IMPROVEMENTS IN REMOVING AND REPLACING THE WHEELS AND AXLES OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Strong, of Carstairs, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REMOVING AND REPLACING THE WHEELS AND AXLES OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
P
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Strong at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1854.
I, EDWARD STRONG, of Carstairs, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REMOVING AND REPLACING THE WHEELS AND AXLES OF LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows; that is
to say :-
This Invention relates to a mechanical arrangement to be applied for
facilitating the operations of the locomotive engineer in his periodical examina-
tions, removal, and replacing of the wheels, axles, and bearings of locomotive
engines, and the general rolling stock of railways, and by which arrangement
all screwing or tilting up of the engine or other stock is dispensed with.
According to one convenient modification of this Invention the arrangement
is carried out by fitting up the repairing shop or other locality where the

page_text: operations are to take place, with a screw lifting and lowering frame set
in an excavation beneath the level of the railway, so that the wheels and
axles may be removed and replaced by descent and ascent from and to the
engine or carriage without disturbing the main body of the engine or carriage
itself. A transverse excavation is made beneath the level of the rails, and
the rails are carried up to this excavation on each side. The gap thus left
in the line of rails is capable of being filled up at pleasure by rail lengths
fitted upon the top of the raising and lowering frame. The locomotive engine
to be operated upon is run along the line until the wheels and axle which
are to be removed are directly over the pit, these wheels being temporarily
supported by the bearing rails of the operating frame, which must obviously
always be at the top of its lift when the engine is run on. The pit frame
consists of an open rectangular bottom frame piece carried on four small
running wheels, supported by rails set transversely to the main line of railway
in the bottom of the excavation. On this base frame are carried four vertical
screw spindles, over which are entered four nuts on the descending and ascend-
ing rail frame. All the screws are geared together, so that they may be
driven in concert by a hand wheel on a shaft carried by the base frame.
Thus, by turning this wheel, the attendant causes the moveable rail frame to
descend into its pit, carrying with it the axle and the pair of wheels of the
engine. The bearings of the axle can be examined and renewed, and the axle
again replaced very quickly; or the parts may be carried to the bottom of the
excavation, and then conveyed clear away from beneath the engine by running
the frame upon the transverse bottom rails. When the wheels and axle so
conveyed reach the track of another line of rails, they may be again lifted up by
the screw hoist, and removed; a fresh .axle and wheels may then be adjusted
by reversing the action of the arrangement. Various modifications of lifting
and lowering machinery may be used in this arrangement, the essential object of
which is to effect the removal of the wheels and axles by descent from the
unmoved locomotive.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Strong, IIer special license that I, the said Edward
Strong, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Strong, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all 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
REMOVING AND REPLACING THE WHEELS AND AXLES OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND
OTHER ROLLING STOCK OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edward Strong, by an instrument in writing under my hand, and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 I, the said Edward Strong, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to mechanical arrangements to be applied for
facilitating the operations of the locomotive engineer in his periodical examina-
tions, removal, and replacing of the wheels, axles, and bearings of locomotive
engines, and the general rolling stock of railways, and by which arrangement
all screwing or tilting up of the engine or other stock is dispensed with.
According to one convenient modification of this Invention, the arrangement
is carried out by fitting up the repairing shop or other locality where the
operations are to take place, with a screw lifting and lowering frame set in an
excavation beneath the level of the railway, so that the wheels and axles may
be removed and replaced by descent and ascent from and to the engine or
carriage without disturbing the main body of the engine or carriage itself. A
transverse excavation is made beneath the level of the rails, and the rails are
carried up to this excavation on each side. The gap thus left in the line of
rails is capable of being filled up at pleasure by rail lengths fitted upon the top
of the raising or lowering frame. The locomotive engine to be operated upon
is run along the line until the wheels and axle which are to be removed are

page_text: directly over the pit, these wheels being temporarily supported by the bearing
rails of the operating frame, which must obviously always be at the top of its
lift when the engine is run on. The pit frame consists of an open rectangular
bottom frame piece, carried on four small running wheels, supported by rails set
transversely to the main line of railway in the bottom of the excavation. On
this base frame are carried four vertical screw spindles, over which are entered
four nuts on the descending and ascending rail frame. All the screws are geared
together, so that they may be driven in concert by a hand wheel on a shaft
carried by the base frame. Thus by turning this wheel the attendant causes the
moveable rail frame to descend into its pit, carrying with it the axle and the
pair of wheels of the engine. The bearings of the axle can be examined and
renewed, and the axle again replaced very quickly, or the parts may be carried
to the bottom of the excavation, and then conveyed clear away from beneath
the engine by running the frane upon the transverse bottom rails. When the
wheels and axle so conveyed reach the track of another line of rails, they may
be again lifted up by the screw hoist and removed; a fresh axle and wheels
may then be adjusted by reversing the action of the arrangement. Various
modifications of lifting and lowering machinery may be used in this arrange-
ment, the essential object of which is to effect the removal of the wheels and
axles by descent from the unmoved locomotive.
.. And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several explanatory Figures on the two Sheets of
Drawings hereunto 'attachell.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings represents a side elevation of a
locomotive engine, as having its' driving wheels and axle in the act of being
removed, the removing apparatus being represented in end elevation in the
excavation below the locomotive. Figure 2 on the same Sheet is a plan
corresponding to Figure 1, but the locomotive is represented as broken away to
exhibit the removing apparatus beneath. In Figure 3 on Sheet 2 of the
Drawings the locomotive is represented in end elevation, whilst the removing
apparatus is represented in side elevation in two different positions. According
to one mode of practically working out my said Invention, an excavation A is
made immediately under the line of rails B, upon which the locomotive Crests
during the operation of removing and replacing any of its wheels and axles.
A pair of rails D are laid along the bottom of the excavation A in a direction
at right angles to that of the rails B above, and a small four-wheeled carriage
or frame E set upon these rails serves to carry the apparatus for lowering or
raising the locomotive wheels and axles, and to transport these from under the
locomotive. The lowering and raising apparatus consists of four vertical screw

page_text: spindles F set in foot-step bearings in the carriage E, and arranged to work
through screwed eyes in a frame G, so as by their rotation to cause the descent
or ascent of this frame. The upper ends of the screw spindles F are stayed by
means of cross bars H, the four spindles being linked together in pairs, whilst
the bars Hare connected to the frame E below by diagonal links I, passing
down inside the frame G. The spindles F have bevil wheels J fixed upon them
near their lower ends, and these bevil wheels are in gear with bevil wheels on
four short horizontal spindles K, carried in bearings in the frame E. The
spindles K. have each bevil wheels fast on their inner ends, and in gear with
bevil wheels on a central longitudinal spindle I, carried in bearings in the
frame E, and having a hand wheel M on one of its overhanging ends. Thus,
by turning the hand wheel M, an uniform rotatory motion is given to all the
four screw spindles F, and these are thereby made to raise or lower the frame
G. Upon this frame are fixed two bars or rails N, which are so situated as
when raised to the level of the rails B above, to coincide with them, and fill
up the space or break occurring in them at the excavation. When the
apparatus is to be used for removing the two driving wheels, for example, of a
locomotive, together with their axle, the frame G is raised by suitably turning
the screw spindles F, so as to bring the rails N to the level of the rails B above.
The frame G is then steadied or held in this position by means of bolts O,
which are made to slide out from sockets in the sides of the excavation, and
to project beneath the frame G at P. The locomotive C is then run over
the excavation, to bring it into the position in which it is represented in the
Drawings. The wheels R are then disconnected from the engine framing, and
the bolts O being drawn in, the frame G is made to descend to the position in
which it is represented in Figure 1, that is to say, until it is clear of the
framing of the locomotive C, after which the carriage E is run along its
carrying rails D away from under the locomotive, so as to come beneath
another line of rails, for example, and the screw spindles being again put in
motion, the frame G is raised, lifting up the wheels out of the excavation as
at S in Figure 3, so that they can be at once removed or rolled away. In
replacing a pair of wheels upon a locomotive, the reverse of the herein-before
described operation is performed. The wheels are placed upon the rails N of
the frame G, and this frame is made to descend until the wheels are suffi-
ciently low to get under the framing of the locomotive. The carriage E is
then traversed so as to bring the wheels under the locomotive, and they are then
elevated into position by making the screw spindle F act on the frame G so
as to raise it. The transverse pit or excavation is of course only necessary
in situations where it is intended to convey the wheels and axles clear away

page_text: from the line on which the locomotive engine stands. In cases where the
Invention is merely used for facilitating the examination of the axles and
brasses, the removal and separation of the parts being for a short distance only,
the power of vertical ascent and descent only is required, and therefore a
common pit or recess beneath the line of the main rails is all that is required.
It will be obvious to the practical engineer that various mechanical con-
trivances may be adopted for raising and lowering the frame upon which the
wheels and axle are supported whilst being removed from or replaced in the
locomotive or other rolling stock. Thus, for example, this may be effected by
means of a rack and pinion movement, which may be applied in various ways.
This Invention may be conveniently carried out in large locomotive workshops
where several lines of rails are arranged parallel to each other by carrying
the transverse excavation under the whole of the lines of rails, or under
any number of them, so that the apparatus may be brought into use at any
particular line of rails at which it may be more convenient to place the loco-
motive. The several lines of rails may be rendered continuous when the raising
and lowering apparatus is not in use by means of filling up rails laid across
the excavation, and suitably supported at the sides thereof.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general and detailed arrangement and construction of machinery,
apparatus, or means to be employed in removing and replacing the wheels and
axles of locomotive engines and other rolling stock of railways, as herein-before
described.
Second, the system or mode of removing and replacing the wheels and
axles of locomotive engines and other rolling stock of railways by lowering
them into and raising them out of or from a suitable excavation, cavity, or
space below the level of a line of rails upon which the locomotive to be
operated upon is run in the manner herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of a receiving pit in connection with a
transverse passage or excavation for conveying away the wheels and axles of
railway rolling stock from the line whereon the rolling stock is placed.
Fourth, the application and use, in removing and replacing the wheels and

page_text: axles of railway rolling stock, of a vertical ascending and descending holder or
carriage fitted with a truck or transverse carrier for the purposes herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Strong, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
EDW. STRONG. (L.S.)