AN IMPROVED ENDLESS TOBOGANNING SLIDE, SLOPING RAILWAY, AND SKATING DECLINE, ELEVATED BY POWER
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 11th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 15th June, 1888
Decline, Elevated by Power.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DUNCAN, of Coalbrookdale, in the County of Shropshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED ENDLESS
TOBOGANNING SLIDE, SLOPING RAILWAY, AND SKATING DECLINE, ELEVATED BY
POWER, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an arrangement, suitable for healthy recreation and amuse-
ment, consisting of a circular Platform, carried and worked by a centre Shaft, the
bottom end of which, is supported by a foot-step, and the top end, is made to lean, or
slant in all directions, by being moved round, in a circle, through being connected
to the arm of a crank; by which means, a continual decline is given to the said
platform.
A circular Railway, or Slide is formed near the circumference of this platform.
This railway is suitable for carriages fitted with slides, or fitted with Casters, Rollers,
or Wheels, to travel upon, when impelled by gravitation or momentum.
The surface of this railway may be made, either plane, or it may be made, to
undulate, wave-like, forming a number of hills, and valleys, down which, and up
which, the carriages may pass. The position of this platform, inside the rails may be
covered, with a smooth material, like a skating Rink, and provided with, a Fence, to
separate it from the rails, or if preferred, it may be left, with the main beams, which
support the rails uncovered, in this latter case, the railway only would be used.
One or more carriages with guards made to fit, under the head of the rails, are
provided and fitted to travel on this railway when it is sloped, or inclined by the means
provided, to give it the necessary fall, for the carriages to slide, or run down.
The bottom end of the centre shaft which carries this platform is globular, in form,
and is supported by a spherical foot-step, made fast to the ground. The top end, also
of this shaft is globular and is fitted to be carried round, when in a leaning position,
by a spherical socket made in halves, and bolted together.
This socket is fixed to a Crank, and is moved round in a circle by the crank, which
is keyed, on a vertical shaft, working in thrust bearings.
These bearings are bolted to a set of arched girders, the bottom end of which, is
made fast to the ground, and the girders arched over the platform, and meeting at the
centre, are bolted together, and to a connecting plate at the top on which the engine,
and gearing for driving the arrangement is fixed.

page_text: As the spherical socket, in connection with the shaft, working the platform, is
driven round, in a circle, it takes the upper end of the shaft with it, and leans the
shaft in all directions continuously, without revolving the said shaft on its own axis ;
so that, the bottom end of the shaft, being kept in the fixed bearing, and the top end
carried round in a circle, the platform, and the railway upon it, are made to slope
continuously the one side being raised, and the opposite side lowered, by the action
of the said shaft and crank.
This causes a perpetual decline to be formed by the railway, down which the
carriages slide, or run, by gravitation. When the rails are made to undulate or rise
and fall, as described the increased momentum gained by the carriages while descend-
ing the valleys, is used to assist them in ascending the hills, so that the force of
momentum, assisted by the force of gravitation due to the inclination given to the
platform, is sufficient to urge the carriages forward, bounding rapidly over hill and
dale, round the railway.
When the platform is used for skating it is made smooth, and skating-Rink-like,
with asphalt; or other suitable material, and roller skates are used, the inclination
given to the platform, assisting the skaters in their forward motion or even carrying
them round without the labour of striking with the legs.
The platform is generally constructed of steel channelled bars, which fit into and
are bolted to, a ring of sockets, keyed on the shaft and supported by a shouldered
swell near the bottom end. These bars are connected diagonally to the upper end
of the shaft, by steel rods, hinged, or rivetted to them, near their outer end. The
upper end of these diagonal rods, have T heads which drop into slots formed in the
second ring, keyed to the shaft, near the top end, in suitable position to receive
the diagonal rods. The rails are bolted, or rivetted to the channel bars, near their
outer end. The channel bars at this part are bent slightly upwards to cause the rails
to lean the carriages towards the centre of the platform.
The power required to work this arrangement may be produced by a double
cylinder steam or gas engine placed by preference on the top of the arched girders,
or ribs, which carry the crank shaft and bearings for same. This engine may drive
a horizontal shaft, fitted with a bevel pinion, wheel, gearing into a crown wheel,
keyed on the upper part of the crank shaft. This crank shaft is set vertically over
the foot step bearing of the platform shaft as this position gives to the platform the
same inclination on all sides.
The steam pipe, or gas pipe, is carried along one of the arched ribs, and is provided
with a valve, fixed in convenient position, for adjusting and regulating the supply
of steam or gas to give the required speed to the carriages on the railway, or to the
skaters on the platform.
An Awning, or Tent-like covering may be connected to the upper portion of the
arched ribs, to protect the carriages and platform from the weather.
This arrangement may be constructed to be semi-portable, or permanently fixed,
as may be preferred.
Referring to my drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of the arrangement here specified with
the surface of the railway in one plane. Fig. 3 is an elevation, and fig. 4 a plan
showing the arrangement with an undulating or wave-like surface of railway as
described.
In this latter view, the diagonal rods are connected nearer to the centre of the
platform, to give room for skaters, and in this, and the other platform diagonal rods
are connected to the underside, for the purpose of strengthening the platform surface,
and preventing springing.

page_text: Improved Endless Tobogganing Slide, Sloping Railway, and Skating
Decline, Elevated by Power.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DUNOAN of Coalbrookdale, in the County of Shropshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
.My invention relates to a machine-like arrangement suitable for pleasure and
recreation.
This arrangement consists of a moving platform of circular shape, carried in a
sloping position, by a leaning central post, which is connected to it at right angles.
This platform is furnished with railways and the area enclosed by the innermost line
is fenced round, and made smooth for a skating rink.
One or more of the said railways, are formed with girder-like rails bent to undulate,
wave-like forming a number of valleys and hills.
Down and up these hills carriages travel by the alternate forces of gravitation and
momentum, the speed attained while descending, giving to the carriages momentum
for ascending.
These carriages may be used singly or several may be connected together, by links,
that keep them at the required distance apart, but admit of the train accomodating
itself to the form of the undulations. The carriages are furnished with wheels that
differ in diameter proportionately to the difference in the circumference of the inner
and outer rails and are made fast on axels that radiate to the centre of the circle.
I also use carriages fitted with slippers made smooth and flanged to cause the said
carriages to slide or slip down the declines and along the rails, over the undulations,
instead of running on wheels. The moving platform has also plane railways that do
not undulate and all the lines have the outer rail raised, so that the carriages may
lean towards the centre. Each carriage is fitted with seats and also with small rollers
which work under the top flange of the rail and below the wheels and prevent the
said carriages getting off the lines. The wheels have flanges which work between
the rails, and guide the carriages along the course. For skating roller skates are
used and the declination of the platform is adjusted by leaning the central post, more
or less, to give a suitable decline to take the skaters round without the labour of
striking with the legs.
Each end of the central post which carries the platform is globular, the bottom end
works in a spherical foot-step, made fast to the ground and the top end works in a
spherical socket, having a shank fitting an adjusting slot, formed in the arm of a
crank, which carries the top end of the central post round, in a leaning position
without causing the post, or the platform to revolve, but tilting it continuously in all
directions. This leaning of the central post, can be adjusted to the requirements, by
moving the socket along the slot nearer to, or further from, the centre, the crank
accomodating the movement of the socket by being curved to a radius which has
its centre in the globe of the foot-step. This variation in the quantity of leaning
given to the central post, alters the steepness of the declines on the platform to cause
the force of gravitation to be suitable to the various requirements of skating, running
carriages on wheels, and sliding them on smooth slippers, down declines made
continuous, by the action of the machine.

page_text: The platform is generally formed by fixing to the central post, a casting having
at its upper end a set of sockets, cast at right angles to its centre, and on the bottom
end of the said casting are a set of sockets cast at a suitable angle for a set of radial
girders, or beams, fixed in the upper sockets, to join to a set of other girders or
beams, fixed in the lower sockets, the joining of the said beams or girders taking
place near the periphery of the platform.
These radial girders are tied together at their outer ends, and framing of various
hights are bolted to the girders to form the supports for the undulating lines.
The plane lines have the rails bolted direct to the radial girders, but the undu-
lating rails, are bent to the required form and bolted to the undulating supports.
The central post being, carried round in its leaning position, as described tilts
this platform in all directions so that a perpetual decline, is formed on it, and on
the rails down which the carriages run, or slide, as long as the crank is kept
.in motion.
The crank is keyed on a shaft working in thrust bearings, fixed in vertical line,
over the foot-step. These bearings are carried by a casting, bolted to girders
fixed above the platform, over-head, and crossing the said platform from side to
side and extending beyond the space occupied by the platform when working.
The ends of these over-head girders are connected, either to supporting columns,
made fast to the ground or the said girders are bent to a right angle and continued
down to a foundation plate, to which they are bolted.
At the top of the said vertical shaft is a crown wheel, driven by a pinion wheel
which latter is driven by a double cylinder steam engine or by a gas engine.
This engine and gearing is placed by preferrence on the overhead beams described,
and the steam pipe from a steam boiler is carried up the vertical supports, and
along the overhead beams to the engine. A steam regulating valve is fixed in
convenient position in the steam pipe, for use by the attendant, so that to start
or stop the machine, steam has to be turned on or off from the boiler.
When a gas engine is used to drive the machine, the engine is kept in motion
as long as the machine is likely to be required to work, and this engine is put
into gear with the crank by a clutch or strap striker moving a strap from a
loose, to a fast pulley, to give motion to the machine. This part of the arrange-
ment is old, and is no portion of what is claimed by this specification.
If preferred small machines as this specified may be worked by men, instead
of being driven by engines. When men are employed to work these machines,
they do so by turning gearing with winch handles, which arrangement is not
claimed for working the machine.
To prevent the platform, and its lines of rails revolving, a ring of teeth is made
fast to the foot-step. These teeth gear into another ring of teeth, made fast to
the central post, and prevent rotary motion in the said platform, so that only a
tilting motion is given to it continuously, in all directions which produces the
perpetual decline described, and which is adjustable so as to cause the carriages
to properly run on wheels, or to slide round on smooth slippers as required.
To prevent the carriage running backwards, I use a detent or scotcher which
consists of a chisel ended bar, hinged to the said carriage and hanging in a
slanting direction behind it. A ring of timber is fixed in position between the
rails, for being acted upon by the scotcher. This device is not claimed.
For small sized machines, the whole arrangement is placed on the level ground,
and the foot-step and vertical supports, are connected to horizontal girders, placed
elow the platform.
For convenience of getting in and out of the carriages a stand is fixed by the
side of the platform.
Referring to the accompanying drawing.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, part in section. Fig. 2 is a plan of the said machine.
A is the moving platform, connected to the central post B. This post is sup-
ported on the spherical foot-step C), which has formed on it the ring of teeth D,
which gears into the fellow ring of teath I farmed an
the nost R Hi the

page_text: spherical socket at the top of the central post B. This spherical socket F is
adjustable in the crank arm G, which is connected to the vertical shaft H working
in the vertical bearings I and I carried by the casting I². This vertical shaft is
fitted with the crown wheel J which is driven by the pinion wheel K keyed on
the engine shaft L. This shaft is driven by the two cylinders M and N. The
whole of this gearing is supported by the over-head girders O and P and along
the girder the steam pipe Q is fixed having the steam regulating valve R fixed
in convenient position for use by the attendant.
The train of carriages on the undulating line is shown at S on the said line T.
There are other carriages S¹ and S on the plane lines U and V, and that
portion of the platform inside the innermost line at W is the skating rink. The
action of the machine is as follows.
The carriage (if one only is used) is placed at the top of one of the undulations
by preferrence that opposite the stand which is generally made flat on the top.
The engine is then started by opening the steam valve R and as soon at that
part of the platform where the carriage is has the tilting fall given to it the
carriage descends the decline and on reaching the bottom has attained sufficient
momentum to carry it up the ascending side of the undulation and the continued
tilting of the platform following the running carriage urges the said carriage over the
top and down the next decline, and so on round the entire circle the attendant being
able after a little practice in working the engine to so regulate its speed to cause
the decline on the platform, to be always in front of the carriage. When a train of
carriages is used the weight of those on the one side of the undulations balances those
on the other side so that the carriages start when the fall of the rails brings them to
be influenced by gravitation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do
not claim circular, or endless railways either undulating or plane, that are incapable
of giving continuous motion, to carriages running on them on wheels, when influenced
by the alternate forces of gravitation and momentum ; but what I do claim as new,
is as follows,
CLAIMS.
First. I claim a machine substantially as shown on the annexed drawing, that will
tilt a platform in any and all directions by steam or other suitable motive power, on
which platform are endless undulating and plane circular slides and railways which
are capable, when tilted by the said platform, of causing carriages to slide on sledge-
like surfaces or to travel on wheels, continuously round and round the said lines, by
the motive power acting on the machine causing a continuous decline plane, in a
circle to be formed and maintained, on the said platform, and plane lines, which
decline on the platform is sufficient to cause carriages to attain enough momentum to
ascend inclines on circular undulating railways built on this platform.
Second. I claim the tilted skating rink, as described.
Third. The combination of machinery described for producing the continuous
decline on the said machine.
Fourth. Preventing rotary motion in the platform by the means provided and
described.
Fifth. Preventing the carriages leaving the rails by connecting to the said carriages
the clasping rollers, working under the top flanges of the circular railways above
described.
Dated this 10th day of May 1888.