Improvements in or relating to Wire Rope or Suspension Ways and to Carriages therefor, Applicable More Especially for Recreation Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Lert, 8th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 16th Nov., 1888
Improvements in or relating to Wire Rope or Suspension Ways
and to Carriages therefor, Applicable More Especially for
Recreation Purposes.
We, HENRI FREDERIC SOLAINI and HERBERT WILBERFORCE PUGH both of 62 Dale
Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Architect and Artist respectively, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an apparatus for carrying persons and goods, but
especially the former, for short distances or for recreation and is based upon the well
known plan much more in use ten or fifteen years ago than now, of carriages
suspended from and travelling upon a wire rope.
In place of using either a single small pulley or two small pulleys one above
and the other below the rope, we employ a large V pulley preferably not less than
three feet in diameter. By this means there is not the sudden bend upon the rope
which we believe was so prejudicial to the old rope-railroads causing the fracture of
their strands to such an extent that they were very quickly worn out.
Again, in order to avoid the sudden stoppage of the cars which would be liable to
cause accidents and be disagreeable to their occupants, we place a strong
stationary spring buffer at each end of the line and also if desirable spring buffers
on the cars to strike against the stationary buffers.
At the lower end we prefer to form the spring buffer of a cylinder and piston com-
pressing a spring and at the end of the piston rod to place a swivelling guide-hook.
The car striking one arm of the guide-hook raises or lowers it as the case may be till
a shaft or catch on the car is guided into a recess and against an abutment in the
hook. The residual impetus of the car now re-acts against this abutment and forces
the piston back into the cylinder against the spring.
The recess catch on the car prevents the rebound but whenever it is desired to
release the car, the hook is pulled up or down by a rope or otherwise and thus the car
is liberated.

page_text: The motive power we use is the weight of the loaded descending car.
This draws
up the empty one, the two cars being united to one rope round a large pulley at the
top of the incline.
Besides the stationary buffers on, near, or around the rope itself we place other
buffers to buffer the car, and thus prevent the latter from turning a somersault around
its point of suspension.
The cars are preferably formed with two stout bows, one at each end with a strut
between them. These two bows are each supported from their central point by two
chains or ropes attached to the ends of the axle and the supporting pulley.
This axle being preferably of considerably longer length than the diameter of
the pulley.
By this means we get a wide superstructure upon which the car is supported instead
of it being supported from a single point in a conical manner. It is thus vastly more
stable than it would otherwise be.
As the rope upon which the cars travel is liable to expand and contract with the
sun, we use a wind-lass at one end for tightening the same with or without automatic
appliances for removing the strain and for taking up the slack.
The cars are connected by a single rope passing round the main pulley at the top
and attached to the cars by means of a stirrup from the axle of the supporting pulley.
By this means the pull is direct upon the centre of the pulley so that there is no
chance of hitching.
The supporting rope also passes through a stirrup attached to the axle of the
supporting pulley and closely hugging the same.
This stirrup is preferably tied by means of a tight rope to the truss of the car.
By this means it is held perfectly perpendicular and acts as a safe-guide to the
supporting rope, preventing it from coming out of the pulley.
In order to enable the cars always to strike the buffer fork at the right point the
rope is guided from its windlass or abutment through the supports of the fork by incans
of pulleys.
Dated this Sixth day of December 1887.
HENRI F. SOLAINI.
Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Wire Rope or Suspension Ways
and to Carriages therefor, Applicable More Especially for
Recreation Purposes.
We, HENRI FREDERIC SOLAINI, and HERBERT WILBERFORCE PUGH, both of
62, Dale Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Architect and Artist
respectively, 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 :-
'
This invention has for its object, an apparatus for carrying persons or goods, but
especially the former, for short distances either for recreation or otherwise, and it is
based upon the well known plan, much more in use ten or fifteen years ago than
now, of carriages suspended from and travelling upon a wire rope.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the way in which the invention may be
carried into effect.
In these,
Figures 1 and 2 are general elevation and plan respectively of the entire
apparatus.
Figures 3 to 6 are enlarged views of portions of the apparatus, Figures 3 and 4
being side elevations, Figure 5 an end elevation, and Figure 6 a plan.
A, A, are the cars, and B the ropes upon which they are suspended, and upon
which they travel. Cis the upper landing platform, and the stairs leading thereto.
In place of using either a single small pulley, or two small pulleys, one above and the
other below the rope, we employ a large grooved pulley D preferably not less than
three feet in diameter. By this means there is not the sudden bend upon the rope
which we believe was so prejudicial to the old rope railroads causing the fracture
of their strands to such an extent that they were very quickly worn out.
Al
Again, in order to avoid the sudden stoppage of the cars, which would be
liable to cause accidents and be disagreeable to their occupants, we place
strong stationary spring buffer E at each end of the line, and also, if desirable, a
spring buffer or buffers F on the cars themselves, adapted to strike against
buffers F.
The rear end of the spring buffers E we prefer to form of a cylinder e, and of
a piston e, compressing a spring e² within the cylinder. At the end of the piston
rod e³, we place a swivelling guide hook G. The car striking the curved front arm
of the guide-hook raises or lowers it, as the case may be, till a shaft or catch on the
car is guided into a recess in and against an abutment upon the hook. In the
apparatus shown, the axle d of the wheel D forms the catch, and strikes the guide
hook G, so as to raise it. On reaching the recess 9 the hook drops over the axle,
and the latter strikes the abutment g₁ forming the back edge of the recess. The
residual impetus of the car now re-acts against this abutment, and forces the
piston e back into the cylinder against the spring e². The catch hook is held in
its normal position by the cross-piece g², which rests against the under side of the
piston rod e³.
The recess catch, that is the axle d on the car prevents the rebound of the latter,
but whenever it is desired to release the car, the hook G is pulled down by a rope g³
or otherwise, and the car is thus liberated.

page_text: The motive power we use is the weight of the loaded descending car. This draws
up the empty one, the two cars being united to one rope J which is passed round a
a large pulley J1 at the top of the incline or tower C³.
rope J
Besides the buffers E, F, F, we preferably place on, near, or around the
itself, other buffers K which buffer the cars by means of the stops / on the rope.
The cars A are preferably formed with two stout bows a, one at or near each end
with a strut or bow a' between them. The two bows a are each supported from their
central point a² by two chains, ropes, or rods L attached to the ends of the axle d of
the supporting pulley. This axle is preferably of considerably greater length than
the diameter of the pulley D.
By this means we get a wide superstructure upon which the car is supported instead
of it being supported from a single point in the manner of a suspended cone. It is
thus vastly more stable than it would otherwise be.
As the ropes B, upon which the cars travel, are liable to expand and contract with
variations of temperature, we use a windlass B' at one end for tightening the same.
The said windlass may be used either with or without automatic appliances for
removing the strain, and for taking up the slack.
The cars are connected as above described by a single rope J passing round the
main pulley J at the top of the apparatus, and the rope is attached to the cars by
means of a stirrup from the axle of the supporting pulley. By this means the pull
is direct upon the centre of the pulley, so that there is no chance of hitching.
Each of the supporting ropes B also passes through a stirrup d' attached to the
axle of the supporting pulley, and closely hugging the same. The said stirrup is
preferably provided with a friction roller d². It may also be tied, if desirable, by
means of a tight rope to the strut a³ of the car. By this means it would be held
perfectly perpendicular, and act as a safe guide to the supporting rope, preventing it
from coming out of the pulley. This tying is, however, in most instances unnecessary
as the stirrup may be fixed to the axle which may be attached to the rods L.
In order to enable the cars always to strike the buffer forks G at the right
point, the rope may be guided from its windlass or abutment and through the
supports C3 of the fork by means of pulleys such as 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we are well aware that
there is no novelty in the use of a single or double line of rope railways for recreative
or other purposes, or in the suspending of cars therefrom by small running wheels,
or in the use of such railways on an inclined plane so that the cars can run down
them by gravity, or in the principle of using the loaded car to draw up the empty
one, but we declare that what we claim is:
The various improvements in or relating to wire rope or suspension ways, and to
carriages therefor, substantially as herein described, and more especially those for
suspending the cars, so as to prevent injury to the rope, and also so as to give greater
stability for avoiding sudden shock and for increasing the safety, by buffering the car,
for holding, guiding and releasing the car at the end of its travel, for safely guiding
the rope to the pulley and for enabling the pull to come on the centre of the supporting
pulley, and thus avoid hitching.
Dated this 6th
7000