IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING THE AXLES OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Ambrose Mc Evoy, of No. 15, Ryder
Street, St. James', in the City of Westminster, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING THE AXLES OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES."-Partly a communication from abroad by William
Painter, of Owings Mills, Maryland, United States of America.
Sealed the 28th June 1872, and dated the 30th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Ambrose
M Evoy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th December 1871.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE M° EvoY, of No. 15, Ryder Street, St. James',
5 in the City of Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING THE AXLES OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows
The object of this Invention is to give a continuous supply of lubri-
cating oil to the axles of railway carriages. For this purpose an
apparatus, projecting upwards from time to time a jet of oil on to the

page_text: axle, is placed at the bottom of an axle box in which is contained the
supply of lubricating oil.
The apparatus is composed of a box or hollow casing, which is fixed
to the bottom of the axle box. Through the sides of the casing
openings are formed near the bottom to allow the oil at the bottom of
the axle box to enter the casing. A hole is formed through the top of
the casing through which passes a cap somewhat of the shape of an
inverted cup. At the centre of the cup on its under side is a plunger
fitting loosely into a cylinder, which rises up from the bottom of the
box or casing. Holes or slots are formed through the cylinder to allow
oil to pass to its interior.
The cap rests upon a coiled spring out-
side the cylinder, and it is supported by this spring so that its bottom
is kept a short distance above the bottom of the box or casing.
Through the centre of the plunger a hole is formed which is made bell-
mouthed at the bottom. When the railway carriage is in motion the
vertical jerks to which the axle box is subjected give a vertical up-and-
down motion to the cap, and so causes the plunger on its under side
to strike the oil in the cylinder, and thereby to throw a jet of oil
upwards through its central hole on to the under side of the axle.
The cap is prevented from escaping from the opening at the top of the
casing by a flange around it coming against the top of the casing.
In place of the cap being supported by a coiled spring it may be
supported by levers and counterbalance weights. Soft absorbent
material, such as sponge or cotton wick, may also be carried on the top
of the cap, so that as it moves upwards it may come against the axle,
and aid in supplying oil thereto as the absorbent material will become
saturated with the oil. In place also of projecting a jet of oil upwards
on to the axle a roller revolving in the oil and against the axle
may be employed; such roller may either float in the oil or may
be held up towards the axle by light springs acting upon its pin or
axis.
The roller may if desired be covered with absorbent material, and its
pin or axis may be received into slots in upright plates standing up

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Ambrose M° Evoy in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th June 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
AMBROSE McEvoy, of No. 15, Ryder Street, St. James's, in the City of
Westminster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Ambrose Mc Evoy, Her
special license that I, the said Charles Ambrose Mc Evoy, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Ambrose McEvoy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING THE AXLES OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Charles Ambrose M° Evoy, my executors or administrators by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
'
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Ambrose M° Evoy, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to give a continuous supply of lubri-
cating oil to the axles of railway carriages. For this purpose an
apparatus, projecting upwards from time to time a jet of oil on to the
axle, is placed at the bottom of an axle box in which is contained the
1

page_text: The apparatus is composed of a box or hollow casing which is fixed to
the bottom of the axle box. Through the sides of the casing openings
are formed near the bottom to allow the oil at the bottom of the axle
box to enter the casing. A hole is formed through the top of the casing
through which passes a cap somewhat of the shape of an inverted cup.
At the centre of the cap on its under side is a plunger fitting loosely
into a cylinder which rises up from the bottom of the box or casing.
Holes or slots are formed through the cylinder to allow oil to pass to its
interior. The cap rests upon a coiled spring outside the cylinder, and it
is supported by this spring so that its bottom is kept a short distance
above the bottom of the box or casing. Through the centre of the
plunger a hole is formed which is made bell mouthed at the bottom.
When the railway carriage is in motion the vertical jerks to which the
axle box is subjected give a vertical up-and-down motion to the cap, and
so causes the plunger on its under side to strike the oil in the cylinder,
and thereby to throw a jet of oil upwards through its central hole on to
the under side of the axle. The cap is prevented from escaping from
the opening at the top of the casing by a flange or lugs around it
coming against the top of the casing.
In place of the cap being supported by a coiled spring it may be sup-
ported by levers and counterbalance weights. Soft absorbent material
such as sponge or cotton wick may also be carried on the top of the cap,
so that as it moves upwards it may come against the axle and aid in
supplying oil thereto as the obsorbent material will become saturated
with the oil. In place also of projecting a jet of oil upwards on to the
axle a roller revolving in the oil, and against the axle may be employed;
such roller may either float in the oil or may be held up towards the axle
by light springs acting upon its pin or axis.
The roller may if desired be covered with absorbent material, and its
pin or axis may be received into slots in upright plates standing up from
a plate placed at the bottom of the axle box.
Figure 1 shews a vertical section of apparatus, such as is above
described, for projecting upwards from time to time a jet of oil on to the
axle of a railway carriage. The apparatus is placed at the bottom of the
axle box, and the oil therein fills and surrounds it, rising say as high as
the line x, x. A is the box or casing having openings J to admit oil
freely to the interior; B is a cylinder rising up from the bottom of the

page_text: casing and having vertical slots C cut in it for the admission of oil;
D is the inverted vibrating cap carrying the plunger E which works
freely in the cylinder B; F is a hole through the centre of the plunger
and made bell mouthed at the bottom; G, G, are openings for escape of
air when the cap is immersed; H, H, are lugs on the sides of the cap to
prevent its rising too far and escaping from the opening in the casing A;
K is a spiral spring for supporting the vibrating cap D which is free to
play up and down about three-eighths of an inch, and when at rest is
sustained by the spring in a central position as shewn.
When the railway carriage is in motion any vertical movement of the
carriage gives a corresponding motion to the cap, whereby the plunger E
is caused to strike the oil and eject it upward through the opening F;
the plunger is free to descend to the bottom of the cylinder, hence so
long as any oil remains in it it will be ejected upwards against the
axle.
As before stated the vibrating cap D may be supported by a lever and
counterbalance weight in place of by a spring; a vertical section of an
apparatus so constructed is shewn at Figure 2, in other respects the
apparatus is similar to that above described so that it is unnecessary to
give here any further description of it.
Figures 3 and 4 shew a transverse section and plan of a lubricator in
which the oil is carried up to the axle by a roller in place of being
squirted up to it as in the arrangements shewn at Figures 1 and 2. The
roller a is composed of a cylinder of thin sheet metal closed at its ends,
and covered around its circumference with a cotton fabric. The spindles
at the ends of the roller are supported by springs b, b, in a case c,
and these springs may either be sufficiently strong to keep the roller
constantly against the axle, or the roller might vibrate to and fro
like the inverted cup in the arrangements before described, or as before
stated, the roller in place of being held up to the axle by a spring might
float in the oil and be thus held against the axle.
A lubricator so constructed is shewn at Figures 5 and 6. The form of
the frame c in which the lubricating roller a, both of the apparatus
shewn at Figures 3 and 4, and of the apparatus shewn at Figures 5
and 6 is mounted is clearly shewn by the Drawings; this frame is to be
placed at the bottom of the axle box as with the apparatus shewn at
Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,—
1. The combined arrangement of lubricating apparatus substantially
as herein described and shewn at Figure 1.
2. The combined arrangement of lubricating apparatus substantially
as herein described and shewn at Figure 2.
3. The combination of cylinder a supporting springs 6 and case or
frame c to be placed at the bottom of an axle box, substantially as herein
described and shewn at Figures 3 and 4.
4. The combination of cylindrical float a with case or frame c to be
placed at the bottom of an axle box, substantially as herein described and
shewn at Figures 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Ambrose M° Evoy, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-