IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING AND RETARDING OR REPELLING CARRIAGES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Carrington Nicholl, of Streatham, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING AND RETARDING OR REPELLING CARRIAGES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Carrington Nicholl
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January 1881.
RICHARD CARRINGTON NICHOLL, of Streatham, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING AND RETARDING
OR REPELLING CARRIAGES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRIVING VARIOUS KINDS OF
MACHINERY."
This Invention is applicable either to railroad carriages, tramway carriages, or
to ordinary carriages of all kinds to be used on common roads, its object being to
cause the weight of the carriage itself and of the passengers riding therein to assist
in propelling, retarding, or repelling the carriage. The Invention is also applicable
to driving various kinds of machinery by means of gearing similar to that known
as horse gearing often employed for driving agricultural machinery or for pug
mills.
In adapting the Invention to carriages of all kinds, I attach each spring, which
may be of the ordinary form, to a sleeve or collar in such a manner, that when the
sleeves or collars are mounted on the axles or axle tree, the weight of the carriage
shall be made to bear on the axles either in front or in rear of a vertical line
drawn through the centre of the axles.
It will thus be seen that the weight of the carriage will have a tendency to push
the axles away from it, or in other words propel or repel the axle according to
whether the weight bears in rear or in front of the vertical line. Thus if the
carriage is being drawn forward, and the weight is suddenly thrown on the front
of the axles, the progress of the carriage will be retarded until it is brought to a

page_text: standstill or caused to move backwards. In order to ensure that the pressure shall
be exerted only on the front or back of the axle, the socket is recessed internally,
leaving bearing surfaces only at the top and bottom or at the top only..
The two sockets on the same axle may be connected together by a cross bar
running parallel with the axle or they may be separate, and they may be further
connected with a hand lever, whereby they may be rocked from side to side as
occasion requires.
For railway or tram carriages, in which the axles rotate with the wheels, I insert
in the axle boxes a strip of metal which will form the bearing surface, and I
connect all the strips on one side of the carriage together and with a hand lever,
by which the position of the strips may be changed as required by the guard or
driver. Or the lever may be attached to and actuated by means of the draw bar
or the buffers, and thus the position of the apparatus will be changed automatically
by the starting or stopping of the vehicle.
In adapting the Invention to driving machinery, the draught pole as used in
horse gearing is supported at its outer end by a wheel, which I prefer should run
on a rail. The socket in this case may be placed on the hub of the wheel or in any
other suitable position, and upon a weight being placed on the draught pole, the
latter will be pushed forwards or backward according to the position of the
bearing surface of the socket.
Other means may readily be devised for adapting the improved apparatus to the
driving of machinery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said Richard Carrington Nicholl in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th July 1881.
RICHARD CARRINGTON NICHOLL, of Streatham, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING AND RETARDING
OR REPELLING CARRIAGES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO DRIVING VARIOUS KINDS OF
MACHINERY."
This Invention is applicable either to railroad carriages, tram cars, or to ordinary
carriages of all kinds to be used on common roads, its object being to cause the
weight of the carriage itself and of the passengers riding therein to assist in
propelling, retarding, or repelling the carriage. The Invention is also applicable
to driving various kinds of machinery by means of gearing similar to that known
as horse gearing often employed for driving agricultural machinery or for pug mills.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn in Sheet I. my Invention as applied
to a tramcar, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of a car, Fig. 2 an underside plan view,
and Fig. 3 an end view; Fig. 4 is a detached view on an enlarged scale and in
section of the apparatus used for changing the position of the weight with regard
to the axle.
'
A is the body of the car, and B, B, the axles of the running wheels. These
axles are mounted in journal boxes C of the ordinary construction which slide in
guides in the usual manner. Between the bearing surfaces of each axle and
journal box I insert a sleeve or collar α, and I recess this sleeve or collar at b, as
shewn, so that the sleeve shall bear on the axle only at two points. By rocking
this sleeve or collar to one side or the other, the weight of the carriage or car can
be thrown either in front or rear of a vertical line drawn through the centre of the
axle. Keyed onto the sleeve or collar a is a short lever c, by which the sleeve may
be rocked so as to change its position on the axle.
In the Drawing, the levers c on each side of the car are shown coupled together,
and to a rock lever d by connecting rods e, e. This rock lever d is keyed onto a
rock shaft f which is carried in bracket bearings g secured to the underside of the
framing of the car. This rock shaft f is in connection with the hand lever h by
which it is moved, as will be readily understood from the Drawing.
By this means the position of the sleeves or collars a on their respective axles B
can be readily changed, and thus it will be seen that the weight of the carriage
being thrown either on one side or the other of the vertical line through the axles
will have a tendency to push the axle away from the carriage, or in other words
propel or repel the carriage, as the case may be.
Thus if the carriage is being drawn forward, and the weight is suddenly thrown
on the front of the axles, the progress of the carriage will be retarded until it is
brought to a standstill or caused to move backwards.
In ordinary carriages I prefer to use a sleeve the same length as the axle, and
connect the sleeves on the two axles by rods or links, the connection between the
links and the fore axle being made with a swivelling pin.
As a modification of the arrangement for tramcars, railway carriages, or in other
vehicles in which the axles rotate with the wheels, I insert in each axle box a strip
of metal which will form the bearing surface for the axle, and I connect all the
strips on each side of the carriage together and with a hand lever by which the
position of the strips may be changed as required by the guard or driver. The
lever may also be attached to and actuated by means of the draw bar or the
buffers, and thus the position of the apparatus will be changed automatically by
the starting or stopping of the vehicle.
In adapting the Invention to driving agricultural machinery I may employ the

page_text: usual horse gearing. In this case the draught pole is supported at its outer end by
a wheel which I prefer should run on a rail. The socket in this case is placed on
the hub of the wheel, and upon a weight being placed on the draught pole the
wheel will be pushed forwards or backwards according to the position of the
bearing surface of the socket.
In Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn in plan view in Fig. 1,
and inside elevation, Fig. 2 another form of apparatus for working machinery.
In this arrangement A is a frame which is carried by four running wheels B
placed at right angles the one to the other.
This frame A is secured to and turns with a central vertical shaft or spindle C
which rests in a step bearing placed on the ground.
On the upper end of this shaft or spindle C is mounted a cross shaped platform D,
and to this underside of each arm is secured a spring E. Pendent from the spring
is a rod F, on the lower end of which is a small roller G.
Each roller G is caused to bear against the periphery of one of the wheels B on
'one side of a vertical line through the axes, so that when the weight is placed on
the platform D over the springs it will act on the wheels B and cause them to
travel round in a circle, at the same time turning the spindle or vertical shaft C, which
by means of a pulley to receive a band or by bevil gear will communicate motion
to any machine to which the apparatus is connected.
Having now described this Invention for "Improvements in Apparatus for
Propelling and Retarding or Repelling Carriages, Applicable also to Driving various
kinds of Machinery," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
The apparatus, substantially as herein shewn and described, for applying the
weight of a carriage and the passengers contained therein, or a dead weight, to the
propelling and retarding or repelling of the progress of such carriage or for driving
machinery, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Carrington Nicholl, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty, one.