Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 27th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th July, 1887.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows
The object of this invention is to increase the traction power of locomotive engines
and to lessen the liability of their driving wheels to slip upon the rails. This is
accomplished by forming the peripheral bearing portion of the said driving wheels
not in true circles but in polygons of a very great number of sides, or, in other
words, of a succession of short flat planes at such an angle to each other as the size of
the wheel and length of each plane shall determine.
By this construction, instead of the single line of contact where a circular wheel
touches and rests upon the track, there are, at intervals, flat planes of considerable
area which will not so readily slip in starting or drawing a heavy train.
A further improvement consists in so connecting such polygonal driving wheels, in
pairs on different tracks or in succession on the same track, as to cause one of two
connected wheels to bear by one of its plane faces on the rail while the wheel
connected with it bears by the apex of the angle between two of the said faces on its
rail. In other words, the connection of one wheel with the other is such that the two
wheels of one pair or the wheels of two pairs come alternately and successively to a
bearing of their plane surfaces on the rail, and are not both or all of them at the same
time resting on such surfaces.
Dated this 30th day of November 1886.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: 1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 object of this invention is to increase the tractive power of locomotive engines,
and to lessen the liability of their driving wheels slipping upon the rails. This object
is accomplished by forming the peripheral bearing portion of said driving wheels not
in true circles but in polygons having a very great number of sides, or, in other words,
with a succession of short flat planes at such angle to each other as the size of the
wheel and length of each plane shall determine.
By this construction, instead of the single line of contact where a circular wheel
touches and rests upon the track, there are, at intervals, flat planes of considerable
area which will not so readily slip in starting or drawing a heavy train.
A further improvement consists in so connecting such polygonal driving wheels, in
pairs on different rails or in succession on the same rail, as to cause one of two
connected wheels to bear by one of its plane faces on the rail while the wheel connected
with it bears, by the apex of the angle between two of said faces, on its rail. In other
words, under this portion of the present improvement, the connection of one wheel
with the other is such that the two wheels of one pair or the wheels of two or more
pairs come alternately and successively to a bearing of their plane surfaces on the
rail, and are not both or all of them at the same time resting on such surfaces.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 shows a portion of the rim of a locomotive driving wheel constructed
according to this invention, and
Figure 2 shows two of such driving wheels coupled as shown in figure 1; the wheel A
is provided with a polygonal periphery, such wheel resting by one of its short
plane faces on the rail B, and having a succession of such faces meeting in the very
obtuse angles e.
Figure 2 shows two such driving wheels A and B, on one rail, and
connected by the coupling-bar C, the wheel A, having a plane surface f bearing on
the rail while the other wheel B presents an angle e thereto.
All the driving-wheels of the locomotive may have one of their plane faces upon
the rail at the same instant, and in moving all may present an angle e simultaneously
to the rail. 1, however, prefer to connect said wheels in such a manner that when one
wheel of a pair presents one of its flat faces to the tread surface of a rail the other one
will present one of its angles thereto.
This connection, for alternate action of the wheels of a pair may be from rail to rail,
through the axle on which both wheels are fixed, or, as shown in Figure 2, may be
made by the coupling-bar C which unites two wheels in succession on the same rail.
The described connection of the polygonal wheels subdivides the intervals of least
traction power in one wheel or pair of wheels, and introduces, at the instant others at
the point of greatest efficiency.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. Locomotive driving wheels having polygonal peripheries or bearing surfaces
made up of a succession of plane faces, substantially as set forth.
Second. In a locomotive engine, the driving-wheels having polygonal peripheries, as
described, and so arranged and connected by their axles and coupling-bars that when
the apex of the angle between two plane faces of one wheel is presented to the tread
of the rail, a flat face of the connected wheel bears upon the rail, for the purpose
set forth.
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.