Improvements in and appertaining to Cable or Rope Traction as applied to Street Tramways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 21st Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and appertaining to Cable or Rope Traction as
applied to Street Tramways.
1 ALEXANDER BASIL WILSON of Holywood in the County of Down Ireland
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Invention has for its object, "Improvements in and appertaining to cable or
rope traction as applied to street tramways"; and consists in an improved method
of construction of the conduit or tube within which the cable or rope runs, and the
gripper passing into such conduit for the purpose of communicating the motion of
the cable to the tramcar.
Heretofore such conduits or tubes (hereinafter called conduits) have been made
of such depth below the surface of the road as to entail great cost in construction
and maintenance, besides weakening the roadway in the centre, owing to the conduit
cutting thro' the concrete bedding on which the rails and upper surface of the
road rests. Such depth of conduit being necessary on systems of cable traction
heretofore. On the existing systems of cable traction, the cable is supported by
pullies running on horizontal bearings, this construction involves the deepening of
the conduit to admit of the vertically running pullies, or pockets have to be con-
structed for the lower part of the pullies to run in. These pockets are liable to
fill up with dirt and thereby retard the revolution of the pullies, and cause rapid
wear and injury to the cable. And such conduits cannot be opened for inspection,
repairs, or cleaning, without general breaking up of the roadway at great cost and
interruption of traffic. To obviate these difficulties and enable the supporting
pullies to come within the depth of the "pitching" between the rails, and maintain
the same general level of conduit all through. According to my invention, I form
the sides of the cable conduit of a pair of shallow continuous girders or bars of
cast iron or other suitable material, set and held at the requisite distance apart by
gauge bars or sleepers, and bedded flush with the top of the concrete foundation
on which the rails are laid, the depth and shape of the girders being such that,
when laid, they form a trough or channel the sides of which are below the surface
of the road. On the top of these side girders I bolt or fasten covers of steel or
other suitable material rolled of depth sufficient to fill up the remaining space to
the surface of the road, of a channel section, such covers overhanging the trough
inwards on each side, but leaving a narrow open space or slot between them for
the stem or shank of the gripper to pass, I fill in the hollow of these channel bars
with rock asphalt or other suitable material and form them that they can be readily
lifted off when required, without disturbing the roadway.
I support the cable between the flanges of pairs of pullies revolving in vertical
bearings, these flanges working close together, and so shaped as to form a recess
for the cable to lie in, corresponding to the usual groove in a pulley running in
horizontal bearings. I carry the body of these pullies above their flanges up
nearly to the top of the side girders forming the conduit, to guide the cable side-
ways in passing round curves. The underside of the pullies are hollowed or dished
out, and the bearings in which their pins or spindles work are carried well up to
The lower ends of the
near the top of them, so as to obtain long bearing surfaces.
spindles rest upon raised bosses round which are formed recessed chambers for oil,

page_text: so that the spindles run in a bath of oil. I place these pullies in boxes covered in
by lids, and so arranged as to form a continuation of the cable conduit and covers
already described. To enable the arrangements above described to be applied,
I form each gripper of a pair of jaws hung by a centre pin, on the shank or
stem of the gripper, and opening and closing underneath. Surrounding the jaws
I provide a frame, which, when pressed down, closes the jaws inwards, and when
raised so as to free the jaws allows them to open, the whole being suspended
from a carriage connected to the axles of the car, and can be raised or lowered
in the conduit by the usual means. To pick up the cable the jaws are lowered
on to it, and as they are bevelled off at the lower edges, on meeting the cable
they are thereby opened till the cable lies in their hollow, the outside frame is then
pressed down, closes the jaws in upon the cable, and gives the requisite amount of
grip for full or reduced speed according as the frame is pressed down more or less.
At each end of the frame surrounding the jaws I provide a roller carried in
vertical bearings, and of such diameter that in passing round curves they may
bear against the inner side of the conduit so as to take the strain produced by the
pull of the cable on such curves from off the shank or stem of the gripper, and
prevent it rubbing against the sides of the slot of conduit. The whole gripper and
frame are held up against a stop on the gripper carriage under the car by means
of a spring, so that the normal position of the gripper when running shall give
sufficient clearance under the conduit covers, and at the same time be free to yield
in case of the car being tilted up in passing over an obstacle.
Dated this 15th day of September 1894.
Improvements in and appertaining to Cable or Rope Traction as
applied to Street Tramways.
I ALEXANDER BASIL WILSON of Holywood in the County of Down Ireland,
Engineer, 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 has for its object improvements in and appertaining to cable or
rope traction as applied to street tramways, and consists in an improved method of
constructing the conduit or tube and parts relative thereto within which the cable
or rope runs. Heretofore such conduits or tubes, hereinafter called conduits,
have been made of such a depth below the surface of the road as to entail great
cost in construction and maintenance, owing to the conduit cutting thro' the
concrete bedding on which the rails and upper surface of roadways are commonly
placed. The necessary strength in such bed which has been removed having to be
replaced by additional masses of concrete or by other expensive means, such as
forming the sides of conduit with numerous metal braces to maintain the strength
removed by the opening, and the maintenance is increased by the difficulty of
removing the dirt which from time to time gets in from such a depth below the
surface of the roadway as is common.
This depth of conduit which further frequently involves the removal and
alteration of gas, water, and other connections has been found necessary on systems
of cable traction heretofore on account of the depth required for the pullies
supporting the cable and on which it runs, these pullies having been in straight
lengths of road and in curves of a greater radius than 40 ft. placed with the axles
horizontal, the depth of the opening was therefore determined by the necessary
diameter of pulley with clearance above and below.

page_text: To avoid the difficulties and expense of cutting through the concrete bed as
aforesaid, a system of construction has been adopted whereby that portion of the
concrete foundation between the supporting pullies has been untouched or only
removed to a comparatively small extent, and the supporting pullies placed in
recesses or wells of the necessary depth. This arrangement has the objection that
the dirt which is carried through the slot from the surface of the road becomes
washed or blown into the recesses thereby preventing the pullies from revolving
freely, and further that each pulley recess has to be provided with a special drain
pipe to remove water and dirt that may collect therein, or may be used for washing
the conduit out.
In arrangements of conduits hitherto it has been necessary for the purpose of
obtaining access to the interior for examination or repair, to remove the square
setting of stone or wood pavement, whereby additional expense has been incurred
in its maintenance.
To obviate these difficulties and to enable the supporting pullies to come within
the depth of the square setting or pavement between the rails, and to maintain the
same bottom depth of conduit all through. According to my invention I form the
sides of the conduit of a pair of shallow continuous girders or bars of cast iron or
other suitable material, set and held at the requisite distance apart by gauge bars
or sleepers, and bedded on the top of the concrete foundation on which the rails
and square setting are laid, the depth and shape of the girders being such that,
when in position they form a trough or channel, the sides of which are somewhat
below the surface of the road.
On the top of these side girders I bolt or fasten covers of steel or other suitable
material, of channel section and of depth sufficient to fill up the remaining space
to the surface of the road, such covers over-hanging the trough inwards on each
side, but leaving a narrow open space or slot between them for the stem or shank
of the gripper to pass, I fill in the hollow of these channel bars with rock asphalt
or other suitable material and form them so that they can be readily removed
when required, without disturbing the roadway, and so connect them to the side
girders that they can be moved inwards towards the centre of slot as the sides of
slot may wear from time to time.
A form of arrangement of conduit is shown in Figure 1, of the accompanying
drawing, where the square setting or wood pavement is marked A, the side girders
shown in section B, the gauge or sole plate C, and the covers D. In Figure 3 a
similar section is shown where it becomes necessary to run two cables and conduits
between a single pair of rails, the covers D. being attached to girders B. by
bolts at intervals through the flanges and the girders B. stayed to the tramway
rails by bolts E. as shown.
The space within the covers D. shown shaded horizontally may be filled with
rock asphalt, or other suitable material.
To avoid the depth of pocket necessary for supporting pullies as heretofore
made in straight roads and curves as aforesaid, 1 form them as shown in section, in
Figure 2, where F. F. are a pair of pullies supported in sockets G. forming part of,
or attached to box H. which is in its turn connected by suitable means to girders B.
in Figures 1 & 3 and to stays E., this box being fitted with removable covers I,
the cable J, resting between the flanges of pullies F. and the spindles of pullies
revolving in chambers g. supplied with lubricating material.
The pullies F. as shown in section in Figure 2. have their centres opposite each
other, as also shown in plan in Figure 4. for the single cable, and in Figure 5. for
the double cable, under suitable conditions I place these pullies one in advance of
the other as shown in dotted lines in Figures 4 & 5. and make the flanges of larger
diameter.
The construction and formation of the pullies spindles and sockets is such, that
the body of the pulley acts as a diving bell in preventing water from obtaining
access to the rubbing surface of the spindle in the event of the conduit being
washed out or flooded.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,―
First. The formation of the conduit in such a manner that it can be opened and
examined without disturbance of the square setting or pavement of roadway,
substantially as shewn in drawings Figs. 1, 2, & 3, herewith.
Second. The formation of the overhanging portions of the conduit separate from
the side portions, so as to be moveable for access and adjustment.
Third. The formation of the overhanging portion of the conduit so as to present
a narrow surface of metal to the roadway with a stiff section for the support of
passing weights, substantially as shewn and described.
Fourth. The construction of the conduit as above described and shewn on
drawings, so arranged as to have no pockets for supporting pullies.
Fifth. The construction of the supporting pullies of such a form and so placed,
that the weight of the cable is supported between the flanges of pairs of them,
placed either opposite or alternately to each other, substantially as shewn and
described with reference at Figs. 2, 4, & 5.
Sixth. The construction and formation of supporting pullies, substantially as
shewn and described, with reference to Fig. 2, in which they each run in a single
bearing with spindle vertical or nearly vertical running in a bath of lubricant, the
bearing being protected from water or dirt by the bell shaped form of the pulley.
Dated this 19th day of March 1895.
A. BASIL WILSON.