Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Operation, of the.. Oable in Cable Tramways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov.,
1894
COMPLETE SPECIȚICATION,
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Operation, of the..
Oable in Cable Tramways.
7
I, EDWIN NEIL, of 169 Jeliff Avenue, City of Newark, County of Essex; and
State of New Jersey, United States of America, Inventor, 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 :-
The invention has reference more particularly to an appliance to be used on
cable cars, for controlling, from a car in motion, the operation of its main working
cable.
The invention therefore has for its primary object to provide a means, whereby,
in the event of an accident resulting from the entanglement of the working cable:
in.the grip of any car, from any cause, that section of cable on which such accident
may happen, can be immediately stopped by the gripman in charge of the car,
thereby avoiding injury to life and property.
יי
As is well known, much difficulty has heretoforo been encountered by the
entanglement of a wire strand from. the cable in the cable-grip, or from other
similar causes, thereby causing what may be termed' a run-away" cable car ;, and
the main feature of my invention therefore consists in the arrangement and com-
bination of mechanisni on the car, under perfect control of the gripman, adapted.
to be engaged at the time of need with an idle cable placed in the conduit and
parallel with the working cable, and to be connected at the power station with,
the controlling mechanism of the working cable, whereby said cable is immediately,
stopped!
Other minor features, such as providing chocks or blocks to be attached at:
intervals to said idle cable; means for supporting said idle or extra cable,
ordinarily in a state of rest; and mechanism engaging the chocks or blocks
attached to said extra cable, will be fully explained hereinafter.
The several objects of the invention are attained by the mechanism illustrated.
in the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side view of a cable car and its cable grip, of any suitable,
construction, the conduit being represented in longitudinal vertical section,
illustrating in connection with said figure, the extra or idle cable and mechanism
operated from the car to be engaged with said extra cable.
Figure-2 is a horizontal section of the conduit, illustrating an arrangement.of.
the working cable and the extra or idle cable provided with one form of chocks.or
blocks, and a device for supporting said cable at rest in the conduit.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the conduit, illustrating the mechanism. in front
elevation, when out of engagement with the extra or idle onble, and Figure 4 is a.
similar view, with said mechanism in its operative engagement with said extra or.
idle cable to stop the car.
Figures 5 and 6 are side views of the cable grip and said extra cable-operating
mechanism, illustrated in said Figures 3 and 4-respectively.
Figures 7 and 8 are a front view and a side view respectively of spring-actuated
supports or carriers in the conduit for supporting the extra or idle cable used in
connection with the same, and Figure 9 is a perspective view of a clutch or grip
used in connection with the mechanism for engaging with the idle cable.
Figures 10 and 11 are a front and a side elevation respectively, of a.modified.
form of construction of carrier or support for the extra or idle cable.
Figures 12 and 13 are similar views of one form of clutch-mechanism and wheel

page_text: .
over which the main or operating cable passes at the power station, illustrating one
manner of connecting the one end of the extra or idle cable with the clutch lever,
for disconnecting the parts of the clutch and causing the stoppage of the main
cable.
Similar letters of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the several
views of the drawings.
In said views, A represents a cable car of any of the well-known forms of
construction, provided with any well known form of cable-grip a supported on the
bars band b, and its wheels a being in operative contact with the main or working
cable a' in the conduit as for operating the car....
This mechanism, as illustrated in Figure 1, is set to propel the car in the
direction of the arrow shown in said figure..
.t
In said conduit a, as will be seen from the several figures of the drawing, I bave
arranged at suitable intervals, supports or carriers e, which consist essentially of a
plate c' secured by bolts to the conduit and are provided with holding lugs c³.
Pivotally secured between said lug on a pin c is a post chaving a forked endie...
A stiff spring c tends to pull said post backwardly and a nosing or spur con said
post just below its pivotal support thereby comes in contact with a stop between
said lugs c³, which causes the normal upright position of said post for supporting
the extra or idle cable d in the forked ends of the said posts, c*.
The extra or idle cable d is provided at suitable intervals with chocks or blocks d¹,
consisting essentially, of two plates d' and d, firmly secured to the cable by means
of bolts, as will be seen from Figures 2, 5 and 6.
The extra or idle cable-operating mechanism is, illustrated more especially in
Figures 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and consists essentially of the following parts:-
Pivotally secured underneath the platform of the car is a bell crank e having
the arms e and e. Connected with said arm e¹ and extending up above, the
platform of the car is an operating levere. Connecting with said arme of the
bell crauk eis a long rod e which extends to near the middle of the car and is,
connected with a second bell crank e, having the arms and e', and preferably
pivoted to the supporting frame of the cable gripping device, as.shown. A rode
is connected at one end with a lever e, which in turn is connected with the clutch
arme, as shown in Figure 9.,
i
Thus it will be seen, that when the car is "running away" from the gripman,.
caused by the entanglement of the cable grip with the working cable a³, all be has
to do is to operate the lever 3 on the platform, and by the intermediately arranged
mechanism the clutch end of the armed will be brought down to embrace the
extra or idle cable d, see Figures 4 and 6, thereby bringing said end ell into operative,
engagement with the chocks or blocks di on said cable d.
The" run away" car will thus cause the operation of the cable d, until the end d
connected with a clutch-operating lever in the power station, see Figures 12 and 13,
will be pulled taut, thereby operating the clutch lever fand causing it to be dis-,
connected' from the cable wheel, which is now loose on the main shaft, thereby
stopping the main or working cable in the conduit.
As shown in Figure 12, the extreme end d' of the cable d may be of sufficient,
strength to operate the lever, but when the car is moving at great speed with
sufficient momentum to carry it some distance before stopping, then said end d³ is
weak enough to part, after baving first released the clutch-mechanism, without
doing any further damage to the working parts of the mechanism.
To permit the passage of the clutch end e" of the arm elo and the chocks d' on
the cable d. over said supports or carriers e, without doing any damage to the same,
the post has been pivotally arranged, as stated, whereby, when said arm e⁰ and a
chöck d' comes in contact with said post, the latter will be turned down until the
other parts have passed over it, and the spring of will immediately cause said post to
stand in its upright position.
Of course the spring is made of sufficient power and strength to also cause the
cable to be raised and supported by all nosta
:

page_text: As will be seen from Figures 1, 3 and 4, the mechanism for operating the extra
or idle cable, may be duplicated, the clutch arms eo being arranged on opposite
sides of the cable grip, whereby, no matter in which direction a car is being
propelled, either of said arms eo can be made to engage with the extra or idle
cable, as will be evident.
:
At the same time it will be noticed, that the extra or idle cable-operating
mechanism is operative only from the front platform of the car, and no matter, how
much the lever on the rear platform is worked by a person ou said platform, it can
not be made to engage with the cable d, to unnecessarily interfere with the
operation of the main or working.cable.
In lieu of the supports or carriers illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, I may provide
the plate e of each carrier with the arms c, between which is rotatively arranged
a device having forked arms c10 for supporting the cable d. The pivotal arrange-
ment of said device will permit the end e" of the clutch arm e" and the chocks d
to pass over said device when the cable d has been operated.
The advantages and benefits derived from my improvements will be evident, for,
in case of the entanglement of the cable grip with the main working cable, the
olutch mechanisin can be made to engage with the extra or idle cable, and the
result of bringing said mechanism into action is to cause the idle cable to move in
the same direction with the car, thereby causing a stopping or shutting off of the
power driving the section of the cable concerned.
Of course it will be obvious that the precise form and arrangements of the
several parts berein shown and described are not absolutely essential to my
improvements, and they may be varied within the limits of mechanical skill
without departing from the scope of my invention, and hence I do not limit my
invention; to the exact arrangements and combinations of parts herein shown and
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the-combination, with said working cable, of an extra or idle cable in the
conduit with said working cable, said extra or idle cable being connected at the
power station. with means, for shutting off the power from the working cable,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the combination, with said working cable, of an extra or idle cable in the
conduit with said working cable, and mechanism connected with the car body and
operated therefrom, to be engaged with said extra or idle cable, to cause the same
to move. with the car body and shut off the power driving the working cable,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the combination, with said working cable, of an extra or idle cable in the
conduit with said working. cable, chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable,
clutch fork on the car body, and mechanism for throwing said fork in holding
engagement with one of said chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, to cause
the same to move with the car body and shut off the power driving the working
cable, substantially as aud for the purposes set forth.
4. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the combination, with the working cable, of an extra or idle cable in the
conduit with said working cable, movable supports or carriers for said extra" or idle
cable, chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, a clutch fork on the car body,
and mechanism for throwing said fork in holding engagement with one of said
chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, to cause the same to move with the car
body and shut off the power driving the working cable, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.

page_text: 5. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the combination, with said working cable, of an extra or idle, cable in the
conduit with said working cable, supports or carriers for said extra or idle cable,
each support comprising therein a suitable base, a spring-actuated post pivotally
arranged on said base, and means connected therewith for retaining said post in
its upright position, chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, a clutch fork on
the car body, and mechanism for throwing said fork in holding engagement with
one of said chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, to cause the same to move
with the car body and shut off the power driving the cable, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
6. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
care, the combination, with the said working cable, of an extra or idle cable 'in
the conduit with said working cable, supports or carriers for said extra or idle
cable, each support comprising therein a suitable base, a. spring-actuated post
pivotally arranged on said base, and means connected therewith for.retaining said'
post in its upright position, chocks or blocks on said extra cable, a clutch fork.on
the car body, and mechanism for throwing said fork in holding engagement with
one of said chocks or blocks on the idle cable, to cause the same to move with the
car body and shut off the power driving the cable, said mechanism consisting
essentially, of an operating lever e bell crank e, connecting rod e bell crank
and rod es connecting said bell crank e with said clutch fork, substantially as aud
for the purposes set forth.
7. In an appliance for controlling the operation of the working cable of cable
cars, the combination, with the working cable, of an extra or idle cable in the
conduit with said working cable, chocks or blocks on said extra cable; a clutch fork
on the car body, and mechanism for throwing said fork in holding engagement
with one of said chocks or blocks on said extra or idle cable, to cause the same to
move with the car body and shut off the power driving the working cable, said
mechanism consisting essentially, of an operating lever e, bell cranke, connecting
rode, bell crank e, and a rod e connecting, said bell crank with said clutch fork,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 12th day of September 1894.
EDWIN. NEIL..
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.