Improvements in the Means for Preventing the Lateral Oscillations of Railway Carriages
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means for Preventing the Lateral Oscillations
of Railway Carriages,
I, HERBERT CROSSLEY, of No. 21, Avenue Montaigne, Champs Elysees, Paris,
France, Sculptor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
My invention has for its object to prevent the lateral oscillations of railway
carriages, and it consists in connecting all the carriages forming a train together
by means of two cords or chains or rods arranged as follows:-
Assuming the one cord to be attached at its one end to the side of the
engine or tender in a manner to be presently described, it passes round a
sheave at the end of the engine and diagonally across the space between the engine
and the contiguous carriage, to the opposite side of the latter, where after passing
round another sheave it is led along that side of the carriage to the opposite end.
Here it passes round another sheave, and is then led diagonally across the
space between the first and second carriages to the opposite side of the latter,
along which it is then led to the other end, at which it is again passed diagonally
across, and so on along the whole of the train on alternate sides of the con-
secutive carriages, the end of the cord being suitably attached to the guards van.
In like manner the second cord is passed from the other side of the engine along
the whole train, crossing over between the carriages in the same manner as the
first cord but in the opposite direction.
By this arrangement while perfect freedom is allowed to the several carriages
in forming an angle with each other in passing round curves, the said cords
effectually prevent the lateral swaying of any one carriage independently of the
others, that is to say the whole of the carriages would have to sway simultaneously
to the same side.
The cords are preferably arranged at the top of the carriages; they may be of
steel wire or other material, or in lieu of cords, chains or rods may be used.
Preferably the cords are in separate lengths for each carriage which lengths are
coupled together at the ends by suitable fastenings. For securing the ends to
the sides of the engine or tender there are provided on the latter spring barrels
or equivalent devices with screw adjustments to which the cords are attached so
that when the cords of a train are coupled up, they can then be tightened to
any required extent by the screw adjustments while the springs will compensate
for any increase or decrease of the distances between the carriages on starting
or stopping.
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Means for Preventing the Lateral Oscillations
of Railway Carriages.
I, HERBERT CROSSLEY, of No. 21, Avenue Montaigne, Champs Elysees, Paris,
France, Sculptor, 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 has for its object to prevent the lateral oscillations of railway
carriages, and it consists in connecting all the carriages forming a train together
by means of two cords or chains or rods arranged as follows:-
Assuming the one cord to be attached at its one end to the side of the guards
van or engine or tender in a manner to be presently described, it passes round a
sheave at the end of the engine and diagonally across the space between the guards
van and the contiguous carriage, to the opposite side of the latter, where after passing
round another sheave it is led along that side of the carriage to the opposite end.
Here it passes round another sheave, and is then led diagonally across the
space between the first and second carriages to the opposite side of the latter,
along which it is then led to the other end, at which it is again passed diagonally
across, and so on along the whole of the train on alternate sides of the con-
secutive carriages, the end of the cord being suitably attached to the guards van.
In like manner the second cord is passed from the other side of the engine along
the whole train, crossing over between the carriages in the same manner as the
first cord but in the opposite direction.
By this arrangement while perfect freedom is allowed to the several carriages
in forming an angle with each other in passing round curves, the said cords
effectually prevent the lateral swaying of any one carriage independently of the
others, that is to say the whole of the carriages would have to sway simultaneously
to the same side.
The cords are preferably arranged at the top of the carriages; they may be of
steel wire or other material, or in lieu of cords, chains or rods may be used.
Preferably the cords are in separate lengths for each carriage which lengths are
coupled together at the ends by suitable fastenings. For securing the ends to
the sides of the engine or tender there are provided on the latter spring barrels
or equivalent devices with screw adjustments to which the cords are attached so
that when the cords of a train are coupled up, they can then be tightened to
any required extent by the screw adjustments while the springs will compensate
for any increase or decrease of the distances between the carriages on starting
or stopping.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a diagrammatic plan of part of a train
with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 shews a part side view to an enlarged
Ecale and Fig. 3 shews a part plan; the cords A A¹ having their one end attached
to a spring adjustment device B B on each side of the rear or front guards
van C, are led thence over small pullies D carried in brackets fixed near the
top of the van, whence they are passed diagonally across in the space between
the van and the next carriage, E, and over other pullies D on this carriage, so
that the cord A from the right hand side of van C is now situated on the left
hand side of carriage E, while A is situated on the right hand side of E.
After passing along the carriage E to the other end and over other pullies D
there situated, the cords are again passed diagonally across in the space between
the carriages E and E', so that A is now on the right hand side of E again
and A¹ is on the left hand side. In like manner the cords are crossed over at each
successive carriage to the end of the train, where the ends are attached to the

page_text: guards van or last carriage, either by means of another adjustable spring attach-
ment as at B B or without the same.
It will be found that with this arrangement whatever variable angular positions
the carriages may assume relatively to each other such as on passing from a
straight line on to a curve the lengths of the cords A A¹ at the diagonal crossings
will always remain practically the same and consequently they will both always
remain equally strained, so that any tendency of a carriage to sway over in one
direction, say that indicated by the arrow at E, will be effectually resisted by
the strained cord A as, in order to give way to such swaying, the cord would have
to drag the van C and carriages EE, over with it to the same side.
As before stated it is preferred that each carriage should carry its own length
of cord A A', these lengths being coupled together in the spaces between the
carriages by any suitable coupling device. When so coupled up the cords are
tightened by the adjusting devices B B¹, which may be of any suitable known
kind, such as a cylinder B having a hook or loop to which the cord is attached
and containing a piston F behind which is a spring G and which has a screw
threaded rod H passing through a strong lug I fixed to the van and having
screw nut J by turning which the straining of the cord to the required degree is
effected. The springs G will allow of compensation for any increase or decrease
of the spaces between the carriages during starting, running or stopping.
Instead of or in combination with the screw adjustment described any other
mode of putting the requisite strain on the cords may be employed; thus for
example there may be suspended from the end of the cord a weight K contained
in a tubular casing L fixed to the side of the guards van as shewn at the left
hand of Figs. 2 and 3, or in place of a weight, a piston working in the tube might
be used, and compressed air, or other fluid under pressure be charged into the
upper closed end of the latter so as to exert an elastic downward pressure on
the piston.
Although I have described the cords A as being arranged at the sides of the
carriages they might obviously also be arranged on the roof if found more con-
venient, as indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:—
Means for preventing the lateral oscillations of railway carriages, consisting in
the employment of two cords, chains, or rods, extending along the upper part
on each side of a carriage such cords being passed diagonally across in the
space
between two carriages from the one side of the one carriage to the opposite side of
the other one, while the ends are secured to devices at the end carriages or vans
of the train whereby they can be strained in such manner as to compensate for
any increase or decrease of the distances between the carriages substantially as
described.
Dated this 27th day of May 1899.