Year: 1847

page_text: LONDON:
PRINTED BY GEORGE E. EYRE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE,
PRINTERS TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY :
PUBLISHED AT THE GREAT SEAL PATENT OFFICE,
25, SOUTHAMPTON BUILDINGS, HOLBORN.

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BENJAMIN EDWARD BERGER, of Abchurch Lane, in the City of London,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the. Third day of June, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel
Benjamin Edward Berger, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Samuel Benjamin Edward Berger, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Samuel Benjamin
Edward Berger, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES," being a communication from a Foreigner residing abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Samuel
Benjamin Edward Berger, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully.
and at large apncar.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the 'said
Samuel Benjamin Edward Berger, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):
-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent,
relates to a mode or modes of connecting the axle boxes of railway axles with
the framing of the carriage, whereby the axles will have a slight horizontal
play sufficient for them (when travelling over curves) to take a line parallel
to the radius of the curve over which they may be passing. The necessity of
travelling slowly along sudden curves or curves of small radius, to prevent the
danger from running off the rails, is well known, and many attempts have
been made to increase the safety of such travelling, but amongst those none
have been so generally or successfully adopted as the flanged wheel, the running
surface of which is a fulcrum of a cone. The disadvantages, however, atten-
dant on the use of these wheels, as at present mounted (in addition to the
inconvenience of having to slacken the speed of travelling as above mentioned),
are the sudden and continuous jerks transmitted to the carriages, and thence
to the passengers, and the twisting and contortion and consequent destruction
of the fibres of the iron composing the axles of the carriages, firstly, by reason
of the impelling power of the engine when passing a curve throwing the
increasing diameter of the outer wheels in contact with the rail, and the
weight of the rails acting in a contrary way, and causing the wheels to slip
until the smallest diameter of their periphery is running in contact with the
rails; and, secondly, by the slip on the rail which one wheel of each pair has
to make whilst its fellow wheel is revolving, in order to compensate for the
different distances they have to run when passing over curves. In order to
temedy these evils, and allow the several pairs of cone wheels in a railway
train to adjust themselves on the rails in a manner which will compensate for
the different distances the near and off wheels have to run when passing over
a curve in the line of railway, the Inventor connects the axles to the carriages
in the manner shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
For four-wheel carriages he employs the apparatus shewn in elevation at
Figure 1, and in cross section at Figures 2 and 3, the former being taken in
the line 1... 2, and the latter in 3... 4, of Figure 1. A, A, is one of the two
main side beams of the framing of the carriage; and as each side of the car-
riage is similarly furnished for the support of the axles, I shall describe only
the part pertaining to one end of an axle, as shewn in the Drawing. a, a, are

page_text: four arms or brackets bolted, two on each side to the beam A, and at the
lower ends they are coupled together in pairs by a bolt or pin b. These pins
each carry two links c, c, and through their upper ends a coupling pin is
passed, and secured in its place by rivet heads or otherwise. d, d, are two
rods or bars, provided at each end with eyes for the purpose of being con-
nected respectively at their outer ends by the coupling pins of the links c, c,
and at their inner ends of being jointed together by the coupling pins e, e,
and intervening links f,f (see the detached views Figure 4). These coupling
pius e, which are secured in their places by screws, nuts; also pass through the
eyes of the pendant links h, h, which pass through the step or axle box k, and
hold it in suspension. is the bearing spring, composed of layers of steel
plates piled one above the other, and embraced by the links h, h, which, when
screwed tight to the axle box by the nuts shewn in the Drawing, cause the
horizontal linksf to bind tightly upon the middle of the steel plates, and hold
them securely together. It will now be understood, that when it is desirable
for the axle to take a position other than a right angle with the side of its car-
riage, such movement will be permitted by the links c, c, being free to oscillate.
In order, however, to check an undue horizontal movement of the axle, and
of its adjustment only to a line parallel with the radius of the curve over
which the carriage is passing, elastic stop or check pieces, m, m, are provided,
as shewn at Figure 1, and placed in such a manner as will allow of a free
motion of from about one quarter to half an inch, so that whenever the axle
may have a tendency to sway too much either, forward or backward the
links c, c, will come in contact with the pieces m, and be prevented from
moving further. This horizontal movement of the axle (as must be obvious
to every person conversant with the working of railways) will only occur when
the railway deviates from a straight line, but when the carriage again pursues
a straight course the axle will regain its position at right angles to the length
of the carriage.
:
A modification of this. Invention, as more particularly applicable to a six-
wheel carriage, is shewn, at Figuro 5, 6, and 7; Figure 5 being a side eleva
tion; Figure 6, a cross section in the line 5... 6; and Figure 7, a cross section
in the line 7... 8, of Figure 5. The object of this modification is. to allow the
axles to move laterally as well as in a forward and backward direction, in
order that in a carriage having three or four pairs of wheels the hind wheels may
follow the front pair, not always in a straight line as they are now obliged to
do (whereby a continuous abrasion of the flanges against the rails is caused
when passing curves), but that they may take a position on the rail suitable

page_text: for compensating for the difference in radius of the two sides of the curve of
a railway, and permit the cone peripheries to work efficiently for that purpose.
In this modification the same or analagous parts are marked with similar
letters of reference. Instead of the four arms, a, a, Figure 1, forked arms a are
made to embrace the beam A, and at the junction of the prong-filling pieces
are provided, as shewn at Figure 7. Brass rods o, o, are also employed to
ensure the rigidity required for the arms a. The lower ends of the arm a are
hooked shaped, and are intended to receive respectively the shackles or
links c, c, which, together with the coupling hooks c*, pendant from the bars d,
perform the same office as the links c in Figure 1. But it will be seen from
the construction of this coupling that a lateral play or movement will be
allowed to the axle independent of the carringe framing (no fixed point of
'vibration being employed, as at Figure 1), and consequently the object
desired, (viz.) of giving a lateral as well as a backward and forward motion
to the axle, will be obtained. For the purpose of preventing an undue
amount of horizontal motion of the axle, tho vibrating space is contracted at
xx, Figure 5. In case of the breakage of either of the shoulders c, a
block of wood p is attached beneath the framing, which in falling will be
'caught by the block p, acting on the coupling links f of the bars d. 7 is a
shield for preventing the step or axle box from getting displaced, in the
event of such an accident as above alluded to.
Having now described the Invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondent, I would remark, that I do not confine my claim to
the precise details above described, and shewn in the Drawing, as many minor
alterations might be effected without departing from the nature of the Inven-
tion; for instance, any kind of spring suitable for railway carriages may be
employed, instead of those shewn at Figures 1 and 5; and the shackles c, c
(Figure 5), might be put in direct connection with the bars d, if thought
desirable. I therefore claim, under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
the modes herein described of connecting the steps or axle boxes to the framing
of railway carriages, whereby the axles of such carriages are enabled to shift
their positions with respect to the frames of the carriages for the purposes
'above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Benjamin Edward Berger, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the
year our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
(L.s.) SAMUEL BENJAMIN EDWARD BERGER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Third day of December,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Samuel Benjamin Edward Berger
came before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Third day of December, in the year above written.