Apparatus for Clearing the Grooves of Tramway Rails.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Clearing the Grooves of Tramway Rails.
I, PETER BAMBACH, of V1 Duerergasse No. 8, Vienna, Austria, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails, so
arranged that the dirt cleared out of the grooves is collected and conveyed by it
to any suitable place of deposit.
For this purpose, a box or receptacle, which may be of wood, is mounted on a
pair of flanged road wheels gauged to suit tamway, and has in front a pair of
small flanged wheels the bearings of which ca. relatively raised or lowered by
means of adjusting screws.. Immediately in front of each of these small wheels
there is fixed an inclined clearing bar the front end of which can be introduced
more or less into the rail groove by relatively raising or lowering the bearings of
the small front wheels. In line with the upper face of each clearing bar is a shoot
extending in a slope backwards and upwards to an opening at the top of the front
part of the receptacle, and in this shoot, the sides of which extend down almost
to touch the rail, there is a conveyor which may be a set of blades or brushes
carried on an endless chain, or may be a worm conveyor, both the conveyors being
driven by chain or other suitable gear from one or both of the road wheels, which
are preferably independent of each other in order to facilitate travel on curves.
At the middle of the front part of the apparatus there is a wheel mounted as a
caster on a vertical spindle which extends up a guide tube and which can be raised
and lowered. When the caster is raised, the small wheels travel along the rails,
and the clearing bars extend more or less into the rail groove, but the caster may
be relatively lowered so far as to take a bearing on the road and to raise the small
front wheels and the clearing bars quite off the rails.
In this condition the apparatus can travel over any road conveying the dirt to
the place where it is deposited, the contents of the receptacle being withdrawn by
opening a door behind.
At the rear of the apparatus there is a seat for the driver, who has within reach
of his hand a handle connected by suitable gear to the spindle of the caster, so
that he can at will raise or lower the front wheels and clearing bars.
:
The apparatus may be drawn or pushed along the track by men or draught
animals.
Dated this 4th don of November 1895
CORE LEARN
Apparatus for Clearing the Grooves of Tramway Rails.
I, PETER BAMBACH, of VI Duerergasse No. 8, Vienna, Austria, 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 :-
::
This invention relates to apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails, so
arranged that the dirt cleared out of the grooves is collected and conveyed by it to
any suitable place of deposit.

page_text: For this purpose, a box or receptacle, which may be of wood, is mounted on a
pair of flanged road wheels gauged to suit the tramway, and has in front a pair of
small flanged wheels the bearings of which, can, be relatively raised or lowered by
means of adjusting screws. Immediately in front of each of these small wheels
there is fixed an inclined clearing bar the front end of which can be introduced
more or less into the rail groove by relatively raising or lowering the bearings of
the small front wheels. In line with the upper face of each clearing bar is a
shoot extending in a slope backwards and upwards to an opening at the top of the
front part of the receptacle, and in this shoot, the sides of which extend down
almost to touch the rail, there is a conveyor which may be a set of blades or
brushes carried on an endless chain, or may be a worm conveyor,. both; the
conveyors being driven by chain or other suitable gear from one or both of the
road wheels, which are preferably independent of each other in order to facilitate
travel on curves. At the middle of the front part of the apparatus there is a
wheel mounted as a castor on a vertical spindle which extends up a guide tube
and which can be raised and lowered. When the castor is raised, the small wheels
travel along the rails, and the clearing bars extend more or less into the rail
groove, but the castor may be relatively lowered so far as to take a bearing
on the road and to raise the small front wheels and the clearing bars quite, off
the'rails.
The construction of the above described apparatus is shown on the accompanying
drawing, in which Fig. 1 shews a side view of the same, Fig. 2a front part view,
Fig. 3 a sectional plan; Figs. 4 to 9 shew detached details to a larger scale.
The apparatus consists of a receptacle A for the reception of mud, which may.
be provided with lateral doors a. To this receptacle are attached two cleaners k k
at a distance apart corresponding to that of the rails, which cleaners slide in the
grooves of the rails so as to raise the mud out of them.
.
Behind these cleaners k k is arranged a transport device consisting of an inclined
shoot gg provided with a conveying device actuated by chains, and chain
wheels, the conveying device consists of blades which in travelling in an
upward direction along the shoots g g¹ transport the mud from the rail grooves
upwards into the receptacle A.
Instead of the travelling blades I may also employ metal brushes. The side
walls of the shoot extend nearly to the surface of the rails in order to prevent
the lateral escape of the mud.
The cleaners kk are mounted on the underside of the bottom g¹ of the shoot g
and may be adjusted by lowering or lifting the fore part of the apparatus according
to the depth of the rail grooves. For this purpose the shaft d carrying the
front wheels cc is suspended from screw-spindles mm as shewn at Figs. 7 and 8
which are screwed through threaded holes in the guides n. n and which can be
turned by hand wheels p p or cranks so that by this means the shaft d and the fore
part of the vehicle can be raised or lowered, in order to cause the cleaners to
engage more or less in the grooves of the rails.
In order to lift the cleaners kk out of the grooves, I employ a special lifting
device consisting of a wheel R, journalled in a castor fork r, which is pirotted to a
tooth rack T sliding in a guide S and gearing with a pinion t actuated by a crank
so that by lifting or lowering the rack T.and wheel R the fore part of the
apparatus is lowered onto or lifted from the rails, the apparatus being then
supported in front on the castor R.
In order to enable the gearing t to be actuated from the driver's seat B, the
shaft to of the pinion t extends rearward and there carries a worm wheel w gearing
with a worm v actuated by a crank u or hand wheel, so that by turning the crank u
the motion is transferred to the toothed rack T.
When the wheel R rests upon the ground, and the gearing t is rotated it ascends
on the rack T and iu raising the casing S lifts the fore part of the apparatus and
the wheels c c and cleaners kk off the ground. By reversing the motion of the
crank handle u the apparatus is lowered again.

page_text: The apparatus is preferably actuated by the shaft D of the rear wheels C, upon
which is either mounted a chain wheel E, or which shaft transmits by suitable
gearing the motion to a chain wheel on a separate axis from which by means of a
chain e and pinion the motion is transferred to a second shaft F upon which are
mounted the driving wheels ii of the mud conveyer hh.
The blades (or brushes) may be provided with flanges ³ (Figs. 4, 5, 6).
embracing the chain and which are attached to the same by the bolts hh.
It is obvious that the motion may be also transmitted by means of straps or
ropes or by gearing, and the support 6 of the seat B may serve as a handle for
pushing when the vehicle is moved by hand.
In order to enable the apparatus to travel on curves with small radius I prefer
to fix only one of the back wheels C on the shaft D, and to mount the second one
loose thereon so that the one wheel may turn independently of the other.
The apparatus is constructed preferably of metal; the receptacle may be of
wood; it is obvious that all details of construction may be varied at will; thus as
transporting device I may employ a tube with a central helical screw blade as at.
Fig. 9 extending down to the cleaning blade the dimensions of the apparatus may
be also varied and the apparatus may be constructed either for clearing one rail
or for both rails.
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. Apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails, consisting of the com-
bination of clearing devices k k adapted to enter the grooves of the rails and
carried by a vehicle or truck, and shoots g g' containing conveyers h¹ or equivalent
devices, these parts being so arranged that as the apparatus is propelled forward,
the clearers & raise the mud out of the groove of the rails on to the shoots in
which it is raised by the conveyers and deposited in a receptacle A., substantially as
described.
2. In apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails such as is referred to.
in the first claim, effecting the adjustment of the clearing devices k k relatively to
the grooves of the rails by mounting supporting wheels c c on a shaft d which is.
suspended from adjusting screw spiudles m m carried in guides n, substantially as
described.
3. In apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails such as is referred to..
in the first claim, effecting the raising of the clearing devices k k and wheels c c
clear of the rails by means of a castor wheel R pivotted to a rack T geared to a.
pinion t, by the rotation of which the rack and castor wheel can be forced downward
so as to raise the fore part of the apparatus, together with the clearers k and.
wheels c off the ground, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the clearing devices k, and shoots with conveyers or
equivalent devices referred to in the first claim of a receptacle A for the mud.
removed by the clearing devices, carried by a shaft D with road wheels C C, of
which one is fixed and the other is loose thereon, in order to enable the apparatus.
to run on curves with small radius, substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for clearing the grooves of tramway rails such as is referred to.
in the first claim, the use, for raising the mud removed from the grooves into a
receptacle, of conveyor blades or scoops travelling in shoots h, or of revolving
helical screw blades, such blades receiving the requisite motion from the wheel.
shaft D by suitable gearing substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant..