Improvements in Tramway and other Rails, and in Wheels for Use in connection therewith.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tramway and other Rails, and in Wheels for Use in
connection therewith.
We, HENRY BRECKNELL, EDWARD MAY MUNRO, and HUGH INNES ROGERS, of
Edinburgh Chambers, Baldwin Street, Bristol, Mechanical and Electrical
Engineers, 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 improvements in tramway and other rails used for
traction purposes and in wheels for use in connection therewith, and has for its
object to dispense with the jar or shock at present communicated to the carriage
every time the wheel passes over the joint by which the ends of adjacent rails
are secured, and also to so improve the construction of the rails and wheels, that
one portion of the face of the wheels as they pass over points and crossings, will
always be in contact with the rail, which is not the case at present.
According to the present method of constructing and laying the rails, the ends
are cut at right angles and the joint is made with a slight opening between the
adjacent ends, the weight of the carriage on the wheel depressing the end of the
rail it is leaving, the butt end of the rail in advance forms a shoulder against
which the wheel strikes and has to mount; by our invention, the ends of the
rails are cut diagonally, and when they are bolted together by the fishplates, the
wheel in travelling is supported on the rail it is leaving until an equally firm
bearing is obtained on the end of the following rail, as in passing over the joint,
the weight of the wheel is distributed, and as there is no square end of the front
rail to strike and mount, the annoyance of the blow as at present felt, will be
obviated, and the wear and tear considerably reduced.
The tramway rails now in use are made with the groove near the side of the
rail in which the flange on the wheel engages to keep the wheels on the track,
the flange being on the inner edge of the wheel; by this method, the whole bear-
ing surface of the wheel is outside the flange, and whenever it passes a point or
crossing, there being no bearing on the rail for the face of the wheel, the flange,
which is intended only as a guide for the wheel, drops into the groove of the rail,
and the flange has to support the wheel, and as the flange falls into the groove
with a jerk, it causes unnecessary wear and shock; to remedy this, we make the
rails with the groove in the centre, and put the flange in the centre of the periphery
of the wheel, by which a bearing surface is always provided on one side or other
of the flange, and the flange is left to do its proper work as a guide for the wheel,
without having at any time to support the weight.
These improvements will be fully described in connection with the accompany-
ing sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 an end view of
ordinary rails with the ends cut diagonally, as shewn; Fig. 3 is a section of our
improved rail, with groove formed in the centre, with an equal bearing surface
on each side; and Fig. 4 is a section of the rim of a wheel, with the flange in the

page_text: centre (instead of on the inner edge, as at present), to engage on the improved
rails.
The usual method of preparing the abutting ends of rails, is to cut them square,
as shown by broken lines A in Fig. 1; when so laid, the weight of the carriage
on the wheel depresses the end of the rail it is leaving, and consequently the
square end of the rail in advance presents a shoulder, which the wheel has to
strike and surmount, thereby causing a jarring blow, which is communicated to
the carriage and passengers; to prevent this we cut the ends of the rails diagonally
at any suitable angle, as shown at B, by this means, as the wheel is leaving one
rail, it obtains a support on the other, and there is no shoulder for the wheel
to strike against, consequently no shock or jar. This method of preparing and
laying the ends is applicable to rails of any shape or section.
The ordinary tramway rails, shown in Fig. 2, have the groove C at the side,
leaving only one. bearing surface D, and when any breaks, points, or crossings,
are made in this bearing surface, the face of the wheel cannot engage on the rail,
and the edge of the flange falls with a jerk on the rail, causing injury to the rail
and a shock to the carriage: Our improved rails are made with the groove ▸ in
the centre, as shown in Fig. 3, and the bearing surface D is equally formed on
each side of the groove; to engage on these improved rails, the rim of the wheel F
is fitted with the flange in the centre, instead of at the side, so that each
side of the bearing periphery G will have its share of the wear, and if one side
of the wheel temporarily loses its grip of the rail as it passes a point or crossing,
the other side will find a bearing, and prevent the flange from striking the rail,
and thus preserve the surface of the rail, and also the point which governs the
direction of the carriage, is protected from any injury by contact with the flange.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In the construction and laying of tramway and other rails for traction pur-
poses, cutting or forming the ends diagonally, whereby the wheels will pass
smoothly over the joints of the rails, without the jar and shock which is inevitable
when the rails are laid with square ends, substantially as described and shown.
2. In the construction of tramway rails, making the groove in the centre, where-
by a bearing is provided for the wheel on either side of the groove, to prevent
undue wear and tear when the wheels pass over a point or crossing, substantially
as and for the purpose described:
3. In the construction of wheels for tramway purposes, placing the flange around
the centre of the bearing surface, instead of at the inner edge, to engage with
the improved rails already described substantially as herein set forth and shown.
Duted this 4th day of July 1899