Improvements in Gravity Railways, principally Adapted for Recreation Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Gravity Railways, principally Adapted for
Recreation Purposes.
I, ARCHIBALD LAIDLAW BAIRD, of 8, Upper Bedford Place, London, of no
occupation, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to gravity railways principally adapted for recreation
purposes.
According to my invention I provide a track which is preferably circular or
semi-circular or loop-shaped though it may be straight if desired, such track
consisting of preferably two rails or guides suitably supported by a framing or
carried by brackets attached to some fixed points and on such rails or guides I
arrange a trolley or set of wheels to which is slung a car in such a manner
that it assumes the same position as the trolley. The trolley and cars carried by
same are started from a high level and run on the track which is preferably of
an undulating character by gravity until they come to a point where it is desired
to raise it again to a sufficiently high level to start it on the return journey
(which point may be the one it starts from) where it will run over an endless
moving belt chain or like device having a series of spring arms or catches which
will be knocked down by the movement of the trolley over-running same until
the speed decreases to a point where the chain belt or the like will overtake
the car and, as the arms or catches rise up after the trolley passes they will carry
the trolley and car along to the desired point after which the arms or the like
leave the trolley in the course of their travel. The track for recreation purposes
is preferably arranged in a representation of a gorge in a range of mountains
the latter being built up on a framing more or less solidly and provided with
side passes, bridges, tunnels, and the like to give a realistic effect.
1000
Improvements in Gravity Railways, principally Adapted for
Recreation Purposes.
I, ARCHIBALD LAIDLAW BAIRD, of 8, Upper Bedford Place, London, of no
occupation, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
[Price 1

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to gravity railways principally adapted for recreational
purposes.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the methods I have devised of carrying
out my invention.
In these drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan of one form of track, which I prefer to
use. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal development on a
reduced scale of the track represented in Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are a plan,
side elevation and end view of the form of trolley frame from which cars can
be slung or suspended. Fig. 7 is a plan showing part of a driving chain pro-
vided with one form of spring arm or catch. Figs. 8 are detail views of said
form of catch. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of endless double
chain and chain wheels. Fig. 10. illustrates the action of the spring arms or
catches and the trolley frame. Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate further forms of catches.
Fig. 13 shows a horizontal development of another arrangement of track.
In these drawings similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts..
In carrying out my invention I prefer to use a pear-shaped track as illus-
trated by Fig. 1, or a loop-shaped track having circular ends of different radii
joined by straight portions, as these forms of track when traversed by passenger
cars suspended or strung from trolleys and surrounded by scenery are suggestive
of aerial flight. A pear-shaped or loop-shaped track is also of advantage in as
much as it does not occupy much space and the ground enclosed thereby can be
adapted to form a Swiss village or several chalets or may contain a number of
booths or stalls where various articles may be sold. It will be readily under-
stood that the car track may assume other forms than that shown and that the
-grounds surrounding and enclosed by the track may be otherwise arranged to
give a realistic effect.
In Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown the track traversed by the cars as being divided
into three sections, namely a first section consisting of an
undulating downward
slope from the top of which the cars are started and descend by gravity, a second
section comprising an ascending slope up which they are carried or driven, as
will be hereinafter explained, by an endless moving chain to a greater height
than that from which they started, and a third section down which they descend
by gravity to approximately the point of departure. In these figures, A is the
platform by which the passengers enter the cars. a is the zig-zag or winding
pathway ascending thereto. B is the first section of the track. C is the end-
less moving chain by which the cars are driven or carried up the ascending or
second section D of the track. E is the third section of the track. F is the
platform at which the passengers alight. f is the zig-zag or winding pathway
descending therefrom. G are tunnels and H are passes or gorges, which may
be disposed at various parts of the route and which may be crossed by bridges h.
In Fig. 13 I have shown a track somewhat differently arranged. In this
arrangement of track there is practically no third section such as that marked E
in Figs. 1 and 3. In Fig. 13, A is the platform by which the passengers enter
the cars and from which they are started and descend by gravity along an undu-
lating slope B. D is the second section of the car track up which the cars are
driven or carried by an endless moving chain C. F is the platform at which the
passengers alight. G are tunnels and H are passes or gorges.
Instead of using a single set of rails I can, if it is found desirable, employ
two or more parallel sets, thus increasing the carning capacity of my recreational
railway, and I may provide any suitable appliances for releasing the passenger
cars prior to starting and for bringing them to a stand-still at the end of their
journey.
In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, I is the trolley frame from which the passenger car J is
slung or suspended by rods K, though chains or rods and chains combined may

page_text: be used. The cars may be of any suitable shape, outline or configuration and
are provided with seats for the passengers. L are the ends of projecting rods
carried by the cars which enter eyes in the lower ends of the rods K. The
upper ends of the rods K, which may be provided with short chains, have eyes
fitting on the ends of cross-bars M carried by the trolley frame I. N are flanged
wheels mounted on the ends of axles O carried in suitable brackets O¹ on the
trolley frame I. The flanged wheels N are adapted to run on rails P, which are
supported at suitable intervals by brackets Q, secured to the surrounding struc-
ture, the constructive details of which are covered up so as to impart as much
realistic effect as possible. In lieu of supporting the rails on brackets, as above
described, they may be supported on trestles or suitable braced framing.
By thus suspending as above described the passenger car from the trolley
frame by means of rods jointed to the trolley frame and car the rods will always
hang vertical and the cars assume a position parallel to the rails no matter what
the inclination of the track may be, while the rolling contact afforded by the
trolley frame reduces resistance to the forward motion of the cars to a minimum.
I prefer in cases where very sharp curves obtain to construct the forward
part of the trolley frame so that the front wheels may adapt themselves to the
curvature of the track, and to provide the cars with an automatic safety arrange-
ment for arresting the progress of a car in case of a breakage of the endless
moving chain during the progress of the car up the second or ascending section
of the track.
Figs. 7 to 12 show a driving chain and different forms of spring arms or
catches, which I have devised for the purpose of raising the cars to a greater
height than that from which they started. In these figures, C is the driving or
endless moving chain, the position of which on the track is shown by Figs. 1, $
and 13.
The driving chain consists of two chains c driven by two pairs of
toothed polygonal wheels c¹. The car-driving device consists of spring arms or
catches which are mounted at suitable intervals on cross-bars connecting the
chains c. In Figs. 7 and 8, the spring catch is shown mounted loosely on a
cross-bar c, upon which it is kept in place and its movement regulated in either
direction by a knuckle piece screwed to the cross-bar . In Figs. 11, the spring
catch is mounted on a short sleeve which is pinned to the cross-bar and is
provided with a segmental slot c into which takes the end of a pin 8 carried by the
spring catch. In Figs. 12, which show a spring catch applied to a chain formed
of links adapted to fit the surface of a chain wheel, the spring catch is mounted
loosely upon an enlargement of the cross-bar 4. A wedge is fitted into a slot
in the enlargement of the cross-bar and takes into a segmental slot 10 pro-
vided in the spring catch c³. c are short sleeves screwed to the crossbar and
serving as a means of keeping the spring catch and the wedge in position.
In all the figures relating to the different forms of spring catches, e2 is a spring
for returning them to their normal positions after they have been knocked or
pushed aside by bars 3 or the like carried by the trolley frame.
The action of the spring catches carried by the chain will be understood by
an examination of Fig. 10, which illustrates diagrammatically the action of the
form of spring catch shown in Figs. 7 and 9-which action is similar in the case
of the other forms of spring catches: The full lines show a spring catch in
contact with a bar c¹³ carried by the trolley frame I and in the act of driving
the car up the herein before referred to ascending slope in consequence of the
speed of the car having fallen below that of the endless moving chain, while
the dotted lines show the trolley frame over-running another catch ³ in conse-
quence of the speed of the car being in excess of that of the endless chain.
In order to compensate the stretching of the endless moving chain I may
make one of the bearings of the double chain wheels adjustable in the direction
of the length of the chain, and as an additional provision against this con-
tingency I may provide one or both ends of the intermediate links of the chain
with adjustable eccentric bushes.

page_text: The general operation of my improved recreational railway is as follows:-
A car is started from the platform A and passes over the first section B of
the track by the action of gravity. The car is carried by its momentum partly
up the second section D of the track until such time as its speed falls below
that of the endless moving chain C, at which juncture the trolley is picked up
by the chain. The trolley and car when released from the endless moving
chain have had sufficient momentum imparted to them and have been raised to
a height sufficient to ensure the passage of the car over the final section E of
the track and arrival at the platform F situated at approximately its point of
departure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1). A gravity railway for recreational purposes consisting of a pair of rails
or guides preferably arranged as a pear-shaped or loop-shaped track and adapted
to receive trolleys from which passenger cars are suspended, an endless moving
chain provided with spring arms or catches adapted to pick up the trolleys when
their speed falls below that of the endless chain and raise the cars to a height
greater than that from which they started and thus effect their return by gravity
to approximately the point of departure, the whole combined, arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purpose described herein.
(2). In a gravity railway operating substantially as described, an endless
moving chain provided with spring arms or catches so arranged as to allow the
trolleys from which the passenger cars are suspended to over-run the endless
chain until their speed falls below that of the endless chain and then to pick
up the trolleys and raise them to a height greater than that from which they
started, substantially as described herein and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
(3). The construction of trolley frame and rod suspended car described herein
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
(4). The improvements in gravity railways for recreational purposes as
described herein and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of Navamhan 1800
C. F. ENNIS,
Registered Patent Agent,
31, Haserigge Road, Clapham, S.W., for Applicant.