A New or Improved Railway, Applicable for Use for Recreative or other Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1888.
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Railway, Applicable for Use for Recreative or
other Purposes.
I, JOHN WILLIAMS VACHELL of Fairfield, Llandaff, in the County of Glamorgan,
Justice of the Peace, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
:
This invention has for object a centrifugal railway which may be used as a pastime
or recreation, after the manner of a switch back railway, and which will also serve as
an educational appliance to demonstrate in an impressive manner the effect of
centrifugal force. The carriage or car runs on a way or track provided with rails in
the usual manner. This way extends between two points, which may advantageously
be at or about the same altitude-Starting from one of these points the track
descends rapidly it then commences to rise again, with a gradually increasing
gradient which follows a curved course making a complete circle, and descending
again to about the same level from which it started. From this point the track runs
up a steepish gradient to its termination. When a car starts from one end of the
line it is urged into rapid motion by the action of gravity; when it has reached the
hottom of the incline it is travelling with great velocity. This velocity carries it up
the circular or curved path, and the relative heights of the top of the curve and
the starting point are properly proportioned, the velocity is sufficient, not only to
carry the car round the upper part of the curve, but, the centrifugal force is also
sufficient to hold the car, which at this point is inverted to the rails, and to keep the
passengers in their seats.
It will be evident that different arrangements of railway may be constructed
according to this invention. There may be more than one circularly curved portions
of the track along which the car will pursue its course and there may be soveral
undulations or alternate elevations and depressions at each side of, or between the
circular portion or portions.
If desired the general line of the track may be circular to bring the passengers
back to the starting point or thereabouts.
Dated this 21st dose of Dacomber 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Railway, Applicable for Use for Recreative or
other Purposes.
I, JOHN WILLIAMS VACHELL, of Fairfield, Llandaff, in the County of Glamorgan,
Justice of the Peace, 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 :-
This invention has for object a centrifugal railway which may be used as a pastime
or recreation, after the manner of a switch back railway and which will also serve
as an educational appliance to demonstrate in an impressive manner the effect of
centrifugal force. The carriage or car runs on a way or track provided with rails in
the usual manner. This way extends between two points, which may advantageously
be at or about the same altitude. Starting from one of these points the track
descends rapidly; it then commences to rise again, with a gradually increasing

page_text: gradient which follows a curved course making a complete turn or convolution and
descending again to about the same level from which it started.
From this point the track runs up a gradient to its termination.
When a car
starts from one end of the line it is urged into rapid motion by the action of gravity;
when it has reached the bottom of the incline it is travelling with great velocity.
This velocity carries it up the circular or curved path, and if the relative heights.of
the top of the curve and the starting point are properly proportioned, the velocity is
sufficient not only to carry the car round the upper part of the curve, but, the
centrifugal force is also sufficient to hold the car, which at this point is inverted, to
the rails, and to keep the passengers in their seats.
It will be evident that different arrangements of railway may be constructed
according to this invention. There may be more than one circularly curved portions
of the track along which the car will pursue its course and there may be several
undulations alternate elevations and depressions at each side of or between the
circular portion or portions..
If desired the general line of the track may be circular to bring the passengers.
back to the starting point or thereabouts.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; and
Fig. 2 a plan of a railway constructed according to this invention.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of part of such a railway with a car thereon.
Fig. 4 is a side view of the car alone.
1 is a way or track provided with rails 2 and supported upon trestles or frame-
work 3 of any suitable construction. The track descends rapidly from the point. A
to the point B; it then rises in a curved course to the point (from which it again
descends to the point D which is at about the same level as B, and then rises up to
the point E which may advantageously be at or about the same altitude as the
point A. The curved part of the track between the points C and D is of spiral
form and makes a complete turn or convolution. The ends of the track may
advantageously be made horizontal or approximately horizontal, suitable means for
example stairways 4 being provided to enable these ends to be reached.
5 is a car fitted with wheels 6 to run on the rails 2 and having deep flanges as
shewn. The wheels should be placed as far apart as practicable and the bottom of
the car be in a plane a short distance from that in which the axes of the two axles are
located in order that the car bottom shall not be far from the rail surface and that
thus the car shall not be liable to tip over.
Assuming for the sake of example that the point A be about 40 feet above the
point B, and the diameter of the spiral portion B C D to be about 30 feet, then if a
car starts from the point A down the incline.l track A, B, it will be urged into rapid
motion by the action of gravity and when it reaches the point B it will have attained
sufficient velocity to cause it to travel around the spiral portion B C D and up the
inclined portion D E of the track, and moreover the centrifugal force will be
sufficient to cause the car to remain on the rails, and to keep the passengers in their
seats, whilst the car is travelling around the spiral portion B C D during a part of
which time the car will obviously be inverted.
Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a modified construction in which the
portions of the track between the points A and B and D and E have each several
undulations or alternate elevations and depressions.
It will be obvious that one of the portions, say D E, of the track may be arranged
horizontally the car being then returned to the point A by a lift.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what. I
claim is
1. The herein described centrifugal railway for recreative or other use, comprising
iwo portions of ways A B and D E one or both of which is or are inclined to the

page_text: horizontal, and a third or connecting portion of way B C D that is upwardly curved
and spirally arranged in such a manner as to make a complete turn as set forth with
reference to and illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings annexed.
2. The modification described with reference to Fig. 5.
Dated this 97th day of Santambar 1880
JOHN W. VACHELL.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.