An Improved Apparatus for Connecting Vehicles to Tramway Ropes or Cables, and Arrangements for Actuating the said Apparatus for the Purpose of Engaging it with and Disengaging it from such Ropes or Cables.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1894--Accepted, 5th May, 1894
TRUVIDIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Connecting Vehicles to Tramway Ropes
or Cables, and Arrangements for Actuating the said Apparatus
for the Purpose of Engaging it with and Disengaging it from
such Ropes or Cables.
I GEORGE BATCHELOR the younger of Goddington Road Frindsbury in the
County of Kent Contractor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of an improved apparatus and arrangements whereby the
connection of vehicles to and the disconnection of the same from tramway ropes or
cables are or may be effected automatically and my said invention is especially
designed for application to wagons and tramways used for the conveyance of
minerals from mines and quarries but is also applicable to vehicles and tramways
used for other purposes.
The said improved apparatus consists of a pair of levers mounted on pins in a frame
on which is a lug having a hole formed in it to provide for application of the said
apparatus to a vehicle. In the said frame is also mounted a slide carrying a stud
which projects through a slot in the said frame the said slide having formed on it
arms which bear against the said levers and carry projecting pins on which rollers
are mounted. Portions of the said levers are toothed or roughened and the said
levers and slide are so formed and are arranged in such relative positions that the
toothed or roughened portions of the levers are caused to approach each other by
motion of the slide within the frame in one direction and to recede from each other
by motion of the said slide in the reverse direction. When the said apparatus is to be
applied to a vehicle the hole in the lug on the frame referred to is engaged with a
hook on the vehicle the said apparatus being thus suspended so that the rollers
carried by the slide referred to project laterally from the apparatus in a direction
at right angles to that in which the tramway rope or cable travels and the toothed
or roughened portions of the jaws are downward and in position for engaging with
or gripping the said rope or cable.
The arrangements for actuating the gripping apparatus for the purpose of
engaging it with and disengaging it from the tramway rope or cable consist of bars
or plates mounted between the tramway rails and parallel thereto in the paths of
motion of the rollers carried by the slide of the said gripping apparatus the acting
faces of which bars or plates are curved or inclined at and near the parts which
the said rollers first strike when a vehicle carrying the gripping apparatus is moving
over the part of the line on which the said bars or plates are mounted. The said
bars or plates are arranged in pairs at those parts of the tramway where the vehicles
are required to be connected to and disconnected from the rope or cable. Thus in
the case of a tramway used for the conveyance of minerals from a quarry a pair of
the said bars or plates is mounted at the part from which the trucks or wagons are
required to be hauled and another pair or other pairs is or are mounted at the part
or parts where the contents of the said trucks or wagons are to be discharged.
The action of the gripping apparatus and actuating arrangements hereinbefore
described is as follows; When a vehicle having the gripping apparatus applied to
it is to be connected to the hauling rope or cable it is pushed or drawn over the
portion of the tramway line on which a pair of the actuating bars or plates is
mounted. While the vehicle is passing over the said portion of the tramway the
rollers carried by the slide of the gripping apparatus travel on the inclined or
curved faces of the said bars or plates and thus move the said slide in the direction

page_text: necessary to cause the toothed or roughened portions of the levers to be separated.
When the vehicle has passed the said bars or plates the said slide returns and
causes the said portions of the said levers to approach each other and grip between
them the rope or cable which then draws the vehicle along the tramway until the
said vehicle arrives at the next pair of actuating bars or plates when the rope or
cable is released by the motion of the slide of the gripping apparatus consequent
on the travelling of the rollers carried by the said slide on the inclined or curved
faces of the actuating bars or plates.
The object of the stud carried by the slide of the gripping apparatus and
projecting through the slot in the frame thereof is to admit of the said apparatus
being readily actuated by hand when necessary or desirable.
Dated this 4th day of July 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Connecting Vehicles to Tramway Ropes
or Cables, and Arrangements for Actuating the said Apparatus
for the purpose of Engaging it with and Disengaging it from
such Ropes or Cables.
1 GEORGE BATCHELOR the younger of Goddington Road Frindsbury in the
County of Kent Contractor 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 :-
My invention consists of an improved apparatus and arrangements whereby the
connection of vehicles to and the disconnection of the same from tramway ropes or
cables are or may be effected automatically and my said invention is especially
designed for application to wagons and tramways used for the conveyance of
minerals from mines and quarries but is also applicable to vehicles and tramways
used for other purposes.
The said improved apparatus consists of a pair of levers mounted on pins in a
frame on which is formed a pierced lug or loop to provide for application of the
said apparatus to a vehicle. In the said frame is also mounted a slide carrying a
stud which projects through a slot in the said frame the said slide having formed
on it arms which bear against the said levers and carry projecting pins on which
rollers are mounted. Portions of the said levers are toothed or roughened and
the said levers and slide are so formed and are arranged in such relative positions
that the toothed or roughened portions of the levers are caused to approach each
other by motion of the slide within the frame in one direction and to recede from
each other by motion of the said slide in the reverse direction. When the said
apparatus is to be applied to a vehicle the pierced lug or loop on the frame
referred to is engaged with a hook on the vehicle the said apparatus being thus
suspended so that the rollers carried by the slide referred to project laterally from
the apparatus in a direction at right angles to that in which the tramway rope or
cable travels and the toothed or roughened portions of the jaws are downward and
in position for engaging with or gripping the said rope or cable.
The arrangements for actuating the gripping apparatus for the purpose of
engaging it with and disengaging it from the tramway rope or cable consist of bars
or plates mounted between the tramway rails and parallel thereto in the paths of
motion of the rollers carried by the slide of the said gripping apparatus the acting
faces of which bars or plates are curved or inclined at and near the parts which
the said rollers first strike when a vehicle carrying the gripping apparatus is
moving over the part of the line on which the said bars or plates are mounted.
The said bars or plates are arranged in pairs at those parts of the tramway where

page_text: the vehicles are required to be connected to and disconnected from the rope or
cable. Thus in the case of a tramway used for the conveyance of minerals from a
quarry a pair of the said bars or plates is mounted at the part from which the
trucks or wagons are required to be hauled and another pair or other pairs is or
are mounted at the part or parts where the contents of the said trucks or wagons
are to be discharged.
I will further describe my invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which a convenient form of gripping apparatus constructed according
to my said invention is illustrated in front elevation in Figure 1 and in section
(taken on the line A Figure 1) in Figure 2. The same letters of reference
indicate the same parts in both figures.
a is the frame and b is the pierced lug or loop thereon by means of which the
apparatus when in use is suspended from a hook carried by the vehicle to which
the said apparatus is required to be applied. c c are the gripping levers the fulcra
of which consist of pius or bolts d à secured in the frame a by nuts e e. The
portions of the said levers between which the rope is gripped are provided with
teeth ff consisting by preference of hard steel studs secured in the said levers by
screwing or otherwise. 9 is the slide mounted in the said frame by means of
which slide the gripping levers c c are actuated as required the toothed portions of
the said levers being caused to recede from each other when the slide 9 is raised
by the action of the shoulders h h thereon on the upper ends of the said levers and
the toothed portions of the said levers being pressed towards each other when
the said slide is released by the action of the lower ends thereof on the lower ends.
of the said levers. i is the stud carried by the slide 9 and j is the slot in the
frame a through which the said stud projects the object of which stud is to provide
for the said slide being conveniently raised by hand when necessary or desirable..
kk are the projecting pins carried by the slide g and are the rollers mounted
thereon which rollers travel over the bars or plates arranged between the tramway
rails for the purpose of causing the gripping apparatus to be automatically
actuated as required. The arrangement of the said bars or plates being clearly
intelligible from the foregoing description they are not shown in the accompanying
drawings.
g
The action of the gripping apparatus and actuating arrangements hereinbefore
described is as follows;-When a vehicle having the gripping apparatus applied
to it is to be connected to the hauling rope or cable it is pushed or drawn over a
portion of the tramway line on which a pair of the actuating bars or plates is
mounted. While the vehicle is passing over the said portion of the tramway the
rollers travel on the inclined or curved faces of the said bars or plates and thus
raise the slide the action of which on the levers cc causes their toothed ends to
move apart. When the vehicle has passed the said bars or plates the slide g
returns and causes the toothed portions of the levers c c to approach each other
and grip between them the rope or cable which then draws the vehicle along the
tramway until the said vehicle arrives at the next pair of actuating bars or plates
when the rope or cable is released by the motion of the slide 9 consequent on the
travelling of the rollers over the inclined or curved faces of the said bars.
or plates.
When the gripping apparatus is required to be engaged with or disengaged from
the hauling rope or cable at any part of the line other than those where actuating
bars are mounted the slide 9 is raised by hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details hereinbefore described as they may
be varied without departing from the nature of my invention but I declare that
I claim;
First. Apparatus for connecting vehicles to tramway ropes or cables constructed
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying

page_text: drawings that is to say apparatus consisting of a pair of levers and a slide mounted
in a frame capable of being suspended from the vehicle to which the said apparatus.
is to be applied the said levers and slide being so formed and so arranged in the
said frame that when the apparatus is suspended from a vehicle downward motion
of the slide produced by gravity causes the levers to be actuated as required to
grip the rope and upward motion of the slide causes them to be actuated as
required to release the rope.
Secondly. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Third day of April 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.