Improvements in or relating to Car Movers.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
Improvements in or relating to Car Movers.
:-
I, JAMES BARNS STONE, of 135, Finsbury Pavement, in the City of London,
Machinery Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to devices for manually moving railway cars and the
like, its object being to provide an improved shoe by which, with the aid of a
lever such cars may be moved.
In carrying out this invention I form of suitable metal, preferably malleable
cast iron, a shoe to which is pivotally attached a lever which may be worked
manually.
On the under side of the shoe is secured a knife edge or other suitable device
which when pressure is brought to bear upon the lever rests upon the rail and so
prevents the shoe from slipping. When the pressure is released a spring of metal
or rubber or other suitable material automatically raises the knife edge or other
gripping device from the rail, thus permitting the shoe to be slid along the rail
without injury to the gripping device. The spring by which the gripping device
is raised from contact with the rail is preferably so attached to the shoe and so
constructed as to be readily removed with a view to replacing it when worn by
a new one of similar construction.
The knife edge is also preferably so constructed as to be easily renewed when
desired.
A convenient construction of shoe according to this invention will now be
described by way of example.
A malleable casting forming the body of the shoe is provided on its upper side
with two leaves whose planes are substantially perpendicular to that of the body
of the shoe, and at its forward end with two smaller leaves or projections lying
on the under side of the body. The two upper leaves carry a pin or spindle upon
which the hand lever is mounted, the object of the two lower leaves or projections
being to partially embrace the rail and so prevent the shoe from slipping sideways
from it; the lever is case-hardened at the shorter end and curved upward near the
fulcrum to raise its free end to a convenient height.
That end of the lever to which in operating the device, power is applied, is pre-
ferably bent downward so as to be clear of the buffers or other parts of the struc-
ture of any wagon or engine which it is to be employed upon.
On the underside of the shoe at the end remote from the two embracing leaves
or projections is inserted a knife edge about the same length as the width of the
rail upon which the shoe is to be used, and embedded with the exception of a pro-
truding edge, within a thickened portion of the shoe. The embedded sides of the
knife edge are preferably made slightly taper, lengthwise, and the groove which
receives them similarly constructed. The knife edge after having been driven in
may be secured by means of a set screw. Preferably the knife-edge is polygonal
so as to enable it to be turned in such manner that one of its angles or edges can
be substituted for another in case of wear. Between the embracing leaves or

page_text: projections and the knife edge is secured a spring or a spring-controlled or other
roller by which the knife edge is normally raised from the rail, but such that when
downward pressure is applied to the handle of the lever it will yield sufficiently
to allow the knife edge to descend upon and frictionally engage with the rail.
This spring is preferably made detachable. Or a rubber spring may be employed;
or a leather or other slightly yielding facing might be adapted instead of the
spring.
As an alternative a yielding or other facing of a nature adapted to frictionally
grip the rail can be employed in place of the sharp-edged bit or knife-edge herein-
before referred to. Or jaws could be employed so arranged that the effort exerted
on the wagon or the like would cause them to grip, say the rail flanges, whereas
upon the cessation of this effort or on the withdrawal of the car-mover from the
wheel these jaws would automatically free themselves.
As a further alternative a fulcrum-piece may be suspended from the underside of
the lever, of such form and in such position that the exertion of a downward thrust
on the lever will cause the fulcrum-piece (resting on the rail and preferably shaped
to fit it closely) to turn sufficiently to bring a sharp "bit" into contact with the
rail table on cessation of this effort or on moving the device to follow up the vehicle
rotation of the fulcrum-piece will occur in the opposite direction and lift the bit
clear so that it is not unduly worn.
Datad this 14th day of Tann
1900
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Car Movers.
I, JAMES BARNS STONE, of 135, Finsbury Pavement, in the City of London,
Machinery Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention "and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to devices for manually moving railway cars and the
like, its object being to provide an improved shoe by which, with the aid of a
lever such cars may be moved.
In carrying out this invention I form of suitable metal, preferably malleable
cast iron, a shoe to which is pivotally attached a lever which may be worked
manually.
On the under side of the shoe is secured a knife edge or other suitable device
which when pressure is brought to bear upon the lever rests upon the rail and so
prevents the shoe from slipping. When the pressure is released a spring of metal
or rubber or other suitable material automatically raises the knife edge or other
gripping device from the rail, thus permitting the shoe to be slid along the rail
without injury to the gripping device. The spring by which the gripping device
is raised from contact with the rail is preferably so attached to the shoe and so
constructed as to be readily removed with a view to replacing it when worn by
a new one of similar construction.
The knife edge is also preferably so constructed as to be easily renewed when
desired.
A convenient construction of shoe according to this invention will now be
described by way of example.
A malleable casting forming the body of the shoe is provided on its upper side

page_text: with two leaves whose planes are substantially perpendicular to that of the body
of the shoe, and at its forward end with two smaller leaves or projections lying
on the under side of the body. The two upper leaves carry a pin or spindle upon
which the hand lever is mounted, the object of the two lower leaves or projections
being to partially embrace the rail and so prevent the shoe from slipping sideways
from it; the lever is case-hardened at the shorter end and curved upward near the
fulcrum to raise its free end to a convenient beight.
That end of the lever to which in operating the device, power is applied, is pre-
ferably bent downward so as to be clear of the buffers or other parts of the struc-
ture of any wagon or engine which it is to be employed upon.
On the underside of the shoe at the end remote from the two embracing leaves
or projections is inserted a knife edge about the same length as the width of the
rail upon which the shoe is to be used, and embedded with the exception of a pro-
truding edge, within a thickened portion of the shoe. The embedded sides of the
knife edges are preferably made slightly taper, lengthwise, and the groove which
receives them is similarly constructed. The knife edge after having been driven in
may be secured by means of a set screw. Preferably the knife-edge is polygonal
so as to enable it to be turned in such manner that one of its angles or edges can
be substituted for another in case of wear. Between the embracing leaves or pro-
jections and the knife edge may be secured a spring or a spring-controlled or other
roller by which the knife edge is normally raised from the rail, but such that when
downward pressure is applied to the handle of the lever it will yield sufficiently
to allow the knife edge to descend upon and frictionally engage with the rail.
This spring is preferably made detachable. Or a rubber spring may be employed;
or a leather or other slightly yielding facing might be adapted instead of the
spring.
As an alternative a yielding or other facing of a nature adapted to frictionally
grip the rail can be employed in place of the sharp-edged bit or knife-edge herein-
before referred to. Or a fulcrum-piece may be suspended from the underside
of the lever of such form and in such position that the exertion of a downward
thrust on the lever will cause the fulcrum-piece (resting on the rail and prefer-
ably shaped to fit it closely) to turn sufficiently to bring a sharp "bit" into contact
with the rail table; on cessation of this effort or on moving the device to follow up
the vehicle rotation of the fulcrum-piece will occur in the opposite direction and
lift the bit clear so that it is not unduly worn.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation of one construction of car mover according to this
invention;
Figure 2 is an elevation showing one end of the car-mover with the parts of the
car-mover in the positions they occupy when it is being moved along the rail
towards or away from a car.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of the car-mover in the position in which it is illus-
trated in Fig. 2, and
Figure is an end view showing one end of the car-mover with its parts in the
position they take up when the mover is in operation upon the wheel of a car;
Figure 5 is a side elevation of one end of another construction of car-mover also
according to this invention.
Figure 6 is an end elevation of the same.
Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are drawn to a larger scale than that of Fig. 1.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents a shoe to which a lever B is attached by a pin C between two
leaves A¹. The lever B is curved or bent as at B₁ in order to clear the buffers or
frames of rolling stock.
On the under side of the shoe a tapered rail grip D of triangular knife-edged
form is dovetailed into a similarly shaped tapered groove in the shoe, in which
it is retained by a screw E and washer E¹.
A spring F is attached to the shoe by screws F¹ so as to be easily replaced. The

page_text: strength or stiffness of the spring F is such that when no load is on the lever B,
it will tilt the shoe A in the manner indicated in Figure 2 thereby raising the rail
grip D out of contact with the rail.
Side leaves or projections A2 are provided to prevent the shoe from slipping off
the rails.
When the lever is in action, the effort exerted by the shorter end against the car
wheel G sets up a re-action by which the rail grip D is brought to bear on the
surface of the rail in the manner indicated in Figure 4, thus preventing the shoe
from slipping.
The shorter end of the lever B is so shaped that as, during each stroke, it turns
about its fulcrum C, it operates continuously upon the same portion of the wheel,
that portion of course, travelling along a cycloidal path.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative construction in which the shoe A is
so shaped that if the downward thrust is taken off the lever B, and the car-mover
is pushed forward, the shoe A will tend to turn into the position indicated by chain
lines (Fig. 5) and thus bring the knife edge or "bit" D out of contact with the
rail. When the down-thrust is applied the knife-edge D is brought down upon the
rail and the car-mover operates in the manner described with reference to the con-
struction illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is;-
1. In a car-mover the combination with a "shoe" A A¹ of a lever B having the
handle curved to clear the buffers or frames of rolling stock substantially as
described.
2. In a car-mover, the combination with a shoe A A¹ of a triangular or poly-
gonal tapered piece D.
3. In a car-mover a lever so shaped at the end which operates upon the wheel
that the same portion of the latter is acted upon continuously during each stroke
of the lever substantially as described.
4. The complete car-mover substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1,
23 and 4 or Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of June 1898.