Year: 1888

page_text: Communicated from abroad by THE AUTO-PNEUMATIC CAR MOTOR COMPANY, of
San Francisco, California, one of the United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE of No. 11 Wellington Street Strand London in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to a means for propelling cars upon street or other railways.
It consists of a tube extending along the line of the track, preferably between the
rails, this tube being connected with an air-compressing-apparatus so that it may be
kept full of air at any desired pressure. At intervals along the tube are small valves
which may be opened by the approaching car, and the car is provided with a receiver
and with a flexible hose and connecting bell-mouthed nozzle or joint which
engages with
and opens the valve of the street tube, so that a portion of the compressed air will
be admitted to the receiver on the car, and from this may be applied to drive the
engine.
Beneath the car are fixed horizontal guides approximately parallel with the con-
tinuous tube situated upon or beneath the street surface, and the lower end of the
flexible pipe and the nozzlo connected therewith is provided with a slide which travels
from end to end of the guides.
The street tube has upwardly projecting conical or hemispherical chambers at
intervals, and inwardly opening valves within the chambers.
The nozzle upon the flexible tube connected with the car reservoir, has a concave
lower-opening or mouth, which adjusts itself to each of the above-named valve-
chambers, when it is brought into contact with them by the movement of the car, and
at the same time opens the valves so that air may flow from the continuous supply-
tube to the car reservoir.

page_text: By means of a spring, a weight, or an endless cord connected with the nozzle,
assing around pulleys and having motion communicated to it at the proper time,
either from the truck or the car wheels, the flexible tube and its nozzle are returned to
the front end of the guides each time after the nozzle has become disengaged from the
supply valve-chamber.
The guides serve to retain the nozzle in close, air-tight contact with the
supply-valve-chamber, during the time while the car is traveling a distance
equal to the length of the guides, and the flexible tube allows the nozzle to
remain in connection with the supply while this distance is being traversed.
At the rear end of the guides, the nozzle will detach itself from the supply, the
valves will close, and the tube and nozzle will be brought to the front end of the
guides by the devices above-named, so as to be ready to engage the next supply
chamber.

page_text: Communicated from abroad by THE AUTO-PNEUMATIC CAR MOTOR COMPANY, of
San Francisco, California, one of the United States of America.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a means for propelling cars upon street or other railways.
It consists of a tube extending along the line of the track, preferably, between the
rails, this tube being connected with an air-compressing apparatus so that it may be
kept full of air at any desired pressure.
At intervals along the tube are small valves which may be opened by the
approaching car, and the car is provided with a receiver and with a flexible hose and
connecting bell-mouthed nozzle or joint which engages with and opens the valve of
the street tube, so that a portion of the compressed air will be admitted to the receiver
on the car, and from this may be applied to drive the engine.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car and its connections.
Figure 2 is an end view of the lower part of a car with the supply-tube.
Figures 3, and 4 show modified means for forwarding the flexible nozzle to the
front again.
Figures 5, and 6 are views of a different style of a stationary supply-valve, showing
wings attached to it, the latter being moved by an arm projecting down from the car,.
which movement causes the closing and opening of the valve.
A is the car, having any suitable engine B, by which it is driven, and a receiver C,
for compressed air which is to be admitted to it at stated intervals from the tube D,
which extends along the street. This tube is connected with a compressing apparatus
at some station or stations at various points along the route, so that a supply of com-
pressed air may be kept in it at all times at such a pressure as may be found most
desirable.
At various points along the tube, and at such intervals as may be deter-
mined by the necessities of the engine or the load to be drawn, are valves E,
which are fitted into openings from which air may be allowed to pass whenever these
valves are open.
The valves may be of any suitable or desirable description.
In Figure 1, these are shown in the form of valves opening inwardly and closing
outwardly, being kept to their seats also by spiral springs.

page_text: The valve-seat is, preferably, a small semi-globular projection, rising a short
distance above the level of the tube, so as to be readily engaged by the device upon
the car by which the air is to be taken from the tube and transferred to the
car-reservoir.
In Figure 1, this is shown as being composed of a flexible tube F, having a
bell-mouthed or semi-globular nozzle G, which will fit air-tight upon the semi-
globular projections on the tube containing the valves E.
Within the nozzle G, and surrounding its lower periphery, is an elastic rubber
ring or gasket H, which serves to make a perfect fit upon the exterior of the
valve-seats, and by its thickness and elasticity, allows for irregularities of pressure.
As the stationary tube D is beneath the roadway in the channel, and the
connecting bell-mouth is also within the channel, a large, flat, hollow disk I
is employed, the sides of which are connected by a number of stay-bolts to
prevent their being spread by internal pressure, or crushed from the outside.
The disk is narrow enough to pass up through the narrow slot in the roadway, and
forms the connection between the bell-mouthed nozzle and the lower end of the flexible
tube, through which air is conveyed to the reservoir.
At the point where the tube joins the disk is a frame or plate J, with anti-friction
rollers journaled to it so as to travel upon the guides K, which are fixed beneath the
car parallel with the track and the tube.
The ends of these guides are inclined, as shown, so that when the bell-mouthed
nozzle is moved to the front end, the guide-rollers moving up this incline, will so
incline the opening of the hell-mouth, that it will be in readiness to engage and fit
over each of the globular valve-seats when it reaches them.
The pins or projections a, within the bell-mouth, then press upon the valve and open
it, and as the car moves forward, the bell-mouth remains in connection with the
opening until it has traveled to the rear end of the guides when it is turned
backward by the rollers moving up the rear incline of the guides, and is thus
disengaged from the valve-seat, the valve being allowed to close at the same
instant.
The flexible tube is of sufficient length to allow of this movement of the nozzle,-
and keeps up a constant communication, thus allowing air to flow through the flexible
tube all the time while the connection is kept open, and this will be sufficient to fill
the car-reservoir.
In order to return the end of the traveling flexible tube and bell-mouth after it
has reached the end of the guides, it is connected with a rope or cord passing around
pulleys and having a weight or spring so arranged that when the traveling connecting
end of the flexible tube or bell-mouth has reached the end of its travel and
has been detached from the air-supply tube, the weight or spring will return it
to the end of the guides nearest the front, ready to be again connected with the air-
supply tube.
Figures 1, 3, and 4 show different methods for returning the nozzle to the front.
In Figure 1 is shown a short supplemental rail N¹, which projects above the main rail
or road-bed for a short distance, just behind each of the stationary valves E, and the
wheel O is journaled in the vertically-sliding box, so that when it reaches the rail N',
it will travel upon this rail and be caused to rotate.
A small pulley P, is fixed upon the shaft of this wheel, and a cord Q, passes
around this pulley and thence around other pulleys R, at the front and rear of the
car, as shown.
•
The ends of the cord Q are attached at opposite sides to the guide J, of the
nozzle G, which travels upon the rails or slides K, and when the wheel O, comes in
contact with the rail N¹, after the nozzle G has become detached from the valve E, its
rotation will act to carry the nozzle G to the front of the car, where it is held by
angaging with the roller S, upon the light spring-arm T.
It is sufficiently stiff to hold a nozzle to the front, but will release it when it comes
in contact with one of the nozzles E.

page_text: A vertically-acting elastic spring m, rolieves the nozzle in case of obstructions or
irregularities of surface in that direction.
In Figure 3 is shown an arrangement of pulleys U, upon the main wheel axles,
with the endless cord Y, passing around them.
V is an arm, having a hole made through it at W, and when this arm hangs ver-
tically, the cord passing around the pulleys U, will travel through the hole without
binding, but as soon as this arm is turned to a short angle, the cord will bind in the
opening, and will thus cause the arm V to travel from the rear to the front, carrying
with it the nozzle G.
The arm V is turned to a proper angle to bind upon the cord by the movement of
the nozzle G, when it is disengaged from the valve E, and the armu V becomes vertical
when it reaches the front, by reason of striking the upright X upon the front of the
car.
In Figure 4 is shown still another means for moving the nozzle G, to the front
in which the cord Y passing around the pulleys U upon the wheel-axles is made
slack, so that the pulleys turn without carrying it unless the cord Y is tightened.
The arm V is secured to the cord, or rope, or belt Y, so that when this belt is
tightened sufficiently to be driven by the pulleys U, it will carry the arm V forward
and the nozzle G which is engaged by the arm T.
In order to tighten this belt Y, a lever Z is employed attached to the car, and
having a tightening pulley d upon its lower end, which is caused to engage and
tighten the belt Y by the lever Z.
The spring b returns the lever and releases the belt as soon as it is released from
the end of the operator.
The shape of the connecting couplings is such that they engage automatically
when the car has reached the point which will bring the coupling or beli-mouth upon
the flexible tube into contact with the globular one upon the stationary air-supply
tube, and this end of the flexible tube moves on the guides to the end of its travel,
as before stated.
By this construction it will be seen that simultaneously with the connection which
is made between the flexible tube and the track tube, a connection will be made
between the upper part of the flexible tube and the car-reservoir, and by this means
the latter will be filled with air, a check-valve at this point preventing its return.
The next station may be situated any suitable or desired distance away, as one
hundred or two hundred feet, and the same operation will be carried on at this point.
The joint is kept tight, and the connection made perfect by the pressure and close
fit of the nozzle on the end of the flexible tube on the projecting valve-seat upon the
stationary or street tube, this pressure being maintained by reason of the horizontal
guides between which the slides or rollers connected with the nozzle on the end of
the flexible tube travel.
Any suitable form of engine may be employed to apply the power of the com-
pressed air so as to drive the car along the track.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, communicated to me as aforesaid, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The reservoir carried upon the traveling car, having the flexible tube with one
end opening into the reservoir and the other provided with a bell-mouthed nozzle,
which will connect with corresponding valve-seats and valves upon a tube fixed
under ground and parallel with the line of rails, in combination with the horizontal
guides upon the car, and slides or rollers, whereby the nozzle at the end of the
flexible tube is held in position and caused to travel from end to end of the
guides while connection is made with the fixed street tube, substantially as herein
described.
•
2. The car provided with an air-reservoir, a flexible tube having one end connected
with said reservoir, and the other traveling upon horizontal guides beneath the car,
and provided with a bell-mouthed nozzle by which connection is made with the

page_text: corresponding valve-seats in a compressed-air-pipe beneath the street, so that when
such connection is made, a valve will be opened to allow air to pass into the reservoir,
in combination with a cord connected with the movable end of the air-pipe so as to
return it to the front end of the guides after connection has been broken with the
street pipe, substantially as herein described.
3. The underground tube or tunnel parallel with and between the rails, and having
an open slot in the top, a compressed air-pipe supported within the tube and having
semi-globular projecting valve-chambers at intervals, with inwardly-opening valves,
in combination with a bell-mouthed nozzle fitting over the valve-seats, and a flat,
hollow disk extending up through the tube-slot, so as to form a connection with the
lower end of a flexible tube connecting with a reservoir upon the car, substantially as
herein described.
4. The hollow bell-mouthed nozzle, having the interior ring or lining of rubber to
make a tight joint with the valve-seats, substantially as heroin described.
5. The bell-mouth nozzles, fitting the correspondingly-shaped valve-seats upon the
air-pipe, and the flexible conveying tube with which they are connected, in combina-
tion with the traveling slides or rollers fixed to the lower end of the flexible pipe, and
the guides upon which these rollers travel fixed to the car and having the ends
inclined, substantially as herein described.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of February 1889.