Improvements in Motor Vehicles for Single-rail Elevated Railways.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motor Vehicles for Single-rail Elevated
Railways.
I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEHR, of No. 10 Draper's Gardens, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of vehicles for single
rail elevated railways, propelled by electrical energy of the kind in which parts
of the carriage body project down on each side of the rail, which improvements
have mainly for their object, firstly to provide for a comparatively small driving
wheel base, so as to enable the vehicle to travel round curves of small radius, and
secondly to arrange the electromotors in such a position relatively to the elevated
line of rails as to bring the centre of gravity of the vehicle very low down and
thus enable the floor of the carriage for the passengers to be brought entirely
above the rail, so as to do away with the division of the carriage into two halves
as in the constructions heretofore employed. The improvements also relate to
means for allowing of the displacement of the electro motors relatively to the
driving wheels, while maintaining a constant distance therefrom, to means for
guiding and maintaining the vehicle in a perfectly vertical position and preventing
the lateral motion thereof, and to other devices which will be explained in the
following description of the vehicle.
For the above purposes I construct the carriage as follows. The carriage is
divided into two separate halves (or it may be considered as two carriages)
connected to form one by an articulated or flexible joint, this joint being formed
by preference of a central swivel at the ends of extensions of the underframes
beyond the carriage hodies, which extensions constitute platforms that are
enclosed by a flexible covering, connecting the ends of the two halves.
Entrance to the two halves is gained through doors opening on to the said
platform, which is at the level of the floors of the bodies, and steps also lead
from the platform down to the ground level.
Each carriage body consists firstly, of an upper part for the passengers, the
floor of which is raised entirely above the rail, which is carried by raised supports
in a similar manner to that of the Lartigue railway, and secondly of two lower
parts extending down on each side of the railway to near ground line, which
lower parts contain the electromotors for driving the carriage, so that by arranging
these motors in the lowest possible position, the centre of gravity of the carriage
is brought down below the level of the rail, thus enabling the floor for the
passengers to be entirely above the rail, as stated, so that access can be gained
to all parts of the carriage from a single door, instead of requiring a separate
entrance to each side of the carriage as in constructions heretofore proposed,
where the floor extended down on each side of the rail.
Each half of the carriage body is supported upon the line of rail firstly by
means of two driving wheels, situated as close as possible together so that the
wheel base is comparatively small, and secondly beyond these by a two wheeled
bogie. The axle of each driving wheel extends only rather more than half way
across the carriage frame, the one extending to the one side and the other to the
other side, and each axle is connected by suitable means to the shaft of an electro
motor, situated, as above stated, in the bottom of the lower part of the carriage.

page_text: The framing that carries the driving wheels and the swivel cap of the bogie, as
well as the lateral guide wheels, is separate from the body frame, which is supported
upon the former by means of springs and is guided vertically thereon so as to
prevent lateral motion.
As the motors are carried by the carriage body, it is necessary to provide means
whereby, while the motors oscillate vertically relatively to the wheel axles, the
centres of these are maintained at a constant distance apart, in order to cause the
driving gear to act properly.
I effect this by mounting the motor frame upon rollers that run upon rails fixed
at the bottom of the carriage body, the motor being situated to one side of the
wheel axle, and I connect the wheel axle to the motor axle by two rods having
eyes at each end embracing respectively the axle and the motor shaft.
Thus as the motor rises and falls with the body relatively to the wheel axles, the
said connecting rods will cause it to move alternately away from and towards the
vertical centre line passing through the wheel axle, thus maintaining the said
constant distance apart.
The wheel axles run firstly in a bearing on each side of the driving wheel, from
which are suspended strong longitudinal bearers connected together by transverse
beams, and secondly the axles are supported near their outer ends by a third
bearing carried by a frame fixed to the said transverse beams connecting the
longitudinal bearers.
The gearing by means of which the rotary motion of the motor shaft is
transmitted to the wheel axle may be of any suitable known description. Thus
it may cousist of cranks on the shaft and axle coupled by a connecting rod, and
two wheel axles may be further geared together with their cranks at right angles
by pitch wheels and chain, or the shaft and axle may be geared together by pitch
wheels and chain.
The carriage body is stayed against any lateral movement relatively to the
wheel framing while moving vertically on the springs, by providing the wheel
frame with vertical side rails on which run rollers carried by brackets on the
carriage body and preferably covered with caoutchouc. The wheel frame is
stayed against any lateral motion upon the line of rail, by providing on each side
of the supports of the latter two guide rails, situated one above the other, against
which bear two horizontal guide wheels or rollers carried by the wheel frame and
arranged as follows. The two guide wheels are mounted preferably with ball
bearings on the ends of two opposite arms projecting upward and downward from
a horizontal axis which is carried in bearings formed on the lower end of a forked
bracket projecting downward and attached to wheel frame. The guide wheels are
thus rendered automatically adjustable in position relatively to the two guide
rails, thus insuring that both the wheels shall always be in contact with both the
rails. The wheels are capable of vertical adjustment upon their arms, for which
purpose these are formed with screw threads on which are screwed two nuts,
between which are two opposite coned pieces free to slide on the arms but connected
thereto by feather and groove. The wheel is mounted with its boss formed with
coned surfaces between these coned pieces, with the intervention of balls, so as to
form ball bearings that are adjusted by means of the screw nuts.
The bogie consists firstly of two running wheels the axle boxes of which are
fixed rigidly together by means of horizontal bars, to the middle of which is fixed
a head piece carrying the pivot pin, and secondly of a stirrup shaped frame
situated between the two wheels, to the top of which frame is fixed the swivel cap
fitting on the pivot pin, while the two lower ends are fixed to the main longitudinal
bearers of the under frame, on which the carriage body rests by means of
springs.
The before mentioned pivot connecting the two halves of the carriage is by
preference constructed as follows. To the one part is fixed a forked piece having
coned holes fitted with coned bushes through which passes a threaded bolt secured
by screw nuts outside the fork. This bolt passes inside the fork through an eye

page_text: having pins projecting at right angles therefrom the ends of which pius fit in a
forked piece projecting from the other part of the carriage. The coupling thus
constitutes a species of universal joint, which allows of the two halves of the
carriage assuming a more or less angular position relatively to each other in
vertical and horizontal directions.
For effecting the ventilation of the carriage I provide on the roof of the same
a closed chamber extending along the whole or part of the length and having at
one end an opening for the admission of air. From this end a narrow channel
conveys the entering air to the other end where it enters a second larger channel
leading back to the first named end and containing a number of baffle plates so
that the air, which, owing to the high speed of the carriage will enter the chamber
at a high velocity, will arrive at the end of the said channel at a greatly reduced
speed, and can then be admitted through a third perforated channel into the interior
of the carriage.
The foul air may be discharged from the carriage by any suitable means such as
by a vertical perforated tube passing up through the roof of the carriage and
provided outside with a hood directed away from the wind.
Dated this 5th day of September 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.
Improvements in Motor Vehicles for Single-rail Elevated
Railways.
I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEHR, of No. 10 Draper's Gardens, in the City of
London, 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 improvements in the construction of motor vehicles for
single rail elevated railways where the vehicle is placed astraddle the rail, that is
to say, with parts projecting down on each side thereof, which parts bear with guide
wheels against guide rails fixed on each side of the supports, so as to prevent lateral
motion of the vehicle.
My present improvements have mainly for their object firstly, to allow of the
carriages, which have a considerable total length, to pass readily round sharp
curves; this I effect by constructing the carriage in two or more separate parts
which are identical in construction and are jointed together by a pivot or universal
joint and a flexible enclosure covering a platform between the two adjoining parts,
from which access is gained to each part.
Each half is supported on the rail on the one hand by two driving wheels, placed
as close as practicable together, so as to obtain a comparatively small fixed wheel
base, and ou the other hand by a two-wheel bogie. Secondly my improvements
have for their object to arrange so that the centre of gravity of the carriage shall
be below the level of the line of rail, even when the entire floor for the passengers
is raised above the line of rail, so as to gain access to the whole floor from one
entrance only, instead of requiring a separate entrance on each side of the carriage
for gaining access to the two divided parts of the floor, as was heretofore the
case. This I effect by placing the motors (whether electromotors or motors worked
by fluid pressure) that propel the carriage, at the bottoms of the two lower parts
of the vehicle, and so arranging them that although they partake of the vertical
motion of the carriage body upon its springs, the distance between their driving
shafts and the driving wheel axles to which they are connected by driving gear
shall always remain constant. Thirdly, my improvements relate to means whereby

page_text: the carriage body though having a vertical motion on springs, is so guided that it
cannot move laterally; this I effect by constructing the framing carrying the
driving wheels and bogie entirely separate from the framing of the carriage body,
and guiding the former in a vertical position by means of guide wheels running on
lateral guide rails on the line rail supports, while the framing of the carriage
body, which rests upon the wheel framing with springs, is prevented from lateral
motion thereon by providing the wheel frame with vertical rails against which
bear rollers attached to the carriage body. Fourthly, in place of providing only a
single guide rail on each side of the supports for the line of rail, I provide two
guide rails situated one above the other, against which bear two corresponding
guide wheels on cach side of the wheel frame of the carriage, and in order to
insure that both wheels shall always he kept automatically in contact with both
the guide rails, so as to distribute the lateral strains on the carriage uniformly over
both, I mount the guide wheels upon vertical arms, projecting upward and down-
ward from a horizontal axis, that can turn in bearings in brackets on the wheel
frame.
I will proceed to describe the construction of a carriage embodying the several
above mentioned improvements with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which
and
Fig. 1 shews a side elevation of the two halves of the carriage partly in section.
Fig. 2 shews a sectional plan.
Fig. 3 shews a longitudinal section through the one part.
Fig. 4 shews a cross section.
Fig. 5, a part plan.
Fig. 6 a cross section of the bogie.
Fig. 7 an enlarged section and elevation of the guide wheels and their mounting,
Figs. 8 and 9 a section and plan of the swivel-coupling.
The carriage consists of two separate bodies T T, being identical in construction
and connected together by a flexible middle part T where they are secured to each
other by a pivot or universal joint connection as will be presently described. Each
body is supported on the rail firstly by two driving wheels A. A placed one behind
the other, as close as practicable together, so as to obtain a comparatively small
rigid wheel base, and two wheels A' A' mounted one behind the other in a bogie
frame, so that by these means the carriage is enabled to travel round very sharp
curves.
The driving wheels A A are each carried by an axle CC which axles extend
in opposite directions rather more than half across the carriage, and run in two
inner axle hoxes B B and an outer one B. To the axle boxes B B are secured by
means of bolts L the main longitudinal bearers K of the wheel frame, which
bearers are tied across at intervals by the cross pieces M, and upon these pieces
the carriage body is supported by means of the springs R. The carriage body is
composed firstly of the upper part T for the passengers, the floor T2 of which is
entirely above the line of rail X, and secondly of the two downward extensions T³ T³
on each side of the line of rail, which parts serve respectively to contain one of the
two motor engines F that drive the axles C.
These motors are shewn as electro-
motors by way of example, but it is to be understood that any suitable kind of motor
engines worked by fluid pressure may also be employed. These motors rise and
fall upon the springs with the carriage body, while the axles remain stationary,
and in order therefore to maintain a constant distance between the motor shaft
and the axle for enabling these to be connected by driving gear, the motor frames G
are mounted on rollers G³ running on rails a carried by the bottom frames y of the
carriage, and the axle C is connected to the motor shaft by means of two links or
stays having eyes embracing the said parts.
Thus as the motor F rises and falls relatively to the axle, the links cause it
to move to and from the vertical centre line through the axle, while maintaining
the distance between the two parts constant. The rotary motion of the motor shaft

page_text: may be imparted to the axle by any suitable driving gear, such as by cranks D D'
and connecting rod E as shewn, in which arrangement the two shafts may be further
coupled with their cranks at right angles by means of pitch wheels and endless
chain; or the motor shaft may be connected to the axle by pitch wheels and
chain.
The outer bearings B of the axles are supported by frames M¹ carried by the
transverse pieces M of the bearers K.
The under framing of the carriage body consists of the longitudinal girders OO
and the transverse girders N; from these brackets H H pass downwards, carrying
rollers H', which bear against vertical rails S fixed to the bearers K. By this
arrangement the carriage body is prevented from having any lateral motion
relatively to the wheel frame; being strictly limited thereby to a vertical up and
down motion upon the springs R.
The rollers Hare by preference covered with caoutchouc in order to prevent
noise and afford a certain amount of elastic action. In order to maintain the wheel
frame and wheels in the vertical position upon the rail X there are provided on each
side of the standards X1 two guide rails X2 against which bear two guide wheels I I,
and in order to insure that these shall both bear equally on the two rails, so as to
distribute the strain as uniformly as possible, I construct them as shewn at Fig. 7.
The wheels are mounted on arms ee extending upward and downward from an axis b
carried in bearings a on the ends of a forked bracket I fixed to the axle boxes B
and to the bearers K. The arms e e are formed with a screw thread, upon which
are screwed two nuts ff and between these are two coned pieces m m that can
slide with a groove and feather upon the arm. Between these pieces is mounted
the coned boss i of the wheels I, and balls o o are interposed between the boss
and the pieces m m, so that by proper adjustment of the nuts f, the parts m, m,
and i are made to constitute a ball bearing, which will enable the wheels to revolve
at a high rate of speed without appreciable wear, the bearing being tightened up
by the nuts when necessary and also adjusted longitudinally thereby relatively to
the guide rails X2. The hollowed surfaces of the coned pieces and wheel boss are
so formed that the upper balls o in wearing will drop lower down, while when the
lower balls wear, the boss of the wheel will drop, thus rendering the bearing self-
adjusting. The bearings are effectually lubricated from lubricators g. The
construction of the bogie will be readily understood from Figs. 3 and 6. The axles
of the running wheels A¹ A' are carried in axle boxes k, secured rigidly together
by bars of which carry the pivot-piece 7 on which fits the swivel cap p
connected by looped frames p¹ to the longitudinal bearers K. The brackets [2
carrying the lateral guide wheels I are fixed to the axle boxes k, as shewn, and are
joined together in looped form at top.
By placing the electromotors F at the bottom of the lower parts of the carriage,
the centre of gravity of the latter is brought so low down relatively to the line of
rail X, that I am enabled to raise the floor T2 of the carriage for the passengers
entirely above the rail, as before stated.
By this means the whole of the carriage is rendered accessible from one side
thereof, through doors U opening on to the platform V between the two halves.
This is formed of overlapping plates as shewn at Fig. 2 so as to allow of the
angling of the two half carriages, and it is enclosed partly by flexible material W
for the same purpose.
The platform is supported by extensions of the bearers K
to the ends of which are fixed the two halves of the swivel connection ZZ. This
is constructed as shewn at Figs. 8 and 9. To the one half carriage is fixed the
forked piece Z, having coned bushes q and through this is passed the threaded
swivel bolt secured by nuts 1, the bolt being connected to the bushes q by
grooves and feathers, so as to cause these to turn with it.
On the other half-carriage is fixed the second connecting piece Z' consisting of
two branches ss forming bearings for a horizontal swivel pin t, extending through
the fork of Z, where it is formed with an eye fitting over the middle of the vertical
bolt r; thus it will be seen that the swivel connection constitutes a universal joint,

page_text: which allows of the two half-carriages assuming angular positions relatively to each
other both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction.
The platforms at the stations will be at the same level as the platform V and
floor T2 of the carriage; but in order to allow of the descent of the passengers to
the ground level at intermediate points of the line, in cases of emergency, steps vare
provided as shewn in Figs. 2 and 4.
For effecting the ventilation of the carriage, I provide on the roof of the same a
closed chamber u extending along the whole or part of the length of each half
carriage, and having at one end an opening u², Fig. 1, for the admission of air,
from which the air passes along a narrow channel u² to the other end where it
enters a larger channel u³ in which are baffle plates that cause the air to pass in
a zigzag direction back to the first named end again; by this means the air which,
owing to the high rate of speed of the carriage, will enter the chamber u with a
high velocity, will arrive at the end of the channel u³ with a greatly reduced
velocity, so that it can be admitted thence through a perforated channel u into
the carriage.
The foul air can be expelled from the carriage in any convenient manner, such
as by perforated vertical tubes in the corners, leading to external discharge hoods
directed away from the wind.
At the end of the one half carriage is provided a compartment P for the
electrician and at the end of the other half a compartment Q for the conductor,
luggage &c.; these ends are by preference formed angular as shewn.
It will be evident that instead of constructing the above described carriage of
two halves as described, it may be composed of three or more separate parts all
constructed and flexibly connected in precisely the same manner as above described,
that is to say, with an entrance platform between each two parts, the intermediate
part or parts being made with flat ends. By this means a carriage or train of any
desired length can be obtained which will possess the same facility for passing
round sharp curves as that described.
The means for conveying the electrical energy from a main conductor connected
with a source of current to the electromotors, when such are employed, may be of
any suitable known description, and are therefore not shewn on the drawings.
When motor engines other than electromotors are employed with my improved
construction of carrriage, the store of solid or liquid fuel, together with the steam
generators &c. would also be placed in the said lower parts of the carriage body, so
as to assist in lowering the centre of gravity of the structure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Constructing carriages for single-rail elevated railways, of the kind herein
referred to, of two or more separate parts connected together by a middle flexible
part and swivel connection, each half being carried on the line of rail firstly by
two driving wheels placed as close as possible together so as to provide a very
small fixed wheel base, and secondly by two-wheeled bogies, so that by this means
the carriage, although of considerable total length, will be enabled to run readily
round sharp curves, substantially as described.
2. A carriage for a single-rail elevated railway composed of two separate parts,
the one part consisting of a frame rigidly connected to the running wheels, and
having lateral guide wheels running against lateral guide rails of the railway,
while the second part consists of a carriage body supported by springs on the
wheel frame, and bearing with guide rollers against lateral vertical guide rails on
the wheel frame so that the body is capable of vertical motion on the wheel frame
but is prevented from moving laterally, substantially as described.
3. In a carriage for single-rail elevated railways, the combination with a carriage
body extending down on each side of the elevated line of rail, of a separate framing
carrying two driving wheels, and a bogie with two running wheels, and held in a

page_text: vertical position by lateral guide wheels, on which frame the body is free to
oscillate vertically on springs and is guided vertically in such motion by rollers
carried by the body frame running on vertical rails on the wheel frame, substan-
tially as described.
4. In a carriage for single rail elevated railways such as is referred to in the
third claim, mounting the motor engines for driving the wheels on the bottoms of
the lower parts of the body and connecting their driving shafts by suitable driving
gear to the axles of the driving wheels, the distance between the motor shafts and
the axles being maintained constant by arranging the motor frames to be capable of
receiving horizontal lateral motion, and by connecting the motor shaft with the axle
by means of pivotted links, substantially as described.
5. In a carriage for single rail elevated railways, of the kind, referred to in the
third and fourth claims, arranging the floor for the passengers entirely above
the level of the line of rail, to which floor access is gained from a platform situated
at the same level between the two halves of the carriage, substantially as
described.
6. In a carriage for single-rail elevated railways of the kind referred to in the
second and third claims supporting the carriage against lateral motion by means
of two guide rails on each side of the elevated line of rail, against which bear two.
guide rollers that are mounted on opposite vertical arms on a horizontal axis
carried by the wheel frame, so that both guide wheels will always be automatically
maintained in contact with their respective guide rails whereby any lateral strain
will be uniformly distributed over both rails, substantially as described.
7. In a carriage for single rail elevated railways of the kind referred to in the
second and third claims, constructing the wheel frame of two longitudinal
bearers K K, suspended from the axle boxes of the driving wheels by bolts L.
and connected by transverse pieces M on which rest the springs R that support
the carriage body, the said bearers K K being also suspended by frame p¹ from a
Swivel cup p, bearing on the pivot pin carried by bars k fixed to the axle boxes /
of the bogie wheels A' substantially as described.
8. In a carriage for single-rail elevated railways of the kind referred to in the
second and third claims arranging the axles C of the two driving wheels to extend
from the wheels to opposite sides of the carriage, the motor engine F driving the
one axle, being situated in the one lower part of the carriage body, while that
driving the other axle is situated in the other lower part of the body, the said axles
being carried in two inner axle boxes B B and one outer one B¹ to which the
wheel frame K M M¹ is attached, substantially as described.
9. A carriage for single rail elevated railways combined and arranged sub-
stantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1896
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.