Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 14th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 12th May,
1898
I, THOMAS CLIFFORD, of The National Liberal Club, Whitehall, in the Adminis-
trative County of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in rail-track cleaners, and is
designed more especially for cleaning or clearing the track of electric vehicles
having a rail return for current.
It is well known that the track or line, of rails provided for tram, train and
other vehicle traffic becomes clogged with sand, mud, snow or other matter tend-
ing to impede the progress and smooth and economical running of the vehicles,
and in the case of electric vehicles having a rail return for current, it is absolutely
essential that a clean track be preserved, in order to maintain electrical contact
between the vehicle and the said track or rails.
According to this invention a T-shaped frame is suspended at the top by a
gimbal-joint to a bracket fixed on the under-frame of the vehicle, preferably in
front of the wheels thereof. The centre leg of this T-shaped frame is hollow and
contains the piston-like shaft of the scraper; a helical spring encircling the said
shaft above and below a fixed collar thereon.
The scraper proper consists of a flat angle-plate or blade in the form of a shovel
attached to a block which in turn is secured to the piston-like shaft. The edge
of the scraper which comes in contact with the line may be set off at an angle,
and when intended for use on a line having a groove in it, the edge of the blade
would possess a tooth-like projection to correspond with the said groove.
A spring is attached to each extremity of the cross arms of the T-shaped frame
or carrier the other ends of the said springs being secured to the under-frame of
the vehicle.
If desired any number of such scrapers might be placed side by side and so
form practically one scraper of any width desired.
D
1 "
100
1

page_text: tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to improvements in rail-track cleaners and is
designed more especially for cleaning and clearing the grooved track of electric
vehicles having a rail return for current.
It is well known that the track or line of grooved rails provided for tram and
similar traffic, becomes clogged with sand, mud, snow or other matter which
impedes the progress and smooth and economical running of such vehicles, and in
the case of electric vehicles having a rail return for current, it is absolutely essential
that a clean track be maintained, in order to preserve electrical contact between
the vehicle and the rails.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and defined, I have appended
hereto two sheet of drawings, in which: Figure 1 represents in side elevation
my improved rail-track cleaner tilted in its operative position; Figure 2 is a front
elevation of Figure 1, omitting the tension chains, eye bolts, and cushioning
spring; Figure 3 is a central section on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is
a side elevation of Figure 1, when in the dotted position.
Similar letters of reference denote different views of the same parts throughout.
According to my invention a T-shaped frame A is suspended at its upper end
by a gimbal-joint b to a bracket e fixed to the under frame d of the vehicle, pre-
ferably between the wheels thereof. The centre member or leg a of this T-shaped
frame is hollow and contains a helical compression spring e, which in its normal
state is slightly under compression. The shaft f which is preferably of square
cross-section to prevent it turning in its socket, has a fixed head g on its upper
end which projects for a short distance into the hollow central leg a at the bottom
thereof and abuts against the compression spring within. The space around the
underside of the said head, between it and the bottom of the interior of the central
leg of the frame, is cushioned by means of rubber collars h, h¹ or their equivalent,
to prevent jarring.
The lower end of the shaft f carrying the scraper B is of the form of a rectan-
gular tapered prism as shown at i and is secured in the socket of the scraper pre-
ferably by means of bolts j, j¹.
on each
The scraper proper consists of two blades k, 1, each slightly bent to an angle
so that a nose or prominent ridge 1, is formed along the line of the bend,
side of which the blade slopes away backward in oblique planes m, m¹.
bottom edge of each blade has a projecting tooth or tongue n, n¹ formed upon
to correspond with the groove o in the rail.
The
it
Projecting upwards perpendicularly from the top of each blade and, preferably
formed integral therewith, is a half socket p corresponding in shape to that of
the rectangular-prism shaped block i on the bottom end of the scraper shaft, to
which it is rigidly fixed by means of bolts or any other well-known equivalent
mechanical device.
In addition to the gimbal-joint (b) suspension of the T-shaped frame A to the
bracket e it is also in part suspended from the extremities of the cross-bar by
means of short chains r, r¹ leading from the ends of the said bar to the underframe d
of the vehicle:-Each extremity of the cross-bar is formed into an eye, which may
be a round one as shown in the accompanying drawings at s, s¹, but preferably,
they would be elongated eyes to permit of the eye-bolts s², 4 being drawn into
the same straight line with the chain when the latter is under tension. Through
each of the said eyes an eye-bolt s2, is suspended by means of the chains
helical cushioning spring t surrounds these eye-bolts, which spring, in its normal
state, is slightly compressed between two washers u, u¹, as shown.
7',
pla
The object of the above described auxiliary suspension device, is primarily, to
limit and control the throw of the scraper and keep it at its proper working angle
when in action, and also as a safety device to prevent the scraper being damage
by coming in contact with an obstacle to its passage. Normally the scraper
tilted forward at an angle to the horizontal in the direction of the last.

page_text: of the car, and under ordinary circumstances would remain at that angle should
the car be moved on again in the same direction, but should it be backed or drawn
in a reverse direction, the scraper would first assume a vertical position as indicated
by dotted lines in Figure 1, and then fall in the contrary direction to that in
which it formerly sloped. Now, should the scraper on its journey come in con-
tact with say a stone or some other obstacle, it (the scraper) would
be thrown simultaneously backwards and upwards, or in other words,
caused to mount the said obstacle, causing the front end of the cross-
bar of the frame to exert a downward pressure upon the spring around the eye-bolt
thereby compressing it until the obstacle has been over-ridden by the scraper,
when, by virtue of the recoil of the spring and the limiting and guiding action
of the chain under tension and the side spring guides, (the latter a device yet to
be described) the scraper would be guided and again pressed downward into the
groove in the rail without damage.
The side spring guides above referred to, consist of spring arms or stays the
lower ends of which are semi-cylindrical to embrace and form a sliding bear-
ing for the centre leg of the frame. Their function is to prevent lateral swaying
or springing movement of the apparatus; each exerting an equal pressure upon it
in a contrary direction, keeps the apparatus centrally over the rail as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A scraper for a rail-track cleaning apparatus, consisting of a shaft to which
are rigidly fixed two plates bent to, or meeting together at an angle along a central
longitudinal line, thus each plate forming two lateral oblique planes, one of such
planes having on the bottom edge thereof a tooth-like projection, as and for the
purpose described and set forth.
2. A holder for the scraper of a rail-track cleaning apparatus, consisting of a
T-shaped frame the centre leg of which is hollow and occupied mainly by a
helical spring and the lower end being adapted to retain the headed end of the
shaft of the scraper, and the cross-bar of which is provided with a hole at each
extremity thereof to receive an eye-bolt, as and for the purpose described and
set forth
3. In a rail-track cleaning apparatus, the combination with a suitable carriage,
of the T-shaped scraper-holder suspended from the centre of its cross-bar by a
gimbal-joint, from a bearing bracket on the underframe of the carriage, and from
the extremities of its crossbar by means of chains attached at one end to the under-
frame of the carriage and at the other to eye-bolts adapted by means of helical
springs and washers to cushion the movement of the said scraper-holder, as and
for the purpose described and set forth.
4. In a rail-track cleaning apparatus, the combination with a suitable carriage
of the T-shaped scraper-holder suspended by a gimbal-joint, chains and spring
cushioned eye-bolts to the underframe of the carriage; lateral spring sliding
guides adapted to control any lateral movement of the holder, and the scraper and
scraper-shaft, as and for the purpose described and set forth.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.