Improvements in Attachments to Locomotive Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Attachments to Locomotive Engines.
I, WILLIAM JENNINGS HOLMAN, of 1423 Fifth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in which manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in locomotive engines, and consists in the
formation and use of a series of compound trucks, composed of double tread, single
flanged, axle coupled, metallic or composition friction roller-geared wheels, so
constructed, proportioned and arranged, as that when placed under the locomotive
driving wheels and superstructure, the same horizontal position of the boiler is
maintained without any expensive or material alteration of the locomotive proper.
The objects or purposes of my invention are to increase the speed, safety and
economy of railroad travel and transportation.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary locomotive with my attachments in
position on the track.
Fig. 2 is an inside view of the sectional detail of one of the speeding trucks
with one of the driving wheels of a locomotive resting upon it, showing the
position and arrangement of the sectional links about the axles, coupled by turn-
buckles.
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the same.
Fig. 4 is an inside view of the "pony truck," carrying the pilot and forward end
of the boiler, showing the position and arrangement of the links, check rods,
equalizers, and pendants, and their anti-friction rollers.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the same.
Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are detached detail views, enlarged, of the friction-geared
wheels with the axles foreshortened.
Fig. 11 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the speeding trucks, with a
section of one of the driving wheels resting upon it, as viewed from outside the
track, and
Fig. 12 is an enlarged plan view of the same, and-
Fig. 13 is an enlarged front elevation of one side of the same.
Fig. 14 is a sectional detail of a portion of one of the axles and bearing
sleeves or collars, and a set of the coupling bars, illustrating more fully their
construction.
Figs. 15, 16 and 17 are perspective views of the sleeve, collar, and binding nut,
detached.
Fig. 18 is an enlarged sectional detail of the pony truck, viewed from the inside,
illustrating a modification in the supporting mechanism, and--
Fig. 19 is a front view of the same.
Fig. 20 is a view similar to Fig. 18, illustrating another modification in the
manner of constructing the pony truck.
Fig. 21 is a front view of the same.
To be more specific, my attachments consist of compound trucks, composed of
ten flanged wheels coupled by axles of various lengths suited to the gauge of the
rail road, the position of the wheels in, the trucks and the offices they perform,..

page_text: there being five pairs of wheels in each truck, which may be of any kind of metal
or composition best suited to durability and safety. One of these trucks I place
under each pair of the locomotive's driving wheels, and by way of distinction, call
them speeding trucks. See Figs. 2 and 11. One truck, (when the locomotive used
is so fashioned as to require it), is placed forward of the speeding trucks, which, in
common railroad parlance, is called a "pony truck," the office of which is to support
with stability not absolutely rigid-in any required position, the pilot and forward
end of the boiler, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.
As the two speeding trucks are substantially equivalent, I have designated the
corresponding parts by like letters of reference, D' D2 D3 being the axles of the
lower set of wheels, the axles D' having the flanged wheels D* D³, the axles D'
having the flanged wheels D'D', and the axles D³ having the flanged wheels D³ D',
the wheels D D & D D' being of the same diameter, while the wheels De D° are
preferably of larger diameter, as hereinafter explained.
The wheels D D have outwardly extended hubs D10 Du the wheels D³ D° have
outwardly extended hubs D" D, while the wheels D D7 have similar outwardly
extended hubs D10 D1.
The wheels D4 D5 D6 D7 are uniform in diameter and the hubs of the
wheels D D are also uniform, but larger than the hubs of the smaller wheels.
D D7 are the axles of the upper tier of wheels, the flanged wheels being
denoted at D18 D 19 D 20 D21, and resting by their treads upon the hubs of the
wheels D D D D7 D8 D³ and supporting the main traction wheels of the
locomotive upon their hubs D" D23 D24 D25, as shown.
The forward or "
pony" truck wheels H1 H2 are placed upon the axles H3 H*,
which are shorter than the ordinary, and arranged to be supported upon the
inwardly extended hubs H H H of the flanged wheels H8 H9 H1, the latter
mounted upon the axles H" H" H", the central wheel H' being preferably larger
than the wheels H8 H10, as shown.
By this means the forward truck is supported in line with the other parts of the
locomotive, and the whole weight borne by the anti-friction rollers.
The central wheel H' being larger than the wheels H8 H10, the tendency of the
truck wheels, H' H2 to "climb" over the wheels upon the rails is lessened, while
at the same time the strains are uniformly distributed.
Each wheel in the speeding truck has two diameters in line with a common
center. The smaller of these, for brevity, I have termed the hub, while the larger
diameter of the wheels, I designate as the major part; and these in every case,
are flanged, while the hubs in no case are. See Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The
flanges may be on the inside margin of the periphery or tread, facing outwardly,
as in the case of a common car wheel, with the hub extending outwardly; or the
flange may be on the outside of the periphery facing inwardly, with the hub
extending outwardly, as may be required for best results in their positions and
arrangement. See Figs. and 8.
Or, as in case of the rail wheels of the pony truck, the flanges may be on the
inside peripheries of the major parts facing outwardly, with the hubs extending
inwardly which places the flanges approximately around the center of the wheels,
as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.
:
The difference between the diameters of the major parts and hubs of the wheels,
I term gearing; and since the peripheries of the wheels are friction surfaces,-not
cogged-they are called friction-geared wheels. It must be obvious that the sizes
of the gearing may be greater or less, this to be determined by the requirement in
any given construction. The gearing may be such as to double the speed of the
ordinary locomotive without increasing the action of the movable parts of
the engine, or impairing, to any appreciable extent, its efficiency in other
directions.
The width of the periphery, or tread, of the hub should, in all cases, be made
to exceed that of the major part of the wheel, by a half inch, or more, to avoid
any interference of major parts, under any circumstances short of breakage and

page_text: wreck, as shown in Fig. 13. The projecting corners of all hubs should be made
oval, or rounding somewhat, to conform as near
form of the fillet forming the connection between the tread and flange of the
as may be to the reversed
wheel made to rest upon it, so as to avoid or lessen abrasion from contact in
5 motion.
The tread or periphery of the major part of the rail wheels, (the wheels in
direct contact with the rails), should be beveled or conical, as any ordinary car
wheels, while all the other tread surfaces throughout the truck wheels, and the
driving wheels of the locomotive as well, should be made plane surfaces, corre-
sponding with the planes of their axles, so that when placed in contact with each
other in pairs their bearings would be perfect throughout.
It will be observed, by referring to the drawings, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12 and 13,
that the wheels composing the trucks are double tiered, three wheels on either rail
coupled by their axles forming the base, with two above them on either side
severally resting on the center wheels, and the ones on their respective sides. In
the speeding trucks the treads of the major parts of the rail wheels by their
axles, are made to conform to the rails, with their flanges inside, facing the rail,
the hubs extending outwardly, while the two pairs of wheels above these are so
spaced by their axles that their major parts are made to rest on the hubs of the
wheels beneath them.
The flanges on the upper wheels are on the outside of the periphery, facing the
hubs of the wheels beneath, and given sufficient play to accommodate themselves
to the curvature of the track. The hubs of the upper wheels extending inwardly
forming the bearings of the driving wheels of the locomotive. See Fig. 2.
No change in the gauge of the driving wheels is made necessary in the
application and use of my device, as more clearly indicated by reference to
Fig. 13.
The size of the speeding truck wheels for both the upper and lower tiers, and
the distance apart that the track wheels should be placed, will always be properly
determined by the diameters and wheel base of the drivers in a given construction,
the wheels being so arranged with the drivers in place upon them that the sum
of the weights, through their strains, will be equally distributed upon the track
wheels. But in the case of the pony truck, the weights coming upon it vertically
through the two pairs of upper wheels, as in the case shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the
center rail wheels should be enough larger than those forward and back of them,
to insure one third only of the weight borne by and imparted through the upper
wheels to fall upon them, while the remainder would be carried by their fellows
in front and rear in equal parts, and their several sizes in this proportion should
be so regulated as to carry the boiler in a horizontal position.
Having determined the size of the wheels and their positions relatively, I will
now proceed to describe my method of holding them in their proper places. Each
of the rail wheels have their axles passing through their centers, and projecting
outwardly beyond the wheels sufficiently to admit of there being placed about
those of the two extreme base wheels, two pairs of parallel coupling bars, H H1,
one pair on either side made in sections and coupled about the journals by
straps H bolted to the sections between shoulders and flanges to stay them in
position far enough apart to admit of anti-friction rollers, two and a half or three
times the diameter of the projecting axles to be placed between them, leaving
the inner bar sufficiently removed from the wheels to prevent any contact with
he flanges of the wheels in the upper tier.
ournalled into the side bars, one H20 at or near either end and directly over the
These anti-friction rollers are
centers of the projecting axles and resting upon them so as to carry the side bars
ree from any vertical contact with the revolving axles or journals, while two
ther anti-friction rollers H H are similarly journalled at or near either end of
he side bars, and placed forward and back in contact with the same journals,
hough slightly below an imaginary line drawn through the centers of the con-
iguous wheels, to prevent the upper anti-friction. rollers being raised off the

page_text: journais upon which they are resting, from any strain, reversed motion, or other
cause.
The peripheries of the anti-friction rollers should be case hardened, and of such
breadth as to resist all strains with minimum abrasion. I form a plain spindle on
the projecting ends of the axles D' of the center rail wheels of all trucks, with
shoulders a' far enough from the wheels in the speeding trucks to prevent the side
bars from coming in contact with the flanges of the wheels in the upper tiers.
See Figs. 14, 15, 16 and 17. About these spindles I place open ended brass, or
cast steel sleeves a lined inside with babbit or other soft metal or composition.
The rims of rings of the sleeves should have sufficient metal to resist any strain
that ever would be liable to come upon them in successfully resisting any tendency
of the track wheels separating along the rails, owing to the weight upon them, after
being coupled about by the four sections of coupling side bars H H13, two in each
section, pulling in opposite directions about them. On the inner ends of these
sleeves toward the wheels, projecting flanges a³ are formed as shoulders against which
..the inner section of the side bars H H are made to rest, and the length of the
sleeves measuring from the shoulders of these flanges, should exceed by a half inch
or so the space from outside to outside of the side bars at the ends where they are
fixed by the shoulders and grooves and flanges of the journals of the anti-friction
rollers, so that the two parallel side bars may maintain their position buckled
around the two ends of the sleeves.
I have separating rings a', tightly fitting the sleeves between the parallel sections
of the side bars to stay them in position. The outer circumference of the projecting
end of the sleeve beyond the line of the side bars, I have threaded to receive a thin
cap a', with heavy flanges, the insides of which are threaded so as to screw onto
the projecting ends of the sleeves, the heavy flanges forming shoulders, acting as
stays for the outer line of the side bars in all cases. The caps also serve the
purpose of excluding dust, and preventing waste of oil or grease used for
lubrication.
This construction affords a vertical working hinge in the center of each truck
enabling the wheels to accommodate themselves freely to any irregularities of track,
as shown more clearly by reference to Figs. 11 and 12.
66
Having determined the size and position and held in placement, the three rail
wheels of the speeding trucks, I will proceed to complete them by placing the
"major" parts of the two upper pairs of wheels on the bearings, formed by the hubs
of the central rail wheels and those of the adjacent wheels on either side, giving
them about the same play between the flanges and the hubs, as is common between
the flanges of car wheels and rails.
The extreme projections of the hubs of the rail wheels of the speeding trucks by
means of the wheels of the upper tier, form the base or 66 gauge of the locomotive
. drivers when in position upon the track. This would be equivalent to widening
the standard gauge roads 33 per cent., and I claim for the trucks a reduction of the
oscillatory motion of the engine 66 per cent. To these considerations and the fact
that by raising the locomotive and inserting the trucks, the construction is made
"bottom heavy "rather than "top heavy," and the conclusion must be irresistible
that the danger of derailment from irregularities of track and high speeding will
be greatly lessened in the use of my device, as compared with the common
construction.
There are no projections of the axles or journals on the upper wheels of any of
the trucks, as shown by Figs. 3, 5, 8, 12 and 13. In like manner the drivers of the
.locomotives are placed on the bearings formed by the hubs of the upper tiers of
wheels projecting from the major portions of the truck wheels inwardly, giving
them the same play as between the upper and lower tiers of the truck wheels.
The positions of the wheels relatively, including the drivers, and the direction
of their strains in placement, are such that no appliances other than the two
parallel coupling side bars would be necessary to prevent displacements, while
the engineer is using ordinary care in the management and control of the engine,

page_text: except in cases of unavoidable accident; but to avoid the possibility of displace-
ment of the wheels from carelessness or other causes short of wreck, where
anything may break, I couple the axles of all the wheels in contact, in all the
trucks, including those of the drivers, on both sides of their centers, with slack
sectional links F¹ lined inside about their bearings with "babbit," or other soft
metal, and regulated in their lengths by turn buckles F. These links are never
in tension with the wheels in full bearing, but are sensitive in disturbances, ever
ready and of sufficient strength for any emergency.
As stated, the flanges of the rail wheels of the pony truck may be on the inside
of the periphery of the major part facing the rails, with hubs projecting, inwardly,
as shown in Figs. 18 and 19, or where the position of the cylinders of the
locomotive are made to permit it, the hubs may be made to project outwardly, and
the axles of the upper tier of wheels lengthened and the wheels reversed,
presenting the same general appearance as one of the speeding trucks, as shown
in Figs. 20 and 21. The rail wheels of the pony trucks are coupled together by
side bars G in principle substantially the same as those of the speeding trucks, as
shown in Figs. 1 and 11. The upper tier of wheels in the pony truck having but
one tread each, being plane surfaces, otherwise formed as ordinary car wheels
having no projecting journals. See Figs. 5, 19 and 21.
I construct and place around the axles of the two upper wheels in the pony
truck, and as near either wheel as may be without interference, hangers E' E in
pairs, so spaced as to admit of anti-friction rollers E³ E between them, and
journaled into them above, and about the axles, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 18
and 19.
The anti-friction rollers through their journals support the hangers with any
weight upon them in suspension while revolving about the axles as the wheels may
turn.
"
These hangers may be formed in sections and bolted together so as to encircle
the axles, but kept from contact with them by the anti-friction rollers E E E E®,
as more clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, 18 and 19. At the lower ends of the
hangers EE " rests are formed to receive heavy round pins E' E³, with
grooves and shoulders at the ends, which are placed enough below the axles to
admit the ends of the heavy equalizing beams E E to rest upon them, and extend
from one to the other of the opposite hangers on the respective axles, without
interference. The greatest depths of the equalizing beams E E are at their
centers, and the opposite beams are connected by a cross rod E, around which at
either end, and rear the equalizing beams, are placed two check rods E" E13.
extending in opposite directions, and, with some slack, coupled about the outer
axles H H of the rail wheels H8 H, to prevent collision with the hangers or
rollers; the equalizing beams E E forming the foundation upon which a
platform is supported to which the female truck center casting E" is bolted, thus
completing the truck.
Safety links F will also be arranged about the axles of the pony truck, similar
to the links F on the speeding trucks, and for the same purpose.
By the employment of the anti-friction roller supported hangers in the pony
trucks, I clain a saving of at least three fourths (3-4) of the ordinary journal
friction. Slack chains K couple the trucks under each separate pair of driving
wheels, at their ends, as additional safe guard binders.
To one skilled in mechanical construction, the points where lubrication would be
required in my device will be so apparent, that I have thought it quite unnecessary
in the drawings to show oil cups or other devices therefor, or to refer to them in
my Specifications.
I would not have it understood that I ignore any established principles, or
laws in mechanics or natural pbilosophy, or that I have discovered and applied to
my construction any heretofore unknown principles, while I claim a saving of from
30 to 40 per cent. in power in moving any given train at the speed of one hundred
miles per hour, or more, if such speed were possible of attainment and maintainable

page_text: with the common type of locomotives, and this for the reason that, as it takes:
power to produce any aud every kind of motion, and the faster the motion,
proportionately more power is required, and because in the average locomotive
there are at least four tons weight, in the aggregate, of their movable parts that
are in very rapid action at the speed of fifty miles per hour, which, however
rapid, must be doubled should it ever be possible, with the same conditions, to
raise the speed to one hundred miles per hour, while with my attachments, the
fifty mile action of these same four tons of weight, will unavoidably raise the speed
to one hundred miles per hour over the same track.
Place a pair of driving wheels upon one of my trucks and draw lines-tangential
to the driving wheels-through their points of contact with the wheels below, and
produce the lines to an intersection and you have inclined lines of V shape,
giving two bearing points for each driver with an aggregate bearing surface of
16 inches, while with the drivers on the horizontal rail with a single bearing
surface under each, the aggregate bearing surfaces could not exceed four inches,
and hence, with my trucks, greater adhesion and durability of surfaces in contact
is secured, and if greater adhesion, more power may be applied without slipping
the drivers, which is always the limit of the power of a locomotive.
In my construction I have three wheels on either rail in each truck and two on
the top of these. More would be surplusage, and less would be injudicious,
involving the reconstruction of the entire locomotive. The flexibility of my
trucks with the locomotive resting upon them is such that at least two thirds of
the concussion and oscillations from irregularities of track are absorbed by them,
imparting an ease and steadiness of motion calculated to prolong the life of the
engine, road-bed, and rails, while the multiplied distribution of the weight through
the wheels and over the tracks is no small factor in their preservation as well.
Since in my construction there are three bearing points on the rail under each
driver, the chances of rail breaking are reduced more than it is proposed the speed
shall be increased, and so with flange and axle breaking, while the liability of
spreading the track or jumping the rails is lessened in a greater degree, by the
diminished and evenly distributed weights along the rails and the action of the
flanges on the upper tier of wheels in the truck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. The combination with a locomotive of a speeding truck consisting of
reversely flanged wheels having inwardly extended hubs running in contact with
the treads of the locomotive drivers, and flanged traction wheels, coupled by their
axles and running upon the track and having outwardly extended hubs supporting
the treads of said reversely flanged wheels, whereby the speed of the locomotive
may be increased without altering its running gear or increasing the speed of the
moving parts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The combination with a locomotive of a speeding truck consisting of
reversely flanged wheels having inwardly extended hubs running in contact with
the treads of the locomotive drivers, and flanged traction wheels having outwardly
extended hubs supporting the treads of said reversely flanged wheels, and with the
axles of said traction wheels coupled by independent side rods adapted to oscillate
about the central axle, whereby the speed of the locomotive may be increased
without altering its running gear, or increasing the speed of the moving parts, and
the requisite flexibility secured, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. An attachment for locomotives consisting of flanged wheels running upon
the track and with extended hubs, reversely flanged wheels supported upon said
extended hubs, and with extended hubs supporting the treads of the traction wheels
of the locomotive, and coupling binder rods connecting the axles of said flanged
wheels, and with anti-friction rollers therein adapted to carry the end thrust and
support said coupling binder rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 4th. In an attachment to a locomotive, flanged wheels running upon the track,
and having extended hubs and coupled by their axles, flanged wheels running upon
their treads upon said extended hubs, and with hangers upon their axles, anti-
friction rollers within said hangers, and supporting them upon the axles, and
equalizing bars carried by said hangers and supporting the forward end of said
locomotive, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5th. In an attachment to a locomotive, three sets of flanged wheels running upon
the track, the central set being the largest in diameter, and with extended hubs
and coupled by their axles, two sets of flanged wheels supported by their treads
upon said extended hubs and with hangers upon their axles, anti-friction rollers
within said hangers and supporting them upon said axles, and equalizing bars
carried by said hangers and supporting the forward end of said locomotive,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. In an attachment to locomotives, a series of flanged wheels mounted upon
axles and running upon the track and with extended hubs, coupling rods connecting
the axles of said flanged wheels supported by their treads upon said extended hubs,
and with extended hubs adapted to support the traction wheels of said locomotive,
and safety rods or chains connecting the several axles loosely, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
7th. In an attachment to locomotives, a series of sets of flanged wheels running
upon the track and with extended hubs, one set of wheels being larger in diameter
than the others, coupling rods connecting the axles of said flanged wheels, reversely
flanged wheels supported by their treads upon said extended hubs, and with
reversely extended hubs supporting the traction wheels of the locomotive,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 26th day of September 1895.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.