Improvements in Railway and Tramway Locomotives and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway and Tramway Locomotives and other
Vehicles.
I, JOHN JAMES DAVIDGE CLEMINSON, of Dashwood House, Old Broad
Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide for railway and tramway locomotives
and other vehicles a wheel base that will adapt itself more effectually than has
been the case with constructions heretofore adopted to curves in the railway or
tramway.
For this purpose in a vehicle constructed according to my invention with end
trucks or frames able to move or swivel I provide at each side of the longitudinal
centre line of the truck or frame either upon it or upon the main frame a pivot
and adapt the truck or frame to turn about such pivots when travelling over
curves under control of suitable guides having the form of arcs of circles each
struck from the axis of one of the pivots and against which guides there bear
anti-friction wheels, rollers or slides carried by the ends of a lever pivoted to
the truck or frame or the guides may be carried by the truck and the lever by the
main frame.
My invention may be applied to vehicles constructed with two or more separate
trucks or frames having the usual axle guards, axle boxes, and bearing springs.
When providing a vehicle with a truck or frame intermediate between two end
trucks or frames I may so connect such intermediate truck or frame with the main
frame that the intermediate truck or frame shall be capable of a combined move-
ment, namely, about a vertical axis and also in a lateral sense, the latter being
provided for by arranging the pivot that allows for swivelling movement within a
block adapted to slide in suitable guides in the main frame. The intermediate
truck or frame is suitably connected to the end trucks or frames so as to be
controlled thereby. The intermediate truck or frame may have two or four
wheels.
Doted this 13th day of February 1893
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway and Tramway Locomotives and other
Vehicles.
I, JOHN JAMES DAVIDGE CLEMINSON, of Dashwood House, Old Broad
Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, 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 my invention is to provide for railway and tramway locomotives
and other vehicles a wheel base that will adapt itself more effectually than has
been the case with constructions heretofore adopted, to curves in the railway or
tramway.

page_text: For this purpose in a vehicle constructed according to my invention with end
trucks or frames (hereinafter called trucks) able to move or swivel I provide at
each side of the longitudinal centre line of the truck, either upon such truck or
upon the main frame, a pivot, and adapt the truck to turn about such pivots when
travelling over curves under control of suitable guides having the form of arcs of
circles each struck from the axis of one of the pivots and against which guides
there bear anti-friction wheels rollers or slides carried by the ends of a lever pivoted
to the truck or frame, or the guides may be carried by the truck and the lever by
the main frame.
My invention may be applied to vehicles constructed with two or more separate
trucks or frames having the usual or any suitable arrangement of axle guards, axle
boxes, and bearing springs.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a longitudinal vertical section and a plan of so
much of a main frame and an end truck of a railway vehicle as is necessary to
illustrate the nature of my invention.
1 is the end truck carrying pivot pins 2, 2ª, arranged one at each side of the
longitudinal centre line of the truck. Each of these pins in this example is
arranged in a recess 3 in a bearing 4, which is shewn separately in Fig. 24 and is
fixed to the main frame 5. 6, 6 are anti-friction rollers carried at the ends of a
lever 7 journalled upon a pin 7a fixed to the truck 1, the said rollers being arranged
to work against a guide 8 fixed to the lower part of the main frame 5 and formed
with two pairs of curved surfaces 8, 8b, the surfaces 8" being each struck from the
centre of the pivot pin 2, and the surfaces 8b being each struck from the centre of
the pivot pin 2º.
By this arrangement it will be seen that the truck is free to turn either about
the axis of the pin 2 or about that of the pin 2ª as a centre when passing round a
curve, so that the axle of the pair of wheels 10 journalled in the said truck can
set itself automatically at right angles to the curved portions of the track at all
parts thereof, the guides 8 serving to control this movement and to return the
truck to its normal central position when it again enters a straight portion of the
track.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the application of a truck, such as that shown in Figs. 1
and 2 to the leading end of the wheel base of an eight-wheeled vehicle such as a
locomotive.
Figs. 5 and 6 show a wheel base with two end trucks like the one shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, these trucks being connected by bars 11 the outer ends of which are
fixed to the respective trucks 1 and the inner ends of which are connected together
by a link 12 that will permit of turning movement of each truck in a manner well
understood.
When providing a vehicle with a truck intermediate between the two end trucks,
I may so connect such intermediate truck with the main frame that it shall be
capable of a combined movement, namely, about a vertical axis, and also in a
lateral sense, the latter being provided for by arranging the pivot that allows the
swivelling movement, within a block or casting adapted to slide in suitable guides
in the main frame. The intermediate truck or frame is suitably connected to the
end trucks so as to be controlled thereby.
Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a longitudinal vertical section and a plan, showing
an intermediate portion of the main frame and an intermediate truck connected
thereto in the improved manner just referred to.
13 is the intermediate truck provided with a vertical pin 14 pivoted in a block 15
that is fitted to slide transversely between guides 16 fixed to the intermediate
portion 5* of the main frame, the arrangement being such that the truck 13 is free
to turn about the vertical axis of the pin 14 and also to move in a lateral direction
relatively to the main frame.
Figs. 9, 9 show a flexible wheel base with pivoted end trucks 1 each similar to
that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and a two-wheel intermediate truck 13 arranged substantially

page_text: in the manner shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and suitably connected with each of the end
trucks as for instance by bars 11 and links 12 in a similar manner to that in which
the end trucks shown in Fig. 6 are connected with each other, so that its movements
will be controlled by the end trucks.
Figs. 10, 10 show a similar arrangement to that shown in Figs. 9, 9ª, but the
intermediate truck 13 has four wheels instead of two.
Figs. 11, 11 show a wheel base with two end and two intermediate trucks, each
swivelled to the main frame 5 in the manner hereinbefore described and the several
trucks being connected with each other by fixed bars 11 and links 12 in the manner
hereinbefore explained. In this arrangement however the centre link 12 is provided
with a pin 14ª pivoted in a block 15" that is fitted to slide transversely in guides 16ª
like the slide block 15 shewn in Figs. 7 and 8.
The action or mode of working of a flexible wheel base constructed according
to this invention when passing around curves will be readily understood from
the following description, reference being had to the diagrammatic views Figs. 12,
13 and 14.
When the leading pair of wheels 10 in the foremost truck 1" enters a curve, the
outer rail 17 will tend to move them in suchwise that the axle connecting said
wheels will set its axis at right angles to the centre line of the road, this being the
correct position which all the axles should assume on every part of the road,
whether curved or straight, without regard to the positions of the axles relatively
to each other. As the vehicle passes from the straight to the curved portion of the
track, the main frame 5 will move over or pivot from the rear end until the whole
vehicle is upon the curve. It will be seen on reference to Fig. 14, that although
the axle of the rear pair of wheels 10ª is at right angles to the road, it has moved
a rotary sense in relation to the centre line of the main frame, and that the inter-
mediate truck 13 although the axle connecting its wheels is still at right angles to
the straight road, has moved both in a lateral and in a rotary manner in relation to
the centre line of the main frame. This movement is also clearly illustrated in
Fig. 13, which is a diagram representing a six wheel vehicle on a reverse curve,
the arrows indicating the direction of the principal forces created by the momentum
of the vehicle and the resistance of the road.
in. a
By pivoting each end truck at two points in the manner hereinbefore described,
great steadiness is obtained whilst running on the straight, and great freedom and
ease of movement of the truck is also obtained with perfect safety, as the tendency
of the truck is always to assume a position with its wheel axles at right angles to the
longitudinal centre line of the vehicle. It will be seen that by this arrangement
the correct disposition of forces is obtained in a vehicle, as the leading truck has
the maximum of stiffness or steadiness combined with perfect freedom of movement,
whilst the trailing truck has greater flexibility than the leading truck, both
trucks having a constant tendency to assume the correct position on a straight
road.
Having since the date of my present application for Letters Patent found that
one or more antifriction wheels, rollers or slides may be journalled directly to one
of the pivotted parts instead of indirectly thereto through a lever, that one or
more springs may be arranged between the main frame and the truck for the
purpose of controlling the turning movement of the truck about each of its pivots
either with or without the aid of antifriction wheels or their equivalent and curved
guides, that each of the pivotal connections between the main frame and trucks
may advantageously consist of a slotted curved guide carried by one of the
pivoted parts and fitted with a slide block in which is journalled one of the pivot
pins carried by the other pivotted parts; and also that by suitably lengthening
the said slotted curved guides they may be caused to serve also as controlling
devices adapted to be used alone or in conjunction with another suitable controlling
device such as one or both of those just referred to, I have applied for Letters
Patent No. 6648 of 1893 and in the Specification thereof have described such
modified constructions of controlling devices and pivotal connections.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A railway or tramway vehicle, constructed with one or more trucks each
pivotally connected to the main frame of the vehicle at each side of the longitudinal
centre line thereof so as to be capable of turning about one or other of such
pivotal connections as a centre, when travelling over curves, under control of
suitable guides connected to one of the pivoted parts and having the form of arcs
of circles each struck from the axis of one of the pivots and against which guides
bear antifriction wheels rollers or slides carried by the other pivoted part
substantially as herein described for the purpose specified.
2. A railway or tramway vehicle having one or more trucks each pivotally con-
nected to the main frame of the vehicle at two points and the movement of which
is controlled by antifriction wheels or rollers that are carried by a lever pivoted
to one of said pivoted parts and work against curved guides carried by the other
pivoted part substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
3. In a railway or tramway vehicle, constructed with end trucks each pivotally
connected to the said main frame at opposite sides of its longitudinal centre line
as referred to in Claim 1, an intermediate truck connected to the said main frame
so as to be capable of a combined movement namely about a vertical axis and also
in a lateral direction and connected with the end trucks so as to be controlled
thereby, substantially as herein described.
4. In a railway or tramway vehicle, a flexible wheel base comprising a main
frame, end trucks, pivotal connections between each of the said end trucks and
said frame, controlling devices adapted to control the turning movement of the
said end trucks, and one or more intermediate trucks connected with the main
frame and with the end trucks, the several parts being constructed and arranged
substantially as bereinbefore described with reference to and shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9
and 9; or modified according to Figs. 10 and 10^, or according to Figs. 11 and 11ª
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of December 1893
JOHN J. D. CLEMINSON.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.