupright boiler which rests, as shown in Figures
2 and 8, upon the platform W; b is the smoke stack and exhaust pipe so

page_text: bent as to pass through a circular opening in the top of the car directly over
the centre pin U, which opening is also large enough to allow the pipe to
turn with freedom when the truck and boiler turn upon said centre pin.
c, c, are a pair of oscillating engines whose piston rods d, d, are connected
with the crank axle J of the driving wheels L, as shown in Figure 4, and
are suspended by means of a framework under the engine-room floor in any
obvious manner. fis the steam pipe leading from the boiler to the engines,
and e, e, are the valve rods. The general inclination of the engines is
indicated by the piston rods d, d, in Figure 1. They should be as nearly
horizontal as possible, and not interfere with the front axle of the truck.
The Drawings represent oscillating engines; any other engine may be
used however if desired.
Thus it will be seen that the engine and boiler rest entirely upon the
forward truck 1, and that all three of them are entirely independent of the
main body of the car, and are capable of moving independently of it in a
horizontal plane, as will appear from the description which I am about to give
of the devices by means of which the car and truck are connected together.
P, P, are the two outer bottom sills of the car, which are continued beyond
the main body A, as shown in Figure 4, so as to form the foundation of the
engine room B. Qis the centre beam of the car bottom, and R is the cross
beam uniting the two side sills directly under the partition C. To the under
side of the sills P of the engine room B is attached a circular track whose
diameter is the same as that of the circular track i with which it is intended
to be concentric. Thus it will be seen that one-half of the weight of the car
will rest upon the antifriction rollers h. V is a stout connecting bar or flat
iron or steel, the back end of which is attached to the beam Q by the bolts 1, 1,
while the front end is continued a little beyond the centre of the engine room,
as shown in Figure 3. U is a strong bolt or linch pin which passes up
through the connecting bar V and the floor W of the truck I. This bolt U
is prevented from having any lateral motion by means of two arms or con-
tinuations of the connecting bar V extending to the two side sills P, P, as
represented by the dotted lines in Figure 4. I also propose to make use of
friction wheels m arranged on vertical axes around the circular floor of the
engine room, as shown in Figure 2, in such a manner that they shall bear
against the edge of the circular hole in the bottom of the room B, and
thereby remove a great deal of the strain that would otherwise come upon the
pin U. I also propose to use similar friction wheels m at the top and bottom
of the car where the engine room and the passenger room unite, as repre-

page_text: sented in Figures 8, 9, and 10. Thus it is obvious that the truck I which
carries the engine and boiler will draw the car, and at the same time be free
to turn independently of it in a horizontal plane, and thereby enable the car,
however long it may be, to move with freedom round the shortest curves.
The rear truck E I also propose to furnish with antifriction rollers and a
track in the same manner as the truck I, and attach it to the bottom of the
car by means of a centre pin similar to U.
Figure 7 represents a slight modification of the principle of connecting
the engine room with the main body of the car, in which modification the
engine room is circular and only partially surrounded by the front of the
main body of the car, as more clearly shown in Figures 8 and 9.
Figure 10 also shows another modification of the engine room to afford
more space for the boiler and engines in case larger and more powerful
ones are required.
n, n, (Figure 2) represent water tanks, and r, r, coal bunkers. The space
under the seats of the passenger car may also be used for water tanks if
required. The passenger car may be heated by means of pipes leading from
the boiler or exhaust pipe. In case my steam car should be needed to carry
freight instead of passengers I propose to use the style of engine truck frame
shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, in order that it may have room for a boiler
or boilers large enough to do the work required. In some cases it may be
also desirable to disconnect this engine from one car and connect it to another
of a similar construction, which can be readily done by withdrawing the
centre pin U, having previously placed under the car a hand truck or jack to
keep it in position while the engine is being removed. It is also obvious that
a car to be used for freight alone would require neither seats nor windows. I
also propose to make a removable casing or box of sheet metal around and
under the engines and working machinery below the floor of the engine room
with suitable doors or openings for oiling and inspection; this casing is to
protect the machinery from dust, and prevent it from frightening horses or
other animals on the highway. I propose to construct my locomotive truck
frame and springs, and also the truck frame and springs at the rear end of the
car, on the planu of any of the known varieties of construction, i.e., with a
central bearing or rocker arranged crosswise on the lower frame, at nearly
right angles with the railway track, in a manner well known to mechanics;
so that while the upper frame and radial antifriction rollers and the lower
circular rail shall always be kept up in close contact with the rail on the
under side of the locomotive or car body, the lower and independent frame

page_text: may vibrate or oscillate longitudinally and vertically with perfect freedom to
accommodate itself to and follow all the undulations in the railway track.
Having thus described the first ten Figures I will now proceed to describe
the remainder, in which A'is the main body of a car constructed substantially
as described above,Q' being the seats inside; P', the platform; R',the external
seats; N', the steps; and O, the hand rails ou either side of the steps and
platform; this car rests upon two sets of four wheel trucks B' and C', the
construction and arrangement of which I will now describe. The forward
truck B' rests on the axles E', E', of the wheels D', D', D', D', said axles
turning in suitable boxes in hangers of the usual construction, as clearly
shown in Figures 11 and 13, F' being the springs in general use for railway
cars. Fast to the top of the two side beams of the truck frame B' are
springs G, Garranged as clearly shown in Figures 13 and 14. On the top
of these springs G', G', rests the circular platform I', which turns on friction
rollers d' on a circular track on the bottom of the front end of the car, as
represented in Figure 14, and fully described above. H' is a strong loosely.
fitting bolt passing vertically through the spring G' into the frame B' and
platform I', by means of which the latter are securely held together, but
leaving the truck frame B' free to move, as the undulations and irregularities
of the track (V") may require; while at the same time the said circular
platform preserves its parallelism with the bottom of the car, the end of which
(the car) rests upon it, as described above. On the centre of the platform I
is placed a vertical boiler S, as clearly shown in Figures 14 and 18. On each
side of this boiler is a vertical engine U, of which E" is the piston, D" the
cross head, F" the connecting rod, and G" the valve rod; the said valve rod
and connecting rod passing through an opening in the platform I' (as seen in
Figure 14) down to the driving shaft Y, which latter turns in suitable boxes
in the lower ends of the hangers A", A", the upper ends of which are bolted
fast to the bottom of the platform. H", H", are the cranks, and e', ei, are
the crank pins of the driving shaft Y', connected in the usual mauner with the
rods F", F. I", I", are the eccentrics, connected in the usual manner with
the valve rods G", G". Fast on the centre of the shaft Y' is a pinion B",
which meshes into the two gear wheels C", C, fast to the axles E', E', of
the truck wheels D, D., as clearly shown in Figures 14 and 15. Thus it will
be seen that the distance between the engines U,, U, and the driving shaft Y'
will always be the same, and the latter will have the same vertical movements
as the platform I, to which it is rigidly connected by means of the hangers
A", A", and also that the pinion B" will move up and down past the centre

page_text: gear
of the gear wheels C", C, with the shaft Y'. As the motion however is
never more than an inch or two it is never sufficient to throw the said
wheels out of proper working contact. I propose, however, to connect
the axles E, E', with the shaft Y' by means of links J", J", J", J", which will
prevent them from ever separating enough to affect the working of the
pinions on the gear wheels. In this latter case, however, the boxes in
which the axles turn must be so-constructed as to be capable of a slight
lateral movement to and from a vertical line passing through the centre of
the shaft Y' as the latter moves up and down.
car.
In Figure 15, in addition to the pinion B" and gear wheels C", C", I pro-
pose in some cases to make use of another pinion L, and another set of
gear wheels K", K", so that by means of "cup and saucer" friction clutches
M", M", and N", N", either one of said pinions may be made to operate at
pleasure on its respective gear wheels, in order that the traction power of
the engines may be increased or diminished as required. The pinion B",
as clearly shown in Figure 14, is of the same diameter as that of the wheels
C", C", whereas the pinion L" is only one half of the diameter of the gears
K", K", into which it meshes. Thus it is obvious that the pinion L" will
have twice the traction power of the pinion B, and may be used in ascend-
ing up-hill grades when the pinion B" would be inadequate to drive the
There may be other occasions also when it may be desirable to employ
the pinion L" instead of the pinion B". In order to cause the pinion B" or
L to operate on their respective gear wheels at pleasure I make use of
what are well known as "cup and saucer" friction clutches M", M", and
N", N, the construction and arrangement of which are clearly shown in
Figures 16 and 21. The two pinions L", B", when not acted upon by the cups
M", M", are free to turn upon the crank shaft Y, whereas the cups M", M", by
means of the spline a' are made to revolve with the said shaft, but are free to
slide horizontally from the one pinion to the other, being moved by means of
a forked lever in the groove g'. When, as in Figure 21, the cups M", M", are
moved to the right, so that the right-hand one fits into the corresponding saucer
f formed by the flange N" in the side of the pinion B" the latter will be driven.
When the said cups are moved to the left, so that one of them fits into the
saucer f' in the side of the pinion L" the latter will be driven, and the pinion B"
will be released.
In Figure 17,instead of employing pinions and gear wheels the axles E',E',
of the truck wheels are driven by means of six cranks hi, h', h, h', h', ', and
four rods ii', ',i', connecting the driving shaft Y' and each of the axles E',E',

page_text: as clearly shown in the Drawing. The hind truck C' with its wheels K', K',
axles L', L', and springs F', F', as well as the circular platform M', springs
G', G', and bolts H', H', being all constructed and arranged substantially
as the same parts supporting the front end of the car, already described,
need no further explanation.
W (see Figure 18) is a rack of sufficient length to allow all the necessary
movements right or left, and fast to the bottom frame of the front end of the
car, and V is a pinion pivoted to the top of the circular platform I', and
engaging with said rack; this pinion V' (being provided with a suitable
upright shaft and wheel or crank at the top, of a convenient height to handle)
may be moved in either direction by the engineer, whereby he is enabled to
turn the said platform and the car itself either to the right or left on to
another track at pleasure, thereby dispensing with switches and switch tenders.
a, a',(Figure 18)are two pins projecting above the surface of the platform I',
near its edge, and 6' is a hinge or bolt attached to the car frame between said
pins, the design of which is to allow the truck when running on a nearly
straight track a slight vibration between the said pins to conform to the slight
deviations and irregularities of the track, while at the same it will prevent
the possibility of the truck ever turning too far to either side, whilst in rapid
motion, as it might otherwise do, and thereby occasion serious damage by
running off the track. W" is a brush or scraper to assist in clearing the track
of snow, ice, and other obstructions. Z' are brakes, such as are generally
used on railway cars. m, m', (see Figure 12) are water tanks, which are to
be connected with the pump and boiler by means of a flexible pipe; and n',n',
are coal bunkers. The engines must of course be provided with the usual
levers and link motion to move the valves. Other necessary and well-known
parts and appendages of a steam locomotive engine need not be described. I
also propose to attach in any obvious manner a rack and piuion or other
equivalent device to the periphery of the circular platform M' of the back
truck, to enable it to be turned horizontally by the engineer or conductor to
suit the different curves of the rails, or to enable the car to be backed upon
the track in case of accidentally running off the same.
I also propose to
connect an index and a graduated plate or dial with the circular platforms I'
and M', to enable the engineer or conductor to move horizontally both the
engine and the back trucks, so as to accommodate the same to the different
curves of the railway, the radii of which curves are supposed to be known to
both the conductor and engineer. In case the engines are placed beneath the
circular platform, as shown in Figure 4, the boiler may be located on the
centre of the platform, and the engines one under each side of the boiler,

page_text: equidistant from the centre of the platform, in order that the vibration may
be equally balanced. Where the car is intended to be used on an uneven
track I propose in place of the hangers A"(which are rigidly attached to the
revolving platform I') to make use of vibrating or pendulous hangers A", as
represented in Figure 26, which will allow the driving shaft Y' to vibrate
slightly from a perpendicular to the said platform, as the truck frame B'
varies from being exactly parallel with the same. The upper ends of these
pendulous hangers are pivoted at W" to the studs X", while their lower ends
are provided with suitable boxes or bearings for the reception of the driving
shaft Y. To keep the lower ends of these pendulous hangers in their proper
relative position I either connect them by the radial rods or links Z" to the
axles E', E, of the truck wheels, or else by the employment of slotted
housings or hangers. U" fast to the sides of the truck frame B' for the ends
of the driving shaft Y/(provided with suitable boxes) to slide in vertically, as
represented in Figure 27, the crank shaft Y'being clongated for that p
Q" is a rotory adz cutting wheel (for clearing the track of snow and ice),
whose axle R" turns in boxes at the lower extremities of the arms or
hangers S", which are bolted to the front end of the engine truck frame B',
as represented in Fig. 13; this wheel Q" is provided with a series of
inclined blades j',arranged parallel with the axle, as represented in Figure 19,
the cutting edges of said blades being somewhat concave,so as to conform to
the convex surface of the ground t' between the rails V", V". A rotary motion
is communicated to this wheel by means of a belt or chain P" which passes
around its centre and a pulley O" on the driving shaft Y', or in any other
obvious manner. Confined to the frame B', above the wheel Q", is a double
conical bonnet or deflector, against which the snow and ice are thrown by the
action of said wheel, and thence deflected and deposited each side of the
track. In summer, or when there is no snow or ice to be picked or shoveled
from the track or road, the wheel Q" may be removed.
purpose.
Having thus described the construction and operation of my Invention,
what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, the combination of the boiler and engine of a locomotive with a car
truck provided with a circular truck frame and antifriction rollers,so adjusted
as to be received within one end of a car, so that the truck can turn inde-
pendently of the car, in the manner and for the purpose described.
Second, the combination of one end of a railway car with an independent
circular locomotive car track, when constructed in the manner and for the
purpose described.
Third, constructing the truck I with a circular track i provided with anti-
:

page_text: friction rollers h to support the forward portion of the car, and allow the
truck to turn with freedom under it, substantially as described.
Fourth, the independent circular carriage of radial antifriction. rollers to
operate in combination with the top of the truck and the bottom of a railway
car, substantially as described.
Fifth, connecting the car to the centre pin of the locomotive truck frame
at the bottom by means of the connecting bar V, substantially as described.
Sixth, the employment of a centre pin and connecting bar to connect the
top of the car with the top of the engine and boiler truck, substantially as
shown in Figure 9.
Seventh, forming the front of the passenger car concave, and the engine
and boiler room convex and circular, so that the one may turn in the other,
substantially as represented in Figures 8, 9, and 10.
Eighth, making the rear truck to turn on a centre pin in the rear end of
the car body in combination with the circular tracks and carriage of radial
antifriction rollers which support the car body on the truck, substantially
as described.
Ninth, the antifriction wheels m, to operate in combination with the
revolving engine room and passenger car, substantially as described.
Tenth, so constructing and arranging the sineke and exhaust pipe as to
pass through the top of the car directly over the centre pin U wherever the
boiler is placed, so that when the truck frame turns on a curve said pipe may
also turn with freedom through the car top, substantially as described.
Eleventh, the combination of the gear wheels C", C", (or cranks and rods
as shown in Figure 17) on the axles E', E', with the crank shaft Y' and
pinion B" and vertical boiler S' and engines U, U, when constructed and
operating in the manner and for the purposes described.
Twelfth, the combination of the friction clutches M",M", N",N", with one
or more pinions B" and L" and gear wheels C", C", and K", K", in the
manner and for the purpose set forth.
Thirteenth, the rack W and pinion V, when combined with the circular
platform I', in the manner and for the purpose described.
Fourteenth, the stop pins a, a, and bolt b, in combination with the plat-
form I', in the manner and for the purpose described.
Fifteenth, connecting the driving shaft Y' rigidly with the circular plat-
form I' by means of the hangers H", HI", when constructed and arranged in
the manner and for the purpose described.
Sixteenth, the vibrating or pendulous hangers A", arranged and operating
substantially as shown in Figures 26 and 27, and for the purpose described.

page_text: Seventeenth, the rotary adz cutting wheel Q", arranged and operating as
set forth in combination with a locomotive car, constructed substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Six-
Witnesses,
JOSEPH PAGE WOODBURY. (L.s.)
JOHN CHRISTOPHER GORE, Jr.
GEORGE GIBSON EMERSON.