WHEELED VEHICLES WORKED BY STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR OTHER FLUID UNDER PRESSURE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Apsey, of No. 22, Waterloo Bridge Road, in the
WHEELED
VEHICLES WORKED BY STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR OTHER FLUID UNDER
PRESSURE"
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 21st December 1877, and dated the 29th October 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Apsey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th October 1877.
JOSEPH APSEY, of No. 22, Waterloo Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WHEELED VEHICLES WORKED BY STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR
OTHER FLUID UNDER PRESSURE."
My Invention relates to wheeled vehicles such as tramway cars, locomotives,
traction engines, and the like, propelled by steam, compressed air, or other fluid
under pressure, and has for its object such an arrangement and construction of the
engines and road wheels that while the engines are in a fixed position at some
distance from the wheels, these wheels are themselves mounted on bogie frames so
as to give facility for the vehicle running on curves, and all the wheels may be
made to act as driving wheels. For this purpose, according to one construction, I
fix the cylinders of the engine on the under side of the floor or platform of the
vehicle at or about the middle of the length thereof. Near each end of the platform
I mount a pair of axles with four wheels on bogie frames, the wheels on each frame
being coupled, if desired, by crank pins and connecting rods.
For driving these wheels from the engines and at the same time allowing the
bogies to turn partly round on their vertical axes or perch pins, I arrange driving
gear in the following manner-On each bogie frame I fit a pair of slides, working
horizontally through a distance equivalent to the stroke of the engines or double.
the crank throw. One of these slides I connect by a connecting rod to a crank on

page_text: one of the wheel axles, and the other I likewise connect to a crank on the same
axle, or on an axle coupled thereto at or about right angles to the former crank.
The engines work a pair of sliding bars, extending lengthwise from bogie to bogie.
One of these bars is linked at each end to a pin on one of the bogie slides, and the
other bar is in like manner linked at each end to a pin on the other bogie slide,
and these pins are in such a position on the slides that when the slides are at mid-
stroke the pins are in vertical line with the perch pins of the bogies. The engines
causing the two longitudinal bars to reciprocate, these cause.the bogie slides also to
reciprocate, and the axles are thereby driven even when they are made to radiate
inore or less to either hand by the locking of the bogie frames.
A like construction and arrangement apply when the bogies have two wheels
instead of four; also the wheels of only one bogie may be driven in the manner
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Apsey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th April
1878
JOSEPH APSEY, of No. 22, Waterloo Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey. "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN WHEELED VEHICLES WORKED BY STEAM, COMPRESSED AIR, OR
OTHER FLUID UNDER PRESSURE."
My Invention relates to wheeled vehicles such as tramway cars, locomotives,
traction engines, and the like, propelled by steam, compressed air, or other fluid
under pressure, and has for its object such an arrangement and construction of the
engines and road wheels that while the engines are in a fixed position at some
distance from the wheels, these wheels are themselves mounted on bogie frames so
as to give facility for the vehicle running on curves, and all the wheels may be
. made to act as driving wheels. For this purpose, according to one construction, I
fix the cylinders of the engine on the under side of the floor or platform of the
vehicle at or about the middle of the length thereof. Near each end of the platform
I mount a pair of axles with four wheels on bogie frames, the wheels on each frame,
being coupled, if desired, by crank pins and connecting rods.
For driving these wheels from the engines and at the same time allowing the
bogies to turn partly round on their vertical axes or perch pins, I arrange driving
gear in the following manner :-On each bogie frame I fit a pair of slides, working.
horizontally through a distance. equivalent to the stroke of the engines or double
the crank throw. One of these slides I connect by a connecting rod to a crank on
one of the wheel axles, and the other I likewise connect to a crank on the same
axle or on an axle coupled thereto at or about right angles to the former crank.
The engines work a pair of sliding bars, extending lengthwise from bogie to bogie.
One of these bars is linked at each end to a pin on one of the bogie slides, and the
other bar is in like manner linked at each end to a pin on. the other bogie slide,
and these pins are in such a position on the slides that when the slides are at mid-

page_text: stroke the pins are in vertical line with the perch pins of the bogies. The engines
causing the two longitudinal bars to reciprocate, these cause the bogie slides also
to reciprocate, and the axles are thereby driven even when they are made to
radiate more or less to either hand by the locking of the bogie frames.
A like construction and arrangement apply when the bogies have two wheels
instead of four also the wheels of only one bogie may be driven in the manner
described..
3
Figure 1 represents a side view; and Figure 2, a plan, looking from below, of the
under framing or platform of a tramway car with one arrangement of the driving
gear, according to my Invention.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views, shewing a modified arrangement of such
driving gear.
In both these cases there are two bogies, one near each end of the
vehicle, the driving wheels on both being driven from engines situated nearly under
the middle of the vehicle.
Figure 5 represents a side view; and Figure 6, a transverse section of one of the
bogies shewn in Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 7 and 8 are similar views of one of
the bogies, shewn in Figures 3 and 4.
It is to be understood, however, that the driving gear, shewn in Figures 5 and 6,
is applicable to the arrangement of Figures 3 and 4, and also that the driving gear
shewn in Figures 7 and 8 is applicable to the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2, the
details being suitably modified.
A, A, are the cylinders of the engine, the pistons of which either by means of
beams B, B, as in Figures 1 and 2, or by means of geared cranks C, as in Figures 3
and 4, give reciprocating motion to two sliding bars or rods D, D', which by means
of pins d, d, are linked respectively to slides E, E¹, fitted in the bogie frames. The
pins d, d', are in such positions that when the sliding bars D, D', and slides E, E',
are at half stroke, the axes of these pins are in the same vertical line with the axis
of the pivot or perch pin on which the bogie frame turns. The slides E, E', are
guided so as to move to and fro horizontally, and for this purpose they may slide
along round rods e, e¹, as shewn in Figure 6, or in dovetail guides, as shewn in
Figure 8, or they may be guided in any other suitable manner. One of the slides E
is connected by a connecting rod F to one of the cranks G on the shaft H of the
driving wheels, or it may be connected to two cranks, as shewn in Figure 2, and
the other slide E is in like manner connected to another crank G¹ on the driving
axle, the latter crank G' being set nearly at right angles to the former crank G.
It will be seen that the arrangement shewn in Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6 is applicable
when four-wheeled bogies are employed, turning on their centres. In such a case
the wheels of each bogie may be coupled together by crank pins and connecting
rods in the usual manner; and when the four wheels of either bogie are thus coupled
the arrangements for driving the wheels of the other bogie from the engines may
be dispensed with, the second bogie being reserved for the application of brakes.
The arrangement shewn in Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8 is applicable to two-wheeled
bogies turning on perch pins, which are at some distance within the axles
respectively.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,—
First. In wheeled vehicles propelled by fluid under pressure, mounting the
driving wheels on bogie frames capable of swivelling, and driving them from slides
on the bogies worked from sliding bars caused to reciprocate by engines fixed on
the platform or framing of the vehicle, substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth.
Second. The combination of the sliding bars D, D', worked by fluid-pressure
engines, and linked to the slides E, E¹, the connecting rods F, F¹, and cranks G, G¹

page_text: on the axle H of a pair of driving wheels, the slides E, E¹, and axle H being
mounted on a bogie frame, substantially as herein described.
"
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Apsey, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JOSEPH APSEY. (L.S.)