IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Spence Moss, of the City of London, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK AND IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 20th October 1877, and dated the 2nd June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Spence Moss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd June 1877.
ARTHUR SPENCE Moss, of the City of London.
ROLLING STOCK AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the change of the rolling stock from
broad to narrow guage by making the wheels of such rolling stock adjustable in an
automatic manner upon their axles, the working of the device proceeding and being
dependent upon preventing the rotation of the axles of the wagon, carriage, or
other vehicle, by a friction or other brake when the change of guage is to be
effected.
Upon each end of the axle is cut or formed a screw, and corresponding worm is
turned out in the nave of the wheel. On the axle and at the extremities of the
screwed portion thereof collars are fixed, which will prevent the wheels exceeding
the required guage, either inwards or outwards. Midway the length of the axle
and thereon a friction or other brake is fixed, by which the axle can be prevented
at will from revolution. The naves or hubs of the wheels will by preference
be provided with collapsable covers or sheathings to prevent dust working into
the parts...
It will be necessary for the wagon or carriage to proceed in one definite.forward
direction when upon the broader guage, and in the opposite direction when upon the
narrow guage; but this necessity may be obviated by using an arrangement
of locking device or clutch for keying the wheels to the axle when set at
any guage.
Except at the place of transfer, when the direction of the vehicle is reversed,
the brake can be used for all purposes as an ordinary brake, the wheels being tight
up against the collars and unable to turn independently of the axle, which last carries
the brake wheel,

page_text: In order to prevent any evil consequences or liability of the wheels leaving the
rails, arising from neglect on the part of the attendant in applying the brakes at
the right moment, that is, at the point of divergence of the guage, or from a diffi-
culty in overcoming the friction of the screws, it will be necessary to make the
inner side of the bottom flange of the rail a few inches wider, so as to allow the
flange of the wheels to run thereon if necessary.
•
According to a modification an inner pair of rails will be laid between the track
at a higher level for the purpose of carrying the vehicles upon supplemental wheels
of smaller diameter than the main wheels, in order to reduce the length of con-
verging rails at the point of change or divergence of guage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Arthur Spence Moss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
November 1877.
ARTHUR SPENCE Moss, of the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
ROLLING STOCK AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the change of the rolling stock from
broad to narrow gauge, by making the wheels of such rolling stock adjustable
in an automatic manner upon their axles, the working of the device being depen-
dent upon preventing the rotation of the axles of the wagon, carriage, or other
vehicle, by a friction or other brake when the change of gauge is to be effected.
Upon each end of the axle is cut or formed a screw, and a corresponding worm
is turned out in the nave of the wheel. On the axle and at the extremities of the
screwed portion thereof collars are fixed, which will prevent the wheels exceeding
the required gauge, either inwards or outwards. Midway of the length of the axle
a friction or other brake is fixed, by which the axle can be prevented at will from
rotating. The nave or hubs of the wheels may be provided with collapsible covers
or sheathings to prevent dust working into the parts.
It will be necessary for the wagon or carriage to proceed in one definite forward
direction when upon the broader gauge, and in the opposite direction when upon the
narrow gauge; but this necessity may be obviated by using an arrangement
of locking device or clutch for keying the wheels to the axle when set at any
gauge.
Except at the place of transfer, when the direction of the vehicle is reversed,
the brake can be used for all purposes as an ordinary brake, the wheels being
tight up against the collars, and unable to turn independently of the axle, which
last carries the brake wheel.
In order to prevent any evil consequences or liability of the wheels leaving the
rails, arising-from-neglect_on_the part. of the attendant in applying the brakes at
the right moment, that is, at the point of divergence of the gauge, or from a diffi
culty in overcoming the friction of the screws, it may be desirable to make the
inner side of the bottom flange of the rail a few inches wider, so as to allow the
flange of the wheels to run thereon if necessary, but I prefer to employ for this
purpose a guard rail herein-after described.
According to a modification of my Invention an inner pair of rails are laid between
the track, where the change of gauge-is to be effected, at a higher level than the
ordinary rails, and I provide at the inner side of the ordinary wheels supplemental

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings shews a cross section of a railway carriage with adjustable
wheels according to my Invention; Fig. 2 shews a diagram plan of the converging
rails A for connecting the broad gauge at B with the narrow gauge at C; and
Fig. 3 shews an enlarged sectional view of one of the axles and wheels. The axle
D has formed or fixed upon it two bosses D¹ at equal distances from its ends, on
which bosses are cut screw threads, which are respectively right and left handed.
The wheel E has an extended nave E', having an internal screw thread which screws
on to the boss D, so that by rotating the wheels upon the axle simultaneously in
one direction they are made to approach each other, while when rotated in the con-
trary direction they recede from each other. The hollow nave E¹ has inner flanges
or collars E at each end fitting against the axle, and forming stops limiting the
longitudinal motion of the wheel upon the axle in either direction, the extent of such
motion being such that when the wheels have moved inwards to the dotted positions,
they will correspond to the narrowest gauge on which the carriage has to run, while
when in the position shewn in full lines they correspond to the broadest gauge.
The collars or Hanges E' might bear directly against the sides of the boss D¹, when
at either end motion, but to prevent their jamming when, in this position, and thus
causing a difficulty in reversing them, it is preferred to introduce between the sides
of the boss D and the collars small metal balls F, as shewn at Fig. 3, and in the
cross section of the shaft and nave at Fig. 4, the balls being held in a shallow groove
on the axle.
From the above-described construction it will be seen that when the carriage has
arrived at the end of the broad gauge at B, Fig. 2, and it is desired to adjust the
wheels to the narrow gauge at C, this is effected by preventing the axles D from
revolving by the application thereto of any suitable construction of brake at O,
whereupon as the carriage continues to travel in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2,
the wheels will turn on their axles, and thus be screwed gradually inwards until
by the time they have reached the point C they will have been adjusted to the'
required narrow gauge; the length of the converging rail being for this purpose
made proportionate to the pitch of the screw threads of the wheel and axle. In
like manner the wheels will be moved outwards on running the carriage from C
along the diverging rails A on to the broad gauge at B. In order to prevent the
possibility of the wheels running off the rails while passing in the last-namod
direction, owing to the guard omitting to apply the brakes to the axles at the
right time, inside guard rails H may be provided, so that should the wheels
not shift along the axles in proportion as the rails diverge, they would jam
against the guard rail, and in thus stopping the train give notice of the omission
to the guard.
It will be understood that after the wheels have been adjusted to the broad or
narrow gauge the carriage should continue running on the line in the same direc-
tion as that in which it was run to effect the change of gauge, in order to prevent
the possibility of the wheels shifting on the axles while running, which might occur
if the carriage were run in the contrary direction. To prevent this however any
suitable arrangement of stops or keys might be provided for holding the wheel
securely on the axle at whatever point it may have been shifted to. Such stops
would be required where the wheels have to be adjusted to gauges intermediate
between the broadest and the narrowest ones.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew the before-described arrangement with supplemental wheels of
small diameter and raised converging rail for shortening the distance which the

page_text: carriage requires to be run for adjusting the wheels from the one gauge to the other.
The wheels E are provided with inner treads or supplemental wheels I fixed thereto,
which are of considerably smaller diameter, and which just before the termination
of the broad gauge at B, Fig. 6, run on to inner converging rails K, the wheels E
being at the same time raised off their rails B, as shown; on arriving at the narrow
gauge at C, the wheels E, which by the action of I have been shifted inwards to
correspond with the narrow gauge, are again made to bear on their rails by the
dropping of the rails K. It will be seen that if the wheels I are about half the
diameter of E, they will cause the latter to shift from the one gauge to the other in
about half the distance that would be required if the shifting were effected by the
running of the wheels E themselves. Instead of fixing the small wheels I to the
wheels E, as described, they may be separate therefrom and have the screwed nave
E formed on them, the wheels E being arranged to slide along the axle, but pre-
vented by feathers or other means from revolving thereon. The wheels I are in this
case connected to E in any suitable manner, such as by a flange on the former
embraced-by-cramps-on-the-latter, as indicated.at, that while 1 is free to revolve
upon the axle independently of E, it causes E to slide inwards or outwards, as it
itself is screwed inwards or outwards upon the screwed boss of the axle. The brake
apparatus at G, for holding the axle for the change of gauge, may at the same time
serve as the ordinary brake for stopping the train.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim,-
First. Adjusting the wheels of railway rolling stock upon their axles to suit
different gauges by fitting the wheels with a screwed nave upon a screw thread
formed on the axles, so that by preventing the axle from revolving while the wheels
are running on the rails, the wheels are caused to screw inwards or outwards upon
the axle, substantially as herein described.
Second. The use for effecting the adjustment of the wheels referred to in the pre-
ceding claim, of a length of converging rails connecting the broad gaugo with the
narrow gauge, the said rails being made to converge in proportion as the wheels
move inwards on their axles, substantially as herein described.
Third. The use for effecting the adjustment of the wheels referred to in the first
claim, of inner supplemental wheels or treads of smaller diameter than the carriage
wheels, and connected thereto, such supplemental wheels being made to run upon.
converging supplemental rails at a higher level than the main rails, substantially as
and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Spence Moss, have hereunto set_my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
"