IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING RAILROAD CARRIAGES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIJAH
GALLOWAY, of Manchester Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing, date,at West-
minster, the Second day of November, in the fourth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and sucessors, give and grant unto ine, the said Elijah
Galloway, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Elijah Galloway, my exors; adññiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Elijah Galloway, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my.
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING RAILROAD CARRIAGES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Elijah Galloway,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my, said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next :and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Elijah Galloway, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates to a mode of propelling carriages on railroads by
means of a moveable rail or bar and wheels of different diameters. And in
order most fully to explain the nature of the said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I will first describe the Diagram Figure 1, which is
intended to illustrate the mechanical principle on which the working of my
Invention depends. a, a, represents the circumference of a wheel placed
upon a rail b, b; a rod c, d, is shown, as attached thereto by a pin at c. Now
if the rod c, d, be moved, say between d and k, the wheel a, a, will roll along
b, b, a much greater horizontal distance than the rod c, d, moves; and if,
instead of the joint and pin c, there were another wheel, represented by the
circle f, f, fixed to the wheel a, a, or to the fixed-axis thereof, and a bar or
rail 9,.d, be moved when kept in contact with the wheel f, f, in such manner
is not to slip on the surface of the wheel, the wheel a would move on the
fixed rail b, b, a much greater horizontal distance than the barg, d, moves;.
that is, the wheel a would move six feet during the movement of the bar g, d,
through the space of one foot.
1)
་
Having thus explained the diagram Figure 1 in order that the principle of
action on which my Invention depends may be understood, I will now describe
Figure 2, which represents a plan of such parts of railway carriages and
railway as are necessary to show, the nature of my Invention. i, j, i, j, are
four wheels of a railroad carriage, and r, r, the ordinary fixed rails of a rail-
way; k, l, are sections of two double flanged wheels of one sixth less
diameter than the wheels i, j. The wheels j and k are both keyed on one
áxis m, and the wheels j and on the axis n. There are ball and socket
joints s, t, as is shown in the Drawing, to connect the axis and allow the
middle wheels k, l, to rise and fall to the slight undulations of the road. g, d,
is the propelling rail placed midway between the fixed rails, and supported on
flanged rollers and capable of moving freely thereon; it may be of wood, or
iron, or both combined, and I prefer making it of wood plated with iron to
prevent warping; but, instead of extending along the whole line, it will consist
of detached portions, the length of which will depend on local circumstances,
such as the gradients and curves; but as a general rule I should prefer to have
stationary engines which give motion to the driving rails at about a mile or a
mile and a half apart. The propelling rail may be moved by a toothed rack
on the under side of the rail and a toothed wheel working therein on the engine

page_text: shaft, or by a chain attached to the end of the rail and winding-round 'a'drum
nioved by the crigine or by other convenient micans; and if, as in the case here'
given, the velocity of the carriage be six times that. of the propelling rail, the?
rail.g,d, will be one sixth less in length than the distance between the stations,.
to allow the rail to propel the carriage over its whole lengthy before it can
come. in contact with the next length of rail. If a rack be used to move the
rail, then, by reversing the engine, tlie rail can, after the carriage: has left it,"
be returned to its original position; but if chains and druins be the means
employed, then there should be one at each end 'to wind and unwind, in the:
imanner of the ropes on the London and Blackwall Railway. The proportions:
of the propelling rail in its depth and thickness, as well as the number of
rollers, will depend on the weight to be supported. I should, however, observe
that where there are curves the rail. should be so proportioned as to bend
round them without becoming permanently deflected. The carriage has six
springs (shewn by dotted lines p, p, p, p, p, p) pressing on the bearings
which are fitted into vertical mortices as in other railway carriages. These
springs are capable of adjustment by screws or other well-known means, so
as to regulate the pressure of each wheel on the rail, and thus obtain a':
sufficient pressing together of the surfaces in contact of the rails and the
wheels as to prevent slipping. Now it will be evident that upon the 'mode'
of action explained by the Diagram Figure 1, that if the propelling rail g, d,
be put in motion the carriage will move along the railway at six times the
velocity of the propelling rail. I would, however, remark that the difference
of velocity between the carriage and rail may be varied by changing the
relative diameters of the wheels, the speed of the carriage as compared to that:
of the propelling rail being as the greater diameter is to the difference between
the two diameters of the wheels. Where there are considerable acclivities
on the line of railroad, I propose to connect the axis at their junction by an
universal joint instead of the ball and socket joint shewn in the Drawing; in
which case the middle and side wheels will revolve together, and the surface
contacts of the wheels k, l, with the propelling rail, and the contact of the
wheels i, j, with the fixed rails of the railway, will all combine in propelling
the carriage.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I lay no
claim to the parts of the carriage and railway which have been previously in
use, nor do I claim any of the parts separately; and I am aware that pulleys
of different diameters with endless ropes, and a pulley and wheel having a
rope passing around such pulley, have before been proposed to be used, and

page_text: a. Patent was obtained by Joseph Saxton, Mechanician; June the Twentieth,..
One thousand eight hundred and. thirty-three, for the same; I therefore wish
it. to be understood that I make no claim to any arrangement of machinery,
pulleys, or wheels for propelling carriages on railroads when combined with
an endless or other rope passing around one or more pulleys. But what I
claim as my Invention is, the mode of propelling carriages on railroads by the
application of a moving rail or bar acting against a wheel or wheels of different.
diameter to the other wheels of the carriage, by which means I am enabled:
to propel carriages on railroads at much greater velocity. than the speed of the
moving or propelling rail or bar, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elijah Galloway, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
ELIJAH (L.s.). GALLOWAY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of May, in the year
of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Elijah Galloway came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for. that purpose.