Apparatus for Sanding Street Railway Car Tracks.
Year: 1893

page_text: te of Application, 27th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Sanding Street Railway Car Tracks.
We, DAVID ALBERT GHENT, and OCTAVIUS SYDNEY COLBRAN, both of
Burlington, in the County of Halton, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of
Canada, Gentlemen, do hereby declare that we are in possession of an invention for
AN APPARATUS FOR SANDING STREET RAILWAY CAR TRACKS, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to a very simple, but handy and useful device for sanding
street railway car tracks, when the conditions are such as to cause the wheels to
slide on the track when the car cannot be stopped short with the brakes, and which
projecting knob on
can be operated instantly by the driver pressing his foot on
the platform floor of a car.
The device consists, first, in a reservoir of any shape, preferably of sheet metal,
filled with fine sand and bolted to or otherwise secured on the floor of a car in any
convenient place, such as at both ends under the seat, resting on the floor.
It is provided with a valve seat and valve, with a rubber tube attached to
conduct the sand to the track.
Second. An eccentric wheel is secured to the valve spindle, said wheel having a
connecting rod leading to and connected with a second eccentric attached to a block
affixed to the floor beams of a car, and on the opposite side of the eccentric is
attached an operating rod made to pass up through the floor of the car a very short
distance, convenient to be pressed down by the foot of the driver to open the valve
to allow sand to escape when necessary.
Third. A counter balance weight is attached to the large eccentric which by its
gravity always keeps the valve closed automatically until it is wished to open it
for sanding the track to prevent the wheels from sliding when the track is wet or
greasy from any cause.
Reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side
section of a street car.
Fig. 2 is an end view of valve-seat and valve closed with eccentric.
Fig. 3, shows the eccentrics and balance weight when the valve is open and the
sand running out.
Fig. 4, is a side view of valve-spindle in the position it is when open.
In the drawing A represents any ordinary street car, B the wheels, one only
thought necessary to represent. C, is the platform for the driver. D, is a reservoir
of sheet metal preferably secured in front of the wheels at each end of a car under
the seat, and with an opening through the bottom of it immediately over the rails.
M, is a valve seat attached to the reservoir D, having a vertical opening a through
it, and a horizontal opening b at right angles to and crossing the vertical one a, to
contain a valve spindle d, having a valve opening e cut through it as shown at
Fig. 2 for the admission of sand from the reservoir to the rubber tube D' attached
to the under side of the valve-seat M, when the said opening e is in a vertical
position in the valve as in Fig. 4. E, is an eccentric wheel secured to the valve
spindle d, to which a connecting screw rod F is attached to another eccentric G,
secured on a short shaft or stud e' attached to a block H bolted to the floor beams
of a car.
I, is a vertical operating rod pivoted to a stud f on the eccentric G on
the opposite side from where the connecting rod F is secured; the said rod projects
through an opening in the floor of a car but not far enough to be operated by a
driver's foot without a movable hollow cap g being placed over it, when the device
is easily operated by the driver, pressure of his foot downwards on it opens the
valve d, through the medium of the eccentric G, connecting rod F and eccentric E,

page_text: and the sand runs out of the spout D' by its gravity as long as the driver's foot is
kept on the cap g. When he releases his foot from the cap y, the valve d closes
immediately by means of the counterbalance weight h attached by a rod to the
large eccentric G; when the valve is closed the balance-weight is in the position
shown at Fig. 1; when the valve is open the weight is in the position shown at
Fig. 3.
It will be seen that when the atmospheric or other conditions are such that car
wheels will not revolve when the brakes are applied, but slide on the track, as they
usually do in wet weather, the driver has at his control a simple device to sand the
track by pressure of his foot, when in any case of emergency he wishes to instantly
stop his car, to prevent accident, which can now easily be done by turning off the
power and applying the brakes and opening the sand valve. Many collisions occur
at-railway crossings in a city when an electric street car crashes into a passing
railway train, on account of the difficulty of stopping a car in a short distance, or
on down grade, when the tracks are in such a condition (as often happens) when
the car wheels slide on them after the brakes are applied.
Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is,-
1st. In combination with a street railway car, a sand reservoir attached thereto
having a valve adjusted to the same and an eccentric secured to it, and a connecting.
rod from it to a second eccentric to which is fastened a vertical operating foot lever
to open the valve to admit sand to the track rails, and a counter-balance weight
attached on one of the eccentrics to automatically close the valve and shut off the
sand when pressure is removed from the operating lever-rod, substantially as
specified.
2nd. In combination with a street railway car, the reservoir D, valve seat M,
valve d, eccentric E, connecting rod F, eccentric G on the stud e', operating rod I,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3rd. In combination with a street railway car, the reservoir D, valve seat M,
valve spindle d, eccentric E on valve spindle d, adjustable connecting-rod F,
attaching eccentric E to eccentric G, operating rod I, counter-balance weight h,
and pipe D', all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated, at Hamilton, Ontario, this 7th day of April 1893.
Signed in the presence of
R. J. FITZGERALD.
W. BRUCE.
DAVID ALBERT GHENT.
OCTAVIUS SYDNEY COLBRAN.