Improvements in and relating to Railway-trucks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Railway-trucks.
I, GEORGE JOSEPHI CAPEWELL, of 903, Asylum Avenue, Hartford, County of
Hartford, State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
-
This invention relates to trucks provided for railway cars designed to travel
at high speeds, which have one, two or more traction wheels having wide
treads arranged one behind the other centrally of the truck and intended to
be run on a central rail having a flat tread surface, and wheels on each side
that travel close to side rails for guiding and keeping the traction wheels in
place on the top rail.
The object of the invention is the production of a simple, cheap and strong
truck which will run on the track and carry its load with a minimum amount
of friction and pound, so that it will require less power to draw a load supported
by this truck than prior trucks, thereby enabling higher speed to be made with
a given amount of power.
The construction of this invention is such that a rail with a flat tread and
wheels with flat peripheries may be utilized, the truck frame and wheel frames
being so securely and yet yieldingly built together and being capable of such
independent movement that the weight of the load is evenly and uniformly
distributed over the full width of the wheel treads, which will always rest flatly
against the top of the rail and not tip with the frames, allowing, if desired, the
use of cushion tires on the rims of the wheels, thus reducing the friction between
the rims and the rail and adding to the comfort of the passengers in the car
supported by these trucks when traveling at high speeds.
This invention resides in a lightly constructed yet firmly built truck having
broad rimmed traction or supporting wheels held by bearings in yokes or frames
that are elastically or movably connected with the truck frame proper so that
the wheels may yield when necessary and oscillate independently from the
frames, with strongly braced frames extending below the traction wheels and
holding side bearing guiding wheels that are arranged so as to retain the trac-
tion wheels on the central rail.
In the accompanying views the invention is shown as applied to a truck con-
structed with a pair of wide wheels arranged one behind the other, and Fig. 1
shows a side elevation of a car provided with one style of the improved truck.
Fig. 2 is a plan of one of the trucks. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of this truck.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 6
is a transverse section taken through one of the supporting wheels. Fig. 7 is
a detail side elevation of one of the supporting wheels and its holding frame.
Fig. 8 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of another form
of truck that embodies the invention. Fig. 10 is an end elevation of this truck.
Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 12 is a transverse section taken

page_text: through one of the traction wheels. Fig. 13 is a plan of this truck with the car
platform removed. Fig. 14 is a plan of another truck that embodies the in-
vention, with the upper frame removed. Fig. 15 is a side view of this truck.
Fig. 16 is an end view. Fig. 17 is a central transverse section on the plane
indicated by the broken line of Fig. 14. Fig. 18 is an edge view of the traction
wheel, the retaining wheels and a section of track. And Fig. 19 is a similar
view showing a modified form of traction wheel.
The vestibule passenger car shown in built upon a pair of the improved
trucks which are held, one near each end, by pivot bolts so that the trucks may
oscillate to permit the turning of curves and onto switches. The track illus-
trated has a single central rail with a wide flat horizontal tread 1.
The first form of truck is built of side frames 2 jointed at the ends by upper
cross ties 3 and lower cross ties 4 and at the middle by upper cross tie 5 and
lower cross tie 6. The bolt that connects the truck with the car passes through
an opening in the middle cross tie and suitably located plates attached to the
bottom of the car. The side frames, which depend downwardly on each side of
the upper part of the rail, are provided with outwardly extending arms 7 and
truss straps 8 that pass over the ends of these arms and are connected to the
upper and lower edges of the side frames, and with longitudinal straps 9 that
tie together the ends of the arms and strengthen the structure without materially
adding to its weight.
The supporting or traction wheels 10 have journals 11 that support wheel
yokes or framès 12. The wheels may have anti-friction roller bearings 13, and
they may have their wide flat peripheries formed of tough metal or, being wide,
they may have cushion tires 14 around their peripheries. The wheel yokes 12
are rectangular frames having at their ends projecting parts 15 that extend
loosely between projections 16 on the walls of the lower cross ties 4. The first
form of wheel yokes shown have recesses 17 in the upper surfaces of their ends,
and in these loosely rest the ends of hubs 18 that project from bars 19 which
extend across the truck frame and have a free movement up and down with
their ends guided and retained by the walls of the vertical openings 20. Springs 21
of suitable form and strength are placed between the upper surfaces of these
bars and the under surfaces of the cross ties so as to force the bars downwardly
with a yielding pressure against the ends of the wheel vokes. The springs
transmit the weight of the car and its load from the truck frame to the bars
which hold down the wheel yokes so that the wheel yokes with the traction
wheels have a movement up and down independently of the truck frame as the
springs yield.
In bearings formed in the side frames of the truck are one, two or more
vertical shafts 22, and mounted horizontally on these shafts are guiding wheels 23.
These wheels are of such size and are so located that their peripheries, which
may be provided with cushion tires, are almost in contact with the opposite
surfaces of the side walls or side rails of the central track when the truck is
in a vertical position. When running, the horizontal guiding wheels keep the
truck upright and retain the flat traction wheels on the track while adding but
little friction, so that they do not appreciably interfere with the easy running
of the truck when traveling at high speeds.
An air cylinder 24 may be secured to the truck frame, or near each end of the
car, and the piston rod of the cylinder may be connected with a brake shoe 25
that when desired may be forced down into contact with the track with great
pressure. A sand tube 26 may also be arranged adjacent to the brake shoe to
permit the sanding of the track.
In the second form of truck shown the journals of the traction wheels turn
in bearings which support oblong yokes or frames 27, the bearings desirably
being so arranged that the yokes hang below the journals of the wheels, as in the
first form. Pivots or longitudinally extending journals 28 connect the yokes
with the truck frame 29. These journals securely hold the yokes and the truck

page_text: frame together but allow either to oscillate independently of the other trans-
versely of the truck on an axis extending longitudinally, that is, the truck
frame and yokes move forward and backward or upward and downward together,
but either may rock sidewise independently of the other.
The second, form of truck frame, like the first, is a skeleton having vertical
bars 30 and horizontal bars 31 that may be cast integral and cross bars 32 that.
may be bolted to the others. This frame extends on each side of the center below
the yokes and is provided with vertical bearings in which are held the journals 33
of the horizontally arranged wheels 34. These wheels are located so that their
treads, which may be wide and flat, will travel close to the faces of the side
rails of the track which are located below the central traction rail. The bear-
ings for the journals of these horizontal wheels are preferably arranged. sp
there is a pair of wheels on each side of and below each traction wheel, and
the upper of these side wheels are usually provided with flanges that extend
beneath the side rails of the track.
The traction wheels shown with this form of truck are preferably built of
two thin flanges or plates 35 bolted together, with a mass of rubber, leather or
other cushioning material held between and projecting somewhat beyond them
so as to form a rim that will run noiselessly and smoothly upon the rail. The
side guiding wheels may be constructed in the same manner.
Above the truck frame is a frame or platform 36 that is adapted to be con-
nected with the bottom of the car body. This platform is shown as connected
with the truck frame by leaf springs 37 and spiral springs 38.
The platform is provided with a perforation for the passage of the bolt 39
that extends upwardly and pivotally holds the car body to the truck.
A plate
40 is secured to the bottom of the car body above the platform to insure an easy
movement between the parts when the truck turns, as in rounding a curve, and
the bolt may be secured to this plate.
In the third form of truck the traction wheels 41 have peripheral grooves 42
and wide tread surfaces. The traction wheel shown in Fig. 18 has its tread
surface on each side of the groove, while the traction wheel shown in Fig 19
has its tread surface at the bottom of the groove. These wheels can be manu-
factured with the sides integral, the grooves being formed during the making
or after the making of the sides, or they can be built up so as to provide the
two sides with the groove between them by placing one or more sections together.
Short journals are provided for these traction wheels and these journals turn
in suitable bearings connected with the wheel frame 43. This wheel frame is
arranged horizontally and depending beneath, on each side of the traction wheels,
are vertical frames 44. The vertical frames are bolted to the under side of
the horizontal frame and are further secured by brace rods 45 that incline out-
wardly from the bottom of the vertical frames to the edges and corners of the
horizontal frame. This forms a light yet strongly braced truck frame.
Bearings are formed in the vertical frames and in these are held journals 46.
On the lower ends of these journals are horizontally arranged wheels 47 that
run close to the outside of the side rails that are located below the traction
rail. These horizontal wheels preferably have wide flat Teripheries 48 of
cushioning material and retaining flanges 49 that run beneath the edges of
the side rails.
Spiral springs 50 and leaf springs 51 upon the top of the horizontal frame
support a top frame 52 which is arranged to be connected by a pivot bolt 53
Studs 55
with a plate 54 adapted to be connected with the bottom of the car.
may be placed to limit the oscillation of the plate on the upper frame. The
top of the horizontal traction wheel frame may be provided with a rib 56 to
add strength to the structure, and through a central perforation 57 the pivot
bolt may extend and aid in holding the frames together.
Trucks formed as described may have traction wheels with wide peripheries,
and such wheels can be provided with cushion tires, for the treads are of

page_text: As the
sufficient area to allow the use of soft material without undue wear.
wheel bearings have movements independently of the truck frame, the wheels
will always remain with their treads flat on the track. If the car tends to tip
sidewise or the track is tilted so that its upper surface is not level, the wheel
yokes will oscillate independently of the truck proper until the peripheries of
the wheels will lie flat on the track. If the track is uneven or the coach is
loaded more heavily at one end than the other, the springs compensate for the
inequality of load.
The transversely and longitudinally oscillating yokes or wheel frames take
all the vibration, jar and pound so that the truck will ride easily and, as each
yoké is supported independently, there will be little pound as the wheels pass
over irregularities. This construction of truck permits the use, if desired, of
a timber track laid unevenly over a rough country, for with the wide faced
wheels the load is distributed over a considerable surface and these wide faced
wheels will lie flatly on the track and can be run at considerable speed without
jar to the car. High speeds can be maintained on such a track with cars pro-
vided with these trucks without danger of their jumping the track and without
uncomfortably affecting the passengers or jarring the load, for the friction of
the parts that retain the truck on the track is reduced to a minimum and the
pound is limited to the individual supporting wheels.
my
"Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A car truck having a centrally located wide tread traction wheel, a wheel
frame supported by the journal of the traction wheel, a truck frame adapted
to be pivotally connected with a car body, and yielding supporting connections
between the wheel frame and the truck frame whereby the wheel frame may be
permitted an oscillation from side to side independently of the truck frame to
enable the wheel tread to run flatly upon the traction rail without tilting the
truck frame.
2. A car truck having a centrally arranged wide tread traction wheel, a wheel
frame supported by the journal of the traction wheel, a truck frame adapted to
be pivotally connected with a car body, and yielding supporting connections
between the wheel frame and the truck frame whereby the wheel frame may be
permitted an oscillation from end to end independently of the truck frame to
enable the wheels to run over slight elevations or depressions of the traction rail
without tipping the truck frame.
3. A car truck having a centrally arranged wide tread traction wheel having
a tire of cushioning material, a wheel frame supported by the journal of the
traction wheel, a truck frame adapted to be pivotally connected with a car body,
yielding supporting connections between the wheel frame and the truck frame
whereby the wheel frame may be permitted an oscillation from side to side trans-
versely independent of the truck frame and from end to end longitudinally
independent of the truck frame, and horizontally arranged side guiding wheels
having tires of cushioning material.
4. A car truck having a traction wheel, a wheel frame supported by the
journal of the traction wheel, a truck frame adapted to be pivotally connected
with a car body, transversely extending bars loosely resting against parts of
the wheel frame, and springs thrusting between the bars and parts of the truck
frame.
5. A car truck having a traction wheel, a wheel frame supported by the
journal of the traction wheel, and a truck frame connected with the wheel frame
by pivots that extend lengthwise of the wheel frame in front and back of the
traction wheel whereby the wheel frame and the truck frame are permitted an
oscillation independently of each other on an axis extending longitudinally of
the wheel frame,

page_text: G. A car truck having a wide tread traction wheel located centrally of the
truck, a wheel frame supported by the journal of the traction wheel, a truck frame
pivotally supported by the wheel frame and adapted to be connected with a car
body, and horizontally arranged guiding wheels located each side of and below
the traction wheel.
7. A car truck having centrally arranged vertically bearing traction wheels
with grooved peripheries, journals for the traction wheels, a horizontal frame
supported by the journals of the traction wheels, skeleton frames depending from
the horizontal frame on each side of the plane of the traction wheels, and hori-
zontally bearing retaining wheels supported by bearings in the vertical frames
below the traction wheels.
GEORGE JOSEPH CAPEWELL,
D. Young & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.