IMPROVEMENTS IN STARTING AND STOPPING GEAR FOR TRAMWAY CARS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Percy Gore Hepworth at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th November 1882.
PERCY GORE HEPWORTH of Lansdowne Road Clapham in the County of
Surrey, Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN STARTING AND STOPPING GEAR
FOR TRAMWAY CARS
This invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of gear in combination with a
coiled or barrel spring for starting and stopping tramway cars the apparatus being
so arranged as that the coiling or winding of the spring shall be effected by one or
other of the axles of the car whilst the resistance of the said spring in winding
serves to stop the car. The force or power thus stored up in the spring is sufficient
to start the car when brought into action for that purpose.
According to one mode of carrying out my said invention I mount upon either
or both of the axles of the running wheels of the car a pair of bevel wheels and
in suitable bearings in a moveable frame or frames connected with the same axle
or axles I mount a short spindle or shaft carrying a third bevel wheel so arranged
as that by moving the said frame more or less in one or other direction parallel to
the running axle the third wheel can be brought into gear with either of the two
bevel wheels fast on the axle or it can be maintained in a position midway
between these two wheels so as to be out of gear with both of them this latter
being the normal position of the gearing during the time the car is running free.
The before mentioned short spindle or shaft carries in addition to its bevel wheel
a coiled or barrel spring which is wound up by the motion of the car so soon as the
third bevel wheel is brought into gear with one or other of the two bevel wheels
on the axle according to the direction in which the car may be running. This
is accomplished by shifting the moveable frame by a lever suitably connected
therewith and convenient to the hand of the driver. The spring on being wound
up is maintained in a state of tension by a suitable self acting detent and ratchet
wheel arrangement under the control of the driver so that on disengaging the
detent and releasing the spring which the driver can readily do by the before
mentioned lever handle the stored up force of the spring will then be applied
hrough the third wheel to. one or other of the bevel wheels on the axle so as
o start the car either in a forward or backward direction as the case may be.

page_text: By a suitable arrangement of levers and connections the shifting of the moveable
frame may obviously be accomplished from either end of the car.
Having thus started the car the driver shifts the frame and third bevel wheel to
a central position so as to be out of gear with both the bevel wheels on the axle,
the car being then free to run in either direction without acting on the stopping
and starting gear. When it is desired to stop the car the driver shifts the lever to
such a position as will bring the third wheel again into gear with one or other of
the bevel wheels on the axle thereby causing the spring to be again wound up the
resistance thus offered gradually bringing the car to a state of rest.