A NEW OR IMPROVED SYSTEM OF RAILWAYS AND ROLLING STOCK THEREFOR, AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH LINE WIRES IN CONNECTION THERE- WITH
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Thorold at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
August 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOROLD, of Norwich, in the County of Norfolk, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED SYSTEM OF RAILWAYS AND ROLLING STOCK THEREFOR, AND
THE ARRANGEMENT OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH LINE WIRES IN CONNECTION THERE-
WITH," to be as follows:-
One part of my Invention consists in constructing railways with one
single line of rail arranged in the middle of the roadway, for which
purpose I employ, by preference, the form of rails known as "bridge
rails" on
on longitudinal sleepers, whereby I am enabled 'to utilize
the space inside the rail by placing electric telegraph wires therein.
Such single line of rail may be laid on a special road as ordinary rail-
ways, or it may be laid by the side of any turnpike road or highway,
and be made to pass through towns and villages by the usual mode of
guarding tramways. For running upon such single line of rail I

page_text: construct rolling stock with, by preference, four bearing wheels with
double flanges, all in one line in the middle underneath each carriage or
truck instead of having bearing wheels placed on each side of the
carriage and running upon two lines of rails as heretofore; and in order
to balance the load upon this line of wheels I employ traversing screw
gear for shifting the wheels laterally relatively to the body of the
carriage or truck until the load is perfectly balanced upon the wheels
so that the centre of gravity thereof is always in a perpendicular plane
passing through the wheels and line of rail; and I preserve this
perpendicular position by the addition of one or more common road
wheels on each side of the carriage or truck so arranged by working in
slots as to run freely upon the common road or upon the ballast of the
railway without bearing any part of the weight of the carriage or truck
(except when the carriage or truck inclines to one side or the other)
following freely the undulations of the road without deranging the
working of the bearing wheels. In order to admit of the bearing wheels
turning on curves with short radii I prefer to arrange each two wheels in
a bogie frame, one of which is situated at each end of the carriage or
truck, and I place the road wheels between the centre pins of each
bogie frame with their axles at right angles to the bogies, whereby the
road wheels are always in the radial line of the curve.
For propelling the carriages or trucks upon such single line of rail I
employ a traction engine arranged with its traction wheels bearing upon
the common road or ballast, and with leading wheels arranged as a two-
wheeled fore and aft bogie with the wheels running upon the central
single line of rail and serving to guide the whole train, the bogie being
made to turn upon a universal centre on the fire-box. In some cases I
make the centre carriage of this bogie to slide longitudinally in order
that the pressure of the traction wheels on the common road or ballast
may be regulated.
By this improved construction of railway and mode of traction I
am enabled to obtain the greatest adhesion for propulsion with the least
dead weight of the engine, which weight is capable of being adjusted
according to the gradient of the railway and the condition of the road
or ballast.
By my improved system I am also enabled to travel upon curves of
11
case devant foot without difficulty

page_text: My improved system of rolling stock may also be propelled upon the
said single line of rail by means of horses, oxen, camels, elephants, and
other beast of burden.