Improvements in the Mounting and Carrying of Gyrating Cars on Railway or other Tracks for Public Amusement, and in the Arrangement of such Tracks.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 4th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mounting and Carrying of Gyrating Cars on
Railway or other Tracks for Public Amusement, and in the
Arrangement of such Tracks.
I, WILLIAM JAMES WALDRON, of 18, Limerston Street, West Brompton, in the
County of London, S.W., Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to safely provide an exhilarating and pleasur-
able form of public amusement pastime or diversion at fairs exhibitions seaside
resorts and other like places.
According to my invention I provide a raised elevated or overhead structure
built preferably in the form of a viaduct of steel iron timber or other suitable
materials with a railway or other suitable track thereon suitably and securely held
to gauge and so that the projection of any parts of the structure beyond the rails
shall be minimized. The track may be either straight or curved and level or laid
to suitable gradients as desired or according to the situation or method of
working.
I place on such railway or other track so that they may freely roll or run thereon
a pair of suitable carrying wheels mounted on an axle or two or more pairs of
carrying wheels mounted on axles which with suitable connections and parts may
form or support a frame or frames or a carriage body or bodies as may be desired.
The axle or axles may be prolongated on the outer sides of the carrying wheels
or they may not.
To the webs or spokes of the carrying wheels or to the axle or axles or to the
prolongated portions thereof or any of them I attach arms or pairs of arms radiating
therefrom or tangential thereto. These arms or pairs of arms shall each in them-
selves be capable of withstanding any stress or strain to which they may be sub-
jected or they may be so braced tied or otherwise connected together as to mutually
support one another.
At or near the outer ends of such arms or pairs of arms I freely depend open or
closed cars (which may if desired take the form of boats horses or the like) so
that they maintain their perpendicularity during the revolutions of such arms or
pairs of arms. I arrange the cars and arms or pairs of arms so that they balance
about the axis upon which they are supported and so that the load on each carrying
wheel shall be equal or nearly so. The said arms or pairs of arms may be so
mounted as to revolve with or independently of the carrying wheels and at the
same speed or at a higher or lower speed in the same direction or in a reverse
direction or both alternately by means of suitable gearing or they may be worked
independently.
If and when required to provide additional steadiness and safety in running I
employ guide wheels running on against or carried near the track rails or on
against or near an additional guard rail or rails provided between the track rails
and preferably as near the axis of the carrying wheels as may be convenient.

page_text: The axes of such guide wheels may be either horizontal vertical or inclined to the
horizon and may be supported from bearings on the axle or axles by suitable frames
or connected to the carriage body or bodies.
Rolling motion may be imparted to the carrying wheels by, gravity, on the
railway or other track where suitably inclined which track may be so arranged as
to cause the carrying wheels to return as near to the points from which they started
as the loss by friction will allow. Whenever practicable I prefer to make each
trip or journey begin and end approximately at the same spot.
In the case of a level or other track not specially designed for working by
gravity manual steam electrical or any other convenient form of power may be
applied in any usual way from the carriage body or bodies or from the guide wheel
frames above referred to direct or by cable haulage or the like.
If bearings outside the revolving arms or pairs of arms should be found
advantageous or necessary they may be suspended from over-hanging cross girders
supported from the carriage body or bodies or in any equivalent manner.
Dated this Fourth day of November 1897.
WILLIAM JAMES WALDRON,
18, Limerston Street, West Brompton, London, S.W., (Applicant).
Improvements in the Mounting and Carrying of Gyrating Cars on
Railway or other Tracks for Public Amusement and in the
Arrangement of such Tracks,
I, WILLIAM JAMES WALDRON, of 18, Limerston Strect, West Brompton, in the
County of London, S.W., Civil Engineer, 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 object of this invention is to provide a new and exhilarating form of public
amusement.
The invention consists principally in the vehicles hereinafter described which
travel upon an elevated track being driven either by gravity or power.
According to my invention I erect a raised elevated or overhead structure built
preferably in the form of a viaduct of steel iron timber or other suitable material
upon which is laid a suitable track of any approved guage but so that the columns
supporting the viaduct girders or the viaduct girders themselves which support the
track shall not for a distance of 7 or 8 feet or thereabouts below the level of the
track project on their outer sides further than is absolutely necessary to give a firm
bearing to the track laid thereon.
I place on such track so that they may freely roll or run thereon a pair of suitable
carrying wheels mounted on an axle. The axle may be prolongated on the outer
sides or it may not. To the webs or spokes of these carrying wheels or to the
axle or to the prolongated portions thereof or any of them I attach arms or pairs
of arms radiating therefrom or tangential thereto. These arms or pairs of arms
shall each in themselves be capable of withstanding any stress or strain to which
they may be subjected or they may be so braced tied or otherwise connected together
as to mutually support one another. At or near the outer ends of such arms or
pairs of arms I freely depend open or closed cars (which may if desired take the
form of boats horses or the like) so that they maintain their perpendicularity during
cars
the revolutions of such arms or pairs of arms. I arrange the
and arms or pairs of arms SO that they balance about the axis

page_text: upon which they are supported and so that the load on each carrying wheel shall
be equal or nearly so. may also construct two vehicles as above described and
place them on the track one behind the other and connect the axles of the two
by suitable tie rods and connections so that the whole may take the form of a
bogie carriage and these tie rods and connections may support a carriage body. If
desired several of the vehicles could be constructed and joined together in the same
manner one behind the other.
The said arms or pairs of arms may be mounted loose in bearings upon the
prolongated portions of the axle, or the carrying wheels may be mounted loose
upon the axle to roll independently, and either the said arms or pairs of arms, or the
axle respectively may be connected with suitable gearing which may take the
form of tooth wheels and chains or other well known methods, and either the said
arms or pairs of arms, or the axle, respectively may be induced to revolve in any
direction and at a higher or lower speed, and such gearing may be connected and
take its power from the carrying wheels, or may receive such power from a motor
placed on the bogie carriage referred to above.
If and when required to provide additional steadiness and safety in running I
employ guide wheels running on, against, or near an additional guard rail or rails
provided between the track rails and preferably as near the axis of the carrying
wheels as may be convenient. The axes of such guide wheels may be either
horizontal, vertical or inclined to the horizon and may be supported from bearings
on the axle or axles by suitable frames or connected to the carriage body or
bodies.
The overhead structure supporting the track and the track may be built and laid
level and the vehicles would be driven by any approved power applied in any well
known manner from the carriage body or bodies or from the guide wheel frames
above referred to direct or by cable haulage or the like, or the overhead structure
supporting the track, and the track may be built and laid inclined or undulating
and the vehicles would be driven by their own gravity and the track may take a
curved or straight run or may describe a circle. I much prefer where practicable
an inclined track so arranged as to cause the vehicle to return as near to the
point from which it started as the loss by friction will allow. Whenever practicable
I prefer to make each journey begin and end approximately at the same spot.
The elevated structure and track may be built in suitable spans and parts and
bolted together so as to form portable sections which would facilitate its removal
and re-erection in an expeditious manner, and the vehicles may be built so as to
be easily taken apart, in portable sections, to facilitate their removal and re-erection
in an expeditious manner and by this means the whole apparatus may be taken
down removed, and re-erected from place to place.
In order to more fully demonstrate my invention and its mode of working so
that it may be thoroughly understood, I now refer to the accompanying drawings
forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in both figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle standing upon the elevated track.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of a vehicle standing upon the elevated track.
The apparatus as illustrated is as follows. A is the elevated tracks. B are the
carrying wheels of the vehicle, C are the projecting arms supporting the cars, and
D are the cars which hang and act as a swivel in the bearings, E, causing them
to retain their perpendicularity as the vehicle travels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
nvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The use of a vehicle constructed as described and illustrated in the accompany-
ing drawings, and either fitted with suitable driving power or not substantially as
and for the purposes described and set forth

page_text: 2. The use of a vehicle as described made up of two, or several of the vehicles as
shown in the illustration placed one behind the other and connected by suitable tie
rods and connections from their axles. The said tie rods and connections support-
ing a carriage body from which motive power may be applied or not, substantially
as and for the purposes described and set forth.
3. The use of a vehicle described and illustrated fitted with guide wheels sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described and set forth.
4. In combination the use of an overhead track built either level inclined or
undulating, and either straight curved or circular, and a vehicle as described
substantially as and for the purposes shown and set forth.
5. An overhead structure and track and a vehicle as illustrated and described
built in sections in a portable manner and adapted for easy transport from place
to place.
6. The use of a vehicle as described in this specification the arms and cars of
which are mounted loose on the prolongated portions of the axle, or the carrying
wheels of which are mounted loose to roll independently on the axle, fitted with
suitable gearing to induce the cars to revolve in either direction at a faster or slower
speed as desired than the carrying wheels substantially as and in the manner
described in this specification.
Dated this Fourth day of August 1898.
WILLIAM JAMES WALDRON,
(Applicant).