CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RUNNING MECHANISM OF CAR AND CARRIAGE TRUCKS OF ANY NATURE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Augustus Chase, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RUNNING
MECHANISM OF CAR AND CARRIAGE TRUCKS OF ANY NATURE."
Sealed the 5th May 1868, and dated the 27th November 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Samuel Augustus Chase
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 27th November 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT KNOWN
that I, SAMUEL AUGUSTUS CHASE, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, have invented "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RUNNING MECHANISM OF CAR AND
CARRIAGE TRUCKS OF ANY NATURE," and do hereby declare the following to be a
full, clear, and exact description of the same, due reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings making part of this Specification, and in which
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a vertical and
transverse section of a railway car truck constructed in accordance with my
Invention.

page_text: The object of this Invention is to obtain an increase in power for propelling
a railway or other carriage, as well as to reduce the friction upon the bearings
of the rolling portion of such car.
The Invention also has for its object to start the carriage for a short distance
with the application of very little power, its value for this purpose being chiefly
applicable to horse railway cars.
The Invention consists in the employment of two sets of axles and wheels
one disposed over the other, and with the load resting upon and sustained by
the upper axles, the rollers of which rest and roll upon the lower axles, or
upon small hubs applied to the lower wheels, the journals of such lower
axles being upheld by vertically sliding boxes, substantially as herein-after
explained.
The Invention further consists in the mode of applying the journals of the
upper axles to their boxes or bearings in such manner as to allow such to roll
along forward within such box a short distance until the vis inertia of the
weight of the carriage is overcome and impetus created upon such carriage
by the employment of very little power as well as to keep the journals well
lubricated.
In the accompanying Drawings A denotes a car track frame constructed in
the ordinary or any proper manner. The upper axles are shown at B, B, and
their wheels at B', B', B1, B¹, the lower axles being shown at C, C, and their
wheels C¹, C, C, C³, the periphery of the upper rollers resting upon and
supported by the lower axles or hubs a, a, fixed to the outer sides of the lower
wheels. The journals a¹, a', of the lower axles are supported in position by
guides or slides b, b, extending downward from the side rail or trusses D, D,
of the truck A, and so as to be capable of vertical movements therein. The
journals c, c, of the upper axles B, B, are situated over the journals a¹, a',
and are disposed within horizontal slots or apertures d, d, made in metallic
blocks e, e, affixed to and depending from the trusses D, D, and making part
of or joined to the guides b, b, before mentioned. A small lip or ledge f
upon each side of the apertures d, d, forms a chamber or of the lower
part of such aperture which serves to contain oil or other matter for lubri-
cating the journals c, c, and in order to prevent escape of such lubricator the
journals are made somewhat larger than the axles, the inner one of the lips f
extending upward alongside of the shoulder thus formed as shown in Figure 3
of the Drawings. In order to make this enlargement of the journals 1
have contemplated applying to such journals a hardened steel tube, thus
Similar chambers to the
obtaining the most durable bearing at a small cost.

page_text: chambers 6, 6, are to be formed below the lower journals a', a¹, for a like
purpose. The blocks e, e, rest upon the top of the upper journals c, c, conse-
quently the weight of the car and its load is supported upon such journals and
not upon the lower ones.
The operation of the above described arrangement of parts is as follows:→
As the lower wheels C, C, etc., roll and advance along the rail or surface of the
road they are theoretically the driving power. The lower axles or hubs a', a¹,.
act upon the larger circumference of the upper wheels to propel them with a
great increase in power, the gain being in proportion to the increase in size
of the upper wheels or rollers B', B', B', B', over the hubs a, a. As the
load rests upon the upper journals c, c, the entire weight of such load is
transmitted by the hubs a, a, and wheels or rollers B', B', B¹, B', from the wheels
C, C, G, C, to the said upper journals c, c. It might be urged as an offset
to this gain that I employ two bearings instead of one, but as both the upper
and lower journals bear but upon one point only in their circumference the
friction upon such journals is reduced to an exceedingly small amount.
might also be said that the upper journals would wear out rapidly, but the
fact is the slow rotation of these upper journals diminish the wear which
would result from the more rapid revolution of the lower journals, and thus
equalize the loss resulting from the employment of two bearings. It is well
known that in starting horse _rs the horses are frequently thrown down and
always more or less strained in the attempt.
It
By my construction of the bearings of the upper journals, such journal
will roll along the under or bearing surface of the blocks e, e, until the
vis inertia of the weight of the carriage and its load is overcome, and a
momentum gained by the expenditure of very little power on part of the
horses.
By my construction of the bearings there is no possibility of such bearings
becoming heated. To lubricate such journals it is only necessary to replenish
the amount of oil contained in the chambers about them, which needs to be
done only at long intervals.
I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent the com-
bination and arrangement of the upper rollers B¹, B¹, etc., with the main
axles and their wheels, substantially as herein shown and described.
I also claim supporting the journals of the rollers B¹, B', in an
elongated slot or bearing, essentially in manner and for the purpose as
described.
I also claim the peculiar construction and arrangement of the journals c,

page_text: and their lubricating chambers 6s, 68, in manner and for the purpose as set
forth and explained.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 12th
day of November. 1867.
SAMUEL AUGUSTUS CHASE. (L.B.)