Improvements in and relating to Tramway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 19th Dec.. 1891
[ Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE, of 122, North Langanion
Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America:]
Improvements in and relating to Tramway and other Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
Figure 1 is a plan view with the car body removed;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of one end;
Figure 3 is a detached view of the improved wheel-piece or side of the truck
frame;
Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of a frame corner;
Figure 5 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is an enlarged portion of the corner section shown at X in Figure ;
Figure 7 is an elevation of a corner iron;
Figure 8 represents a plan view of one side of a modification of the frame partly
broken away;
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same;
Figure 10, a side elevation of the pedestal or jaw which receives the axle
box;
Figure 11, a vertical cross-section therethrough;
Figure 12, a plan view of the detail of the spring-plates on the corner of the
frame;
Figure 13, a side elevation of Figure 12;
Figure 14 is a section on line -x of Figure 12.
The object of this invention is to improve the construction and increase the
durability of motor truck frames by diminishing the number of pieces without
increasing the height of the car, and it is especially intended to improve the
construction of that style of motor trucks which have an extended spring base.
The service which street car motor trucks are required to perform is unusually
severe, and they therefore require special construction. The long car body on the
short truck causes excessive longitudinal rocking, which strains the joints of the
truck frame to such an extent as to require constant attention. To remedy
the rocking of the car body, the extended spring base truck was devised, which
while it carries the car body more steadily, increases the strains on the joints of
the truck frame, and this invention is especially intended to remedy this defect in
this style of truck, as well as in ordinary street car motor trucks, by removing
every joint possible, and so locating and constructing the few necessary ones that
they will not receive severe strains. To accomplish this, the sides A of the truck-
frame are constructed without any transverse joints, and of one continuous piece of
metal, by forming in the wheel piece the jaw a to receive the journal box b, and by
extending the ends A' of the wheel piece out beyond the wheels to form the corner
of the truck frame, and by depressing these extended portions on which the car
body is intended to be carried, all transverse joints between the points of support
for the load are eliminated, and an extended spring base is provided for, without
ncreasing the height of the car, as former efforts in this direction have done. To
gain strength and elasticity, with the least practicable weight, and use the fewest
possible pieces, this combined pedestal and extended wheel piece is preferably formed
ut of one piece of sheet or plate metal, and a flange formed on the top and bottom
hereof, which gives the necessary vertical and lateral strength with the least
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page_text: rib, if desired.
weight. In Fig. 8, a modification is shown in which stiffening pieces A" are
provided for the side pieces A. These stiffening pieces are preferably provided
with a flange extending around the jaw or pedestal opening. In such modification
a rib B is shown, which is pressed or formed in the pedestals, as best shown in
Fig. 10.
The stiffening pieces A" may if desired be provided with a corresponding
The spring seats Fare formed of cast or forged metal, and are attached to the
side piece and to the end sills. The end sills B are preferably of flanged metal,
and are united to the side pieces A by angle flanged fish-plates, in such manner
as to entirely cover the joint and form a neat round corner. Between the wheels
are placed one or more cross sills C for carrying the motors or grip, as at C¹, which
cross bars are bolted or otherwise suitably attached to the side pieces A, and may
be upwardly curved, as shown, but have no connection with the car body. The
importance of this construction, particularly for motor trucks with an extended
spring base, will be seen when it is understood that all or a large part of the
weight of the car and load is carried on the extended portions A' of the side pieces,
and consequently if there were joints in the side pieces they would be subjected to
a succession of sudden strains amounting, practically, to a series of blows, and soon
work loose, and they would require constant watching and attention. To join the
side pieces to the end sills, a pair of angled fish plates H. and I are constructed,
so formed that they will box in and completely cover the joint inside and outside,
and make a neat and very strong corner. For convenience, the spring seats or
boxes for each corner of the truck are formed on the inner fish plate H. In the
1..odification shown in Figures 12 and 13, the end frames B are connected to the
side frames A by means of the spring plates F. The end frames may make an
angular butt against the side frames, as shown in Figure 8, when the spring plate is
arranged with a strengthening flange F within the angle, or a round corner
connection may be employed, as shown in Figure 12, in which case the side frame is
bent around to meet the end frame, as shown by the dotted line above the spring
plate. In this case the spring plate F is correspondingly shaped, and an external
strengthening channel F is fitted into the outside, the three parts being riveted
through.
The springs P may be of the form shown, volute, suitably encased, rubber, or of
other well known form adapted to the situation, and to support the body O.
Scrapers or pilots J may also be attached to the truck frame by arms K, one or
more. Brace rods L are attached at one or both ends of the truck by the ears con
the frame or corner plate 1, and to the car body by the bracket Ñ and tubular
box M, to prevent or counteract excessive end wise rocking of the body O.
A stiff spring may be enclosed in the box or tube M, so as to permit of a short
end wise movement on the brace L, but it is not essential, and the use of the other
improvements is not limited to a braced truck, as they are effective without these
braces.
To limit the action of the springs P, and prevent the car body from excessive
spring action, bolts are passed through the openings or ears G so as to play therein,
and these bolts are to be firmly attached to the car body O or upper truck frame,
as the structure or truck herein shown and described is intended to be attached to
and move with the car body and not swivel or pivot thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A car truck having its sides formed of one piece of metal and extended
beyond the journal boxes at each end, said extended portions being depressed to
lower the height of the car and having one or more spring seats thereon, in com-
bination with the springs on which the car is mounted, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. A car truck frame having its sides formed of one piece of pressed sheet metal

page_text: and its ends extended beyond the journal boxes and depressed as described, in
combination with one or more spring seats located on said extended and depressed
portions for receiving all or part of the springs on which the car is mounted,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A motor truck frame having its sides formed of one piece and continuously
without joints between the ends thereof and extended beyond the journal boxes at
each end, said extended portions being depressed to lower the height of the car, in
combination with the upwardly curved support. C, and one or more spring seats
located on said extended and depressed portions for receiving all or part of the
springs on which the car is mounted, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
4. The side of a truck frame formed of one piece of sheet metal, provided with
journal box openings and guides and extended portions beyond the journal boxes
for carrying all or part of the load, in combination with the ends of said extended
portions, joined to the end sills by angle flanged fish plates constructed to cover the
outside and inside of the joint and form the corner of the truck, substantially as
and for the purposes specified.
5. A car truck having its sides formed of one piece of material, in combination
with fish-plates for joining said sides to the end sills, and one or more spring seats on
said fish-plates for receiving all or part of the springs, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
6. A truck frame having its side pieces formed of one piece of flanged metal, in
combination with angle flanged fish-plates, the outer fish plate of each corner
constructed to fit into the section of the sides, and end sills extending over the
edges of the flanges so as to cover the joint and make a curved corner to the frame,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
7. The combination of the pressed steel side-frames having pedestals pressed
therein and the projection beyond said pedestals, and the spring-plate connecting
the side-frames to the end-frames and supported by the projection beyond the
pedestals, and the external strengthening channel F", substantially as described.
8. The side frame A having a rib or corrugation B₁ and strengthening piece A",
substantially as described.
9. The side frame A having a rib or corrugation B' and strengthening piece A",
with corresponding corrugation, substantially as described.
°
10. The combination of the side frame A and end frame B with spring plate F
having a flange uniting the two, and strengthening piece F", substantially as
described.
Dated this 11th day of November 1891
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.