Year: 1898

page_text: We, GUILLAUME ERATII and PAUL VIOLI, both of Rue du Rhône, Geneva, in the
Republic of Switzerland, Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of this invention.
to be as follows:-
The invention consists of certain improvements in railway-cars or vehicles for
pleasure-railways, so-called switch-back railways, in which a car provided with
suitable seats for the passengers is conveyed by any suitable motor acting upon
an endless chain to which the said car is temporarily hooked, to the top of a
railway-track having alternately ascending and descending inclines.
In pleasure-railways of this kind, which are old and wellknown a very impor-
tant feature is to provide means for allowing the conductor of each car to apply
the brake on the latter if the speed is excessive or to stop the same in case of
accident.
It will be understood that the form of the car proper and also the number of
seats with which it is provided may be varied to suit the special circumstances
of each case.
The car is provided with seats which have suitable handles to allow the pas-
sengers to securely hold themselves on the seats.
A hook is fixed to the bottom of the car and adapted to engage the endless
chain which conveys the car to the top of the track. The wheels of the car are
covered in by suitable boxes or casings for the purpose of preventing the passen-
gers from accidentally catching their fingers in the said wheels.
To the box or casing of the front wheel there is fixed a bracket carrying the
pivot of a two-armed hand-lever projecting upward in proximity to the seat of
the conductor and connected by means of a rod or rods to a shoe the back end of
which is connected by means of a rod or rods to a bracket fixed to the car.
The shoe is suitably formed to engage the top of the track when lowered by a
suitable operation of the handlever.
This device enables the car to be stopped on the track and retained in its posi-
tion of rest notwithstanding the declivity of the same.
In the box or casing, of the front wheel there are fixed two springs each carry-
ing a shoe intended to be applied to the axle of the said front wheel and to act
like a brake upon it. The free ends of the springs are connected to a rocking-
piece pivoted at its centre to the said box or case and fixed to a handlever also
projecting upward in proximity to the conductors seat.
By suitably oscillating the said handlever the said shoes may be firmly pressed
against the axle to brake the car.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Cars or Vehicles for Switch-back Railways.
We, GUILLAUME ERATH and PAUL VIOLI, both of Rue du Rhône, Geneva, in the
Republic of Switzerland, Merchants, 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;-
'
The invention consists of certain improvements in railway-cars or vehicles for
pleasure-railways, so-called switch-back railways, in which a car provided with
suitable seats for the passengers, is conveyed by any suitable motor acting upon
an endless chain to which the said car is temporarily hooked, to the top of a
railway-track having alternately ascending and descending inclines.
In pleasure-railways of this kind, which are old and wellknown a very impor-
tant feature is to provide means for allowing the conductor of each car to control
the speed of the latter or to stop the same in case of accident and for this purpose
the present invention comprises brake apparatus adapted to be applied to the axle
of the car or vehicle and to the track rail or rails as hereinafter described.
It will be understood that the form of the car proper and also the number of
seats with which it is provided may be varied to suit the special circumstances
of each case.
Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which;
Figure 1 shows a side-elevation of the braking device.
Figure 2 is a section on the line of Figure 1, and
X-
Figure 3 is a side elevation on a smaller scale of a completed car provided with
the improved braking device.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawing.
A is the car and B' B2 and B3 are the seats which are provided with suitable
handles to allow the passengers to securely hold themselves on the seats.
C and D are the axles of the car-wheels intended to roll on the track E.
F is a hook fixed to the bottom of the car A and adapted to engage the endless
chain which conveys the car to the top of the track. The wheels of the car are
covered in by suitable boxes or casings c and d for the purpose of preventing the
passengers from accidentally catching their fingers in the said wheels.
To the box or casing c of the front wheel there is fixed a bracket G carrying
the pivot of a two-armed hand-lever H projecting upward in proximity to the
seat B of the conductor and connected by means of a rod or rods I to a shoe J,
the back end of which is connected by means of a rod or rods K to a bracket L
fixed to the car A. The shoe J is suitably formed (as shown in Figures 1 and 2)
to engage the top of the track E when lowered by suitably operating the hand-
lever H.
This device enables the car to be stopped on the track and retained in its posi-
tion of rest notwithstanding the declivity of the said track.
In the box or casing c of the front wheel there are fixed two springs M and N
each carrying a shoe m or n intended to be applied to the axle C of the said
front wheel and to act like a brake upon it. The free ends of the springs M and
N are connected to a rocking-piece O pivoted at its centre o to the said box or
case e and fixed to a handlever P, projecting upward in proximity to the con-
ductor's seat B¹.
By suitably oscillating the said handlever P the said shoes m and n are firmly
pressed against the axle C to brake the car.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
1. A car or vehicle for switch back railways provided with means for controlling
the speed thereof, consisting of springs provided with brake shoes arranged
around one of the axles of the said car or vehicle, the said brake shoes being
adapted to be applied to the said axle by means of a hand lever arranged in
proximity to one of the seats of the car substantially as described.
2. A car or vehicle for switch-back railways provided with means for stopping
the same, such means consisting of a brake shoe or brake shoes adapted to be
applied to the track rail or rails by means of a hand operated lever arranged in
proximity to one of the seats of the car substantially as described.
3. A car or vehicle for switch-back railways provided with apparatus for con-
trolling the speed thereof, in combination with apparatus for stopping the said
car or vehicle, all constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the drawing.
בד
1
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.