IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAMCARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hinksman of 117 Great Russell Street Blooms-
bury in the County of Middlesex. for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAMCARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF
ROPES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hinksman at the'
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st September 1883.
CHARLES HINKSMAN of 117 Great Russell Street Bloomsbury in the County
of Middlesex,-" IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS AND
TRAM-CARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES."
APPLIANCES FOR WORKING
This invention relates to the means and appliances by which the Tramcars are
propelled on tramroads by endless or other ropes or rope cables, arranged and
travelling in hollow tubes under the roadway.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means of lifting, gripping,
and releasing the rope of readily raising and removing the gripping portion of the
apparatus from the slotted tube, when necessary: and to improve the form of the
tube so that the rope or cable is suitably guided to the pullies upon which
it runs.
.
I place the apparatus within the "wheel-base" of the car, between the two axles,
to the under side of which axles I suspend the same by means of suitable
attachments to the axle.
.
In one modification of my invention I fit two pairs of balanced double-acting
jaws to the lower end of the gripping frame, in such a manner that the cable can
be gripped on either side of the frame, and, in case there should be two cables in
one tube, moving in opposite directions, the car can be driven either way, by
gripping the cable which is travelling in the required direction. The grippers in
this form of my invention are of a bell-crank shape, and both pivoted in one
horizontal line. The jaws on the "engaged" side grip the cable in a vertical, or
nearly vertical direction, and the jaws on the disengaged" side move out of the
way of the cable (if any) on that side of the gripping frame. The two pairs of
jawa are actuated by one vertical sliding link, terminating in two connecting rods

page_text: connected to the jaws, in such a manner that the upward motion of the link causes
the jaws to grip the cable on one side, and the downward motion on the other.
Suitable rollers are mounted on the lower jaws of the grippers to reduce friction
when the car is standing still.
The vertical sliding link is actuated by means of a crank fitted to a longitudinal
shaft, with connections to each platform, where transverse action, or other suitable
levers are fitted to be worked by hand. The pin of the crank on the longitudinal
shaft is fitted to a slide block which slides in a frame on the upper end of the
sliding link
The picking-up apparatus is attached to the same frame, and is made capable of
rotating in a semi-circle or thereabouts in order to pick up the cable on either side
of the gripping apparatus, and also of being lowered and raised in order to lift the
cable. This arrangement of my invention is raised out of the tube when necessary
by means of a worm and worm-wheel gearing, which raises the gripping frame and
its appurtenances in a transverse direction by means of a hand wheel under
the car.
The crank which actuates the gripping jaws, and also the picking up apparatus
are suitably connected by means of longitudinal shafts and rods to the two
platforms, from whence they are operated by hand.
Another arrangement of my invention consists of an adaptation of the picking
up apparatus, hereinbefore referred to, to the purpose of gripping whereby the
picking up apparatus and the grip are united in one.
In this form the upper portions of the grippers consist of two rollers on each
side, and the lower portion consists of a single roller, which is capable of being
turned in a horizontal orbit in any direction, and also of being raised and
lowered by means of bevel and screw gear; the cable is gripped from below by
this adjustable roller, and from above by the two upper rollers on either side. The
gripper frame, in this arrangement, is raised out of the tube, when required, in a
fore and aft direction, by means of a worm-wheel; worm and handwheel, and the
frame is guided by a quadrantal guide frame from the vertical to the horizontal
position, or thereabouts
I either curve the sides of the tube in which the cables are carried, or place
therein curved guides, in order that when the cables are dropped from the grips
they cannot fail to fall upon the pullies intended to carry the same.
I also sometimes fit suitable pullies or rollers to that portion of the gripping frame
which is in the tube, to guide the same round curves, or such pullies or rollers are
fitted inside the tube, and corresponding guide plates are fitted to the gripping
frame for the same purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Hinksman in the Patent Office on the 21st March 1884.
CHARLES HINKSMAN of 117 Great Russell Street Bloomsbury in the County
of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING
TRAM CARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES".
'This Invention relates to the means and appliances by which the Tram Cars are
propelled on tram roads by endless or other ropes or rope cables arranged and
travelling in hollow tubes under the roadway.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means of lifting,
gripping and releasing the rope: of readily raising and removing the gripping
portion of the apparatus from the slotted tube when necessary, and to improve the
form of the tube so that the rope or cable is suitably guided to the pullies upon
which it runs.
I place the apparatus within the "wheel base" of the Car between the two
axles, to the underside of which axles I suspend the same by means of suitable
attachments to the axle.
In one modification of my invention I fit two pairs of balanced double acting
jaws to the lower end of the gripping frame in such a manner that the cable can
be gripped on either side of the frame and in case there should be two cables in
one tube moving in opposite directions the car can be driven either way by
gripping the cable which is travelling in the required direction. The grippers in
this form of my invention are of a bell crank shape, and both pivotted in one
horizontal line. The jaws on the "engaged" side grip the cable in a vertical or
nearly vertical direction, and the jaws on the disengaged side move out of the way
of the cable (if any) on that side of the gripping frame-The two pairs of jaws
are actuated by one vertical sliding link, terminating in two connecting rods
connected to the jaws, in such a manner that the upward motion of the link
causes the jaws to grip the cable on one side, and the downward motion on the
other. Suitable rollers are mounted on the lower jaws of the grippers to reduce
friction when the car is standing still.
The vertical sliding link is actuated by means of a crank fitted to a longitudinal
shaft, with connections to each platform, where transverse action, or other suitable
levers are fitted to be worked by hand-The pin of the crank on the longitudinal
shaft is fitted to a slide block which slides in a frame on the upper end of the
sliding link.
The picking up apparatus is attached to the same frame and is made capable of
rotating in a semicircle or thereabouts in order to pick up the cable on either side
of the gripping apparatus and also of being lowered and raised in order to lift the
cable This arrangement of my invention is raised out of the tube when necessary
by means of a worm and worm wheel gearing which raises the gripping frame and
its appurtenances in a transverse direction by means of a hand wheel under
the car.
The crank which actuates the gripping jaws and also the picking up apparatus
are suitably connected by means of longitudinal shafts and rods to the two platforms
from whence they are operated by hand.
Another arrangement of my invention consists of an adaptation forming an
alternative gripping apparatus to the purpose of picking up whereby the grip and
picking up apparatus are combined in one
In this form each of the upper portions of the grippers consists of a gripping
block with a roller at each end and the lower portion consists of a single roller,
which is capable of being turned horizontally in a semicircle and also of being

page_text: raised and lowered by means of bevel and screw gear, the cable is gripped from
below by this adjustable roller and from above by the before mentioned block.
The gripper frame in this arrangement is raised out of the tube when required
in a fore and aft direction, by means of a worm wheel, worm and hand wheel and
the frame is guided by a quadrantal guide frame from the vertical to the horizontal
⚫ position or thereabouts.
I either curl the sides of the tubes in which the cables are carried or placed
therein curved guides in order that when the cables are dropped from the grips
they cannot fail to fall upon the pullies intended to carry the same.
I also sometimes fit suitable pullies or rollers to that portion of the gripping
frame which is in the tube to guide the same round curves or such pullies or rollers
are fitted inside the tube and corresponding guide plates are fitted to the gripping
frame for the same purpose.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood reference is hereby
made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several figures.
Figure 1 is an enlarged vertical section of one form of my improved grip on the
line A B of Fig: 2-Fig 2 is a side view of the same. Fig: 3 is a separate end
view of the right and left hand upper jaws. Fig: 4 is an elevation of Fig: 3 at
right angles thereto. Fig 5 is an end view of the picking up device (which is
omitted in Fig 1. for the sake of clearness) Fig 6 is a section of Fig 5 on the
line CD-The form of the upper jaw piece d is shewn in Figs 1 to 4. It contains
two jaws to take a rope on either side The lower jaw piece is formed double
for the same purpose anti-friction pullies d are fitted to the lower-jaw to carry the
cable when the jaws are not gripping the cable, to reduce friction-The upper
jaw d is pivoted on the axis 8 and is actuated by the link s¹ and pin -The lower
jaw d is also pivoted on the axis 8 and is actuated by the link 8 and pin 83. The
picking up piece t Figs: 2. 5 and 6, is made to revolve on its vertical centre to pick
up the cable on the right or left hand-By lowering t the arm and roller t¹ can be
placed under the cable. In case t¹ comes in contact with the cable as it is lowered,
it partially rotates on the centre t as shewn in dotted lines in Fig: 5, but it is not
capable of rotating below the horizontal position shewn. This piece is also
capable of turning out of the way of obstructions by partially rotating on its
vertical axis and resuming its position by means of the flat spring t³.
Fig 7 represents (in elevation) and Fig: 8 represents in plan, the grip in position.
The sleeve a is fitted to bearings under the axles. The connecting link b¹ is
actuated as shewn in Fig 7 by means of the hand levers h at each end of the car,
and the picking up piece is actuated as shewn in figs 7 and 8.
When it is necessary to raise the gripper out of the tube, at a box provided for
the purpose, the worm and wheel are provided to effect the same The worm
is turned by the hand wheel and shaft i¹ and the wheel being fast on the
sleeve a the grip can be raised to or towards a horizontal position under the car.
The connecting rod t actuates the bell crank lever and picking up piece tand
has a ball joint at t to allow for vibration
Fig: 9 is another view of the lever hand rack shown in Figs: 7 and 8
Two forms of guide apparatus for the gripping piece are shewn, one in Fig: 11
where rollers u are provided for rounding curves, such rollers coming in contact
with and rolling against suitable guide plates. In the other form, as shewn in
Fig: 10 the rollers are fitted to the tube and the gripper piece has guide surfaces
attached thereto. Fig. 11 also shews the picking up apparatus in position in the
tube.
Fig: 13. 14 and 15 are detail views of the picking up apparatus with alternate
arrangements of hand levers for the same.
Figs. 12. 16. 17 and 18 represent another form of my improved gripping
apparatus, in which the upper jaw is fixed to the frame c¹, and the lower jaw
(consisting of a single roller) is raised or lowered for the purposes of gripping and
releasing.

page_text: Fig 17 is an elevation. Fig. 18 a plan and Fig 12 a transverse section of
this part of my invention-Fig 16 is a partial elevation of one of the platform
ends of the car and shews the actuating bandles for the grip picker up and brake
In Fig: 17 the hand wheel h h (by means of bevel gear) actuate the shafts a². a²-
These shafts are in the position shewn in Fig: 12, and it will be seen that a spur
wheel a gears with another spur wheel at which actuates the bevel gear shewn―
The bevel wheel ae acts as a nut to the screw b' This screw raises or lowers the
lower jaw d and thereby effects the necessary gripping and releasing of the cable.
The lower jaw consists of a pulley and this jaw is capable of being rotated on its
vertical axis through a semi-circle, so as to render it available for a cable on either
side This semi-rotation is effected by means of one of the hand levers h¹ and
connecting rods v operating the lever and toothed sector w which gears into a
bevel pinion as shewn
For raising this grip out of the tube the gear shewn in figs 12 and 18 is provided
By turning the handwheel x, worm a¹, wheel a³, and shaft ³ the gripping apparatus
is raised in a line with the longitudinal axis of the car, the bevel wheel a at the
same time leaves its connection with the bevel wheel at a*.
:
Figs 19. 20. 21. 22 and 23 are detailed views of the form of improved gripping
apparatus shewn in Figs: 12 to 18 in which the gripping and picking up
apparatus are combined in one-Fig 19 is a side view, Fig: 20 a vertical section
on the line C D of Fig: 22-Fig: 21: is a vertical section on the line E. F. of
Fig 19-Fig: 22: is a sectional plan at A. B. of Fig: 19.-Fig: 23 is a sectional
plan at G. H Fig: 20. In this form of gripping apparatus each of the upper
portions of the grippers consists of a gripping block d with a roller d² at each
end The lower portion & consists of a roller d³ which is capable of being turned
on its vertical axle d³ in a semi circle to enable it to be brought into position for
gripping on either side, and also being raised and lowered as before described, the
cable being gripped between the roller and the block -To overcome any
tendency the pull of the rope may have to twist the spindle d³ in consequence of
one side of the lower portion of the gripper being cut away to enable the roller d³
to pass from one side to the other, I have introduced on each side (between the
quandrantal frame and the block d') a stop piece de which when the pulley d³ in the
lower jaw is raised into position to grip, prevents the same from veering round by
receiving the thrust of the square collar d' of the spindle of the pulley.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In cable grippers for the purposes described the use of the jaws d d and
connecting rods &² 8 operating as described and shewn in Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 7 and 10
of the drawings or any mere modification thereof.
2 In cable grippers for the purposes described the use of the picker up t.
Figs. 2.-5.-6.-7-8-11. 13. 14. and 15. and the method of actuating the same
or any mere modication [sic] thereof
3 In cable grippers for the purposes described the method and means of rotating
the gripper and actuating the same as a means of picking up the cable as herein-
before described and shewn in the drawings Figs: 12. 16. 17. 18., 19. 20. 21. 22
and 23 or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Hinksman have hereunto set my hand
and seal this seventeenth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.
CHARLES HINKSMAN (LS)