Improvements in a Starting Device for Tramway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in a Starting Device for Tramway and other
Vehicles.
We, JOHN GILMORE, of The Vicarage, West Norwood, in the County of Surrey,
Clerk in Holy Orders, and. WILLIAM RICHARD CLARK, of 30 Muschamp Road, East
Dulwich, in the County of Surrey, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in a starting device for tramcars or other
vehicles as patented to us under No. 6418 and dated the 12th of May 1886 and
applicable to other starting gears which depend for their operation upon the sliding
movement of the draw-bar. It consists in an improved draw bar automatically con-
trolled so as to keep the starting gear out of contact with the ratchet gear until the
strain of the horses has almost entirely ceased; and also automatically controlled to
check small reciprocating movements of the draw bar with slight variation of the
tractional strains.
To effect this, we provide a draw bar which shall slide with exceptional ease by
mounting it upon rollers, one on the under side of the neck of the draw bar, and the
other on the upper side of the inner end of the bar or in other convenient positions.
To this draw-bar is attached the longitudinal rod, by which attachment is made to the
rocking lever carrying the pawl, operating our ratchet wheel, as fully illustrated and
described in our aforesaid specification No. 64188
In our said former specification we described a treadle movement by which the
draw-bar was rendered free to slide, by the pressure upon a treadle stud, of the
driver's foot, the said treadle pin locking the bar out of action when the pressure of
the foot was removed: .
It has been found in practice that the driver is apt to forget to put our starting
gear into operation upon every occasion on which the tram or other vehicle starts, and
the beneficial operation of our starting gear is thereby lost.
We have therefore devised the automatic action of the above draw-bar as
follows:-
Upon the upper surface of the draw-bar we provide a longitudinal rib or projection,
Above the bar and
which terminates at either end with an inclined or curved face.
this rib we provide a spring pressed stop, free to move in the direction at right angles
to the bar. The end of this stop is provided with a roller which thus bears upon the
upper surface of the bar. A spring is provided at the inner end of the connecting
rod conveniently near the pawl gear, which tends, by its elastic pressure, to draw
the draw-bar inwards and thus to release the pawl from all contact with the ratchet
wheel. When in this position, the aforesaid roller stop rests on the bar at the upper
inclined face of the aforesaid rib formed upon the upper face of the bar, and the draw-
bar is then out of action ready upon starting, to put our starting gear into operation.
Should the tractional strain upon the draw bar be very small, the spring reaction at
the pawl end of the connecting rod and of the spring pressed stop, suffices to prevent
the draw-bar from drawing out, and thus keeps the starting gear out of action. This
reaction of the stop and spring together may be adjusted to offer any required definite
resistance to the sliding out of the draw-bar, to prevent the starting gear coming into
action until the traction strain exceeds this definite limit. When the traction strain
has exceeded the amount of the spring and stop resistance to the draw bar, the spring
stop is forced upwards by the inclined face of the aforesaid rib and the bar is free to
When the bar has drawn
draw forward, throwing into action our pawl starting gear.
outwards to its ultimate position, after the action of the starting gear (the length of
the rib being so proportioned) the said spring-pressed stop drops again from the rib

page_text: on to the body of the bar, thus engaging with the lower edge of the said rib, and
locking the bar in its extreme drawn out position, so long as the traction strain remains
sensibly in excess of the spring reaction. This will permit of a considerable varia-
tion of the traction strain below maximum, without the bar being able to oscillate
with a reciprocating motion, which is, under the old arrangement, found to be some-
what of an annoyance. When however the traction force is reduced to less than the
spring reaction, which tends to draw the bar inwards, the said 'spring reaction will
cause the roller stop once more to mount upon the rib upon the upper face of the bar,
and thus the bar will be automatically drawn inwards, ready for re-starting with our
patented starting gear in action.
Dated this 13th day of November 1888.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in a Starting Device for Tramway and other
Vehicles.
We, JOHN GILMORE of the Vicarage, West Norwood, in the County of Surrey,
Clerk in Holy Orders, and WILLIAM RICHARD CLARK of 30 Muschamp Road, East
Dulwich, in the County of Surrey, Mechanician, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in a starting device for tramcars or other
vehicles as patented to us under No. 6418 and dated the 12th of May 1886 and
applicable to other starting gears which depend for their operation upon the sliding
movement of the draw bar. It consists in an improved draw bar automatically con-
trolled so as to keep the starting gear out of contact with the ratchet gear until the
strain of the horses has almost entirely ceased; and also automatically controlled to
check all reciprocating movements of the draw bar with slight variation of the
tractional strains.
In order that our invention may be the better understood, we now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the drawings hereto annexed and to the letters and
figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a tram car frame fitted with our novel draw bar
and starting apparatus.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
To carry our invention into effect, we provide a draw bar A which is enabled to
slide with exceptional case by providing rollers B B₁, one on the under side of the
neck of the draw bar A and one on the upper side of the inner end of the draw bar
or in
any other convenient position.
To this draw bar A is attached the longitudinal rod C, by which attachment is made
to a rocking lever carrying a pawl, or to the pawl D direct, in order to operate the
ratchet wheel E, keyed on the axle F of the bearing wheels, or operating a ratchet
wheel as fully illustrated and described in our aforesaid specification No. 641886.
In our said former specification we described an arrangement by which the draw-
bar was rendered free to slide by the pressure of the foot of the driver upon a treadle
stud, the said treadle stud or pin locking the bar out of action when the pressure of
the foot was removed.
It has been found in practice that the driver is apt to forget to put our starting
gear into action upon every occasion on which the tram or other vehicle starts, and
the beneficial operation of our starting gear is thereby lost.
We have therefore devised an automatically locking and releasing device for con
trolling the draw bar as follows:-
Upon the upper surface of the draw bar A we provide a longitudinal rib o
projection which has a recessed or inclined face a at either end of the rib.

page_text: Abovo the bar and resting on the projecting rib we provide a spring-pressed stop G
free to move in a direction at right angles to the bar. The end of this stop is provided
with a roller which thus bears upon the upper surface of the bar and is free to drop
into the recesses or down the inclined faces a.
Another spring H is provided at the inner end of the draw rod C which, on the
tractive pressure being removed draws the draw rod inwards and thus releases the
pawl D from all contact with the ratchet teeth E. When the bar is in this position
the aforesaid spring pressed roller stop G rests in a recess a at the top of the said
draw bar as shown in the drawing. The draw bar is then out of action, ready upon
starting to automatically put our starting goar into operation.
Should the tractional strain upon the draw bar be very small, the spring reaction of
the spring H and the spring-pressed stop G is sufficient to prevent the draw bar A from
drawing out and thus keeps the starting gear out of action. This reaction of the
stop G and the spring H together may be adjusted to offer any required definite resis-
tance to the sliding out of the draw bar, in order to prevent the starting gear coming
into action until the tractional strain exceeds this definite limit.
When the tractional strain has exceeded the amount of the resistance of the said
spring H and the said stop G, the latter is forced upwards out of the recess in which
it lies on to the face of the longitudinal rib of the draw bar. The draw bar is then
free to draw forward bringing into action the pawl D by means of the spring guide K
so as to gear into the ratchet wheel E.
When the bar A has been drawn outwards to its ultimate furthest position, after the
action of the starting gear has been employed, the said spring pressed stop G drops
again down the inclined face or into the recess a at the lower end of the bar, once
more locking the bar in its extreme outward position so long as the tractional strain
remains sensibly in excess of the spring reaction.
This will permit of a considerable variation of the tractional strain below the
maximum without the bar being able to oscillate with a reciprocating motion, which
as protected under our old patented arrangement was found to be somewhat of an
annoyance.
When, however, the tractional force is reduced to less than the spring reaction
which tends to draw the bar inwards, the said spring reaction will cause the roller
stop G to mount once more out of the recess a and up the inclined face, so that the
draw bar will automatically be driven inwards ready for re-starting with our starting
gear in action.
It will be noticed that on the return movement inwards of the pawl D it will mount
upon the upper spring guide L so as to travel clear of the teeth of the ratchet wheel E
until it falls from the upper spring guide L into its former position as shown, ready
for starting again into work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is—
1st. The combination with a sliding draw bar of a tram-car or other vehicle of anti
friction rollers and a spring pressed automatic stop, which will engage in recesses or
ou inclined faces of the draw bar, to hold the draw bar with a regulated pressure at
the two extreme points of its travel, substantially as described.
2nd. The construction of the various parts comprising the automatic locking draw-
bar gear, substantially as herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 16th day of September 1889.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.