AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR VARYING THE GAUGE OF CARRYING WHEELS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, FREDERICK MACKINLAY, of Buenos Aires, in the Argentine Republic, but
temporarily of 1 Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "AN IMPROVED DEVICE
FOR VARYING THE GAUGE OF CARRYING WHEELS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
My invention relates to improvements upon the subject matter of letters patent,
applied for by me under date 6th May 1884, and Number 7322, relating to axles
and carrying wheels, and it is designed to enable the wheel gauge to be altered at
will, and with ease, to allow of a railway truck, locomotive, carriage, or any other
vehicle, travelling upon gauged rails, passing from one gauge to another.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like
letters refer to similar parts in the different views.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck fitted with my improved device. Figure 2
is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the form of permanent way to effect any desired change of
gauge by the above device.
Figure 4 is a transverse section through a wheel and part axle, fitted with my
aforesaid device, and alternative form of axle.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the said axle.
Figure 6 is a front and side elevation of a sliding wheel brake.
Figure 7 is a detailed view of a detached clip to suit the aforesaid alternative ¨
axle.
In my device, the axles A and the carrying wheels B may be provided with a
right handed screw C¹ at one end and a left handed screw C at the other (figure 2),.
upon which the hubs of the wheels are fitted by an internally cut screw throad, to,
travel along the screw threads of the said axle, when the change of gauge is to be
effected. When the wheels are at their extreme positions for the narrowest and
widest gauges for which they are fitted, the Kubs B¹ of the wheels B lock by means
ID 837

page_text: of a projecting tooth or teeth cut upon each face of the said hubs, against similar
projecting teeth upon collars or shoulders D D D provided in any convenient manner
upon the said axle. These aforesaid teeth are formed upon both the hubs of the
wheels and collars of the axles, by cutting out the whole, half, quarter, or any
fractional portion of a turn of the screw thread cut upon the axle of the wheels
according to the number of the projecting teeth required upon the said hubs and
collars.
All the details of the clips and locking keys are in this device the same as those
described in my aforesaid application under N° 7322 and dated 6th May 1884.
The special axle-brakes are now however dispensed with and the change of gauge
is effected in a novel manner, with modified adjuncts for the purpose, thus:
Additional bearing rails L L (figures 1, 2 and 3) are provided, either inside the
narrowest gauge, or outside the rails of the widest gauge, and upon the axles A are
fitted auxiliary discs or wheels M, of suitable gauge, i. e. either formed upon the
innermost collars or bosses on the axle or upon the outermost axle-collars or bosses, 1
to suit the above alternative positions of the elevated rails, and conveniently
grooved or flanged to run upon these auxiliary rails at the place of change of gauge.
The ordinary rails N upon which the truck or vehicle approaches the point of
change, are depressed, after the said truck or vehicle has entered upon the
auxiliary carrying rails, and it is thus allowed to ride without perceptible shock, a
from the ordinary permanent way, upon the aforesaid auxiliary rails.
If the keys E, and locking clips F, as before described in my said specification
No 7322 dated 6th May 1884 and shown in position in figure 2, are now withdrawn
and removed, the wheels may be rotated to alter gauge by hand upon the aforesaid
right and left handed screw-threads upon the axles, whilst the truck or vehicle
remains at rest, the axle thus being held in a fixed position.
Or, I fit the usual wheel brake blocks P, figure 6, so as to slide laterally upon
the cross bar Q between the hangers, and the main wheels being securely held by
the said blocks, whilst the truck or vehicle is propelled over the elevated rails,
(riding upon them by the aforesaid axle discs M): the axle is thus caused to rotate
within the screwed hubs of the stationary wheels, which thus close together or
slide apart, carrying the sliding brake blocks P with them, until the required
change of gauge is effected. Or, should the truck or vehicle not be fitted with a
brake, or be without a sliding brake, I may lock the wheels relatively to the body
of the truck or vehicle by a chain attached thereto.
Alternatively, I may make the axle plain figure 4, without a screw thread being
cut upon it, and the wheels may be shifted to any required alteration of gauge by
being slid upon the turned surface of the said axles by hand, by an independent
screw tool, or by guide converging rails, R, figure 3, pressing upon the outside and
inside edges of the wheels, as the truck travels. The axle is conveniently of such
a shape, as, shown in figure 5, or is provided with a feather, so as to prevent the
wheels from rotating upon the axle in the course of the ordinary running.
Where clips are used in conjunction with this device, the aforesaid projecting
teeth are not formed by fractional turns of a screw thread, but may be plain
recesses perpendicular to the face of the clips, as shown in detail in figure 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
'
1st The method of effecting a change of gauge in carrying wheels by the raising
of the truck carriage locomotive or vehicle upon auxiliary elevated bearing rails,
the main wheels thus raised from the main track being altered as to their gauge
by rotation upon the screwed axles or equivalently by being slid outwards or
inwards upon the plain turned axle, substantially as described.
2nd The construction of a truck, locomotive, or vehicle with main carrying
wheels adjustable laterally upon the axles, either by sliding or by rotation upon a
4

page_text: screw thread with locking clips or keys, with sliding brakes and with auxiliary
axle discs or wheels to support the said axles upon elevated bearing rails to effect
a change of gauge, substantially as described.
3rd The combination with a truck, locomotive, carriage or vehicle, constructed
as in claim 2, of a pair of elevated parallel bearing rails taking the load between
the different gauges, to suspend the said truck, locomotive, carriage or vehicle to
allow the change of gauge to be effected, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of December 1884
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.