Im- PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN THE PROPULSION OF ENGINES, CARRIAGES AND OTHER VEHICLES THEREON."
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Stewart, of Enuiskillen, in the County
of Fermanagh, Ireland, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN THE PROPULSION OF ENGINES,
CARRIAGES AND OTHER VEHICLES THEREON."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Stewart at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th January 1853.
I, GEORGE STEWART, of Enniskillen, in the County of Fermanagh,
Ireland, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN THE PROPULSION OF ENGINES,
CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES THEREON," to be as follows:-
The nature of this Invention is to enable locomotive engines,
carriages, and other vehicles to be safely propelled up and down, or to
be stopped on inclined planes or gradients, steep or otherwise, on rail-
ways, and to insure the immediate "biting" of the driving wheels at
starting. This is done by toothing or indenting with teeth the flanges
of the wheels of the engine or engines, carriages, and vehicles composing

page_text: a train, which toothed flanges work into fixed toothed racks, put down
alongside of, or near to, or forming parts of the sides of the rails at the
places required, the teeth of the flanges and racks aforesaid to be of
various shapes and sizes, suitable to the different gradients of the rail-
ways on which the Invention may be used, and the racks to be of a
breadth and height suited to the size of the rails and flanges.
The plan of this Invention is simple but effective, and may be used
on lines already formed with little alteration to the lines, and at a small
expense, the alteration, or rather addition, being merely at those parts
where the Invention is required. The plan requires no expense (wear
and tear excepted) beyond the first outlay, thus saving the annual charge
for ropes, fixed engines, and manual labor, where haulage at present is
necessary; and by this Invention trains may be propelled on very steep
gradients with facility, and thus new railways may be laid down cheaply
in hilly districts, where at present they could not be formed except at.
great expense, by making circuits or curves to avoid steep gradients,
which add very much to the length and indirectness of the line.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Stewart in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd June 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE STEWART, of Enniskillen, in the County of Fermanagh, Ireland,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Stewart, Her special license that I, the said
George Stewart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Stewart, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully

page_text: might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, AND IN THE PROPULSION
OF ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES THEREON," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Stewart, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and scal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Stewart, do hereby
declaro the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say;
My said Invention relates to the so arranging the rails of railways,
and the wheels of the locomotive engines and carriages at work thereon,
that such rolling stock may be taken up and down inclines with
greater safety and security than at present, whilst superior facilities are
afforded for stopping the movement of such rolling vehicles at pleasure,
and for enabling the locomotive to start with a train without serious risk
of slipping on the rails. I accomplish these several ends by indenting or
forming teeth on the flanges of the engine or carriage wheels for gear-
ing with similar teeth or indentations on racks either laid alongside the
permanent rails or forming part of such rails. Such teeth may be of
various shapes and sizes to suit the varying gradients of the line and
shapes and sizes of the bearing rails and wheels, Figure 1, on my
Sheet of Drawings exhibits a longitudinal section of a locomotive engine
as placed upon its rails so formed or fitted up, the driving wheels only
being toothed to gear with the rail teeth; Figure 2, is a front.end eleva-
tion of the engine, with the rails in transverse section beneath it;.
Figure 3, is a plan of a short length of the rails corresponding;
Figure 4, is a transverse section of a single rail, half size; and Figure 5,
is a corresponding side elevation of a portion of a single rail. In
this instance the rails, which may be either of cast or wrought iron.

page_text: are formed for continuous bearings. The part A, is the bearing surface
for the wheels, and the toothed rack portion B, which is on the inner
side of each rail, is either rolled upon the rail, cast upon it, or formed
and laid down separately. The teeth which I have represented are
angular, like ordinary ratchet teeth, so that they may work very freely,
whilst great strength is secured in them. The teeth C, on the wheel
are of course exactly similar, being cut or otherwise formed on the
Hange. With this system of working the driving wheels have a firm
hold upon the rails, so that the trains are under more perfect command
than at present, as slipping can hardly occur in starting, whilst when
the brakes are put down for stopping the frictional hold upon the wheels
will give a superior retarding effect by reason of the working of the
inclines of the wheel teeth in those of the fixed rack teeth. And when
the system is carried out throughout the entire train the brakes will
act equally well on each pair of wheels, as the same retarding power will
be available in each wheel. It is to be understood that the fixed teeth
will only be required at certain determined places on the line, such as at
stations where heavy loads have to be started on greasy surfaces, and at
inclines where the inclination tells practically upon the tractive adhesion;
and by making the teeth of the peculiar form which I have represented,
facilities are afforded for the entering into gear without jar at the parts
where the fixed teeth commence, the teeth at such parts being slightly
lowered for the same purpose.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the hercin-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is,―
First, the system or mode of constructing and arranging the fixed
rails and rolling stock of railways in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described.

page_text: Second, the application and use of fixed teeth or projections on or
alongside the fixed rails of railways to gear with corresponding teeth on
the flanges of the engines and carriages.
Third, the system or mode of arranging railways with toothed racks
or rails at the parts herein-before referred to, to gear with teeth on the
flanges of the running wheels of the trains.
Fourth, the application and use of angular or inclined rack and
wheel teeth for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Stewart, have hereunto set
my band and scal, the Fifteenth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
GEORGE STEWART. (L.S.)