Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED DICKINSON of Tramway Depot Darlaston in the County of Stafford
Tramway Manager do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 has for its object improvements in devices for cleaning the grooves
and upper surface of Tramway rails and is particularly adapted to those cars in which
horse power is used i.e. to the cars themselves however drawn but in the case of
engines the device would generally be attached to the engine as per my previous
patents and whereby the friction in vehicles using the same may bo minimised as it is
well known that the clearer the groove and bearing surface is the easier the wheel
passes over the same and therefore less power is required to overcome the load while
at the same time it is in the power of the driver to remove any obstacle whether mud,
snow or other accumulation from the rail without stopping the car thus often
preventing the car from being thrown off the rails.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into
practice I have shown a number of Figures on the two accompanying sheets of
drawings which illustrate the device for accomplishing the above objects and which I
will now proceed to explain in detail.
Figure 1. is a side elevation of the device which is attached to the underside of the
car A in front of the leading wheels B. The connecting rod N is shewn partly in
section.
Figure 2. is an elevation of the hanging bracket C with the other parts removed.
Figure 3. is a back elevation looking in the direction of the arrow W part of the
shaft H being shewn in section.
Figure 4. is an inverted plan.
At
The car A is assumed to be travelling in the direction of the arrow W and the
hanging brackets Cand Dare attached to the bottom in a substantial manner each sup-
porting one end of the shaft E which is capable of free rotary movement therein.
one end of this shaft a vertical arm F is fixed also at each end a horizontal arm F
and F3 in which the shaft H is mounted so as to be capable of rotary movement
therein and which for lateral support also passes through the slots J Figure 2 in the

page_text: hanging brackets C and D.
This shaft H supports the scraper holders K and K¹
which are fixed at each end and the said shaft is formed in two lengths the one
length being a spigot entering into the other or socket h² and provided with the
springbearing against the collar / so as to allow the scrapers to accomodate
themselves to any inequality in the guage of the rails or otherwise. The springs g
and g in the normal position keep the scrapers central with the rails but allow for any
_inequalities or irregularities to each separate scraper.
The scrapers Y and Y' which are adjustable or permanently fast to the holders Kand K
are under the control or held to their work by the springs L, L' which always tend to
make the scrapers bear upon the rails M and M' with sufficient pressure to remove any
object from the line but at the same time the scraper has an inclination which assists it
to pass over any fixed object the expansion of the spring also allowing for this.
The driver commands the scraper by the before mentioned vertical arm F which is
connected by the rod N to the crank lever O at o' the crank lever being pivoted at o²
to the bracket P which is fixed to the underside of the car A.
The screw socket R is pivoted to the other arm of the crank lover O at o' the screw
rod S working therein and which would be operated by the handle T which when
operated by the driver would either raise or lower the scraper and holder into the
required position. As the height from the underside of the car to the ground differs
according to the number of passengers or amount of weight upon the car I form the
rod N in two lengths one length n being socketted into the other end n² which also
contains a spring of sufficient length when partially compressed to act upon the scraper
but at the same time to allow of further compression which may become necessary in
consequence of the lowering of the car. The enlargement n³ at the end of rod N
bears against the end of slot n in the socket 13 when lifting the scrapers off the rails
away from their work.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood that I
am perfectly aware of the existence of Patent No. 3807 A.D. 1885 granted to Rayner
and Edwards and of Patent No. 12641 A.D. 1885 granted to Edwards & Rocord
and drew my specification with these patents before me and therefore do not wish to
claim anything contained therein but I declare that what I do claim is :-
First Improvements in tramway rail cleaners of the scrapers Y and Y¹ com-
pensated by the spring mechanism and operated by the driver substantially as herein
set forth.
Second In tramway scrapers the compensating spring socket arrangement shown
upon shaft H for giving freedom to the guage of scrapers Y and Y¹.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant."