IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND IN PARTS' PRO CONNECTED TEEREWITH FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES OR VEHICLES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Seth Wyle Wilson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
London, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND IN PARTS'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Seth Wyle Wilson at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th May 1873.
I, SETI WYLE WILSON, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS
AND IN PARTS CONNECTED TEEREWITH FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES OR VEHICLES," to
be as follows:
―:
My Invention relates to wheels for railway carriages and waggons
ordinarily so called, and tramway or street railway cars or vehicles, and
is designed to afford efficient means for providing the axles of these

page_text: vehicles with loose wheels, that is to say, with wheels which are not
made fast upon the axles, but turn loosely or independently thereon.
By this Invention I relieve the axles of the torsional strain to which
they are subjected in passing around curves when fitted with the ordinary
wheels. I also greatly reduce the friction and strain upon the bearings
and other parts, and thereby economize the power, at the same time
diminishing the wearing of the wheels by slipping, and preventing the
destruction of the rails by "stringing."
When this Invention is applied to tramway vehicles the vehicle may
be stopped on any curve and easily started again, which is impossible
when the said vehicles are fitted with the ordinary wheels.
In practising my said Invention I fit on the axle a long socket of cast
iron or other suitable metal, which has a short neck whereby it is made
tight on a portion of the said axle, which is properly turned to receive it.
The body of the said socket is made large enough to admit a sleeve
which is fitted to turn loosely or independently on the said axle, and
which has at its outer end a flange whereon the wheel is secured by screw
bolts. Between the inner end of the said sleeve and the socket I inter-
pose a steel ring or washer, and near its outer end the said socket has a
shoulder, and the sleeve has a collar arranged to bear against the said
shoulder. The said steel ring and the collar and shoulder afford the
means for resisting the end thrust. Outside the said collar I place a
flanged ring made in two or more parts, and bored to fit over the said
sleeve, and secured by bolts to a flange on the socket. Between the
flanges of the ring and socket I place a leather packing ring to prevent
the loss of oil from the bearing; the said socket has an oil hole closed by
a screw plug.
When necessary the aforesaid wheel may be readily removed by taking
out the bolts which secure it to the flange of the socket, and it may be
readily replaced by a new wheel without loss of time, and expense of
sending the carriage or vehicle to a workshop for that purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Seth Wyle Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SETH
WYLE WILSON, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Seth Wyle Wilson, Her special licence that I, the
said Seth Wyle Wilson, my executors administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Seth Wyle Wilson, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel:
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS AND
IN PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES OR VEHICLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Seth Wyle Wilson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date to the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Seth Wyle Wilson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention consists in providing the axles of railway carriages or
waggons with a loose or revolving wheel, in order to prevent the torsion:
or strain on the axle in passing around curves; the said Invention
reduces the friction so that less power is required to move a carriage_or:

page_text: train of carriages, waggons, or vans on curves, thus diminishing the wear
of the wheels by slipping, saving the rails from "stringing," and
reducing the cost of moving the carriages or waggons.
When this Invention is applied to a tramway or street railway carriage
or car the same may be stopped on any curve and casily started again,
which is impossible when the car is provided with wheels fixed on the
axles in the usual manner.
The manner in which my said Invention may be advantageously
carried into practice is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in
which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my Invention applied to a 1
railway carriage wheel; Figures 2 and 3 shew detached portions of the
samc. Like letters indicate the same parts in these Figures.
same.
The part a of the axle is turned to receive the reduced end of the
socket b, which is forced on and firmly secured by the steel pin c or
other suitable means. The part a¹ of the said axle which passes through 1
the sleeve d is made slightly smaller than the part a to permit the small
end of the socket 6 to slip over freely, and the sleeve d is bored to fit the
The steel ring e and collar ƒ are intended to resist the end wisc
thrusts or strains to which railway wheels are exposed. The sectional
flange ring g is bored to fit the sleeve d, and is secured to the socket a
flange by the screw bolts and jam nuts i, j; it is made oil-tight by the
leather packing k. The sleeve flange d¹ is turned and faced to receive
the part of the wheel, and firmly secured and held in position thercon
by the screw bolts and jam nuts m, n; o is a screw plug which closes a
charging oil hole in the socket; p, p, are holes in the sleeve for 2
admitting the oil to the axle. It will be observed that there is no way
for the oil entering at o to escape before effectually lubricating all the
wearing surfaces.
When it is required to remove the wheel from the axle all that is
necessary is to take out the four screws m and the same wheel or another a
wheel may be secured on the sleeve without sending the carriage or
waggon to a workshop for that purpose.
The wheel shewn in the Drawing has its tire and central portion or
body cast in one piece, but my Invention may be applied to railway
wheels constructed with a body of wood or steel, or in any manner what- 3
soever by slight modifications in the form of the sleeve, and in the
manner of attaching the same to the wheel.

page_text: Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shown how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practise, I
wish it understood that I claim, a wheel secured upon a long sleeve
which is fitted to turn loosely or independently upon the axle of a
railway carriage or waggon, within a socket fixed on the said axle, and
which slcove is kept in place endwiso within the said socket and operates
in combination with the same, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
SETH W. WILSON. (L.S.)