Improvements in Apparatus for Scotching and for Facilitating Re-starting Tramcars on Gradients.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Scotching and for Facilitating
Re-starting Tramcars on Gradients.
We, JOHN HENRY WHITLEY, of Brantwood, Halifax, in the County of York,
Cotton Spinner, and FREDERICK SPENCER, of Queen's Road, Halifax, aforesaid,
Tramway Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
-
This invention relates to scotching and starting electric tramcars on gradients
or inclines, and is designed to ensure the effective force of the electric current
being utilized, and waste and undue wear avoided.
In the starting of tramcars on inclines or gradients there is considerable loss
of power and unnecessary strain put on the "motor" through inability to ensure
simultaneous taking off the brake and putting on for starting the motor. If the
On the
motor is started before the brake is off, there is undue strain and waste.
other hand, if the brake is taken off before the motor is started, the car begins
to move backwards and an accumulating load and strain is put on the motor,
and waste of power and undue wear and tear ensue.
On ré-
Suitable apparatus for purpose referred to, and according to this invention,
there is fixed behind the outer pair, or behind two or more of the wheels of the
car, a bracket carrying in longitudinal slots or grooves, a wooden block the lower
edge of which just touches the rail and the front edge forms an are correspond-
ing to the circumference of the wheel. When the car is travelling up a gra-
dient, the slight frictional contact between the under surface of the wooden
block and the rail causes the said block to be drawn to the back of the slot or
groove and clear of the wheel. When the car is stopped on a gradient the block
prevents the car running back by acting as an efficient "scotch" or block to
the wheel or wheels, and the car is prevented running backwards down the
gradient though the ordinary brake be not applied or is inoperative.
starting the car there is no loss of power as the motive force has only to move
the weight of the car, and not both the weight of the car and the frictional
contact of the brake or to overcome the momentum of the backward moving car.
When it is desired that the car should travel backwards down a gradient, the
wooden blocks are raised clear of the ground by levers and links, or chains, or
other mechanism controlled by the conductor or driver of the car, or the wooden
blocks may be withdrawn or released by a magnet magnetized by the current
passing through the car when applied to an electro motor car. The blocks in-
stead of being wholly of wood may be partly of wood and partly of metal or
other material.
In the foregoing description we have referred specially to tramcars on which
electric motors are used, and for such the invention is specially designed and
intended but we wish it to be understood that the invention is applicable in

page_text: conjunction and combination with gas motors, oil motors, compressed air motors
as applied to tramcars, and also to cable hauled tramcars.
Dated this 14th day of July 1898
BRIERLEY & HOWARD,
Penny Bank Chambers, Halifax,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Scotching and for Facilitating
Re-starting Tramcars on Gradients.
We, Joux HENRY WHITLEY, of Brantwood, Halifax, in the County of York,
Cotton Spinner, and FREDERICK SPENCER, of Queen's Road, Halifax, aforesaid,
Tramway Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and. ascer-
tained in and by the following statement ;-
This invention relates to scotching and starting electric tramcars on gradients
or inclines, and is designed to ensure the effective force of the electric current
being utilized and waste and undue wear and tear avoided.
In the starting of tramcars on inclines or gradients there is considerable loss
of power and unnecessary strain put on the motor through inability to ensure the
siniultaneous taking off of the brake and putting on or starting the motor. .If
the motor is started before the brake is off there is undue strain and waste. On
the other hand if the brake is taken off before the motor is started the car begins
to move backwards and an accumulating load and strain is put on the motor
and waste of power and undue wear and tear ensue.
Such being the nature and object of our said invention the following is a com-
plete description of same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved scotching appliance shewn applied
to the wheel.
Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but the scotch is withdrawn from the wheel.
According to this invention there is fixed behind the outer pair or behind one
or more pairs of wheels 1 of the car and to the sole bar or underside of the body
of the car brackets 2 (one at each side of the car) and these brackets carry a
cross shaft 3 to each end of which is fixed an arm 4 to which is pivoted the
link the outer end of which carries a block or brake shoe 6 the lower edge of
which just touches the rail 7 and the front edge forms an arc, preferably slightly
larger than the circumference of the wheel 1 (see Fig. 1) When the car is
travelling up a gradient the slight frictional contact between the under surface
of the shoe i and the rail causes the said block or shoe 6 to move clear of the
wheel 1, or the shoe 6 can be moved and lifted away from or applied to the
wheel 1 by the driver or ear conductor without moving from his position.
When the shoe or block 6 is controlled by the car driver or conductor a toothed
wheel S is fixed on the shaft 3 and gearing with such wheel S is a toothed quad-
rant 9 mounted on a pin or shaft 10 and provided with an arm or lever 11 con-
nected by the rod 12 with the weighted hand lever 13 placed adjacent to the
car driver. By moving the hand lever 13 to the position shewn by Fig. 1 the
shoe or block 6 is moved close to and under the wheel 1 so as to act as a seotch
or block to such wheel. When the car is re-started the hand lever 13 is moved
to the position shewn by Fig. 2 and the block or shoe 6 is ruised clear of the
wheel I and rail 7, By weighting the hand lever 13 it is only necessary that

page_text: it should be moved to one or other side of its fulcrum stud 14 and the shoe or
block 6 will be maintained in the position to which it is set, stop pins 15, 15
being provided to prevent the lever 13 moving beyond a certain point.
In practice we have found it desirable that the block or shoe 6 should be con-
trolled by the car conductor or driver. and mechanism such as illustrated is
suitable for this purpose, and by it the scotch can be quickly applied to the
wheels in the event of the car running backwards. If the driver fails to remove
the scotch when the car starts forward, the frictional contact of the shoe or
block against the rail 7 will cause it to clear the wheel as hereinbefore
described.
The blocks or shoes 6 may be of wood or metal, or partly of wood or metal
and other material. The invention may be applied to and used in combination
with vehicles or cars propelled by electricity, gas or oil motors, compressed air
motors or cable hauled cars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
-
(1) The general construction, arrangement, and combination of mechanism
comprising the improved scotch or block together with the means of operating
and controlling same, as and for the purpose herein described and substantially.
as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
(2) The shoe or block 6. link 5. arm 4, wheel 8 and quadrant 9 all in com-
bination as and for the purpose herein described and substantially as illustrated
by the annexed drawings.
(3) In combination with the wheels of vehicles of the class herein set forth.
the block or shoe 6 pivoted on or suspended from a bracket such as 2 operated
and operating in the manner and for the purpose herein described.
Dafad this 10th day at Awi 1809
JOHN HENRY WHITLEY.
FREDERICK SPENCER.
By their Agents,
Brierley & Howard,
Penny Bank Chambers, Halifax,