IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CARRIAGES, AND THE RUNNING GEAR FOR STREET AND OTHER RAILWAYS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Francis Train, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
CARRIAGES, AND THE RUNNING GEAR FOR STREET AND OTHER RAILWAYS."-A
communication from abroad by Messrs. Grice and Long, residing in the
City of Philadelphia, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 22nd May 1861, and dated the 26th November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Francis Train at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th November 1860.
I, GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MESTS IN STRAN CARRIAGES, AND THE RUNNING GEAR FOR STREET AND OTHER RAIL
WAYS," to be as follows (that is to say):-
This Invention is peculiarly adapted to railways in the streets of towns, or
other railways having sharp curves, and where an ordinary locomotive, from
its size and weight, would be objectionable, and where a lighter and less costly
engine would be a sufficient substitute, high velocity not being essential.
To construct according to this Invention a steam carriage for, say, thecon-
veyance of passengers on street or other railways, the body of the carriage
it is preferred to construct of an enclosed oblong form, having a stage or
platform at each end, one of which serves to enter the vehicle by, and the
other to carry the engine and boiler, and which is constructed so as to allow

page_text: the frame of the engine to be brought down almost in contact with the driving
wheels. The boiler is placed on one side of the platform and the engine on
the other, the space between being for the engineer. It is preferred to place
the engine and boiler on the forward platform, that the engineer may be in a
better position to keep a look-out on the road, but the engine can be worked
with equal facility in opposito directions. The water tank is placed across
the forward end of the body of the carriage in rear of the boiler and engine.
In some cases the tank may, with advantage, be extended lengthwise beneath
the seats in the body of the car. The boiler preferred to be used is a vertical
tubular boiler with internal furnace.
The engine consists of two cylinders placed at angles of, say, about 30°,
with their piston rods working through the lower ends thereof between guide
frames, the connecting rods being coupled to a pair of crank arms on the ends
of a transverse toothed or friction pinion shaft, which has its bearings on the
lower side of the engine frame. The toothed pinion or small friction wheel on
the transverse shaft gears into a large toothed or friction grooved wheel staked
on to the axle of the driving wheels. In some cases it is preferred to use an
endless chain band in place of the cog or friction gear described.
The hinder part of the carriage body, in place of being supported upon an
axletree and pair of wheels in the ordinary way, is mounted upon a truck
having either one or two pairs of wheels with their transverse axles. This
truck is attached to the carriage body by a vertical pin which projects through
the bottom of the carriage some distance in front of the truck wheels, and
through a hole in the fore part of the truck, which iselongated for the purpose,
or a rigidly fixed horizontal projecting arm, with a vertical hole through the
outer end thereof, may be used in place of extending the truck from beyond
the running wheels. The waggon frame has a number of vertical antifriction
rollers placed in one or more curved lines forming a part of a circle, the radius
of which is taken from the vertical pin. The bottom of the body of the
carriage, which is provided with suitable curved metal plates, rests upon the
antifriction rollers, which arrangement admits of the carriage readily passing
round sharp curves.
The system of mounting upon trucks as herein-before described may be
readily adapted to all kinds of railway carriages. When applied to railway
waggons it is preferred to mount the body upon two trucks, which may be
constructed with eitherone or two pairs of wheels each, or one of the trucks may
be provided with one pair, and the other two pairs of wheels. The object in
using two trucks is that the vehicle can be driven either end first. When
drawn by an engine the front truck would require to be locked, but when

page_text: drawn by a horse or other draught animal, by connecting the shafts or poll to
the leading truck, it would be better to allow it to turn under the body of the
vehicle.
To prevent undue vibration at the rear end of the car body when upon a
straight track, and to keep it in a line parallel with it, employ a spiral spring
resting in a cylinder of nearly the same diameter internally, and about the
same length, within this spring, and hanging upon the top of it by its larger
head or a shoulder, is a bolt projecting some distance above it, and having at
its outer and upperend an antifriction roll, the cylinder containing the spring
and bolts, being secured to the curved end of the truck atits centre by suitable
lugs and bolts, causes the aforesaid spring to act through the said bolt and its
antifriction rollerupon an inverted double inclined plane secured to the bottom
of the car body, the apex of the inclined plane being placed in the centre of
the car body, transversely in a line perpendicular to the bolt, when the truck
to which it is attachedis square with the body of the carriage upon a straight
track.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Francis Train in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th May 1861.
· TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FRANCIS TRAIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Francis Train, Her special licence that I, the said
George Francis Train, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or sugh
others as I, the said George Francis Train, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CARRIAGES, AND THE RUNNING GEAR POR
STREET AND OTHER RAILWAYS,' as communicated to me from abroad by Messrs.
Grice and Long, residing in the City of Philadelphia, in the United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the saidGeorge Francis

page_text: Train, my executors or adininistrators, by an instrument in writing under
'my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said George Francis Train, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement (that is to say): -
'This my said Invention is peculiarly adapted to railways in the streets of
'towns, or other railways having sharp curves, and where an ordinary loco-
'motive, from its size and weight, would be objectionable, and where a lighter
and less costly engine would be a sufficient substitute, high velocity not being
essential.
To construct, according to this my said Invention, a steam carriage suitable
for, say,
the conveyance of passengers on street or other railways :-Thebody
of the carriage I prefer to construct of an enclosed oblong form, having a
stage or platform at each end, one of which serves to enter the vehicle by,
and the other to carry the engine and boiler, and which I construct so as to
allow the frame of the engine to be brought down almost in contact with the
driving wheels. The boiler I place on one side of the platform, and the
engine on the other, the space. between being for the engineer.. I prefer to
place the engine and boiler on the forward platform, that the engineer may be
in a better position to keep a look-out on the road, but the engine can be
worked with equal facility in opposite directions. The water tank I place
-across the forward end of the body of the carriage in rear of the boiler and
engine, but in some cases the tank may with advantage beextended lengthwise
beneath the seats in the body of the car. The boiler I prefer to use is a
vertical tubular boiler with internal furnace.
The engine consists of two cylinders placed at an angle of, say, about 30°,
with their piston rods working through the lower ends thereof between guide
frames, the connecting rods being coupled to a pair of crank arms on the ends
of a transverse toothed or friction pinion shaft, which has its bearings on the
lower side of the engine frame. The toothed pinion or small friction wheelon
the transverse shaft gears into a large toothed or friction-grooved wheel
staked on to the axle of the driving wheels. In some cases I prefer to uso
an endless chain band in place of the cog or friction gear described.
The hinder part of the carriage body, in place of being supported upon an

page_text: axletree and pair of wheels in the ordinary way, is mounted upon a truck
having either one or two pairs of wheels, with their transverse axles. This
truck I attach to the carriage body by a vertical pin, which projects through
the bottom of the carriage some distance in front of the truck wheels, and
through a hole in the fore part of the truck which is elongated for the purpose,
or a rigidly fixed horizontal projecting arm with a vertical hole through the
outer end thereof may be used in place of extending the truck frame beyond
the running wheels. The waggon frame has a number of vertical antifriction
rollers placed in one or more curved lines, forming a part of a circle, the
radius of which is taken from the vertical pin. The bottom of the body of
the carriage, which is provided with suitable curved metal plates, rests upon
the antifriction rollers, which arrangement admits of the carriage readily
passing round sharp curves.
This system of mounting upon trucks, as herein-before described, may be
readily adapted to all kinds of railway carriages. When applied to railway
waggons, I prefer to mount the body upon two trucks, which may be con-
structed with either one or two pairs of wheels each, or one of the trucks
may be provided with one pair, and the other two pairs of wheels. The
object in using two trucks is that the vehicle can be driven either end first.
When drawn by an engine, the front truck would require to be locked, but
when drawn by a horse or other draught animal, by connecting the shafts or
poll to the leading truck, it would be better to allow it to turn under the body
of the vehicle.
To prevent undue vibration at the rear end of the car body when upon a
straight track, and to keep it in a line parallel therewith, I employ a spiral
spring resting in a cylinder of nearly the same diameter internally, and about
the same length. Within this spring, and hanging upon the top of it by its
larger head or a shoulder, is a bolt projecting some distance above it, and
having at its outer and upper end an antifriction roller. The cylinder con-
‘taining the spring and bolt is secured to the curved end of the truck at its
centre by suitable lugs and bolts. The spring acts through the bolt and its
antifriction roller upon an inverted double-inclined planesecured to the bottom
of the car body. The apex of the inclined plane is placed transversely in the
centre of the car body in a line perpendicular to the bolt when the truck
to which it is attached is square with the body of the carriage upon a straight
track.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and understood,
I have hereunto annexed Drawings showing the practical application thereof;
like letters and figures marked thereon have reference to similar parts.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the improved steam cars, shown with
part of the external casing and the fore wheel removed for the purpose of
.exposing to view the engine and boiler, and the mode of connecting the
'running wheels therewith; Figure 2 isa partial front view of the same, showing
.the position of the boiler, steam cylinders, cranks, spur gearing, and the
'eccentric on the revolving axle of the driving wheels for working the force
pump for supplying the steam boiler.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a truck constructed with double-swivelling
axles, each fitted with a pair of wheels, and Figure 4 is a top view of the
I same, the flooring or stage boards being removed to show the plan and mode
of action of the working parts.
Figuro 5 is a vertical sectional elevation of a truck fitted with swivelling
axle frames, one of which is carried on an axle and one pair of running
wheels, and the other upon a pair of axles and two pairs of running wheels;
and Figure 6 is a plan of the under side of the same carriage, showing the
-position of the hinder swivelling axle frame on a curved line of rail.
_ Figure 7 is a top view or plan of a swivelling axle frame, shown detached,
fitted with two pairs of running wheels, and Figure 8 is a vertical transverse
.section of a truck, showing the self-adjusting arrangements used for cen-
tralising the running wheels when on a straight line of railway.
• A, the body of the steam passenger car; B, the steam boiler i C, the steam
*cylinders: D, piston rods, which by E, connecting rods, are coupled to F,
cranks on shaft of G, a pinion wheel working into H, a cog wheel staked on
to the fixed axle of I, the driving wheels; K, engine frame; L platform of
the steam carriage; M, frame of truck platform; N, swivelling axle frames ;
O, swivel pins of axle frames; 12, lock pins to secure the swivelling axle
frames; P, revolving axles of Q, the running wheels; q, antifriction wheels
fitted to swivelling axle frames; R, a double inclined plane, against which
-presses S, an antifriction roller on the head of T, a vertical spindle, sur-
rounded by a helix spring, which works up and down in U, a vertical cylinder.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into effect, I
wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details or relative dimensions, as it will be readily seen that they may be
considerably varied without departing from the Invention; but what I claim
as new is,-
First, a steam engine, boiler, and water tank constructed and arranged on
the platforms or floors of railway cars, substantially and in the manner heroin-
before set forth and described, or any mere modification of the same.

page_text: Secondly, mounting the driving pinion (G) on the frame of the engine.
Thirdly,swivelling axle frames pivoted ata point not over the axle or axles
in combination with the antifriction rollers mounted in the axle frame, which
work upon suitable bearing surfaces on the bottom of the carriage body,
substantially and in the manner herein-before described.
Fourthly, the application to swivelling axle carriages of an antifriction
roller mounted on the head of a vertical spindle, surrounded with and acted
upon by a helix spring in combination with a double inverted inclined plane
beneath the bottom of the carriage body, substantially and in the manner
herein-before described and set forth.
And,lastly, the peculiar arrangement and combination of the various parts
herein-before described, or any mere modification of the same, when applied
to the construction of railway carriages with swivelling axletrees.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Francis Train, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. I. ISAACSON,
of 16, Norfolk Street,
Strand, London, W.C.
GEO. FRANCIS (L.s.) TRAIN.