Improvements in Elevated Cable Railways and in Apparatus for Operating the same.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1889-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevated Cable Railways and in Apparatus for
Operating the same.
We, HENRY RIDLEY of 18 Folds Road, Smith, and JOHN SKELDON of 125 Derby
Street, General Dealer, both of Bolton in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention to be as follows:
-
.
This invention relates to improvements in elevated cable railways intended to be
used as a means or source of amusement and pleasure at sea-side resorts, fair grounds,
and other places and consists in providing a car or other vehicle containing seats or
otherwise with a suitable pulley or pulleys and connections for attaching the same.
The pulley or pulleys is mounted on a rope or ropes extending from poles or their
equivalents stayed in any convenient manner.
The principal feature of this invention is that the car or other vehicle can be
operated in both directions from one end which is accomplished as follows:-On 'a
post or other structure is fixed a guide in which slides a crosshead attached to
a piston rod actuated by a steam or hydraulic lift. The steam or hydraulic cylinder
is provided with inlet and outlet valves, and supplied with steam or water by pipes
in any convenient manner. To the crosshead is attached one end of the rope or
ropes on which the car or other vehicle travels. When the car or other vehicle is
at the starting end the rope or ropes decline to the post or lift, and when it is
desired to travel the car or other vehicle to the other end of the rope or ropes the lift
is operated to raise the same, which causes the car or other vehicle to travel to the
other end, where it will remain until the lift is lowered when the car or other vehicle
will travel or run back to the point it started from.
This invention is equally applicable to elevated cable railways employed for carrying
goods from one point to another.
Dated the 29th October 1888
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevated Cable Railways and in Apparatus for
Operating the same.
We, HENRY RIDLEY of 18 Folds Road, Smith, and JOHN SKELDON of 125 Derby
Street, General Dealer, both of Bolton in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of our said 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 improvements in elevated cable railways intended to be
used as a means or source of amusement and pleasure at sea-side resorts, fair grounds,
and other places and consists in providing a car or other vehicle containing seats ör
otherwise with a suitable pulley or pulleys and connections for attaching the same.
The pulley or pulleys is mounted on a rope or ropes extending from poles or their
equivalents stayed in any convenient manner.
-
The principal feature of this invention is that the car or other vehicle can be
operated in both directions from one end which is accomplished as follows:-On a
post or other structure is fixed a guide in which slides a crosshead attached to
a piston rod actuated by a steam or hydraulic lift. The steam or hydraulic cylinder
is provided with inlet and outlet valves, and supplied with steam or water by pipes
in any convenient manner. To the crosshead is attached one end of the rope or
ropes on which the car or other vehicle travels. When the car or other vehicle is at

page_text: i
the starting end the rope or ropes decline to the post or lift, and when it is desired
to travel the car or other vehicle to the other end of the rope or ropes the lift is
operated to raise the same, which causes the car or other vehicle to travel to the other
end, where it will remain until the lift is lowered when the car or other vehicle will
travel or run back to the point it started from.
This invention is equally applicable to elevated cable railways employed for
carrying goods from one point to another.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of an elevated cable railway constructed on our
improved principle-Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation through line A' B-Fig. 3 is an
enlarged elevation of our improved steam or hydraulic lift for operating the cable
railway, and Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of same.
A is a post on which the steam or hydraulic lift is mounted; B is a post to which
one end of the cable or rope is attached, and C is the cable or rope on which the car
or vehicle D travels. The posts A and B are sunk into the ground, and provided
with the stays of any suitable number secured to the ground or other convenient
place. On the post A is mounted the steam or hydraulic cylinder E provided with
the piston F, piston rod G, and the crosshead H attached to the piston rod G. Steam
or water under pressure is conducted to the cylinder E by the pipe p from any con-
venient source, and is regulated by the four-way tap or valve r, from whence it passes
down the pipe t to the underside of the piston F, to force the latter up the cylinder E.
On the upper side of the piston F is mounted the spiral spring F¹ to form a cushion
when the piston is at the end of its upward stroke.
The crosshead H is provided with the slide block I which slides in the slide
bars J secured by the bolts K to the post A.
The steam or hydraulic cylinder E is secured to the post A by the bands L and
nuts M. To the crosshead H is attached the cable or rope C by the shackle or ring N.
The opposite end of the cable or rope C is secured to the post B by the barrel O and
cramp P.
The barrel O is fixed on the centre Q mounted in the bars R; the outer end of
the latter being supported by the stay rods S fastened to the post-B. After the cable
or rope C has been drawn sufficiently tight the barrel O is locked in position by the
"pawl" T gearing into the ratchet wheel U mounted on the side of the barrel O or
its shaft or centre Q.
The car or vehicle D is slung in the frame V provided with the arms W in which
are mounted the pulleys X grooved to fit the cable or rope C. On the cable or
rope C is secured the fixing Y carrying the lever Z. The outer end of the lever Z
is curved and provided with the projection a which acts upon the bar b of the frame V
and prevents the car or vehicle D moving on the cable or rope C. The position of
the curved end of the lever is.determined by the adjusting screw c mounted in the
arm d'on the fixing Y: The lever Z is kept in position by the spring f
The inner end of the lever Z is provided with the chain or rope g for releasing. the
projection a from the bar b when it is desired to release the car or vehicle for
the purpose of allowing it to travel on the cable or rope C.
For convenience in loading and unloading the car or vehicle D we provide the
steps m and n, the former being for people to ascend thereto, and the latter to
descend therefrom or vice-versa.
i
This invention operates in the following manner :-- -When the car or vehicle D has
been filled or otherwise and it is desired to travel the same along the cable or rope C,
steam or water under pressure is admitted to the underside of the piston by
operating the four-way tap r with the handle y. This causes the piston to travel up
the cylinder E and raises or lifts the cable or rope C as shown in dotted lines. The
car or vehicle remains stationary on the cable or rope C until the catch or projection a
is released from the bar 6 by the attendant pulling at the cord or chain g, when the
car, or vehicle D will travel down the inclined cable or rope C to the opposite end
attached to the post B. The car or vehicle D remains at the other end of the cable
or rope C as long as the starting end is elevated. When it is desired to allow the
car or vehicle D to return to the starting end the handle y is turned to operate the

page_text: four-way tap or valve r, and the steam or water under pressure is conducted through
the pipe t¹ to the top side of the piston E. This causes the piston F to descend
with the cable or rope C to the position shown in Fig. 1, when the car or vehicle
will make the return journey. When the four-way tap or valve r is open to charge
the underside of the piston E the pipe t' is open to the exhaust w, and when open
to charge the top side of the piston the pipe is open to the exhaust pipe 10. On
the car or vehicle D reaching the landing stage it is locked in position by the pro-
jection a slipping over the bar b, where it remains until the car or vehicle D is
raised and the lever Z operated by the chain or rope g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In an elevated cable railway operating a car or vehicle in both directions by
raising and lowering one end of the cable or rope by means of a steam or hydraulic
lift, substantially as described and as illustrated on the drawings.
2. For carrying out the method described in the preceding claim the use of a
steam or hydraulic lift and guide bars, with the means for operating the same,
substantially as described and as shown on the drawings.
Dated the 25th July 1889
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Agent.