Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1897-Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111 Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent 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 :-
This invention relates to a starting device for tram-cars and other vehicles and
consists in the arrangement, illustrated in the drawings, of a fly-wheel g, for storing
up power, keyed on a vertical shaft h rotating at each end in ball-bearings h² and h¹
and carrying four pulleys c d and c d two of them c c¹ being fast and the other
two dd are loose. The fly-wheel is arranged horizontally under the fraining of the
car as shown diagrammatically by way of example in Figs. 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawing;
Figure 1 being a longitudinal elevation partly in section of the device applied to
a car, &
Fig. 2 being a front elevation of the fly wheel device, also partly in section.
These pulleys are driven by the movement of the car wheels by belts f and f¹
transmitting the rotation of the right-hand axle or left-hand axle k¹ by means of
pulleys band 6 respectively. The proportional sizes of the pulleys b and b¹, secured
on the axles, to the fast and loose pulleys on the shaft h of the fly-wheel g may be as
desired, it inay for instance, be three to one so that the speed of the shaft of the
fly-wheel will be three times as great as that of the wheel axles.
It must be also pointed out that the loose pulleys d and d¹ also preferably run on
ball-bearings so as to diminish the friction on the shaft h. The fly-wheel is
preferably made of such shape that the greater part of its weight may be in the rim.
The operation of the automatic starting device is as follows:-Whilst the car is
moving the belt is on the fast pulley which actuates the fly-wheel, the latter thus
acquiring a great velocity; when stopping the driver shifts the belt on to the loose
pulley and the fly-wheel continues to rotate. When the car is being started, the
belt is shifted again to the fast pulley and the force accumulated in the fly wheel
assists in starting the vehicle, that is to say at this moment the fly-wheel and the
fast pulley drives the pulley keyed on to the axle.
It will be seen that engaging and disengaging of the part is extremely easy and
that the momentum of the car, which hitherto has never been utilised in an efficient
manner, is in this case accumulated in the rotating fly-wheel which can be in a very
easy manner thrown in or out of gear with the axles and thus help to start the
vebicle without sensibly increasing the weight of the car. Of course the transmission

page_text: of movement from the axles to the shaft of the fly wheel may be effected in other
ways, than by means of a belt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A starting device for tram-cars and other vehicles consisting of a horizontal
fly-wheel carried in a rotatable shaft secured to the under part of the vehicle and
carrying fast and loose pulleys in combination with pulley bands passing over pulleys
secured on the vehicle wheel axles, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete starting
device for tram-cars and other vehicles substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.