CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1846

page_text: NNINGHAM AND CARTE
CIFICATION
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALBERT
ROBERT CUNNINGHAM, of Sydenham, in the County of Kent, Gentleman, and
JOSEPH THRELFALL CARTER, of the same Place, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the First day of October One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Albert
Robert Cunningham and Joseph Threlfall Carter, our exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we,
the said Albert Richard Cunningham and Joseph Threlfall Carter, our exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Albert Robert Cunningham
and Joseph Threlfall Carter, our exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that we, 'the said 'Albert Robert Cunningham
and Joseph Threlfall Carter, or one of us, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under

page_text: the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto bad, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Albert Robert Cunningham and Joseph Threlfall Carter, hereby declare that
the improvements constituting our said Invention have special reference to
that class of railways known by the name of "atmospheric," in which the
moving power is obtained by means of the exhaustion of air from tubes or
other vesssls, or its compression therein; and that the nature of the said
improvements consists in constructing the said railways and the carriages to
be run upon them, and the machinery connected with the same respectively,
in such manner as to be productive of the following among other advantages:-
First, that the propelling wheels shall always run above and free of the rails
on which the propelled carriages run, so that, without making any alteration
in the said rails as at present constructed, trains of carriages shall encounter
neither obstruction nor stoppage at crossings and sidings.
Second, that the number of revolutions of the propelling wheels and the
degree of adhesion of the same may both or either of them be increased or
diminished at pleasure, within certain defined limits), independently of the
primary motive power employed, so that an engine or engines of any given
power may be capable of a much greater range of action than at present.
Third, that the starting of the trains one after another may be so regulated
independently of the drivers or guards, that it shall be impossible for one train
to overtake and come in collision with another.
Fourth, that the same train of carriages may be moved in either direction
on a line of railway without any change of position being requisite, whereby
a single line of railway may be made to serve in cases of limited traffic the
purpose of a double line.
And, fifth, that the cost of working and maintaining the said railway
carriages and appended machinery shall be much lower than that of any
carrying establishment on the ordinary steam locomotive system.
And we declare that the manner in which the said Invention is to be per-
formed is fully set forth in the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
Figure 1 is a pian of one section or division of an atmospheric double line
of railway, and the carrying and propelling machinery connected therewith,
constructed according to our said Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse sectional
.elevation of the same on the line a, b, of Figure 1; and Figure 3, a longi-

page_text: tudinal section on the line c, d, of Figure 1. The passenger, goods, and other
traffic carriages run upon lines of rails A, B, constructed and laid down as
usual (A being supposed to represent the down line, and Bb. the up line), but
their propulsion is effected through the medium of other rails 0, 0, which we
5 call "traction rails," which are of a peculiar construction, are attached to and
carried along with the carriages themselves, and derive their motive force
from being brought into contact with the peripheries of a succession of
revolving horizontal wheels I, I, I, and placed in sets of three each at dis-
tances of about three hundred feet apart less or more, one wheel being placed
O outside of each line, and the third between the two lines, and all three being
connected by bands and put simultaneously in motion by horizontal air
engines (D, D, two to each set of wheels) suitably stationed, and communi-
cating with an atmospheric main A, common to the whole series of engines,
and laid down outside of both lines of rails. At every distance of about three
5 hundred feet there is a trench cut transversely beneath both lines of rails, and
extending to about four feet beyond them on each side, and into this trench
an iron case 8, 8, made in sections of any convenient size, is fitted, which
encloses the under ends of the shafts (3, 3, 3,) of the three horizontal wheels
(I, I, I), the bearings (5, 5, 5,) in which they revolve, and the bands (14)
and pullies (2, 2) by which they are connected together and put simul-
taneously in motion, and thereby protects all the parts of the machinery so
enclosed from being injured by wet or dust, or from being deranged through
improper interference. The case being made in sections admits not only of
its being laid down with great facility, but of access being readily had to any
portions of the enclosed machinery for purposes of inspection or repair. The
wheels (I, I, I,) are themselves all above the ground line (e, f, Figure 2), and
the air engines D, D, are mounted on platforms immediately behind or in
front of the two outer wheels of each set. The details peculiar to each part
or branch of these arrangements we shall now proceed to describe separately.
THE ATMOSPHERIC MAIN.
The pipe A is about ten inches in diameter, and is formed of corrugated
cylinders of sheet copper or other thin rolled metal, connected together by
flanges and bolts. The corrugations are raised upon the cylinders in manner
following: Two rollers are mounted in parallel positions in a suitable frame-
work, one of which has one, two, three, or more projecting rings of a semi-
circular section, and the other a like number of grooves of a corresponding
section, the rings and grooves being situated exactly opposite to one another.
The cylinder of sheet metal is slipped over the roller with the projecting ring

page_text: or rings, and motion being then given to the two rollers, and the rollers at the
same time brought together by means of set screws in the way ordinarily
adopted in metal rolling mills, the parts of the tubes which come between the
projecting and the grooved parts of the rollers are pressed outwards and the
required corrugations produced. The corrugations may be made with any
distances between them which may be found or deemed expedient.
Tubes of rolled sheet metal which would in a plain or perfectly cylindrical
state be quite unfit for the purposes of our Invention, are rendered by the
corrugation of them in the manner just described so much stronger as to be
equal to the resistance of all such pressures as are commonly required in
railway traction, and such tubes are besides, in consequence of the superior
density of the metal of which they are composed, much more impervious, and
therefore more air-tight than the tubes of cast iron ordinarily employed in
atmospheric railways. But although for these reasons we prefer employing
tubes of this description, we do not restrict ourselves to the use of them, but
claim a right to employ tubes of any sort which will answer more or less
T

page_text: lowered by means of a vertical rod U, which is screwed at top and worked 'by
a screw nut and handle placed within the reach of the driver or guard. (To
enable this inclined plane at the same time to yield upwards to any
obstruction
it may accidently encounter, there is a spiral spring coiled round the rod U
between the screwed part at top and the eyehole guide.v.) Each inclined
plane, however, is provided with the rod (U) only when the carriage to which
it is attached is required to run in both directions on a line; for when the
carriage has to run in one direction only, it is only necessary to attach such a
rod to the fore end inclined plano T. Supposing now the carriage to 'bo
advancing on the down line A", the fore end inclined plane first comes into
contact with a friction wheel attached to the top of starting.slide valve E, and
depressing that valve thereby opens the communication between the main A
and the two engines (D, D), as shewn on the right-hand side of Figure 2.
The hinder end inclined plane T next comes into contact with a friction wheel
attached to the top of the reversing rod S, and 'by pressing down that rod,
raises up (through the medium of the connecting lever F) the starting slide E;
and thereby shuts off the communication between the engines and the main A.
The arrangements for reversing the action of the engines are separately re-
presented in Figure 5. From this Figure, and the plan, Figure 1, it will bo
scen that the reversing slide apparatus (E), .besides communicating by a
pipe 11 with the main A through the branch pipe B, has a communication by
a pipe 12 with two small cylinders 13, 13, the pistons of which are connected
to the slide rods X, X, of the air engines D, D. When the rod S.at .the
reversing end of the lever F is pressed down, a tappet b which projects from it
comes in contact with and presses down the upper arm of the bell crank.a
attached to the side of the sunken case 8, and thereby throws out the under
arm c, which causes the slide with which it is connected to move over :the
passage 4 and open the passage 5, which leads to the pipe 11, whereby a com-
munication being opened both with the main cylinder A and the small
cylinders 18, 18, the pistons of the latter fall down and produce a correspond-
ing action on the engine slide rods X, X, in connection with them, which
causes the slides of the engines D, D, to be reversed on the next descent of the
starting end of the lever F. The upper arm of the bell crank a returns to its
original position (assisted by a balance weight d¹, and the under arm draws
back the slide of the reversing apparatus over the passage.5, and opens the
passage 4 to the atmosphere, thereby destroying the vacuum in the :small
cylinder 18, 18, and allowing the engine slide rods X, X, to return to their
original positions, as shewn in Figure 3. As the bell cranks on the two.ends
of the slido of the reversing apparatus act necessarily in opposite directions,

page_text: the arrangements which have been just described can of course apply only to
the case of the apparatus being acted upon from one side only, say that of the
down line; to enable, therefore, the apparatus to be equally acted upon from
the opposite side or up line, the rod S on that side has the tappet (b) so placed
that it shall act upwards against the upper arm of the bell crank a, and by
the raising thereof produce the same effect as by the depression of it in the
other case.
To prevent collisions from the starting of one carriage or train too soon
after another, a time safety apparatus, of the description separately repre-
sented in Figure 7, is provided. This apparatus is mounted in a square iron
frame 9, 9; F represents the starting end of the oscillating lever F, which
commands the starting and reversing slides; c is a wheel with angle teeth on
its circumference, and a circle of ratchet teeth at the side; b, a weighted
lever, centred on the axle of the wheel, which is joined at its short end to a
vertical piece a, and carries also at the same end a small roller f; e is an
upright locking piece which turns on a pin at the bottom of the frame, and is
free to move in the space between the axle of the wheel c, and the vertical
piece a; m is a spring which acts against the lower end of the locking piece e;
d is a vertical shaft, on the under end of which there is an endless screw
which is in gearing with the angle teeth of the wheel c, and on the upper end
a signal lamp ; n is a fly wheel attached about midway to the shaft d. The
action of the apparatus is as follows:-Supposing a train to have been started
by depressing the starting end of the oscillating lever F, and thereby opening
the communication of the engines with the main A the descent of that end
of the lever presses down the short end of the lever b, and raises the long
end, changing both into positions such as indicated by the dotted lines, and in
this position the lever 6 is left temporarily fixed by means of a spring catch
acting on the inside of it (not seen in the Drawing), which takes into the
vertical teeth on the side of the wheel c. The upright locking piece now falls
forward by the pressure of the spring m upon it under the lever F, and
prevents that lever from again descending, and thereby from again opening
the starting valves E. And so matters would remain, but that the gravitating
force of the weight y gradually depresses the long arm of the lever, and
produces a corresponding ascent of the small arm of the lever, which causes
the roller at the end of that arm to press back the locking piece e from
under the starting end of the lever F into the position which it first occupied.
Now as the long arm of the lever describes in its descent the arc p, q, it
necessarily turns round to a corresponding extent the wheel c, to the axis of
which it is attached; this wheel c is made in its turn to determine the time

page_text: occupied in the descent of the weight y, and in the consequent restoration of
the different parts of the apparatus to their original positions, so as to leave
the way clear for the next following train; for according to the number and
pitch of the angle teeth on the circumference of this wheel will be the retard-
ing force of the wheel; and until the weight has descended no other train
can follow that which first put the apparatus in motion. The apparatus may
be either placed within the sunken case 8, as shewn in Figure 1, with the
exception of the upper part of the shaft d and lantern l, and employed in
that case to lock the oscillating levers F, F, or it may be placed on the same
platform as the air engines, and employed to act as a signal only, the lamp
in the latter case being left free to revolve during all the time the weight y
is descending. The exhaustion of the main A, or compression of air into it,
may be effected either by steam power, as is now the ordinary practice on
atmospheric railways, or by water power where that is readily attainable.
THE HORIZONTAL PROPELLING WHEELS..
The vertical shafts (8, 3, 3,) on the top of which the horizontal wheels are
fixed, rise to the height of about twenty-one inches above the level of the rails
A, A. A view of one of these wheels, detached from the rest of the machi-
nery, is given in Figure 4. Each wheel has two peripheries, h³, h³, of different
diameters, (and may have more if thought expedient, the upper periphery h¹
being the larger of the two, which admits of the wheels being adapted either
to a fast or slow motion. In Figure 2, the traction rail of the carriage K' of
the down line is supposed to be in contact with the larger periphery, and that
the carriage K on the up line to be in contact with the smaller. The centre
wheel is at its greatest diameter of width just sufficient to fit into the space
between the two lines of rails A, Ab. The two outside wheels are larger than
the centre wheel, but both of one diameter, and they are so fixed that their
flanges i, i, shall come on a line with the outside of the outermost of the rails
A, A. The flanges of all the wheels project a little over the traction rail,
O, afterwards particularly described, and serve thus to prevent the carriages of
a train from either rising off or swerving from the rails. L is a capstan, fixed
on the top of the centre shaft, for the purpose of hauling carriages from sidings
or otherwise. On each of the three shafts there is, near to the bottom and
enclosed within the underground case 8, a pulley 2 (that on the centre shaft
having two grooves on its periphery, and the two others single grooves), and
all the three pulleys are connected by bands 14, 14, as shewn in Figure 1.
Each of the outer wheels I,.I, is connected at top (that is, on the outside
of the under case 8,) by means of a crank rod and pin, to the air engine D;

page_text: stationed near it; and as all the three wheels are connected by the bands
14, 14, it follows, that on motion being given to the outside wheels or either
of them, that motion is simultaneously communicated to all the three wheels.
THE TRACTION RAILS AND THEIR ACCESSORIES.
Each carriage body (see K¹ and K³, Figure 2,) is supported as usual on
springs M, M. From the axle boxes N, N, there is suspended on each side
a traction rail O, which extends the whole length of the carriage, as shewn in
Figure 1, and also on the right-hand extension of the longitudinal section
Figure 3. This traction rail consists of a square-like piece of wood O', en-
closed on three of its sides in a casing of iron 0%, the side left open or uncased
projecting, as shewn, a little way beyond the iron casing. Any of the sides of
this rail may be that which is brought into contact with the periphery of the
adjoining propelling wheel, according to the degree of adhesion desired. In
the carriage K' the wooden sides of the rails are represented as being in con-
tact with the propelling wheels, and in the carriage K one of the iron sides.
Each pair of traction rails is connected transversely by several stretcher bars
P, P, and each stretcher bar contains within the body of it a spiral spring v,
which has attached to the end of it a sliding block r, which abuts against a
wedge bar K, of the peculiar shape shewn in Figure 1, which is passed longi-
tudinally through apertures in the stretcher bars. S is a jointed lever con-
nected to the wedge bar K, and placed within the reach of the driver or guard
of the train, by means of which he can move the wedge bar to and fro
at pleasure, as shewn separately in Figure 6, so as to bring more or less of
the broad part within the apertures in the stretcher bars, and thereby pro-
trude or stretch out, more or less, the traction rails. According to the extent
to which the broad part is brought within those apertures it causes by its
pressure against the spring sliding blocks the stretcher bars to expand, which
in their turn press out the traction rails into more or less close contact with
the revolving horizontal wheels next adjoining; but when the narrow part
only is within the apertures, the stretcher bars collapse, and the traction rails
are withdrawn from contact with the propelling wheels. The traction rails are
bevilled off at the ends, as shewn (at W, Fig. 3), so that those of one carriage
may overlap those of the adjoining carriages, and thus prevent any chance of
collision; and there are stops placed at W, W, to prevent them from being
expanded too far by the action of the stretcher bars.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that though in the exemplifi-
cations thereof herein contained, we have supposed atmospheric air to be the

page_text: elementary power employed to give motion to the propelling wheels, and air
engines or pumps to be employed to exhaust or condense the said air, and have
had especially in view the application of our Invention to atmospheric railways,
yet that we do not restrict ourselves to the use of the same for that the
mechanical arrangements herein described will be found more or less available
for propelling purposes, whatever may be the aeriform fluid employed, and
whatever may be the means made use of to exhaust, or condense, or expand, or
otherwise vary the pressure of the same. And we declare also that though we
prefer communicating the motion from the air engines to the propelling wheels
by means of bands, as herein-before described, yet that the same may be
effected. by means of tooth. gearing according to any of the well-known. modes
of adapting such gearing to the transmission of power. And we declare
farther that instead of employing two air engines, as herein-before described,
one engine only or three engines may be employed, according as a lesser or
greater degree of power is required. And we declare that the improvements
which we claim as constituting our said Invention are as follows:-
Firstly, we claim the employment in railways of horizontal propelling wheels
having two or more peripheries of different diameters with flanges at top,
which wheels are made to revolve simultaneously through the medium of bands
or tooth gearing, and revolve above and free of the rails on which the pro-
pelled carriages run, and act by the adhesion. of their revolving peripheries to
traction rails suspended from, and carried by and along with the said propelled
carriages, and adjustible to any required degree of adhesion by spring and
wedge bars, as herein-before decribed.
Second, we claim the employment of traction rails suspended from or other-
wise attached to and carried along with railway carriages, and adjustable to
any required degree of adhesion by means of spring and wedge bars, as herein-
before described, whether they are acted on by propelling wheels such as
herein-before described, or by any other description of propeller.
Third, we claim the arrangements for starting and reversing the driving
engines, as herein-before described, and more particularly the slide valves
E and E, and the small cylinders 13 connected to the slide rods of the air
engines.
Fourth, we claim the time safety apparatus for preventing a railway
carriage or train of railway carriages from overtaking and coming into collision
with others, as herein-before described.
Fifth, we claim the employment of sunken cases to enclose, and so protect
from damage or derangement the portions of the machinery by which the
engines and propelling wheels are connected, as herein-before described.

page_text: And, sixth, we claim the employment for railway purposes of corrugated
tubes manufactured out of thin rolled metal, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Albert Robert Cunningham and Joseph
Threlfall Carter, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First
day of April, in the year of our Lord' One thousand eight hundred and
forty-seven.