Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th July, 1887.
I WALTER PARKER SMITH of 18 Pembroke Road, Clifton, Bristol, Civil Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus to facilitate the
starting of tram cars and other vehicles.
For this purpose I so arrange apparatus that the horses on starting exert traction
over a distance greater than that which the car traverses and therefore may have
more command of the vehicle than if the traction were directly applied.
I provide upon one or both axles of the car a ratchet ring, which for convenience is
made in two parts connected together and with the axle by dove-tail keys. Also I
mount upon the axle a lever in two parts bolted together and which is free to move
around the axle for a portion of the rotation. The lever is connected at its outer end
with a draw bar, to which the horses are harnessed, and it carries a pawl which can at
pleasure be made to engage with the teeth of the ratchet or engages therewith auto-
matically. When starting the vehicle the pawl is caused to engage and so the tractive
force of the horses is exerted through the lever to rotate the axle. The end of the
lever to which the horses are connected moves forward in the direction in which
the horses travel until presently it comes against a stop upon the vehicle; then the
traction is exerted directly in the ordinary manner but previously the traction is
exerted over a distance greater than that travelled by the vehicle. The apparatus is
usually made double acting so as to be suited to cars in which the direction of move-
ment is from time to time reversed. Two pawls are then necessary, one on either side
of the ring, and also two sets of teeth are cut in the ring keyed on the axle; these
are so arranged that they face in opposite directions. Or separate rings, levers and
pawls may be employed-the horses then hauling on one lever when travelling in one
direction and on the other when going in an opposite direction.
Other means such as a rack and pinion may be used for attaining a like result.
DL1
1
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to Facilitate the Starting of Tram Cars
and other Vehicles.
I, WALTER PARKER SMITH of 18 Pembroke Road, Clifton, Bristol, 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:
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus to facilitate the starting
of tram cars and other vehicles.
For this purpose I so arrange apparatus that the horses on starting exert traction
over a distance greater than that which the car traverses and therefore may have
more command of the vehicle than if the traction were directly applied.
I provide upon one or both axles of the car a ratchet ring, which for convenience
is made in two parts connected together and with the axle by dove-tail keys. Also I
mount upon the axle a lever in two parts bolted together and which is free to move
around the axle for a portion of the rotation. The lever is connected at its outer end
with a draw bar to which the horses are harnessed and it carries a pawl which can at
pleasure be made to engage with the teeth of the ratchet or engages there with
automatically. When starting the vehicle the pawl is caused to engage and so the
tractive force of the horses is exerted through the lever to rotate the axle. The end
of the lever to which the horses are connected moves forward in the direction in
which it is pulled by the horses until presently it comes against a stop upon the
vehicle, then the traction is exerted directly in the ordinary manner but previously
the traction is exerted over a distance greater than that travelled by the vehicle. The
apparatus is usually made double acting so as to be suited to cars in which the direc-
tion of movement is from time to time reversed. Two pawls are then necessary,
one on either side of the ring and also two sets of teeth are cut in the ring keyed
on the axle; these are so arranged that they face in opposite directions.
separate rings levers and pawls may be employed-the horses then hauling on one
lever when travelling in one direction and on the other when going in an opposite
direction.
The drawing hereunto annexed show the apparatus as I prefer to construct it.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Or
A is one of the axles of a tram car or other vehicle-it has a lever B hung to it by
means of the strap B¹. C is a ratchet wheel fixed to the axle A. In place of
forming it with teeth I prefer merely to roughen it or to form a groove upon its
periphery, so that the ratchet works by friction-D is the ratchet which is pivotted
at D¹ to the lever B it carries a weight O, or a spring M to normally hold it out of
gear. The end of the lever B is attached to the draw bar F by means of a chain
passing over the pulley E. On the under side of the carriage the other end of the

page_text: draw bar is slotted at G as shown, its travel being limited by pins or rollers H on
the frame. The upper end of the ratchet D is connected by a bar I to one end of
a bell crank lever J. The other end of this lever can be depressed by means of a
vertical rod K from the foot board L. When the driver wishes to put the starting
apparatus into gear he depresses the foot board L and thereby draws the ratchet D
(against the weight or spring) against the disc C so that when the horses start and
the outer end of the lever B is raised the lever becomes a fixture on the axle which
is thereby turned.
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 :-
1. The apparatus for starting tram-cars or other vehicles consisting of a lever
having one end connected to the draw bar and whose other end can be temporarily
attached to the axle for the purpose of starting substantially as described.
2. The combination of the lever B the strap B¹ about the axle the ratchet wheel C
and ratchet D substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
3. The apparatus substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of May 1887.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant