IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND IN THE ROLLING STOCK TO RUN THEREON
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Whiteside Cook, of Stondon, in the County of
Essex, Barrister, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS AND IN THE ROLLING STOCK TO RUN THEREON."
aled the 22nd September 1877, and dated the 23rd March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Whiteside Cook at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd March 1877.
HARRY WHITESIDE COOK, of Stondon, in the County of Essex, Barrister.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND IN THE ROLLING
STOCK TO RUN THEREON."
The object of this Invention is so to construct and arrange the permanent way of
railways and the rolling stock to run thereon, that friction and wear and tear of the
rolling stock and permanent way may be greatly diminished, so that either less
motive power will be required to move a train, or the motive power may be more
usefully applied than heretofore.
One of the principal defects of the present mode of constructing the permanent
way is that at the ends of the rails that are in proximity to each other there is
usually a short space over which the wheels in running bump and impart a jolt to
the carriages, much to the annoyance and inconvenience of the passengers and
greatly to the detriment of the carriages.
My first improvement consists in so forming the ends of the rails of the permanent
way that the wheels of carriages shall not be jolted in passing across the gap
necessarily left between these ends. For this purpose I cut the ends of the rail in
an oblique or diagonal direction, and then connect these ends by means of fish
plates, so that instead of the wheels jumping across the gap as at present, one part
of the wheel begins to rest on the new rail before the whole of it has left the last.
By this means the crossing of the gap is effected without any jar. In ordinary fish
joints this arrangement will not interfere with the bolts as at present placed.
The second improvement has also for its object to render easier and smoother the
movement of trains or carriages on the permanent way, and to remove another
source of jolting. In order to stop a train it is usual to skid the running wheels
S71

page_text: and make them slide along the rails. This wears away the rails and also destroys
the circularity of the wheels, and thereby prevents them from running smoothly.
In order to avoid the necessity of doing this I place between the rails a central rail
extending from stations in the direction of the arrival of the trains, and I fit the
brake gear with an extra block, so arranged that if the brake be put on while the
train is passing over that portion of the line these blocks shall press upon the
central rail before the ordinary blocks begin to press upon the wheels. By this
means the skidding of the wheels at stations is rendered unnecessary, and therefore
the treads of the wheels will not be liable to be worn into a number of flat faces
which will not run smoothly on the rails, and thereby cause jolts.
My third improvement relates to a means of reducing the friction on the axles of
the running wheels, and consists in introducing between the axles of the running
wheels of railway carriages and the weight they have to support, secondary wheels,
by means of which the friction of traction is reduced, as hereafter explained. In
applying this Invention to existing rolling stock slight differences of detail will
inevitably occur, but the following is a description of the Invention as applied to
rolling stock of common dimensions and construction -
Guides similar to those at present used for the axle boxes or axles are applied to
both sides of the framing, and are made stronger than usual as regards resisting
transverse strains. The boxes in which the ordinary axles revolve are replaced by
soft metal guides merely to prevent movement in any but a perpendicular direction.
The peripheries of the secondary wheels rest upon the journals of the ordinary
running wheels, and occupy the space between the outer surface of those wheels and
the framing or the inner guides, which latter may be countersunk to give more
space.
The axles of these secondary wheels revolve in boxes of ordinary construction,
working up and down between the guides in the ordinary manner, but inasmuch as
the friction will (as after shown) be materially reduced, the grease space and con-
sequent size of these boxes may be small. On the boxes of two following wheels
rest the ends of an iron beam curved downward between the two wheels so as to
leave room for a spring on which the weight of the carriage rests. In this manner
the whole weight of the carriage will effectively rest upon the axles of the secondary
wheels, which will revolve 5 or 6 times less rapidly than the axles of the ordinary
running wheels, the friction being proportionately reduced. The iron beam above
described may be prolonged past the axle boxes on which it rests so to allow of the
introduction of a spring at each end of it, or it may be replaced by a long spring
stretching from one axle box to the other and resting on the same, the weight of
the carriage resting on the centre of the said spring. Any and all of these arrauge-
nents of the positions of the springs tend to distribute, and thereby practically to
diminish, the jars received by individual wheels.
Another arrangement, which avoids the strain on the guides incident to the plan
ahove described, consists in having either two secondary wheels, or one wheel and
two axle boxes. In the latter case the wheel revolves between the two guides, each
of which is supplied with a box, and the beam for supporting the carriage is
bifurcated so as to rest on both the boxes. In the other case the bean is supplied
with a pin on either side, on which the two wheels revolve, or any other
convenient and analogous arrangement (such as a central axle box) may be
adopted.
The guides may be supplied with a check just clear of the axle, which in case
of the fracture of a secondary wheel will drop on to the axle of the ordinary wheel,
so that the additional wheels will not enhance the chance of an accident.
As the secondary wheels above described revolve on the smooth surfaces of the
axles of the running wheels, they may (notwithstanding the heavy weights to be
horne) be surrounded with a tyre of india-rubber, leather, or other suitable material,
or such material may be placed round the axle, and as the wheels move up and
down freeely in their bearings the effect of this arrangement will be to give great
smoothness to the motion of the carriage. The more thoroughly to effect this I

page_text: introduce a block of india-rubber, cork, or other suitable material between the axle
box and the spring. This arrangement must not be confounded with the intro-
duction of india-rubber between the frame and the body of the carriage, as its utility
at the place I mention depends upon an essential principle, viz., that the function of
the spring is to convert short sharp jars into comparatively long slow lifts, and that
by deadening the jars before they reach the springs the length of the resulting lifts
is proportionately diminished.
As a further improvement I make the journals of the wheels conical, sloping
away to the ends of the bearings. To avoid the inclination to extrusion which
would result from this form of journal, these journals may be made to approach the
conical form by steps. The intention of this new form of journal is to diminish the
friction, it will be obvious therefore that the velocity of a journal against its
bearings is proportioned to its average circumference, and by constructing the
axle boxes in this manner the speed or velocity of rotation, which is a factor
in the average frictional resistance, will be reduced about one-half, while with
a given base and a weight distributed over its length a conical journal has precisely
the same strength as a cylindrical one.
This improvement may be applied at small expense to the journals of existing
railway stock, and will diminish the frictional resistance by nearly one-half.
My last improvement also relates to a mode of reducing the friction of the axles
of wheels, and consists in an arrangement by which rollers may be applied to
revolving surfaces, thereby almost altogether doing away with the friction of axles
and the necessity for using lubricants. The axle is surrounded by a number of
rollers, each of which is provided at each end with a central projection similar to an
axle or journal, but which does not act as an axle. At each end of the rollers is a
dat ring, the inside of which clears the axle of the wheel, while the outside is
slotted radially to receive the before-mentioned end projections of the rollers. As
the axle revolves the rollers acting as true rollers (not as wheels) will have a motion
imparted to them equal in velocity to half that of the periphery of the axle, and
they in their turn will impart a circular motion to the slotted rings which carry
them. The function of these slotted rings is simply to keep the rollers at a proper
distance from each other. These rings should be joined together by three or more
cross bars, so as to form a kind of framing to carry the rollers.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Harry Whiteside Cook in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
September 1877.
HARRY WHITESIDE. Cook, of Stondon, in the County of Essex, Barrister.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND IN THE ROLLING
STOCK TO RUN THEREON.
"
The object of this Invention is so to construct and arrange the permanent way of
railways and the rolling stock (to run thereon) that friction and wear and tear of
the rolling stock and permanent way may be greatly diminished, so that either
less motive power will be required to move a train, or the motive power may be
more usefully applied than heretofore.
One of the principal defects of the present mode of constructing the permanent
way is that at the ends of the rails that are in proximity to each other there is
usually a short space over which the wheels (in running) bump and impart a jolt
to the carriage, much to the annoyance and inconvenience of the passengers, and
greatly to the detriment of the carriages and the permanent way. Attempts have
heretofore been made to correct this evil by forming the ends of the rails in a
peculiar manner with tongues to interlock, but the result has not been satisfactory,
moreover, the cost of making such rails is a serious obstacle to the adoption of any
such device.

page_text: My first improvement consists in so forming the ends of the rails of the permanent
way that the wheels of carriages shall not be jolted in passing across the gap
necessarily left between their ends, but shall continue to run on a continuous rail
For this
without any perceptible cross joint or division between the sections.
purpose I cut the ends of the rails in an oblique or diagonal direction, and then
connect these ends by means of fish plates, so that instead of the wheels jumping
across the transverse gap as at present, one part of the wheel begins to rest on the
new rail before it has entirely left the last. By this means the crossing of the gap
is effected without any jar. In ordinary fish joints this arrangement will not
interfere with the bolt as at present placed.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a plan view; and Fig. 2, a side
elevation of a piece of permanent way showing the ends of two rails connected
together and forming a diagonal joint in accordance with this part of my Invention ;
Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same.
It will be seen that instead of the ends of the rails being cut across at right
angles to their length, as is usually the case, they are cut diagonally across in a line
from side to side. To do this is a very simple operation which can be easily effected
by means of a circular saw. When the ends of two rails cut in this manner are
brought together there will be no transverse space for the running wheels to jump
over as is now the case, as the rails when brought together will constitute a con-
tinuous uninterrupted line of tread for the wheels to run upon, a very trifling space
between the diagonal ends being sufficient to allow for expansion of the metal
by heat. The simplest and cheapest way of connecting the two ends of the rails is
by passing transverse bolts through then as in fishing rails, and all vertical play
will be prevented by securing the joints at both sides in chairs, which by embracing
the lower flanges will hold thein down in their place. The best way however of
forming the joint (especially where a trifling increase in the cost of the permanent
way is not material) is to connect the ends of the rails by means of fish plates in the
usual manner, and as shown in the Drawing. This will effectually prevent any
vertical play, and the top edges of the fish plates may be made to support the
pointed ends of the mail against any undue downward pressure of the running
wheels.
The second improvement has also for its object to render easier and smoother the
movement of trains or carriages on the permanent way, and to remove another
source of jolting. In order to stop a train it is usual to skid the running wheels,
and thereby make them slide along the rails. This wears away the rails, and also
destroys the. circularity of the wheels, and thereby prevents them from running
smoothly even on a perfectly constructed road. In order to avoid the necessity of
doing this I place between the ordinary rails a central rail extending for a short
(listance from stations in the direction of the arrival of the trains, and I fit the
brake gear with an extra block or skid so arranged that if the brake be put on
while the train is passing over that portion of the line where the central rail is
placed these blocks shall press upon the central rail, and will begin to retard the
speed of the train before the ordinary blocks begin to press upon the running
wheels. By this means the skidding of the wheels at stations is rendered un-
necessary, and therefore the treads of the wheels will not be liable to be worn
into a number of flat faces which will not run smoothly on the rails, and thereby
cause jolts.
This improvement is shewn at Fig. 4, Sheet II., in the Drawings, which represents
a side elevation of part of the framing of a railway carriage with the present
improvement adapted thereto.
În Fig. 4a is the central rail, which may be termed the brake rail; and is the
brake shoe or skid which is suspended by the tension rods c, c, a short distance
above the central rail, so that as it is carried along over this rail it will just clear
it, except when the skid or shoe is forced down thereon, as will be presently
explained. The outer end of the suspension rods c, c, are provided with india-
rubber springs or other elastic attachments h, h, which will draw back the rods c

page_text: and lift up the brake shoe or skid b, when the pressure which keeps it down on
the rail is removed. The shoe b is provided at each side with flanges, as seen best
in the detached cross section Fig. 4. so that when the shoe or skid is pressed down
it will embrace the rail and prevent the shoe from being displaced laterally. On
the back of the brake, shoe, or skid, is placed an elliptic spring d provided with a
central vertical pin, shown by dots at 1, which enters a hole in the back of the
shoe, and thereby holds the spring in its place. The outer end of a strong arm or
lever f, mounted on the axle c of the ordinary brake block, is jointed to the vertical
pin, which bears against the top of the elliptic spring d, so that when the lever f
is depressed by working it on its centre of motion e, by means of the lever and rod
and g', which is connected with the break gear in the guard's van, it will force
down the brake shoe or skid b on to the rail, and will retard the progress of the
train. At the same time the ordinary brake block, which is suspended from the
carriage frame in the usual manner, will be brought against the periphery of the
running wheel, and will further assist in stopping the train.
It will be seen that the tie rods c, c, will prevent any, backward or forward
movement of the brake shoe, while the flanges on the under side of the latter will
prevent any lateral movement, as already explained.
It will also be seen that the brake shoe b is not at any point connected rigidly
to the fixed framing of the carriage, as the spring & on the back of the brake shoe
gives it a certain amount of elasticity in a vertical direction, and the elastic
attachments h, h, at the ends of the rods c, e, gives it elasticity in a longitudinal
direction. By this means the unpleasant vibration which accompanies the applica-
tion of the ordinary blocks is avoided.
I would observe that the brake shoe b should be of some length, as shown in the
Drawing, to prevent undue wear, and in order to produce a sufficient. amount of
friction to enable it to act with efficiency; the ends of the brake rail should also
be made to slope downwards, as shown in Fig. 4, so that in whichever way the
train is running the shoe brake may come gradually into action even if it be
depressed before it reaches the central rail.
A similar arrangement of apparatus to that shown at Fig. 4 may be adapted to
the rails of the ordinary permanent way without the use of a central rail, but when
this is the case there should be a brake shoe on each side, so as to act simultaneously
on each rail, and these two brake's shoes should be connected together by a transverse
beam, but must not have the side flanges shown at Fig. 4".
Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a modification of the ordinary brake block
arrangement, which may be used either alone or in combination with the shoe brake
shown at Fig. 4. The object of this improvement is to impart a certain amount of
elasticity to the attachment, whereby the brake block is connected to the fixed
framing of the carriage, instead of connecting the break block k rigidly to the
pendant rod, by which it is suspended from the carriage frame b.
My third improvement relates to a means of reducing the friction on the axles of
the running wheels, and consists in introducing, between the axles of the running
wheels of railway carriages and the weight they have to support, secondary
wheels, by means of which the friction of traction is reduced, as will be hereafter
explained.
In applying this Invention to existing rolling stock slight differences of detail
will inevitably occur, but in the accompanying Drawings, at Figures 6 and 7,
Sheet III., I have shown the Invention as applied to rolling stock of common
dimensions and construction.
Fig. 6 is an elevation of so much of the framing of a railroad carriage as will be
necessary to understand the present improvement; Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view of
the same. is the journal or axle of the ordinary running wheels, the bearings c, c,
of which work up and down in the guides b, b, which are secured in the usual
manner to the fixed framing of the carriage. A secondary wheel & rests upon the
axle a of the running wheels, and works in bearings or blocks d carried by the
beams e. Between the centre of the beam e and the under side of the framing of

page_text: the carriage is a strong spring f, so that the whole weight of that side of the
carriage is transferred by the spring to the long beam e. By adopting my
improvement I find it is not necessary to make the journals a of the running wheels
more than two-thirds of the usual diameter. It will be understood, moreover, that
as the weight to be supported by the secondary wheels d is divided between the two
journals. one on each side of each of these wheels, these journals may be slighter
than the journals of ordinary wheels; the amount of friction will thus be reduced
to a minimum. At each end of the beam e is a spring attachment g, consisting of a
rod which passes freely through the beam, but is firmly secured to the under side of
the framing. Both above and below the end of the beam are india-rubber or other
springs which act as buffers, and impart elasticity to the attachment as the beam e
rides up and down.
The object of these elastic attachments is to distribute the jars from individual
wheels, or, to speak more correctly, to cause the jars from individual wheels to take
effect approximately on the whole weight of the carriage, so that the effect of the
jars will he proportionally diminished.
To still inore effectually attain this object the beam e on each side of the carriage
may be connected by a cross beam, so that the spring f may be placed under the
centre of the carriage.
In ordinary rolling stock the secondary wheel & above described may without
inconvenience be made of a diameter about six times that of the journal a, on which
it rests, and the diameter of the journals of these secondary wheels may be two-
thirds of that of the ordinary journals, whence it follows that the resistance due to
friction will be reduced nine times.
In order to prevent accidents to the train in the event of one of the axles of the
secondary wheels breaking, the horns of the bearings or blocks of these wheels may
be prolonged downwards so as nearly to touch the journal of the running wheel, as
shown at Fig. 6, so that if an axle of one of the secondary wheels should break the
horns will drop a short distance, say, half an inch, and will rest on the journal or
axle block of the running wheel temporarily, until the carriage can be removed
from the train.
The guides or horns b, b, in which the axle boxes of the running and secondary
wheels work are applied to both sides of the framing, and are made stronger than
usual as regards resisting transverse si rains. The boxes in which the axles of the
running wheels revolve are replaced by soft-metal guides, merely to prevent move-
ment in any but a perpendicular direction. The peripheries of the secondary wheels
rest (as already mentioned) upon the journals of the ordinary running wheels, and
occupy the space between the outer surface of those wheels and the framing or
the inner guides b, b, which latter may be countersunk, if desired, to give more
spr.ce.
The axles of these secondary wheels revolve in boxes of ordinary construction,
working up and down between the guides b, b, in the ordinary manner, but inasmuch
as the friction will (as has been already shown) be materially reduced, the grease
space, and consequent size of these boxes, may be small. The ends of the iron
beam are supported by two wheels which follow each other; it is, therefore,
partially supported by each. In this manner the whole weight of the carriage will
effectively rest upon the axles of the secondary wheels, which will revolve five or
six times less rapidly than the axles of the ordinary running wheels, the friction
being proportionally reduced. Instead of the iron beam e, with a spring ƒ between
it and the carriage frame, a long spring stretching from one axle box to the other
(or nearly so) may be used, and made to rest on the two boxes, the weight of the
carriage resting on the centre of the said spring. Any and all of these arrange-
ments of the positions of the springs tend to distribute, and thereby practically to
diminish the jars received by individual wheels.
Another arrangement, which avoids the strain on the guides b incident to the
plan above described, consists in having either two secondary wheels d, d, as shown
in plan in the detached view, Fig. 8, or one wheel and the two axle boxes, as shown in

page_text: the plan view, Fig. 7. In the latter case the secondary wheel d revolves between
the two guides or horns b, b, each of which is supplied with an axle box. The beam e
for supporting the carriage may be formed of two flat bars, as shewn at Fig. 7, so
as to rest on both the axle boxes of the secondary wheel d. In the other case,
shown at Fig. 8, the beam is solid, and is provided with two pins, one on either
side on which the two secondary wheels d, d, revolve while they rest upon the axle a
of the running wheel below.
The guides or horns b, b, may be provided with a cheek, which is just clear of the
axle, so that in case of the fracture of one of the secondary wheels the check
will drop on to the axle of the ordinary wheel, and will temporarily support
the carriage. The use of the secondary wheels for the purpose of reducing the
friction, as explained, will not therefore increase the chance of an accident to the
trains.
As the secondary wheels d, above described, revolve on the smooth surfaces of
the axles a of the running wheels they may (notwithstanding the heavy weights
they are intended to bear) be surrounded with a tyre of india-rubber, leather, or
other suitable material, or such material may be placed round the 'axle, and as the
secondary wheels move up and down freely in their bearings the effect of this
arrangement will be to give great smoothness to the motion of the carriage. The
more thoroughly to effect this I sometimes introduce a block of india-rubber, cork,
or other suitable material between the axle box and the spring, lever,. or beaiu e.
This arrangement must not be confounded with the introduction of india-rubber
between the frame and the body of the carriage, as its utility at the place I mention
depends upon the fact that the spring converts the short sharp jars of ordinary
carriages into comparatively long slow lifts, and that by deadening the jars before
they reach the springs the length of the resulting lifts is proportionately
diminished.
As a further improvement I make the journals of the wheels conical, sloping
away to the ends of the bearings. To avoid the inclination to extrusion, which
would result from this form of journal, these journals may be made to approach the
conical form by steps, that is to say, the diameter of the journal is reduced by
steps, as shown at Fig. 9, which represents the end of an axle constructed according
to my Invention.
The Intention of this new form of journal is to diminish the friction. It will
be obvious, therefore, that the velocity of a journal against its bearing is propor-
tioned to its average circumference, and by constructing the axle boxes in this
manner the speed or velocity of rotation, which is a factor in the average frictional
resistance, will be reduced about one-half, while with a given base and weight dis-
tributed over its length a conical journal has precisely the same strength as a
cylindrical one.
This improvement may be applied at small expense to the journals of existing
railway stock, and will diminish the frictional resistance by nearly one-half.
My last improvement also relates to a mode of reducing the friction of the axles
of wheels, and consists in an arrangement by which rollers may be applied to
revolving surfaces, thereby almost altogether doing away with the friction of axles,
and the necessity for using lubricants. This improvement is shown in side or sec-
tional elevation at Fig. 10, and end elevation at Fig. 11.
It will be seen that the axle is surrounded by a number of rollers 1, L, L, each
of which is provided at each end with a central projection similar to an axle or
journal, but which does not act as an axle. At each end of the rollers is a flat
ring m, the inside of which clears the axle a of the wheel. The rings m are
provided with a number of radial slots to receive, the before-mentioned end pro-
jections or journals of the rollers 6, l. As the axle a revolves, the rollers l. l, acting
as true rollers (not as wheels), will have a motion imparted to them equal in velocity
to half that of the periphery of the axle, and they in their turn will impart a
circular motion to the slotted rings m, m, which carry them. The function of these
slotted rings m is simply to keep the rollers 1, l, at a proper distance from each

page_text: other. These rings should be joined together by three or inore cross bars, as at
m³, m³, so as to form a kind of fraining to carry the rollers L, L. The radial slots in
the rings m, m, are of such a length as to allow the lower rollers to hang clear of
(that is, not to touch) the journal or axle a when they are below the axle. The
weight of the carriage is applied to the circle of rollers 1, 1, in the same way as to
an ordinary journal.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the permanent way of
railways and in the rolling stock to run thereon," and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to ine by Letters
Patent as aforesaid,―
First. Forming and securing the ends of the rails of the permanent way of rail-
ways, as herein shewn and described, so that each of the running wheels of the
carriages in passing over the joint may partly rest on the rail in advance before it
entirely leaves the one it is about to quit, as herein set forth.
Second. I claim the use of break shoes or skids (hung and fitted with springs)
in combination with » central rail on which the said break shoes or skids are made
to act, as and for the purposes herein set forth; I also claim the use of break shoes
or skids hung and fitted with springs, and so arranged as to act on the ordinary
rails of the permanent way, as and for the purposes herein set forth; I further
claim the suspension of break blocks from the framing of the carriage by springs
or elastic attachments, and the operation of such break blocks by means of a tie
rod provided with an elastic attachment, the whole being arranged substantially in
the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.
Third. I claim suspending the weight of the carriage on the axles of secondary
wheels mounted in bearings in the ends of beams provided with springs for the
purpose of imparting elasticity thereto in a vertical direction, the axles or bearings
of such secondary wheels being mounted in suitable guides, and their peripheries
being made to bear on the axles of the running wheels, as and for the purposes
berein set forth.
Fourth. I claim constructing the journals or wearing parts of railway carriage
axles in a quasi-conical form. that is to say, of short cylindrical parts of different
diameters, the reduction of the diameters being effected by steps, as and for the
purpose herein set forth.
Lastly. I claim the adaptation to the axle boxes of railway carriage wheels of of
antifriction rollers constructed, mounted, and operating in the manner and for the
purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Whitesaid Cook, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.