IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS, AND OF THE CARRIAGES TO RUN THEREON
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Joseph Curtis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th March 1872.
I, WILLIAM JOSEPH CURTIS, of Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for .
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
AND TRAMWAYS, AND OF THE CARRIAGES TO RUN THEREON," to be as
follows:-
The main object of my Invention is to construct carriages, more
particularly the wheels of carriages, to run on tramways or railways in
such a manner that they may be transferred from the tramway to the
ordinary road, and vice versa, with great facility.
Another object is to secure the rails in such a manner that their
ends may be held down and prevented from rising in their seat and
causing unpleasant shocks as the wheels roll over them..
My improved mode of fastening the rails of railways or tramways
consists, in cutting a mortice or groove in both the ends of the rails in
such a manner that these mortices or grooves will exactly correspond

page_text: .
with each other when the ends of the rails are placed in juxtaposition.
A cross bolt is then introduced into the mortice. The body of this bolt
is flattened, so that the cross section thereof will be a parallelogram
with rounded ends, the length of the parallelogram being double the
thickness. The end of the bolt is formed cylindrical, and is screwed
to receive a nut. When the flattened bolt is inserted between two
rails it becomes a tongue or feather, which will prevent either rail from
being raised or depressed as the load passes over it. Two plates or
fishes are provided, one for each side, and which, if desired, may be
long enough to take a bearing on each side of the tongue bolt. By this
mode of fastening rails it will be evident that if the screws should
become loose the rail ends will still be safely held, but the traffic over
the rails will have no tendency to loosen the screws, and therefore the
permanent way will be safer and more even than heretofore.
This improvement is applicable to the permanent way of railways as
well as to tramways.
.
The carriages employed to run on these tramways are provided with
wheels which have a tire of peculiar form so as to admit of their running
either on rails or on a common roadway.
The tire of the wheel is made with a flange adapted for the rail or
tramway, and with an even surface adapted to run on the common road.
This is effected by forming the periphery or tire of the wheel conical
and making the inner edge of the tire with a flange, and the portion of
the surface next the flange is bovilled down or cut away at an angle,
so that when the wheel is in position on the rail this part of the tread
corresponds with the rail, and the wheel assumes the character of a
railway or tramway wheel, but when the position of the wheel is reversed
the outer portions of the tire or tread of the wheel correspondes with the
level surface of the road in the same way as an ordinary carriage or
waggon wheel. The running wheels are loose upon their axles, which
are cranked or bent at an angle with the shaft or axletree, which is
capable of revolving with the wheels, unless its rotation is stopped by
means of a latch or lever, which catches hold of studs upon a central
wheel fixed on the shaft or axletree. These studs are so fixed on the
side of this central wheel that when held by the latch or lever (under
the command of the driver) the cranked axles of the running wheels are
made to point either upwards or downwards as may be required. If the
axles are bent upwards they will incline the wheels inwards, and cause

page_text: the flange to be in contact with the rails, and thus make the carriage
act as a tram or railway carriage. When the position of the axle is
reversed and the cranks point downwards, the wheels will be inclined
outwards and the outer portions of the tire or tread of the wheels will
bear the load in the same way as an ordinary waggon wheel. The same
object may be effected by the wheels being fixed on their axles in the
manner of ordinary railway wheels, the inclination being produced by
a crank or other equivalent device being made to raise or depress the
inner ends of the shafts. In wheels supplied with shifting flanges
the flanges may be raised or depressed by the same description of
apparatus.
Another modification is to employ two sets of wheels, ordinary flanged
railway wheels and axles being hung or placed within the road wheels.
The latter are hung upon cranked axles, so that when the carriage is
upon the road the base is enlarged and the carriage is preserved from
the irregularity and uneveness of the road. The axles of both sets of
wheels are so connected together that when the carriage travels upon
the road the railway wheels are suspended above the road, and when the
carriage travels on the rail or tramway the road wheels (by means of
the cranked axles) are drawn or lifted off the road and are borne by the
railway wheels. This change is effected by means of a capstan or other
equivalent means, and by the side of the railway rails an inclined plane
is formed so that the change can be made by simply pushing the carriage
along the line of rails.
My next improvement relates to an arrangement whereby the
momentum overcome in retarding or stopping the carriage is made
available for starting the carriage de novo. This object is effected by
placing between the wheels of the tramway or railway carriage a shaft
on which excentric wheels are hung, and which wheels when depressed
come into contact with the rails and are turned round, and by reason of
their excentricity the carriage is lifted and a considerable portion of the
load is transferred from the ordinary wheels, and thus the centre of
gravity of the load is raised. The excentric wheels revolve until they
have passed a short distance beyond the centre of the axis of the shaft,
when their further movement is stopped by the stud fixed upon the side
of the centre wheel or pulley fixed on the shaft or axletree as already
explained, and which stud is held by the latch or lever under the
control of the driver by means of a rod communicating-with a crank

page_text: treadle. When it is necessary to release the excentric wheels the
driver puts his foot on the treadle and thus raises the latch off the stud,
then the weight of the carriage descends and causes the excentric wheel
to revolve and thus give motion per se to the carriage. The same object
may be effected by a double ended wedge placed before the wheels of
the carriage; the momentum of the carriage causes it to run up the
wedge until it has passed the apex, when its further progress over the.
wedge is stopped by a chain fixed to the body of the carriage. The
further progress of the carriage along the road causes it to skid along
with the wedge in the same way as the skid or shoe of an ordinary
coach until the carriage is brought to a stop. When it is desired to
start de novo the chain is released and the carriage rolls down the
opposite incline of the wedge and is thus again started.
Another method is to fix a cog wheel upon the revolving axle of the
carriage or to fix it on the back of the nave of the wheel. This cog
wheel works into another wheel (of large diameter) upon the axle of
which a pinion is fixed. This pinion is (by means of a rod and lever
worked by the driver) brought into contact with one side of a double
rack, the carriage is raised, resistance is made to the revolution of the
wheel, and the carriage is retarded or stopped, then by a reverse move-
ment the driver brings the other rack into gear with the pinion, the
weight or centre of gravity of the carriage descends and turns the
carriage wheels, and the carriage is again set in motion.