Improvements in Apparatus for Lessening the Load at Starting of Tramcars by Horse Propulsion.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lessening the Load at Starting of
Tramcars by Horse Propulsion.
JOHN BARAGWANATH KING of 13 St. George's Terrace in the Parish of
Stonehouse County of Devon Engineer and FREDERICK ROUSE POOL of
16 Durnford Street Parish of Stonehouse in the County of Devon Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for lessening the load at starting
of tramcars by horse propulsion and is as follows. A bell crank or elbow lever is
supported to the tramcar front by a suitable bracket or brackets, the said lever being
free to move preferably in an horizontal plane, one end of the said lever is connected
by pin and cheek joint to the ordinary pole or chain attachment of the horses the
other end of the said lever is connected in a similar manner by pin and cheek joint
to a connecting rod or link the opposite end of which is provided with serrated
teeth which is free to engage in one direction with a circular ratchet wheel which
is secured and revolves with the axle of the said tramcar. A spring is connected
to one end of the said connecting rod or link, a stop is also provided for throwing.
out of gear the teeth engagement with the said ratchet wheel, this stop is prefer-
ably arranged so as to be operated at will by the driver of the said tramcar.
The positions of the pins of the said bell crank lever are approximately at right
angles to each other, giving a differential motion and leverage to the connecting
rod or link on being operated at starting by the horses. In case of tramcars being
operated from either end two complete sets of said apparatus are to be employed.
In case of tramcars being reversed while the axles remain stationary two sets of
ratchet wheels are provided one on each axle with the teeth set to pull in the.
direction of motion.
Dated this 10th day of July 1895
JOHN BARAGWANATH KING.
FREDERICK ROUSE POOL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lessening the Load at Starting of
Tramcars by Horse Propulsion.
We, JOHN BARAGWANATH KING, of 13 St. George's Terrace, in the Parish of
Stonehouse in the County of Devon, Engineer, and FREDERICK ROUSE POOL,
of 16 Durnford Street, in the Parish of Stonehouse in the County of Devon,
Engineer, 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 :-
Our invention relates to apparatus for lessening the load at starting of tramcars
by horse propulsion, as we shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of apparatus according to our
invention;
Fig. 3 is an elevation and Fig. 4 a plan of the apparatus somewhat modified,

page_text: Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a side and end view and a plan of the elbow
lever to which the swingle tree or other organ of traction is attached.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, we fix on an axle of the car a ratchet wheel A
and mount by the side of it free on the axle a lever carrying a pawl B, which is
usually disengaged from the teeth of the wheel A but can be engaged when desired
by depressing a treadle C, which is connected to an arm D that bears against the
tail of the pawl B. A rod E jointed to the pawl lever has its one end attached to
a tensile spring F, and its other end connected to the one arm G of an elbow lever,
which is mounted, on a. vertical pin. J at the front of the car.and which has its.
other arm Hattached to the swingle tree.
When the car is stopped; and there is no pull of the arm. H, the spring F draws
the elbow lever to the position shewn,, its arm G being in line with the rod.E.
When the car is, to be started, the treadle C is depressed so as to engage the.
pawl B with the-teeth of the ratchet wheel A; thereupon the horses in pulling, the
arm H towards the position indicated by the dotted lines H¹ (Fig. 2) cause
the arm G to move, at first through a very small versed sine, and therefore
transmit through the rod E very great tension, so that the pawl B turns with
great force the ratchet wheel A and the axle on which it is fixed, thus starting
the car.
In the modified arrangement shewn in Figs. 3 and 4, the rod E. has part of
it e formed as a ratchet rack which is usually held out of gear, with the ratchet
wheel 'A by a tensile spring L acting on two levers K, each having a pair of rollers
between which the rod E passes. On depressing the treadle C, the levers-K. K
are moved so as to engage the rack teeth e with the teeth of the wheel. A; and then
the pull of the rod E effects the starting of the car with great force, as above
described with-reference to Figs. 1 and 2:
We are aware that, in the Specification No. 14309 of 1888, it is proposed to
start a vehicle by pulling the long arm of an elbow lever, the short arm of which
is connected to a pawl engaging a ratchet wheel on an axle of the vehicle; but, in
this case, the engagement of the pawl is not effected by a treadle, and advantage
is not taken of the great tractive force obtained by starting the arm of the elbow
lever from a position in which it is in line with the rod connecting it to the pawl:
We therefore make no claim to apparatus such as is described in the Specification
No. 14309 of 1888 above referred to, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
=
1. The herein described method of lessening the load at starting a tramcar by
transmitting the pulling strain of the horses, through an elbow lever and rod, to a
ratchet wheel on an axle of the car, the rod and the arm of the elbow lever to
which it is connected being in line at starting.
2. Apparatus for facilitating the starting of a tramcar in the manner above.
referred to by means of a treadle to throw the pawl into gear with the ratchet
wheel and an elbow lever having an arm in a line with the connecting rod at the
moment of starting, constructed and. operating substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of April 1896.
HARRIS & MILLS;
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,. Agents.