Improvements in the Grip and Brake Gear of Cable Tram Cars.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1887
Specification Accepted, 30th Dec., 1887
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Grip and Brake Gear of Cable Tram Cars.
I, NOWELL HENRY RICHARDS, of Richmond, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly descrbied and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention of improvements in the grip and brake gear of cable tram cars
relates mainly to the mechanism which enables the one hand lever to be used for
operating the gripping devices and the brake mechanism and the essence of it lies in
connecting the brake gear through the medium of a gap bar with a pin fixed at the
side of the hand lever. The object of the gap bar is to allow of its being raised off
the lever pin and so to disconnect the brake gear from the lever and thus enable the
gripping jaws to release their hold of the rope while the car is travelling. When the
lever and
gap bar are in their normal connected position with the gap of the bar on
the side pin then if the lever is placed so as to apply the brakes to the wheels the
gripping devices release their hold of the rope and vice versa when the lever is placed
to release the brakes the gripping devices grip the rope. It is thus evident that it is
impossible under any circumstances to apply the brakes while the rope is gripped or
to grip the rope while the brakes are on. I shew my gap bar connected to two forms
of the brake gear in order to better exemplify my invention.
Referring to my drawings-throughout which similar letters indicate corresponding
parts
Figure 1 is a side sectional view of sufficient of the grip and brake mechanism
carried on a
Dummy Car" to exhibit my invention attached to one form of brake
gear for acting on the wheels.
Figure 2 is a plan of the mechanism and parts shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 3 shews a view of the end weigh shaft and its attachments.
Figure 4 shews details of the stud or pin at the side of the operating hand lever
and the gap bar.
Figure 5 is a side sectional view and
Figure 6 a plan of an alternative arrangement of the brake mechanism carried
on the Dummy Car and connected according to my invention to the operating

page_text: Figure 7 is a view of the weigh shaft and its connections at the one end and
Figure 8 a view of the weigh shaft and its connections at the other end of the
brake gear shewn in Figures 5 and 6.
In Figures 1 to 4-A is the operating hand lever which is connected at its lower
end to the rope gripping mechanism and this lever is arranged between two quadrant
bars one of which has ratchet teeth formed on it at A' and the other has ratchet teeth
on it in the reverse direction at A2 A3 is a spring catch piece arranged at one edge
of lever A and this catch piece is bevelled at its one edge to suit the teeth A and at
its other edge to suit the teeth A2 while its upper end is connected by rod A* with the
tongue lever A which is centred to said lever A. A is a pin or stud arranged at
one side of the lever A and at a point as near as possible to the top of the slot beam
of the tram track and this pin has an upstanding car A' at its outer edge. B is a gap
bar the gap B¹ of which is made to fit over the pin or stud A and this gap bar has an
upper snug on it which is connected by the link B2 with the lever B³ which is centred
to the lever A. The lever B³ is connected by the rod B with another tongue lever B
also centred on said hand lever A. The back end of the gap bar B is jointed at (to
Che brake gear which consists of an adjustable rod (supported at its one end in the
guide bracket C and having its other end connected to the crank arm C³ projecting
down from the weigh shaft which has projecting upwards from it two shorter
arms C. This shaft is supported in suitable bearings C. The arm (³ has a link C
attached to it which is connected to the transverse bar 08 at its end of the car and
such bar is supported in the guides C and has at each of its ends a brake plate Co
which bears upon the tread and flange of the wheel. The short arms C³ are connected
to the adjustable longitudinal rods C¹ the other ends of which are connected to the cross
head which is attached to another transverse bar C at the other end of the car
such bar being also supported in guides C' and having brake plates C⁰ at its ends.
D is the frame of the car, D' its axles and D₁ its wheels.
In Figures 5 to 8 is shewn the alternative construction of brake mechanism for
acting on the car wheels which is operated as described for the first description of
brake gear by the lever A through the intervention of the gap bar B which for
this form of brake mechanism is made in two pieces joined together by the screw
coupling B. The back end of the bar is jointed as before at C to a rod C¹ supported
in a guide bracket while the outer end of rod C¹ is jointed to the lower end
of an arm E centred on a weigh shaft E supported in bearings E' on the frame D.
A link E³ is also jointed as shewn to the arm E and this link is secured to the
transverse bar which as before is furnished with the brake plates and is
supported in the guides Co. At the joint C a cross bar is carried which supports
the inner centres of two connecting rods E the other ends of which are connected to
arms E projecting downwards from the weigh shaft E supported in bearings E
attached to the frame D and this weigh shaft has an upwardly extending arm E³ at its
centre which is connected by the link E³ to the transverse brake bar 08 as before.
By arranging a screw coupling B' on the gap bar the centres of the rods acting
on the brake plates at both ends of the vehicle are simultaneously adjusted.
The mode of operation is as follows-Supposing a tram car is fitted up according to
my invention then if the gap B' in the bar B be down on the pin or stud A6 at the
side of the lever A and it be pulled over towards the left hand side then the
brakes would be applied to the wheels and the gripping jaws would release their
hold of the rope and vice versa when the lever is pushed forward again towards
the right hand side the brakes would be released and the grip applied to the rope.
At positions where the rope is depressed and it has to be released without applying
the brake to the wheels then (to allow of such being done) the disengaging handle
is pressed inwards towards the lever A so as to raise the gap lever above and
clear of the pin or stud A' on the lever A and thus leave the hand lever free to
be drawn to the left hand side and so allow the gripping jaws to release their hold
of the rope without the brakes being applied. When it is desired to secure the
hand lever at any position the catch A³ is allowed to engage with the .ratchet
teeth of the quadrant bars.

page_text: 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
First. In the grip and brake gear of cable tram cars the combination with the
gripper hand lever of a pin or stud which is arranged at its side and a gap bar which
is attached to the wheel brake mechanism substantially as herein described and
explained and as illustrated in my drawings.
Second. The combination with the gripper hand lever having a pin or stud at its
side and the gap bar which engages with it of the tongue lever the connections
of which are attached to the gap bar to raise it clear of the stud when so desired
substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated in my drawings.
Third. The combination of the grip and brake connections as above claimed with
the wheel brake gear substantially as herein described and explained and as shewn in
Figures 1 to 4 and also as shewn in Figures 5 to 8 of my drawings.
Dated this Thirteenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and
eighty seven.