Improvements in and relating to Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Railway Vehicles.
1, FREDERIC CARLETON ESMOND, 578 Tenth Street, City of Brooklyn,
Kings County, State of New York, United States of America, Railway Carriage
Constructor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what inanner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention relates to a new and improved method of attaching to a car body,
or to a car truck, a propelling frame; it being understood that by propelling frame 1
mean the structure, device, attachment or connection through which the propelling
power is transmitted to the car body, car truck, or car axles, or to such part or
parts which compose in whole or a part a car and its running gear, or axles and
wheels. Thus, such propelling frame may be the frame-work or supports of a
cable grip if the propelling power be by a cable, or the supports or frame of an
electric motor if the propelling force be electricity, or the frame may be any one
of the ordinary and well known traction connections.
The essential object of the invention, is to provide means whereby the propelling
frame can have free lateral motion relative to the car or car truck (lateral motion
relative to the road-bed or line of travel), and yet be restrained rigidly against
longitudinal motion relative thereto; whereby such propelling frame and the car
or load propelled have relative lateral motion while both must move rigidly
together so far as longitudinal motion is concerned, thus preventing the strains,
torsion or racking which occur between the car and propelling frame when these
parts are rigidly connected as to relative lateral motion.
The invention consists generally of a car, car truck or car axles, a propelling
frame pivotally attached to said car, truck or axles by vertical links, and abutments
or housings so arranged between the car and the propelling frame as to permit the
said frame to move laterally of the car but to restrain the said frame so that it will
have longitudinal motion with the car.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a car truck, the said truck may also be considered as
the bottom or floor frame of a car body, and carries two propelling frames attached
to it in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same,
Figure 2 is a section on the plane a a of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a section on plane bb of Figure 2.
The truck frame in the present instance consists of the lower side bars 1, car.
sills or truck wheel-pieces 2, and one or more cross bars 3 attached at each end to
the side bars 1. Suitable springs are arranged between the sills and side bars.
4 indicates the axle-boxes, 5 the axles, and 6 the pedestals horns or housings which
depend from the wheel-piece or sill 2 and loosely engage the sides of the bars 1
and bear against the axle-boxes on their front and rear faces. The links 7 pivotally
engage the blocks 8 between the two side parts of the bars 1 and pass over the
axle-boxes upon the tops of which they have a pivotal bearing. The links lie in
slots 4 (Figure 3) in the sides of the box and are free to rock in such slots and
on the tops of the boxes, the slots being slightly deeper than the thickness of the
links. By these means the entire truck frame is suspended on and attached to the
axle-boxes by laterally movable links, and sudden endwise motion of the axles is
not rigidly resisted by the truck frame or the load upon it.
9 is the propelling frame, that is, it is the frame upon which may be carried a
motor or the means for attaching the truck or its axles to a source of power, like a
cable grip and other similar devices. This propelling frame is pivotally secured

page_text: at its front end to one of the axles in any suitable manner. The rear end of the
propelling frame is supported from the cross-bar 3 by a link or links 10, the upper
ends of which are attached to the cross-bar by pivot bolt 11, while their lower ends
are pivoted on the wrist pin 12 secured to the frame 9, 13 being a cylindrical
distance piece to hold the lower ends of the links properly separated. In these
drawings, two motor frames are shown, each frame secured at one end to one axle
and at its other end hung from the cross-bar 3 common to both.
It will now be plain, that by thus attaching the propelling frame to the car or
truck frame, either can have motion laterally without affecting the other, while
both must move rigidly together so far as longitudinal motion is concerned, and
therefore all tendencies to strain, torsion or racking, as between the two frames or
as between the car and the propelling frame, are obviated. When the wheels of
the axle directly driven by the propelling frame meet ordinary and slight lateral
deflections in the track, such axle and the propelling frame can easily move
laterally and follow such deflections without having to positively or abruptly meet
the vertical or gravity resistance of the superimposed load. When the propelled
axle wheels enter a curve the axle and propelling frame can move laterally to the
car, to follow the track while the car tends to follow the tangent thereto, the action
of the axle still being such, by reason of the links and link-housings or axle-box
pedestals between the load and the propelling frame, that power is applied to the
car body or load with regularly increasing force to cause it to swing to and follow
the desired line of movement. That is, the movement of the axle is laterally
against the gravity of a load and increases resistance to the same in proportion to
the movement of the axle laterally to the load, or vice versa ; the resisting action
being spring-like, yet effected by the positively acting link connections.
It will
then, be seen that the propelling frame and driven axle are as yielding and elastically
related to the load, when relative lateral movement is considered, as when relative
vertical movement is taken into account, and so all forms of sudden action of the
load upon the propelling frame, by reason of the movement of the load laterally
relative to the frame, are prevented.
Figure 4 is a plan view of a car structure embodying a modified form of the
invention, there being shown a frame that may be the bottom of a car body,
or a truck frame, with axles and wheels mounted thereon, and showing the
propelling frame entirely suspended from the axles of the car or truck; this view
also shows in dotted lines a propelling frame entirely suspended from the car or
truck frame.
Figure 5 is a cross section on plane cc of Figure 4.
In these views 14 represents the car timbers or longitudinal parts of the truck
frame on which the axles 15 and axle-box pedestals 16 are mounted, the same as
in the case of the structure of Figures 1-3.
Between the axles is hung the propelling frame 17, which frame is here shown
as composed of two horizontal bars 17, rigidly connected together by the cross-
bars 18. Projecting under the axle from each end of this frame (Figure 5) are
the wrist pins 19, and these wrist pins pass through the lower ends of the flat
vertical links 20, which lie in slots in the sides of the axle-boxes 21 (as in the case
of Figure 3) and are connected over the tops of the boxes by the pivot pins 22,
cylindrical distance pieces 23 and 24 being placed on pins 19 and 22 between the
ends of the links to assist to hold the links in proper position, the cylinders 24
also serving as fixed bearings for the pins 22 on the tops of the boxes 21.
The boxes 21 are secured to the axles, in any of the various well known ways,
so that the axles will revolve in the boxes and so that the boxes will be carried
with the axles when the latter are moved lengthwise. 25 represents the housings
of the boxes and links. Each of such housings consists of a strap-like piece
attached to the top of one of the bars 17 and shaped to pass over the top of the
box and down on the outer side of the same to the outer end of the pin 19 to
which it is bolted, the box being closely held between the outer vertical part of
such strap and the end of the bar 17.

page_text: By these means the propelling frame and the axle boxes and axles are held
rigidly together, as concerns the longitudinal inotion of the car, while the axles 15
and boxes 21 are movable in the housings 25 laterally relative to the propelling
frame. As an axle is moved laterally, lateral relative to the line of travel, the
tops of the links thereon are carried with the axle-boxes, while the lower ends of
the links turn on the wrist pins 19 but do not partake of the lateral motion; and
the reverse takes place if the propelling frame be moved laterally relative to the
axles, though it is the former motion that usually takes place in practice and
against which it is desirable to protect the propelling frame especially when such.
frame is one designed to carry a cable grip, or any form of power connection that
it is desirable to have follow closely the central line of the track or any other
generally unswerving line of motion.
In the dotted lines of Figure 4, I illustrate how the propelling frame 26 may be
hung by links 27 from the cross-beams 28 of the main truck frame or car body.
The arrangements of the links is the same as in the other cases, but instead of
special housing parts for the links and to preserve rigidity of the parts as to longi-
tudinal motion, the propelling frame is mounted between the cross-bars so as to
abut forward and rearwardly against the same, though of course special housings
or abutments may be provided.
In Figures 6, 7 and 8, I show yet another form of truck to which the invention
can be applied. This truck is one known as a radial or single-driving-axle truck;
that is, it is a truck in which a single pair of wheels is located under and directly
receives the load or the greater portion thereof and serves when motive power is
applied to the truck as the main driving or carrying wheels and the main driving
or carrying axle; such a truck also has a pair of wheels located in advance of and
another pair of wheels located rearward of the main driving wheels, these forward
and rear wheels and their axles being known as pony wheels and axles, or pony
trucks.
In such a truck, the axle or axis of the driving wheels is caused to conform to
the radius of the curve of the track wherever upon the curve it may be, and the
pony axles and wheels have for one of their essential functions to guide, turn or
direct the truck so that this conformity of the driving axle to the radius of the
curve will be preserved.
In this latter connection, it will be understood that it is the pony wheels and
axles that most receive the lateral thrusts and the effects of lateral variations in
the track. It is therefore desirable to protect the frame of the truck as much as
possible from such lateral shocks, especially when such frame carries or is a power-
propelling frame. Accordingly I construct such a truck frame to serve as a
propelling frame, and mount the forward and rear pony axles and wheels on the
ends of the same by vertical links arranged after the manner already suggested by
the structures hereinbefore described.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a radial or single driving-axle truck embodying a
modified form of iny invention.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 8 is a cross-section as indicated by line d d of Figures 6 and 7.
29 indicates longitudinal bars of any suitable construction which extend forwardly
and rearwardly from the main driving wheel 30. Central of the length of these
bars is secured the bracket frames 31, on which and the bars 29 are journalled in
suitable boxes 32 and housings or pedestals 33, the short axles 34 of the driving
wheels 30. To the ends of the bars 29, extending forwardly and rearwardly from
the main axles 34 and main wheels 30, are attached the pony axles 35 and pony
wheels 36. These axles are attached to the bars 29 in substantially the same
manner as are the axles 15 attached to the frame 17 of Figure 4: 37 being the
boxes on the axles, 38 the housings enclosing the boxes and 39 the links which are
pivoted at their lower ends to the bars 29 and at their top ends to the tops of the
boxes 37.
40 represents the cross bars of the lower frame. 41 is the top or bearing frame

page_text: of the truck, 42 being the circular bearing or rubbing blocks upon which the car
rests and swivels, and 43 the spring between the two frames.
It will be noted that the lower frame is open as to the central part of the truck,
and it is in such opening that a cable grip may be suspended. Or an electric
motor may be mounted on this frame and be operably connected to the main
driving axles, or axle when the main driving wheels are mounted on one axle, which
may be done when desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a car truck, of a propelling frame pivotally suspended
on the truck by vertical links, and housings or abutments holding the propelling
frame longitudinally rigid with the truck but permitting motion of the propelling
frame laterally relative to the truck.
2. The combination in a car truck, of a truck frame mounted on its axles by
vertical links pivoted to the truck frame and to the axle boxes, a propelling frame
attached to the truck by vertical links, and housings holding the propelling frame
and truck longitudinally rigid but permitting lateral motion of the propelling
frame relative to the truck.
3. The combination in a car truck, of a truck frame, a propelling frame pivotally
suspended at one end from the truck frame by vertical links and at the other end
attached to one of the truck axles, which axle has suspended on it by links one end
of the truck frame, and housings holding the frames longitudinally rigid but
permitting them to have relative lateral motion.
4. The combination with the axles of a car truck, of a propelling frame suspended
on the axles by swinging links pivotally attached to the axles and to the frame,
and housings or abutments arranged to permit the frame to move in a direction
parallel to the axles but restraining the frame against motion in a direction across
the axles.
5. The combination with a car truck frame, of a propelling frame suspended on
the truck frame by links pivoted at their one ends to one frame and at their other
ends to the other frame, the frames being so arranged that they have relative
lateral motion but are rigid as to longitudinal motion.
6. The combination in a truck, of a pair of main driving or carrying wheels, a
propelling frame extending forwardly and rearwardly from said main wheels, pony-
wheel axles attached by vertical links to the ends of the frame, and housings
between said pony axles and the said frame permitting motion of the axles laterally
relative to the frame but holding the axles and frame rigid longitudinally.
7. The combination in a truck, of a pair of main driving or carrying wheels, a
propelling frame extending forwardly and rearwardly from said main wheels and
connected at its ends to pony axles by laterally swinging links, and a frame adapted
to support a car and arranged above said propelling frame and centrally relatively
to the axis of the main wheels.
Dated this 22nd December 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.