IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Barrett, of Somerville, in the County of Mid-
dlesex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Barrett at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th April 1880.
CHARLES BARRETT, of Somerville, in the County of Middlesex and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARS."
This Invention has a double object in view; first, to provide a simple and
efficient dust-guard for the axle boxes of railway cars; and, secondly, to bring
the line of draft upon the car nearer the axles than heretofore, and adapt the truck
or its axle boxes to inequalities in the height of the rails of the track with respect
to each other or the road bed, in order to avoid liability of derailing a car or to
prevent the twisting and straining of the latter, to which it would otherwise be
subjected in passing depressions or elevations in one rail with respect to the opposite
rail, an important feature attaching to this portion of my Invention being means
for exerting a variable spring pressure between the car body and the axle boxes,
which spring pressure shall adapt itself to the weight of the car or the same and its
load.
My Invention consists, first, in the employment of a vertically sliding open plate
or frame disposed upon the inner face of the axle box and between the latter and
the wheel hub, and covering the opening in the box about the axle journal, the said
plate or annulus being held up to the face of the box by and so as to slide upon or
within suitable guides or ways attached to or making part of the box, and being
of sufficient area to cover at all times the discrepancy between the longest plane of
the elliptical opening in the box and the perimeter of the axle journal, in order
that passage of dust through such opening shall be effectually prevented.
My Invention consists, secondly, in doing away with the springs now generally
placed between the journal bearing plate of the axle box and the truck frame sill,
and placing the springs or spring medium directly between the sill of the car floor
and the journal bearing plate of the box, by doing which I lower the truck frame
and the draft upon the car to a plane nearer the car axles. The springs I employ
are compound, that is, of variable powers of resistance, one set, the middle, longer,
Dains G23

page_text: being brought into play when the car is unloaded, and serving to maintain union
between the wheels, rails, while the side shorter springs exert their functions as tho
car becomes loaded and its weight overcomes, and by this means further maintains
union between 'the wheels, rails, on an uneven track.
My Invention further consists in a bay or shelf, which constitutes the outer
portion of the bottom or floor of the oil chamber of the axle box, by means of
which prevent displacement of the cotton waste or other material placed in the
box below the journal to retain the lubricating material, the shelf being hereinafter
explained.
The Drawings accompanying this Specification represent in Figures 1 and 2
vertical sections of a car axlo box, its housing, and the longitudinal sill of the truck
frame, while Figure 3 in such Drawings is an inside elevation of the saine.
In these Drawings A represents the case or housing of the axle box of a railway
car, its inner elliptical opening, which receives the axle journal A' and permits the
necessary up and down movements of the box upon or with such journal, being
shown at B.
The side sill of the truck frame is shown at G, the axle box hanger or housing
at A, the journal box at I, the axle at J, and the journal bearing plates at K, K,
the housing being secured rigidly at the sill, while the floor of the car body is shown
at N, its sido sill at O, and one of its cross beams or transoms at F.
In carrying out the first feature in my Invention I provide a flat plate C, which
may be square, round, or polygonal, and which has a central orifice D to enclose the
axle journal, and place this annular plate or ring against or upon the inner face of
the housing A and surrounding the orifice D outside of the journal, said plate C
being of sufficient area to overlap or cover at all times the space between the said
orifice and the axle journal, in order to provide a tight joint which shall effectually
prevent access of dust to the interior of the box through such orifice.
The plate C may be composed of steel or other hard metal, or a soft metal or
such other material as practice shall determine to be best suited to the purpose, and
in order that it may maintain its close relation to the box and yet be capable of
sliding vertically to and fro of the same to adapt itself to variable slip movement
between the box and journal, I mount it upon slides or rods a, a, secured to opposite
sides of the opening, though I do not confine myself to these rods, as the plate may
be disposed within a dovetail or shelf groove in the box, or may itself have lugs
to embrace ways or guides upon such box.
When applied or adapted to ordinary axle boxes the inner face of the dust guard
C will be flush or practically so with that of the housing A, but I propose also to
adapt such dust guard C to axle boxes, such as is shown in the accompanying
Drawings, in which and axle journal of uniform diameter is employed, and in which
is used in connection with such plain journal a tight collar encircling the same and
disposed between the axle box or housing and the wheel hub and against the latter
to receive the wear which would otherwise ensue to the wheel hub.
I also lengthen the dust guard C into an integral collar c, as shown in the
Drawings, and so that such collar shall meet the tight collar against the hub of the
wheel, and receive the wear which would otherwise ensue to the dust guard C.
The employment of the smooth journal above mentioned (that is, one free from
the peripheral groove now employed) is to receive the bearing plate of the box
and permit the requisite end play of the journal to adapt the truck to the passage
of sharp curves.
My dust guard, while ensuring a tight joint between the journal and exterior of
the box, enables the box to be readily raised to permit of removal of the wedgo
and journal bearing plate, and is a simple, strong, and durable device.
By connecting the guard to the box in a suitable manner it cannot become lost
or mislaid when the box is removed from the journal.
In carrying out the second feature in my Invention I employ a spring-agent,
which, as represented in the present instance, is composed of one or more coiled
springs c', enveloping an equal number of upright bars or rods d' erected upon a

page_text: base plate or follower e', which passes loosely through a slot or mortise a³ in the
sill of the truck frame, and rests upon the top of the journal box, the rods d', d',
etc., passing upward loosely through the cross beams or transoms F, F, of the car
floor, while the springs bear against the underside of such transom, and are com-
pressed to exert their stress between the latter and the journal box, by which
means the truck frame is constituted merely a guide for the wheels and axles and
followers, and the plate receives the thrusts and strains of the car, while the load
devolves directly upon the journal boxes.
It will be seen that when a depression or elevation in one of the rails of the track
is reached the springs compensate for this change in elevation, and all the wheels
remain upon the rails, and this without materially changing the level of the car
floor, thereby avoiding twisting and straining of the latter, and preventing derailing
of the car.
Furthermore, by transfering the spring medium from between the top
of the journal box and the side sills or rails of the truck frame to the space now
unoccupied between the bottom of the car and the said sills or rails of such truck
frame, I lower the car body a distance equal to the depth of the springs, thereby
gaining an important point in bringing the line of draft nearer the truck frame.
As before stated, the springs c', c', serve to ensure at all times connection between
the rails and wheels, and adapt the car to light and ordinary loads, but to adapt
the car to heavy loads which would tend to overcome or break down said springs, I
employ additional springs g', g', etc., also encircling upright bars or rods h³, h',
which are erected upon the follower plate e', and pass loosely through the transoms,
as stated, while the latter springs g¹, gl, are not, as with the first, compressed to
constantly exert their stress between the top of the journal box or housing and the
car body, as with the lighter springs, but are arranged to come into play through
the medium of the follower plate only when the lighter springs are compressed to
a considerable but not their fullest extent.
In lieu of the follower plate c' interposed between the journal box and car floor,
and constituting a support for the springs and rods, as shown, such plate may be
omitted, and the posts or rods rest directly upon the top of the journal box, a
collar or other projection i being formed upon the post to receive the lower ends
of the springs.
In the Drawings I show the follower plate at one end of the truck frame, and
the simple rods and springs at the other end, to illustrate both methods. My object
in employing the follower is to obtain a greater spring surface than the limited area
of the top of the journal box would permit of.
To avoid subjecting the follower plate and springs to the strains of end thrusts
upon the car body and truck frame, I employ a yoke or strap j erected upon the
drawbar timbers of the truck frame, and passing loosely over and about the
tramsom F, the play between the follower plate and the mortise a³ in the truck
sill being greater than between the yoke and transom.
In carrying out the third feature in my Invention I form the bottom of the
interior or oil chamber of the axle box with a raised shelf or bay nɩ of a height
barely to clear the underside of the journal, this shelf extending inward to a
point coinciding, or practically so with the point, which the journal in its extreme
inward shrug reaches.
But for the shelf m or its equivalent the end thrusts of the journal within the
box would tend to crowd the cotton waste or packing outward into the front end
of the box, and leave the underside of the journal bare. The shelf prevents this
result, and is a valuable auxilliary in boxes of this class.
In lieu of this shelf the box may be carried out its full depth, and bars or other
obstructions extended across it as equivalents for the shelf, but I prefer the
latter.

page_text: rods a, which pass through said frame, a cylindrical dust-excluding collar provided
with lugs through which said fastening rods pass, said collar being formed in one
piece, and extending beyond the rear end of said frame so as to receive the thrust
of the wheel hub, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination of the car body, the journal boxes, and the intermediate
elastic or spring medium or agent, whereby the said spring medium exerts its stress
directly between the car body and the journal box, and brings the line of draft
correspondingly nearer the truck frame.
-
Fourth. In combination with the axles, journal boxes, truck frame, and car
body two or more sets of springs of differential powers of resistance, when such
springs are interposed directly between the car body and journal box, as
explained.
Fifth. The follower plate, as constituting a basis of support to the springs between
the journal box and car bottom.
Sixth. The combination of the car body, truck frame, and journal box housing,
whereby such truck frame constitutes merely a guide to retain the axles and
wheels in proper relation to the truck, while the weight of the car and its load is
imposed upon the axle journals directly in lieu of through the medium of the truck
fraines.
Seventh. The combination of the car body, the truck frame, the journal boxes,
the spring medium, the wheels, and axles, whereby any one of the wheels is per-
mitted to approach or recede from the truck frame while passing elevations or
depressions in the track without subjecting the car body to any material strain
consequent upon such approach or departure of the wheel, the spring medium com-
pensating for the variations in distance between the car bottom and the various
wheels.
Eighth. In railway car axles an axle journal having a uniform diameter, substan-
tially as described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Barrett, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 10th day of April, in the year of our Lord 1880.
CHARLES BARRETT. (L.S.)