AN IMPROVED APPLIANCE FOR REMOVING AND COLLECTING DEBRIS FROM TRAM RAILS
Year: 1884

page_text: I ARTHUR EDWIN WESTHORP of 142 Teviot Street, Bromley by Bow Middlesex,
Marine Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for AN
IMPROVED APPLIANCE FOR REMOVING AND COLLECTING DEBRIS FROM TRAM RAILS
to be as follows:-
"
The object of this invention is to remove dirt, stones and other debris from the
grooves and the treads of tram rails by revolving appliances carried by the car
and actuated from the axle or axles of the car, said appliances being so arranged
that they lift to clear points, crossovers or other fixed obstructions in the track.
The arrangement of apparatus is very simple and easily fitted. It consists of
two small wheels similar in shape to the driving wheels but having teeth at their
circumference. These wheels are loosely fitted with keys on an additional axle
running in arms or levers driven by a small chain from main axle. The small
wheels revolve in an opposite direction to the car wheels.
To ensure the cleaner keeping directly over the metals when turning a corner
I leave an amount of clearance at the ends of the additional axle and have two
small wheels running in the grooves as guides. The wheels are kept to the metals
by springs at their back. In the event of repairing the road metals when rough
switches for shunting are used I use a lifting gear which is under control of the
driver. In connection with the foregoing appliances I fit on either side of the
vehicle an endless chain of buckets in a casing and operate the buckets by a chain
from the additional axle. The lower part of the casing and the buckets are close
to and in front of the cleaning wheels and as the dirt is lifted by the wheels it is
thrown into the path of the buckets to be lifted by them At the upper part of
the casing where the buckets fall over there is a small shoot by which the debris
is led or shot into a receptacle this forming part of the trolly or cleaner car,
another part of which serves to carry water to moisten the dirt and to prevent
spreading of dust.
The whole of the mechanical appliances are suspended and counterbalanced by
weights and can be easily lifted and be thrown out of action by clutch gear.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I ARTHUR EDWIN WESTHORP of 142 Teviot Street, Bromley by Bow, Middlesex,
Marine Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for AN
"
IMPROVED APPLIANCE FOR REMOVING AND COLLECTING DEBRIS FROM TRAM RAILS
"
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The object of this invention is to remove dirt, stones and other debris from the
grooves and the treads of tram rails by revolving appliances carried by the car and
actuated from the axle or the axles of the car said appliances being so arranged
that they lift to clear points, crossovers or other fixed obstructions in the track.
The arrangement of apparatus is very simple and easily fitted. It consists of
two small wheels similar in shape to the driving wheels but having teeth at their
circumference. These wheels are loosely fitted with keys on an additional axle
running in arms or levers driven by a small chain from the main axle. The small
wheels revolve in an opposite direction to the car wheels.
To ensure the cleaner keeping directly over the metals when turning a corner
I leave an amount of clearance at the ends of the additional axle and have two
small wheels running in the grooves as guides. The wheels are kept to the metals
by springs at their back. In the event of repairing the road metals when rough
switches for shunting are used I use a lifting gear which is under control of the
driver. In connection with the foregoing appliances I fit on either side of the
vehicle an endless chain of buckets in a casing and operate the buckets by a chain
from an additional axle. The lower part of the casing and the buckets are close
to and in front of the cleaning wheels and as the dirt is lifted by the wheels it is
thrown into the path of the buckets to be lifted by them. At the upper part of
the casing where the buckets fall over there is a small shoot by which the debris
is led or shot into a receptacle this forming part of the trolly or cleaner car another
part of which serves to carry water to moisten the dirt and to prevent spreading
of dust.
The whole of the mechanical appliances are suspended and counterbalanced by
weights and can be easily lifted and be thrown out of action by clutch gear.
My invention will be clearly understood by the annexed drawings.in which at
Figure 1 I show it fitted to a trolly. Figure 2 is an end elevation and at Figure 3
a plan of same.
A is the vehicle mounted on wheels B, B, like an ordinary tram car with flanges
to run in the grooves of the rails. Each end of the vehicle or trolly is provided
with similar appliances as hereafter described to enable the operation of removing
and collecting the debris according to the direction of travel.
Attached to the horn plates C Č is a brace D whose outer end is suspended by
the rod E and spring F to determine the distance it shall be set above the road-
way. The end of each brace is forked and provided with a bearing in which an
axle G can rotate the axle being driven by a chain H on the chain wheel I to
receive motion in a contrary direction to that of the travel of the vehicle through
the chain wheel J on the axle of the running wheels at that end of the vehicle.

page_text: The additional axle G has fitted near its ends a pair of coupled serrated wheels K
each with a double set of teeth, one set to run in the groove of the rail and the
other to run upon the tread portion of the rail.
"
The teeth of the coupled wheels are just on the bottom of the groove and on
the tread and exert no bearing pressure, this being borne by the small wheel L
which is on a bar M projecting downwards at an angle from the additional axle G.
The chain wheel J is fitted with a clutch N which can be thrown out of action
by the hand lever P when desired such as when the cleaning wheels have to be put
out of gear.
The additional axle G has also a chain wheel P¹ to operate by its chain an
intermediate gear to give motion to an endless chain of buckets R by the lower
shaft S the buckets being within the casing T to lift the dirt which is thrown into
the lower part of the casing by the wheels K, K, over the top of the casing T into
a shoot U down which the dirt falls after leaving the buckets into the portion V of
the trolly provided for it.
The casing T is suspended by chains W and balance weights X and by its
connection with the strap at Y it is capable of being lifted along with the
wheels K, K, L, L, to clear obstacles such as crossing and shiftable points or where
repairs of the line are being conducted the lift for these purposes being effected by
pressure on the foot lever Z.
provide the central part of the trolly with a water tank a and by means of the
pipes bb water can be allowed to flow through movable water pipes from the
nozzles oc into the grooves of the rails to soften the debris previous to its
disturbance and removal by the wheels K K.
d, d, are handles for the opening and closing the taps e e for controlling the
supply of water to the rails.
The apparatus thus arranged is specially for use during dry weather and also
during wet weather, the water tapsee being then shut, but in snowy weather the
water in the tank may be chemically treated or be salted to soften and melt the
snow or the ice as necessary for keeping the rails clear of debris.
In the event of hard frost and slippery roads the dirt receivers V, V, or one of
them can be converted into sand boxes from which sand can be distributed on the
horse track by hand or by a mechanical means, if the bottom of the box has a slit
in it for the sand to fall through when a flap or shutter is removed.
In stiff muddy weather such as when the teeth of the wheels K K are likely to
be clogged I fit a brush f on the casing to keep the teeth clear.
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 appliances hereinbefore described and arranged in the manner shown in
the annexed drawings for removing and collecting debris from tram rails.
2 The coupled serrated toothed wheels K, K, as an essential feature of my
invention said serrated toothed wheels being borne on the rails, without being in
actual contact therewith for removing stones and dirt from the grooves and treads
of train rails as described.