A NEW OR IMPROVED TRAMWAY RAIL OR TRACK CLEANER AND TENDER
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Rae at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 19th April 1879.
JAMES RAE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manager of
Tramway Carriage Works. "A NEW OR IMPROVED TRAMWAY RAIL OR TRACK
CLEANER AND TENDER."
This said Invention has reference to a new or improved general construction or
combination of the parts of a wheeled truck, vehicle, or machine to be drawn or
run over or along the track or line of double tramway rails for the purpose of
cleaning their grooves and bearing surface, all in a more simple and efficient
manner than has been done heretofore; and also for carrying sand and distributing
it on the paved horse track between the tramway rails to prevent the horses' feet
from slipping, or on the rails to dry and roughen the surface to prevent the wheels
and brakes from slipping and make them act more effectually; and also for
carrying and distributing salt on the rails or track in frosty or snowy weather to
prevent accidents from the slipping of the wheels or the horses' feet. The nature
and novelty of this said Invention consists preferably of a four wheeled carriage or
truck frame with two revolving axles, and Hanged wheels guided in the grooves of
the rails, all so far much the same as the under framing and wheel and fittings of a
tramway car, but shorter and lighter, to be easily drawn by horses or traction
motive power as may be found most convenient, but with a low side frame and
ends projecting up from the floor or carrying truck frame to steady the bags of
sand or salt against the sides, and leave room for the attendant or driver to manage
the gearing for cleaning the rails, or depositing or scattering the sand or salt, or
working the brake, all us will hereinafter be described. The first and main
improvement in this Invention and machine consists in mounting and working two
revolving brushes carried on a horizontal transverse spindle or spindles between
the four running wheels, one brush over each rail, the spindle or axis of which is
carried in journal bearings in the extreme free ends of two or more levers,
mounted so as to oscillate loosely on the axle of one pair of the wheels. These
levers are bound together by a cross stay or tie-bar which oscillates the whole as a
portable fraine through a raising and lowering vertical spindle passed up through
the bottom of the van and actuated by a screw and screw wheel, or it might be a
setting hand lever and quadrant supported in either case by a bracket or standard
TD 027

page_text: therefrom at a proper height for the attendant to press down the brushes into
action on the rails, or raise them out of action as desired. These brushes are
actuated by a large spur wheel on the axle of the truck on which their carrying
frame oscillates, preferably driven at a greater speed and in the opposite direction
through a train of small or increasing speed pinions carried on axles in the
oscillating levers embracing the wheel gearing, the last of the set being keyed on
the axle of the brushes, which would preferably be made rounded or convex in the
edge section with long elastic brushing bristles or stems of strong hair, whalebone,
cane, or steel, or other metallic wire or material, which would act as a strong
revolving brush without breaking, to sweep all dirt out of the grooves and off the
surface of the rails. And when desired the brushes might run at a slight angle to
the groove and rail to assist in delivering the dirt quite to the inside or outside of
the rail. By another improvement this machine may have a broad brake pulley
mounted on the middle of the axle of the other two wheels, with the brake-block
hinged over it and raised or tightened down by a screw spindle and hand wheel,
or a powerful lever somewhat equivalent to ordinary brake levers, but it will be
understood the brake-blocks might be mounted on two of the running wheels, and
actuated in a similar manner to that described by a single hand screw, wheel, or a
powerful ordinary brake lever.
Another improvement consists in erecting a hopper within and above the bottom
floor frame of the truck, open on top for filling in the sand or salt as desired out of
the supply bags, but closed in below at the contracted spout by a long delivery
barrel with vanes, brush, or other equivalent to distribute and scatter the sand
thinly over the track where the horses walk when these are used for traction, or
on the rails for preventing the slipping of the wheels or brakes in going down
hill, or otherwise for spreading salt on to the rails or horse track when these are
covered with snow or ice to melt it, which could then be swept off by the brushes
and so prevent slipping and accidents to the cars or horses travelling over the
tramway. The axle of the revolving barrel for delivering the sand or salt would
be carried on journal bearings on the frame of the machine, and driven by a
spur wheel on it at a slow speed from a wheel on one of the axles of the carrying
car wheels, and the barrel would deliver the sand or salt by a spreading or shifting
spout on to the part of the ground or rails where desired. This new or improved
tramway rail cleaning machine and tramway tender would be run over the lines
or tracks of rails in the morning or other convenient time, drawn by two light
horses, between the running of the ordinary cars; or it might be drawn by a
light traction engine when these come into use for drawing the cars instead of
horses.