IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE TRACTION TRAMWAYS OR RAILWAYS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Farquhar Findlay of Cathcart Road, Kensington
in the county of Middlesex. for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE
TRACTION TRAMWAYS OR RAILWAYS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Farquhar Findlay
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1883.
CHARLES FARQUHAR FINDLAY of Cathcart Road, Kensington in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE TRACTION TRAMWAYS OR RAILWAYS
.
"
My Invention relates to tramways or railways, along which vehicles are
propelled by a rope running over guide pullies. In cases where the rope runs
within an underground channel, the vehicle is connected to the rope by a gripping
apparatus, the stem of which moves along a continuous slot in the crown of the
rope channel.
For the convenience of the road traffic, the slot is made very
narrow, the stem of the gripping apparatus being much thinner than the part
within the channel which grips the rope. At a point where a branch line diverges,
there is necessarily a tongue, occupying the fork of the junction of the two slots,
and under this tongue there must be room giving clear passage for the gripper
along either line. One part of my invention relates to means of constructing and
supporting this tongue without interfering with the passage of the gripper below
it. For this purpose I make the tongue as an iron or steel triangular plate,
sufficiently stiff and elastic to retain its position without support when no load is
passing over it, and to the underside of this plate, near its apex, I joint a rod
which hangs vertically downwards, nearly but not quite touching a rest at the
bottom of the rope channel. When the gripper passes along either channel, it
pushes the banging rod aside, and after it has passed, the rod returns to its vertical
attitude. If now a load should pass over the tongue, the rod abutting on the rest
at the bottom of the channel supports the tongue. According to another arrange-
ment I mount on vertical axes on the outer side of the two slots, strong bars,
which are pressed by springs so as to project under and support the tongue, but
either of which is free to be turned aside as the gripper passes it, being returned
..

page_text: by its spring to its former position supporting the tongue. In cases where the
tongue can be moved by hand like railway points, I mount it on a vertical axis
at its base, and make its apex sufficiently wide to overlap and rest upon either
edge of the slot in front of the junction. In one attitude it rests on the one edge
leaving the slot on the other side clear for passage of the gripper stem, when it
is turned to the other attitude it rests on the other edge, leaving the slot on its
other side clear. When the traffic is directed from the two lines to the one line
which they join, the tongue thus mounted is shifted automatically by the gripper
stem. In many cases the gripper consists of two horizontal bars, between which
the rope is gripped by pressing down on it the upper bar, while the lower bar
remains at a fixed distance down from the vehicle. When the vehicle is stopped
by raising the upper bar and so releasing the grip, the rope still running along the
lower bar involves great friction and and wear. To provide against this I fix the
lower bar on a vertical slide which, when the vehicle is stopped, can be lowered
sufficiently to be clear of the rope, and which can again be raised when the rope
has again to be gripped. I connect the brake levers of the vehicle to the lever
which raises and lowers the upper gripping bar, so that when the bar is raised
somewhat more than is necessary to release the grip, the brakes are put on, and
before the rope can be again gripped, the brakes are necessarily taken off. At a
terminus of the line there is usually a sheave or set of sheaves round which the
rope runs. I utilise the revolution of these for moving the turn-tables or capstans
required for reversing or shunting the vehicles at the terminus, by connecting the
axes of the revolving sheaves through suitable clutches, to gearing working the
turn-tables or capstans, so that, when required, one or other of the clutches can be
engaged so as to give movement to a turn-table or capstan.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Farquhar Findlay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th September 1883.
CHARLES FARQUHAR FINDLAY of Cathcart Road, Kensington in the county of
Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROPE TRACTION TRAMWAYS OR RAILWAYS"
My invention relates to tramways or railways, along which vehicles are
propelled by a rope running over guide pullies. In cases where the rope runs
within an underground channel, the vehicle is connected to the rope by a gripping
apparatus the stem of which moves along a continuous slot. in the crown of the
rope channel.
For the convenience of the road traffic, the slot is made very
narrow, the stein of the gripping apparatus being much thinner than the part
within the channel which grips the rope. At a point where a branch line diverges,
there is necessarily a tongue occupying the fork of the junction of the two slots
and under this tongue there must be room, giving clear passage for the gripper
along either line. One part of my invention relates to means of constructing and
supporting this tongue without interfering with the passage of the gripper below
it. For this purpose, according to the arrangement shewn in the longitudinal
section fig. 1, the transverse section fig. 2 and the plan fig. 3, I make the tongue
as an iron or steel triangular plate A sufficiently stiff and elastic to retain its
position without support when no load is passing over it, and to the underside of
this plate near its apex, I joint a rod B which hangs veritically downwards, nearly,
but not quite touching a rest at the bottom of the rope channel. When the
gripper D passes along either channel it pushes the hanging rod B aside, as
indicated by the dotted lines B¹ and after it has passed, the rod B returns to its
vertical attitude. If now a load should pass over the tongue, the rod B abutting
on the rest C at the bottom of the channel supports the tongue A. According to
another arrangement, shewn in transverse section fig. 4 and in plan fig. 5, I mount
on a vertical axis on the outer side of the slot a strong Bar E which is pressed by
springs F, so as to project under and support the tongue A, but which is free to be
turned aside, as the gripper passes it, being returned by its springs to its former
position supporting the tongue A. In cases where the tongue can be moved by
hand like railway points, I adopt the arrangement shewn in longitudinal section
fig. 6, in transverse section fig. 7 and in plan fig. 8, I mount the tongue A on a
vertical axis C at is base and make its appex sufficiently wide to overlap and rest
upon both edges of the slot in front of the junction as indicated by the dotted
lines in fig. 7. In one attitude it rests on the one edge, leaving the slot on the
other side clear for passage of the gripper stem, as shewn in fig. 7; when it is
turned to the other attitude, it rests on the other edge, leaving the slot on its other
side clear. When the traffic is directed from the two lines to the one line which
they join, the tongue thus mounted is shifted automatically by the gripper stem.
In many cases, the gripper consists of two horizontal bars between which the rope
is gripped by pressing down on it the upper bar while the lower bar remains at a
fixed distance down from the vehicle. When the vehicle is stopped by raising the
upper bar and so releasing the grip, the rope still running along the lower bar
involves great friction and wear. To provide against this, I arrange the gripper
as shewn in front view fig. 9 and end view fig. 10. I fix the lower bar A on two
limbs of a vertical slide B, which, when the vehicle is stopped, can be lowered
sufficiently to be clear of the rope, and which can again be raised when the rope
has again to be gripped, by means of the screw C and lever D. I connect the
brake levers E of the vehicle to the lever F which raises and lowers the upper
gripping bar G, so that when the bar G is raised somewhat more than is necessary

page_text: to release the grip, the brakes H are put on, and before the rope can be again
gripped, the brakes are necessarily taken off. To prevent the screw C from being
raised while the brakes are off I provide a stop c which is linked to the lever F so
that it is withdrawn only when the lever F is moved to the left, releasing the
ropes and applying the brakes.
At a terminus of the line there is usually a sheave, or set of sheaves round
which the rope runs. I utilise the revolution of these for moving the turntables or
capstans required for reversing or shunting the vehicles at the terminus by
connecting the axes of the revolving sheaves through suitable clutches to gearing
working the turntables or capstans, so that, when required, one or other of the
clutches can be engaged so as to give movement to a turntable or capstan. Fig. 11
is a longitudinal section and fig. 12 a plan shewing an arrangement for this
On the axis
purpose. A is the sheave round which passes the traction rope X.
of AI fix two conical wheels B¹ and B. and on horizontal shafts C. and C I fit
conical wheels D1 and D2. which by means of levers E¹ E' can be slid along their
respective shafts, so as to be either out of contact with the wheels B¹ B³ or to be
pressed against them. When the wheel D' is pressed against B' it is caused to
revolve by frictional contact and its motion is communicated through suitable
gearing G to the turntable I. Again when D' is pressed against B³, movement is
imparted to the capstan M. And in like manner the rotation of the sheave A can
be utilized to work other machinery required at the terminus.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of traction tramways or railways:
First Supporting the tongue piece at a junction by a vertical-rod jointed to it
so that it can be swung aside by the passing gripper, substantially as described
with reference to figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Second: Supporting the tongue piece at a junction by a horizontal pivotted
bar, pressed by springs, substantially as described with reference to figs 4 and 5.
Third: Constructing the tongue piece at a junction and pivotting it so that it
can overlap either edge or both edges of the gripper slot, substantially as described
with reference to figs. 6, 7 and 8
Fourth: In combination with the lower grip bar of the gripper, a lever and
screw whereby it can be raised or lowered independently of the upper grip
bar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth and illustrated in figs. 9 and 10.
Fifth Connecting the brakes to the apparatus which works the upper grip bar
of the gripper, so that when the rope is gripped, the brakes are taken off,
substantially as described with reference to figs 9 and 10.
Sixth For utilising the rotation of the rope sheave at a terminus for working
turntables capstans or other machinery the use of frictional gearing that can be
engaged or disengaged as required, substantially as described with reference to
figs 11 and 12.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Farquhar Findlay have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three