IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES CARRIAGES, AND PERMANENT WAY
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Barraclough Fell, of Sparke Bridge, near
Newton-in-Cartmel, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
CARRIAGES, AND PERMANENT WAY."
aled the 5th September 1868, and dated the 5th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Barraclough Fell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1868.
I, JOHN BARRACLOUGH FELL, of Sparke Bridge, near Newton-in
Cartmel, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND PERMANENT WAY," to be as follows:-
For the purpose of obtaining greater economy, efficiency, and safety in the
construction, maintenance,
maintenance, and working of
working of railways and
railways and tramways
than by the ordinary method, I propose to employ either a single rail in place
of the two ordinary rails, or
ordinary rails, or otherwise two rails of such a form
[Price 8d.]

page_text: and so connected together as to have the bearing properties of a girder or
beam. I propose also to combine this method of construction with
the central rail system, as shewn in the Specifications of my Patents, num-
bered 227 and 3182, A.D. 1863, and 2174, A.D. 1866, with certain modifica-
tions in and additions to the manner of applying the guiding and
gripping power of the wheels of the engines and carriages described
therein.
The first part of my Invention refers to the use of a single rail and to the
manner of fixing and supporting it, the rail being of a girder form so as to
admit of the supports being placed at greater distances apart than
is usual in ordinary railways, and of such shape as to allow
guiding and gripping wheels to be worked either on the vertical web or on
the upper or under flange of the rail. The supports may be constructed of
wood, iron, brick, or stone, sunk in the ground to such a depth as to give the
required steadiness, and so arranged as to dispense with a continuous forma-
tion of ballast, masonry, or earthworks.
The second part of my Invention consists of a locomotive engine adapted
for working on a railway formed by a singl rail. The engine has two boilers,
one suspended on either side of the rail upon a frame which is
supported by the axles of two wheels running upon the rail at the leading
and trailing end of the engine, the centre of gravity of which is below the
upper surface of the carrying rail. The cylinders are placed above
or between the boilers, and the power is transmitted by connecting
rods with or without an intermediate crank shaft to cranks on the ends of the
carrying wheel axles. Toothed gearing may also be used for
increasing or diminishing the speed of the driving wheels in rela-
tion to the speed of the piston. When adhesion beyond that furnished by the
weight of the engine is required for ascending inclines, friction pullies or
wheels may be employed underneath the upper flanges of the rail, and their
axles may be so connected with the axles of the carrying wheels
by suitable compressing gear as to cause the two sets of wheels
to bite on or grip the flanges of the rail, and thus produce the extra adhesion
required. Horizontal guide pullies may be used to give steadiness
to the engine, and especially to guide it when passing round curves.
These pullies or wheels may also be driven by the engine, and
by being pressed. against the upright web of the rail may also
be used as driving wheels in conjunction with or independently of the carrying
wheels.

page_text: 41
The third part of my Invention relates to the waggons and carriages suitable
for running on a railway constructed with a single rail. These consist of two
parts suspended like the boiler of the engine on each side of the carrying rail,
being also furnished with horizontal guide wheels, and so arranged that
whether empty or loaden the centre of gravity is brought below the bearing
surface of the rail.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to a railway or tramway consisting
of two rails, of such a form and so tied together with plates or cross braces
as to.. become a girder capable of carrying a train on spans of
various lengths, supported in the same manner as proposed for a single rail,
these supports being also placed at greater distances apart than is usual in
railways of the ordinary description. The gauge of these railways
must necessarily be
narrow, generally not exceeding two
feet, and should be a certain proportion to the depth and
strength of the rails.
The fifth part of my Invention relates to locomotives for working on this
form of railway, which may be either like those already described, or having
only one boiler placed above the rails with the cylinder and wheels
beneath it, provided or not with guide and gripping wheels.
"
The sixth part of my Invention relates to waggons and carriages for these
narrow guage lines, such waggons and carriages being similar to
those described for a single rail, or consisting of one one body placed above
the rails, or partly above and partly below them, with or without
the use of guide wheels.
The seventh part of my Invention consists of a contrivance for applying
sand to the driving wheels of the engine, whether they be ver-
tical or horizontal, also for cleaning the surfaces of those wheels and of the rails
from ice, dirt, and whatever may tend to lesson the adhesion,
and is intended for use not only in the engine included in this
Specification, but also in any other engines where the above objects are desired
to be effected. For this purpose I apply to the surface of the wheels and
rails suitable cutters, wheels, rubbers, or brushes, either made to
revolve or simply drawn over the surfaces. For the more effectual application
of sand or other matters for increasing adhesion to the driving
wheels I first apply either by means of brushes or other suitable
instrument a fluid or semi-fluid mixture of an adhesive nature, on to which the
sand is thrown and made to adhere by any convenient means,

page_text: such has the arrangement described in the Specification of my Patent num-
bered 3182, A.D. 1863, or by the use of revolving wheels, brushes, fans, or
vanes, or other suitable apparatus, or otherwise the sand may be mixed with
the adhesive fluid, and they may be laid on to the wheels in the manner above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Barraclough Fell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BARRACLOUGH FELL, of Sparke Bridge, near Newton-in-Cartmel, in the County.
of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Barraclough Fell, Her special license
that I, the said John Barraclough Fell, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others
such others as I, the said John Barraclough Fell,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others,
others, from time
from time to time and at all times
times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND
PERMANENT WAY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Barraclough Fell, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that the said John Barraclough Fall do horebre

page_text: statome
accompany
say) :-
For the purpose of obtaining greater economy, efficiency, and safety in the
construction, maintenance, and working of railways and tramways
than by the ordinary method, I propose to employ either a single rail in place
of the two ordinary rails, or otherwise two rails of such a form
and so connected together as to have the bearing properties of a girder or
beam.
The first part of my Invention refers to the use of a single rail and to the
manner of fixing and supporting it, the rail being of girder form so as to
admit of the supports being placed at greater distances apart than is usual
in ordinary railways, and of such a shape as to allow guiding and gripping
wheels to be worked either on the vertical web or on the upper or under flange
of the rail.
Figures 1 and 2 represent an elevation and cross section of a single rail
tramway, and Figure 2 also a cross section of a waggon; the girder or beam
is formed of a combination of wood and iron. The rail a is secured upon the
plank b which rests on two planks c, these are bolted to a cast-iron chair or
bracket i, and are supported by the pillar e resting on and mor-
ticed into the sleeper f. The girder is trussed by the tension
rods i, one end of which is attached to the top end of the
bracket, and the other end to the short plank d; the beam is further
strengthened by the T-iron struts h, and the pillar e is stayed by the side
struts g. The waggon is shewn in section, q representing the framing of each
compartment, and one of the two carrying wheels which are placed at or
near the ends of the waggon and run upon the rail u. The
waggon is kept in al vertical position and lateral movement pre-
vented by the guide wheels m on the spindles n held in the brackets o and
running on the guide bars K; the support e is sunk to a sufficient depth in
the ground and so firmly embedded as to secure the requisite steadiness and
stability. The centre of gravity of the waggon and load being by this arrange-
ment brought below the level of the carrying rail, and the waggon main-
tained in a vertical position by the guide wheels, it is evident that there would
be but little tendency to lateral motion, and that the carrying
wheels could not easily get off the rail on which they run even
if the loads in the two sides of the waggon should be unequal.
A tramway of this description requiring no earthworks or masonry
and occupying but little land may be
constructed at a small

page_text: expense, and as the frictional resistances are found to be less than on
ordinary tramways the cost of traction is diminished. This description of
tramway will be especially useful for mines and quarries, and
wherever a cheaper method of construction than that now in use is required.
Many other forms may be used besides that shewn in Figure 1,
some of which are more economical and better adapted for certain
localities.
In Figures 3 and 4, a is the rail resting on a plank (b) placed flatwise on
another plank c on edge, the plank c is let into the pillar d as shewn and
further supported by two struts e, the upper ends of which abut
against the distant pieces f. The pillar d is morticed into the sleeper g as
in Figures 1 and 2, and stayed by two side struts h. This form is better
adapted for passing round curves as the plank b can be shaped
to the curve, and the guide plates k can be fixed on the under
side of the plank, as shewn in Figure 4, vertical guide wheels
being used, as shewn in Figure 11, instead of or in addition to
the horizontal wheels.
In Figure 5 the girder is composed of the rail a and the three planks b, c,
and d, which are bound together by bolts passing through blocks interposed
between the planks b and d, and the cast-iron bracket i, which bracket is
firmly held in its position by bolts passing through the side struts and the
pillar e, the other ends of these being fastened to the cross piece g resting on
the short planks h.
In Figure 6 the beam is composed of the rail a, and two planks b and c,
the underneath plank c being laid in a horizontal position, the guide bars k
being fixed on the edges or underneath, or otherwise an angle iron can be
used where both are required. The upright plank b is strengthened by the
cast-iron brackets e, and on the upper edge is fixed the channel iron rail a
or a rail of any other convenient form.
In Figure 7 the girder is a simple plank or beam b on which rests the
rail a; it is strengthened at the joints on the pillars d by the iron brackets c,
here the guide plates are fixed on the under side of the plank or beam b.
The
plank may also be set on edge and be morticed into the
pillar or be supported by two pillars one on either side. Where great lateral
support is required for the waggons running on this or any of the other forms
described, planks or bars may be fixed between the posts at a lower level
than the carrying beam or girder, and guide bars be placed on the edges on
which the guide wheels can run.

page_text: Figure 8 represents another arrangement in which the beam or girder a is
entirely of iron; the carrying wheels d run on the upper flange of it, and the
bottom flange rests on the cast-iron chair which is bolted to the framing c.
e are vertical guide wheels, their spindles running or resting in the brackets f;
horizontal guide wheels may also be used and made to run on the vertical web
of the rail a.
In Figure 9, a, b, c, represent an iron girder; d, the carrying rail; e
and f, guide bars; h, the vertical, and g two horizontal guide wheels,
the pairs of which may be used separately or together. This
arrangement is intended to be used where larger spans and heavier engines are
required.
The second part of my Invention connsists of a locomotive engine
adapted for working on a railway formed by a single rail of which Figure 13
is a plan, Figure 14 a longitudinal section, and Figure 15 a cross
section. The engine has two boilers a suspended by the frame b
on the axles c of the carrying wheels d. To the under side of the frame are
attached guide wheels e, which may also be used as gripping wheels and
be driven by the engine by means of rocking shafts and suitable connecting
rods or by toothed gearing; vertical guide wheels
be
may also
used similar to those marked e in Figure 8, and h in Figure 9. By con-
necting the axles of these vertical wheels with the axles of the carrying and
driving wheels, and putting on pressure by means of a screw acting on the
springs of the engine, or on other springs interposed for the pur-
pose, the adhesion of the driving wheels may be increased for the
purpose of drawing heavy loads at a slow speed on ordinary gradients, or of
carrying smaller loads up steep inclines. The cylinders are placed
on the upper side of the framing bor on or between the boilers a. The piston
rods are connected by the rods h with the crank pins i, and the cranks
on the other carrying axle are driven by the coupling rods in
the ordinary manner. The chimney k is placed between the boilers and is
connected with the smoke boxes by the branch pipes 1. By this
arrangement the centre of gravity of the engine is brought below the level of
the carrying rail m.
The third part of my Invention relates to waggons and carriages suitable
for running on a single rail.
Figure 2 represents a cross section of a waggon consisting of two com-
partments of which p and q are the outside and carrying frames, and one
of the carrying wheels running on the rail a; m are the guide wheels of which

page_text: there may be one or two on each spindle. The bodies and frames may be
made of wood or iron of any convenient form, and should be so placed that
the centre of gravity will be brought below the bearing surface of the carrying
rail.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to a railway or tramway consisting
of two rails of such a form and so tied together with plates or cross braces as
to become a girder capable of carrying a train on spans of various
lengths supported in the same manner as those already described for a single
rail. The waggon
or load is likewise suspended so that its centre
of gravity is brought below the level of the rails, but it may also where the
guage will admit of it be so arranged as to be above the level of the rails, the
body of the waggon being altogether above or partly above and partly below
the rails.
Figure 10 is a cross section of a narrow guage suspension rail
or tramway. b are two iron rails or girders partly resting on and bolted to
the pillar c; on these girders rest the carrying rails a. Horizontal guide
wheels may run on the vertical webs of the girders, and vertical guide
wheels may be so fixed as to run under either the top or bottom flanges.
The pillar crests on the cross sleeper e and is support laterally by the
struts d.
In Figure 11 the girder is formed of a combination of timber and iron,
a being two planks, one being placed horizontally and the other on edge, on
the former of which are the two carrying rails e; on these are shewn the
waggon wheels g, the axle of which may terminate over the inner frames of the
waggon, or be made to reach over its entire width, having four journals and
pedestals, one being placed on each side of each compartment. The waggon
is furnished with the vertical guide wheels h, and in their place or in addition
to them may have horizontal guide wheels similar to those marked m in Fig. 2,
org in Fig. 9.
In Fig. 12, a are wooden beams bolted to the pillar b, and further
supported by the iron brackets f. The beams a are strengthened by struts
similar to those marked h in Fig. 1, ог e in Fig. 3, they may
be also trussed by tension rods, as in Fig. 1, marked j, d. These
methods of strengthening may be used in all the other forms of beams
or girders to which they are applicable; instead of the tension rods
iron or steel rope may be used for the same purpose. The two iron rails e
are firmly fixed on the beams a. Instead of
iron rails may be

page_text: used of oak, beech, ash,
.
or
any other kind of nard wood, the
that of the iron
carry.
Wooden rails and
bearing surface being proportionally broader than
rails according to the load they have to
wheels with broad tyres may be used in any of the forms of beams heretofore
described.
In order to avoid abrasion and wear and tear and to increase adhesion.
where wooden rails are used, the tyres of the driving and guiding wheels
of the engines, and of the carrying and guiding wheels of the waggons
or carriages, may be made of or covered with vulcanized india-rubber,
and this description of tyres may also be used for running upon iron.
is
rails, the bearing surfaces of the rails being made broader than
customary when the carrying wheels have iron tyres. The pillar b
rests on the sleeper d, and is supported by the struts c in the manner
previously shewn. The gauge of these railways must necessarily be
narrow, consisting of the width of the pillars and the thickness of the two
beams or girders collectively where the latter are fixed on the sides
of the pillars, as in Figs. 10 and 12. In order to obtain where desirable a
somewhat broader gauge, the beams may be placed wider apart and
fixed to the pillars by means of brackets of wood or iron.
gauge in Fig. 12 is limited to the width of the plank a.
carrying wheels may be made to run either on the ouside or inside of the two
rails e.
The width of the
The flanges of the
The fifth part of my Invention relates to locomotive engines for
working on railways described under the fourth head of my Invention, which
similar to those already described and illustrated by
may be
Figs. 13, 14, and 15, except that they are furnished with two or more pairs
or they
of carrying and driving wheels instead of single wheels,
may have only one boiler placed over the rails with the cylinders and wheels
beneath it, and be provided or not with guiding and gripping wheels. Also
for ascending steep inclines, a rack may be laid horizontally between the
rails, and toothed wheels be fixed on the axles between the carrying
wheels or on a separate axle or axles to work into into the racks, the
pitch line being made to correspond with the surface of the carry-
ing rails.
The sixth part of my Invention relates to waggons and carriages for the
narrow gauge lines herein-before described. These may be similar to those for
single rail lines, Figs. 2 and 8, except that a pair of wheels are used in place
of one wheel, as in Fig. 11; or the bodies may be made in one piece or com-

page_text: of the latter form.
Fig. 10 represents the cross section of a waggon made of timber, and Fig. 16
of a passenger carriage in which the seats are placed back to back over and
a little above the level of the carrying rails.
In Fig. 10, f represents the body of the waggon, and g the framings.
In Fig. 16, c is the pillar; b, the girders of the railway; /, the
two compartments of a passenger carriage in which are the sides;
k, the windows; 1, the roof; m, the seats; g, the partition between
them; i, the floor; and i, the raised floor or platform for the passengers'
feet.
The seventh part of my Invention consists of a contrivance for the more
effectual application of sand to the driving wheels of locomotive engines, whether
these wheels be vertical or horizontal; also for cleaning the surface of the
wheels and of the rails on which they run from ice, dirt, and whatever may
tend to diminish the adhesion.
The Invention is intended
for use not only for the engines in-
cluded in this Specification, but also in centre rail and other locomotive
engines.
For the more effectual application of sand or other matters for
increasing adhesion to the driving wheels, I first apply by means of brushes
or other suitable apparatus, a fluid or semi-fluid mixture of an
adhesive nature into which the sand is thrown so as to be made.
to adhere. The mixture may be made of resin boiled in a sufficient quantity
of water and soda ash to reduce it to the consistency of honey
or treacle, or of resin two parts, litharge one part, and linseed oil one
part, mixed and melted together over a slow fire and kept simmering for
twenty minutes or half an hour. I place either of these mixtures
or other of a similar nature in a close box or other receptacle in a convenient
position on the engine, and cause it to be maintained at the
proper consistency by a jet of steam from the boiler. The mixture is made to
flow by its own gravity, or by steam pressure if required, on to the brushes
or apparatus provided for spreading it over the tyres of the wheels;
the sand is then thrown on by ordinary sand pipes, or by the arrangement
described in my Specification, No. 3182, A.D. 1863, or by the means of
revolving fans or brushes driven from one of the axles of the
engine, and so adjusted as to regulate the quantity of sand used which can be
varied as required by the engine driver; the sand may also be mixed with

page_text: the adhesive fluid, and laid on to the tyres of the engine wheels
by means of revolving wheels, brushes, fans, vanes, or other suitable
apparatus. This method of increasing adhesion is valuable for mountain
railways where great tractive force has to be maintained over long distances,
for by it the application of sand is made more effective, and the quantity
used being economised so that the same supply will be sufficient for much
longer distances. The sand is also in a great measure prevented
from being blown into the working parts of the engine and the wear and tear
thereby diminished.
For the purpose of cleaning the centre rail from ice, snow, and other obstruc-
tions and substances having a tendency to diminish the adhesion, I use the
apparatus shewn in Figs. 17 and 18.
Fig. 17 is the plan of two brushes h fixed to the cylinders g, and revolving
on the axles d which are made to rotate by the bevel wheels f, one of which
is keyed on to the axle c of a waggon having the four guide wheels b running
on the centre rail a.
Fig. 18 is a cross section of rail, axle, and brushes on which
the same parts are marked with the same letters as in the plan; these
brushes may be made of bristles, wire, or any other suitable substance.
The cylinders g may also be furnished with cutters or tools adapted
for scraping and removing from the centre rail any ice, snow, or other
matter that may be adhering to it. The waggon to which they are attached
must be driven before the engine, or the brushes and cutters may on shorter
cylinders be fixed to the leading end of the engine, or on to a
snow plough driven like the waggon before it. Similar brushes and cutters
may be used for cleaning the bearing rails, the axle or axles being placed
at right angles to the road and vertically over the rails. These axles and those
of the centre rail brushes may be driven from the axles of the
engine; either by toothed gearing (Fig. 17, letter f) or by means of belts, or
bands, or chains.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the modes
of carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The mode of constructing and supporting single rail tram
or railways in the manner described under the first part of my
Invention.
Secondly. The system or mode of constructing and combining the parts
of locomotive engines adapted for single rail tramways or railways, where

page_text: the boiler is so formed as to come below or partially below the surface of the
carrying rail, substantially as herein-before described under the second part
of my Invention.
Thirdly. The system or mode of increasing the adhesion of the driving
carrying wheels of locomotives for single rail or narrow guage suspension rail-
ways by wheels acting under the rail, as described under the second part of
my Invention.
Fourthly. The mode of constructing waggons and carriages in two
compartments combined together upon one frame and provided with
guiding wheels, substantially as described under the
the third part of
my Invention.
Fifthly. The mode of constructing and supporting two rail narrow gauge
suspension tramways or railways by combining the parts together to form a
girder, substantially in the manner herein-before described under the fourth
part of my Invention.
Sixthly. The combination of the parts of locomotives, substantially as
described under the fifth part of my Invention.
Seventhly. The construction of waggons and carriages, substantially as
described under the sixth part of my Invention.
Eightly, and lastly. The use of adhesive mixtures and the mode of applying
the same separately or combined with sand to the driving wheels (carrying
or gripping) of locomotives, also the mode of cleaning the surfaces of the
wheels and rails, substantially as herein-before described under the seventh
part of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barraclough Fell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
JOHN B. FELL. (L.S.)