IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING, ENDLESS, OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JONATHAN ALDOUS MAYS of the National Liberal Club, Charing Cross in
the City of Westminster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING, ENDLESS, OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to what are known as revolving, endless, travelling or self
acting railways or tramways; that is to say, to apparatus so contrived and applied
to the wheels of vehicles as to form a jointed and continuous railway, the continuous
and successive laying down and taking up of the various parts of which in front of
and at the rear of the wheels is effected by the rolling or rotating action of the
wheels.
An ordinary railway or permanent way is generally constructed as follows:-
Broad pieces of timber or metal called "sleepers" or "ties" are laid upon the
ground upon these sleepers are usually fixed other supporting pieces called
"chairs" and upon these chairs are laid or fixed the "rails" forming the railway.
In like manner my revolving railway may be said to consist of "sleepers,"
chairs" and "rails," but instead of being permanently fixed to each other as in
the case of a permanent way these several parts are jointed together to form an
endless chain around the periphery of the wheel.
The "sleeper” consists of a broad rectangular or other suitably shaped plate upon
the upper surface of which are placed vertical supports or standards for affording
an axial support to the chair.
The "chair" consists of a piece of metal supported by and having an axis of
rotation upon the sleeper in the line of motion of the wheel and it supports the
rails in such a way as to permit of their having an axis of rotation upon itself at
right angles to its own axis of rotation upon the sleeper and preferably in the
same plane.
The "rail".consists of a length of metal or other suitable. material of any
convenient section and having at each end lugs or projections by which it is
fastened to the chair.
On a series of rails, chairs and sleepers being connected together on the axes thus
described, an endless chain is formed which encircles the periphery of the wheel.
By reason of the connections of the rails to the chairs and of the chairs to the
sicepers being made at right angles to each other universal joints are thus formed,

page_text: which permit of the sleepers being laid upon the ground in planes at any convenient
angle to the horizon. The sleepers consequently readily adapt themselves to
irregularities of the surface of the ground and yet afford firm support to the rails
without unduly straining any of the parts.
The rails and the wheels may be formed of such sections with relation to each
other as will prevent any lateral displacement of the one from the other.
For the purpose of preventing slip between the wheel and the Revolving
Railway, where the wheel is employed as a traction wheel, the periphery of the
wheel and the bearing surface of the rails may be serrated in correspondence with
cach other, so that the rails and the wheel may form a rack and pinion gearing
into each other.
To prevent skidding or sliding of the sleepers upon the ground when my
Revolving Railway is used with or for traction wheels, the undersides of the
sleepers may be fitted with blades or spades to enter into and engage with the
ground. These blades or spades may be hinged to the sleepers in such a way as to
be capable of being readily folded or laid close to the underside of the sleeper when
not required to be used, or they may bo so made as to be readily attached to or
detached from the sleepers.
In order to disengage the surfaces of the rails from the surface of the wheel when
the rails are being lifted upwards from the ground and carried over and forward
with the wheel and for ensuring that a part of the Revolving Railway shall always
be laid upon the ground well in advance of the wheel itself I provide a carrying
ring or rings of larger diameter than that of the wheel.
When my Revolving Railway is used with vehicles which move rapidly, the
axes of the rails to the chairs and sleepers become the centres of circles of
centrifugal velocity and the sleepers are thus likely to be whirled out of their
proper position and tend to fall with their inner ends edgewise when approaching
the ground but by giving the sleepers additional weight at their forward ends the
centrifugal velocity and additional weight combine to cause the forward and
heavier end of the sleeper to be presented to the ground, slightly in advance of its
latter and lighter end, and practically causes the sleeper to reach the ground in its
proper position viz: horizontally.
As nearly all the wearing action of the parts of the Revolving Railway is upon
the pins or bolts which form the hinges, I propose to use steel or other suitable
inctal bushes for the pins or bolts.
To prevent noise and diminish wear at the points where the several parts of the
apparatus strike upon or como into contact with each other, the opposing surfaces
may be protected or padded with pieces of india rubber or other suitable elastic
inaterial.
In like manner to prevent noise and at the same time facilitate the lateral
movement of the sleepers upon the ground, the undersides of the same may be
faced or padded with blocks of india rubber or other suitable elastic material.
For the purpose of preventing the splashing of mud or the rising of dust which
will be occasioned by the comparatively flat surface of the sleeper coming suddenly
in contact with the ground, the sleepers or the rubber pads at the bottom of the
same may be provided with fringes or curtains of india rubber or other suitable
elastic material so contrived as that the lower edges of such curtains or fringes
shall reach the ground in advance of the sleeper, and have the effect of enclosing
the space or surface of the ground upon which the sleeper will be placed.

page_text: "
"
I, JONATHAN ALDOUS MAYS, of the National Liberal Club, Charing Cross, in the
City of Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING, ENDLESS, OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to what are known as revolving, endless, travelling, or
self-acting railways or tramways; that is to say, to apparatus so contrived and
applied to the wheels of vehicles, as to form a jointed and continuous railway, the
continuous and successive laying down and taking up of the various parts of which,
in front of and at the rear of the wheels, is effected by the rolling or rotating action
of the wheels.
1
An ordinary railway or permanent way is generally constructed as follows:-
Broad pieces of timber or metal, called "sleepers," or ties," are laid upon the
ground; upon these sleepers are usually fixed other supporting pieces called
"chairs," and upon these chairs are laid or fixed the "rails" forming the railway.
In like manner my revolving railway may be said to consist of " sleepers,"
"chairs" and "rails," but instead of being permanently fixed to each other, as in
the case of a permanent way, these several parts are jointed together to form an
endless chain around the periphery of the wheel.
The "sleeper" consists of a broad rectangular or other suitably shaped plate,
upon the upper surface of which are placed vertical supports or standards for
affording an axial support to the chair.
The "chair "consists of a piece of metal supported by, and having an axis of
rotation upon the sleeper in the line of motion of the wheel, and it supports the
rails in such a way as to permit of their having an axis of rotation upon itself, at
right angles to its own axis of rotation upon the sleeper, and preferably in the
same plane.
The "rail" consists of a length of metal, or other suitable material of any
convenient section, and having at each end lugs or projections, by which it is
fastened to the chair.
On a series of rails, chairs, and sleepers, being connected together on the axes
thus described, an endless chain is formed, which encircles the periphery of the
wheel. By reason of the connections of the rails to the chairs, and of the chairs to
the sleepers being made at right angles to each other, universal joints are thus
formed, which perimit of the sleepers being laid upon the ground in planes at any
convenient angle to the horizon. The sleepers, consequently, readily adapt them-
selves to irregularities of the surface of the ground, and yet afford firm support to
the rails without unduly straining any of the parts.
The rails and the wheels may be formed of such sections with relation to each
other as will prevent any lateral displacement of the one from the other.
For the purpose of preventing slip between the wheel and the revolving railway
where the wheel is employed as a traction wheel, the periphery of the wheel
and the bearing surface of the rails may be serrated in correspondence with each
other, so that the rails and the wheel may form a rack and pinion, gearing into
each other.
To prevent skidding or sliding of the sleepers upon the ground, when my
revolving railway is used with, or for traction wheels, the undersides of the
sleepers may be fitted with blades or spades, to enter into and engage with the

page_text: ground. These blades or spades, may be hinged to the sleepers in such a way as
to be capable of being readily folded, or laid close to the underside of the sleeper
when not required to be used, or they may be so made as to be readily attached to,
or detached from, the sleepers.
In order to disengage the surfaces of the rails from the surface of the wheel, when
the rails are being lifted upwards from the ground, and carried over and forward
with the wheel, and for ensuring that a part of the Revolving Railway shall
always be laid upon the ground woll in advance of the wheel itself, I provide a
carrying ring or rings of larger diameter than that of the wheel.
When my Revolving Railway is used with vehicles which move rapidly, the axes
of the rails to the chairs and sleepers become the centres of circles of centrifugal
velocity, and tho sleepers are thus likely to bo whirled out of their proper position,
and tend to fall with their inner ends edgewise when approaching the ground, but
by giving the sleepers additional weight at their forward ends, the centrifugal
velocity and additional weight combine to cause the forward and heavier end of
the sleeper to be presented to the ground slightly in advance of its latter and
lighter end, and this practically causes the sleeper to reach the ground in its proper
position, viz., horizontally.
As nearly all the wearing action of the parts of the Revolving Railway, is upon
the pins or bolts which form the hinges, I propose to use steel or other suitable
metal bushes for the pins or bolts.
To prevent noise and diminish wear at the points where the several parts of the
apparatus strike upon, or come into contact with each other, the opposing surfaces
may be protected or padded with pieces of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
material.
In like manner, to prevent noise, and at the same time facilitate the lateral
movement of the sleepers upon the ground, the undersides of the same may be
faced or padded with blocks of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material.
For the purpose of preventing the splashing of mud or the rising of dust which
will be occasioned by the comparatively flat surface of the sleeper coming
suddenly in contact with the ground, the sleepers or the rubber pads at the bottom
of the same may be provided with fringes or curtains of india-rubber or other
suitable elastic material, so contrived as that the lower edges of such curtains or
fringes shall reach the ground in advance of the sleeper, and have the effect of
enclosing the space or surface of the ground upon which the sleeper will be placed.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now describe it
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in all of which like figures refer to
like parts.
.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a traction wheel with the Railway adapted
thereto.
Figure 2 is a cross section of the traction wheel, showing the means for
maintaining the carrying ring in position.
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a plan and a side elevation of a rail.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a side and end elevation of a chair.
Figure 7 is a plan, showing two rails joined to a chair.
Figure 8 is a plan, and Figure 9 an elevation, partly in section, of a sleeper,
showing one form of detachable spade in position.
Figures 10 and 11 are respectively a side elevation and plan of another form of
spade.
Figure 12 is an underside plan, and Figure 13 is a cross section taken in the
line XX Figure 12, showing a sleeper with rubber pads and a rubber curtain
adapted thereto.
A is the axle of the traction wheel, B are the spokes, and C is the felloe or rim
which is U, or trough-shaped, in cross section, with serrated edges, D is a ring of
similar section, but of larger diameter than the traction wheel, and which I term
the carrying ring. This ring D works in the rim of the traction wheel, and is held
in position thereby, as shown in Figure 2, and it serves to support or carry the

page_text: Railway clear of the upper surface of the wheel, and to lay down the front or
forward parts thereof well in advance of the wheel, as will be seen by reference to
Figure 1.
ว
E is the sleeper, which consists of a flat, curved, or other suitably-shaped plate
of metal, from the upper face of which project a pair of vertical standards or
supports E-These standards or supports may be strengthened or stiffened by
ribs E, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, and they are further provided with
bushed holes to receive the pin or bolt a, by which the chair is connected to the
sleeper.
F is the chair, which consists of a metal casting having a body or central
portion F, and two lugs or outer portions F. Bushed holes are formed longi-
tudinally of the chair through the lugs, and in the central portion, as indicated at
Figure 5, to receive the pivot pins or bolts b b which are intended to secure the
rails to the chair. A bushed hole is formed transversely of the chair, centrally
through the portion F, at right angles to the other holes, and is intended to receive
the pin or bolt a, which connects the chair F to the sleeper E.
I prefer that these holes, which are set at right angles to one another, shall be
in. the same or nearly the same plane, as by that means I obtain a universal joint.
G is the rail, which is, by preference, of an inverted U shape in cross section
with the flanges G¹, which are serrated to correspond to the serrations on the
wheel. The rails are also formed with lugs or projections C³, by which they are
jointed together and to the chair. The holes made in these lugs to receive the
pivot pins or bolts, on which the rails hinge or fold upon one another, are bushed
with steel or other suitable metal.
From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the rails will be free to turn
on the pivot pins b b, which are placed transversely of the railway, while tho chair
will be free to rock or swing on the pivot pin a placed longitudinally of the
railway, and thus the sleeper will be free to adapt itself to the inequalities of the
ground.
Pivoted to one side of the sleeper is a series of spares H, see Figures 8 and 9,
recesses being made in the sleeper into which the spades can fold up, when not
in use.
Instead of the pivoted spades H, I may use the detachable spades I, shown at
Figures 10 and 11. These spades are to be used when the Railway is employed
with traction wheels on soft ground; they prevent the sleepers from skidding or
sliding backwards by entering into and engaging with the ground on which the
sleeper is placed. One or more such spades may be bolted, for each sleeper,
through the holes c c, Figure 8.
To make one end of the sleeper heavier than the other, the ribs or bottom, at
that side, are thicker than at the other side.
The carrying ring D, Figures 1 and 2, may be made in one or moro pieces. To
receive the blow of the uplifting rails, a ring of rubber or other suitable elastic
material, as shown in section at d, Figure 2, may be placed around, or in the
bottom of the hollow periphery of the ring.
To prevent any noise arising from the sleepers turning over and striking the
rails when being carried up and over the wheel, blocks of rubber or other suitable
elastic material e, Figures 8 and 9, are placed on the surfaces of the sleepers, where
they come into contact with the rails.
To prevent the splashing of mud, or the rising of dust as the sleepers are laid
upon the ground, 1 secure to the underside of the sleeper a curtains, of rubber, sec
Figure 13, which will touch the ground before the sleeper, and enclose the mud or
dust, thereby preventing splashing. India-rubber pads such as g, Figure 13, may
also be adapted to the underside of the sleeper and will serve not only to prevent
noise, but will allow a slight amount of motion on all sides to the sleeper, if the
unequal character of the ground may require it, and thereby facilitate the steering.
The invention is applicable to ordinary wheels and the carrying ring is not
necessary except in the case of wheels with serrated rims,

page_text: Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is, or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not restrict or confine myself to the
precise form of the parts as shown in the drawings, but what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the invention secured to me by the heroinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent, is :—
1. In a revolving railway, the connection of the chair to the sleeper on one
axis a, and the connection of the rails to the chair on another axis b, at right angles
to the former, the two axes being in the same plane or nearly so, and forming a
universal joint, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The carrying ring D of larger diameter than that of the bearing, rolling, or
traction wheel for supporting and carrying the Revolving Railway clear of the
wheel, and laying it down well in advance of the same, substantially as herein
described.
3. In a Revolving Railway, the combination of the blades or spades, such as H. I.
with the sleepers E, to prevent skidding or sliding of the sleepers, substantially as
herein described.
4. In a Revolving Railway, the use of a sleeper E, made heavier on one side
than on the other, as and for the purpose herein described.
5. In a Revolving Railway, the employment of a pad or pads g on the under-
sides of the sleepers E, to provent noise and to facilitate steering, substantially as
herein described.
6. In a Revolving Railway, the employment of a curtain fround the edge of the
sleeper E, to prevent dust from rising, and water or mud splashing, when the
sleepers are placed on the ground, substantially as herein described.
DL: dave of Dasambo 1801