IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY WHEELS, AXLES, AND AXLE BOXES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Fennelly, of 122, Cannon Street, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
AND TRAMWAY WHEELS, AXLES, AND AXLE BOXES."-A communication
from abroad by Woodford Pilkington, of Hendaye, Basses Pyrénées,
in the Republic of France.
Sealed the 20th March 1874, and dated the 23rd September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Fennelly at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd September 1873.
I, RICHARD FENNELLY, of 122, Cannon Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY WHEELS, AXLES, AND AXLE BOXES," to be as
follows:-
-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in the manner
of framing and fixing rail and tramway wheels and axles so as to enable
carriages to pass freely round curves of very small radius, prevent

page_text: torsion of the axle, and friction between the rail and the wheel flanges.
This is attained by a novel manner of arranging the wheels, boxing the
axles, and constructing the surrounding iron framing.
1. The wheels are each placed on a separate axis of motion, each
revolving in sliding boxes or bushes disposed at each side of the wheel,
the amount of radial action being determined and governed by the ruling
curve in each particular case.
2. The framing and adjustments which govern the action of these
axle boxes are new and needful to the action obtained. This framing
may thus be either part of the lower frame of the carriage itself or may
be disposed in couples or pairs connected transversely by bars of double
angle or T iron, so as to form a rigid tie between the spaces in which the
wheels revolve, thus keeping them in gauge, and constituting with the
wheel frame support for the carriage above.
3. These framed spaces in which the wheels are set take a horizontal
direction in line with the axis of motion, and in shape would resemble
the conjoined form of four dovetails, two long in direction of the radius
of the wheel, and two short in direction of the axis of motion, and are
formed of a continuous piece of angle iron forged or cast to the shape
required.
4. On the side spaces in which the axles are boxed two cover plates, a
top and bottom, are fixed and bolted together, and thus, fitting firmly
into the dovetail form of the side spaces needful to give the radial action
required, act as horizontal slides for the brass bushes of the wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 25
filed by the said Richard Fennelly in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
FENNELLY, of 122, Cannon Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 30
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three,

page_text: in the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard Fennelly,
Her special license that I, the said Richard Fennelly, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Fennelly, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should' at any
time agree with, and no others from time to time and at all times
thereafter, during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY WHEELS, AXLES,
AND AXLE BOXES," a communication to me from abroad by Woodford
Pilkington, of Hendaye, Basses Pyrénées, in the Republic of France,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Fennelly,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Fennelly, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in the manner
5 of fixing rail and tramway wheels and axles so as to enable carriages to
pass freely round curves of very small radius, prevent torsion of the axle,
and friction between the rail and wheel flanges. This is attained by a
novel manner of arranging the wheels, boxing the axles, and constructing
the surrounding iron framing.
1st. The wheels are each placed in a separate axis of motion, each.
revolving in sliding boxes or bushes disposed at each side of the wheel,
the amount of radial action being determined and governed by the ruling
curve in each particular case.
The framing and adjustments which govern the action of these axle
5 boxes are new and needful to the action obtained. This framing may
thus be either part of the lower frame of the carriage itself or may be
disposed in couples connected by a bar of double angle or T iron, so as

page_text: .
to form a rigid tie between the spaces in which the wheels revolve, thus
keeping them in gauge, and constituting with the wheel frame support
for the carriage above.
These framed spaces in which the wheels are set take a horizontal
direction in line with the axis of motion, and are formed of a continuous
piece of angle iron forged or cast to the shape required.
On the side spaces in which the axles are boxed two cover plates, a
top and bottom, are fixed and bolted together, and thus fitting firmly
into the dovetailed form of the side spaces needful to give the radial
action required act as horizontal slides for the brass bushes of the
wheels.
By the new mode above described of applying doubly sliding axle
boxes and by the detachment or isolation of the wheels during revolu
tion many important advantages are obtained, that is to say,-
1stly. Trucks and carriages having wheel frames constructed on this
principle may be made adjustable to different gauges within certain
limits without shifting the load or passengers, thus removing the delay
and expense usually connected with "break of gauge " by having the
compartments or boxes in which the wheels revolve constructed to move
from a narrow to a broader gauge, and vice versa, within the main
framing by means of projecting studs which slide in slots from side to
side the distances required in any particular case. This motion being
permanently arrested during use after such change has taken place by
means of locking bars, which are firmly fixed by means of powerful
screws c, c, or by keyed jibs and cotters, as seen at Figure 4 of the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
In practice this change can be very simply effected without dis-
charging the load by arranging a double set of converging or diverging rails
to and from the break of gauge, so forming guides for the wheels between,
to and fro, so that by lifting the locking bar (a, a, Figures 1, 3, and 4),
and passing the loaded trucks along such a shunting slip the gauge of
the truck or carriage may be altered to the gauge of the branch or main
line at little or no cost and in a very short time, the carriage or truck
being ready to proceed on its journey on re-fixing the locking gear, the
natural tendency of which latter is to maintain its position even without
the screws or jibs and cotters.

page_text: 2ndly. Curves of very small radius may be passed with wheels thus
placed on a separate axis of motion, only determined by the amount of
radial action given to the axle boxes, and the length of the wheel base,
which on this system may be made equal to any possible requirement of
modern railways of broad or narrow gauge, and particularly for street
tramways where the flange of the wheel runs in a groove, and sharp
curves at street corners are commonly necessary.
For trucks or carriages requiring to be borne on six or more wheels
the middle or end pairs of wheels may be made to slide in concert the
distance between the chord, length of wheel base, and the curve required
by means of a coupling bar attached to the ends of the projecting
studs c, c. In this way leading and trailing guide wheels may be
attached to ordinary locomotives, giving with safety more efficient
radial action than is obtainable by wheels with ordinary axles and sliding
boxes.
The main under frame d, d, containing each pair of wheel frames,
axle boxes, &c., is of angle or may be of grooved iron of requisite
scantling bent to shape, and welded at joint, or plate rivetted, as required,
with gusset plates to secure the angles of the frames in square, shewn in
Drawings. These will form an advantageous seat for springs of the
ordinary type, or the more effective boxed helical springs in use.
The girder plate boxings that carry the wheels are bent to shape, and
afterwards rivetted or bolted to the ends, as shewn in Drawing,
Figures 3,4, if required to slide or change to gauge, but if not the side
plates may be turned at the ends to form a good and sufficient flange,
and rivetted to the angle iron tie bars d, d, thus forming a cheaper form
of framing for rail or tramways of fixed gauge, with all the advantage
of perfect articulation for passing curves and sidings.
For perfectly securing the sliding brass bearings the top and bottom
plates of the boxes p, p, are dovetailed into the side plates, and slide
into place, and are afterwards bolted and cemented in. It therefore
becomes impossible to displace these plates by any ordinary accident.
The axles of these wheels should be made of drawn or cast steel tubing
to lighten them, and carry the oil or grease from side to side, forming an
important advantage in the size of the grease reservoirs with communi-
cation between them.

page_text: The brass bearings or bushes are to be cast in halves, grooved into
each other horizontally.
Buckled spring plates of suitable strength are placed between the
brasses and box sides, as shewn at Figure 4, to regulate the action of the
wheels.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews an end view of the new underframing for railway
wagons and carriages with locking gear, adapting it to break of gauge,
a, a, being the locking bar which, by being released from the fastenings
and turned up on the staples b, b, thus frees the projecting studs or 1
sliding bars c, c, which form part of the wheel boxing at each end,
permitting it to slip in slots to suit another gauge, say, from 7 feet
to 48", or 5′ 6″ to 3′ 3½", &c., as required, without discharging the
load.
Figure 2 shews a side view or elevation of a carriage or wagon
]
adapted to this system of framing, shewing an end view of two sets
of wheel frames d, d, in place, shewing that they can be fixed to
the upper framing of ordinary carriages much in the usual way with
equal strength, the frames moving to the action of the springs between
the horn plates e, e, Figures 2 and 4.
Figure 3 is a plan of the lower iron framing shewing the wheels
in place for a wide gauge, with locking and slip gear to enable them
to pass to a narrow gauge without discharging the load. Two of the
wheel boxes have the top plates and grease boxes removed to shew
the brass bearings f, f, and the working of the radial motion and a
the side spaces containing the springs for governing the action of
wheels.
.
Figure 4, an enlarged Drawing of one of the wheel frames, shewing
a horizontal section of the axle boxes h, h, through the middle of the
axle I, I, and brass bearings f, ƒ.
Figure 5 is a vertical cross section shewing the grease boxes k, k,
axles I, I, and inter-communicating passage M, M, for the grease to
pass from side to side the brass bearings F, F, and the bolts for holding
the dovetailed cover plates in place p, p.
Figure 6 shews the under frame d, d, and wheel box frame r, r,
partly in clevation and partly in secțion, as described in Drawing
5

page_text: chiefly to illustrate the strength of the system and mode of con-
struction, the top and bottom plates of the axle boxes sliding into
place by means of dovetailed grooves, so that their strength and
security is independent of the action of the bolts, when fixed with
the bolts, in addition the strength of the side plates becomes perfect
and almost impossible of derangement.
Figure 7 shews a plan of a shunting by which a train of loaded
wagons may be shunted from gauge to gauge without difficulty or
delay more than is required to lift the locking bar at each side of the
wheel frame, and passing the carriages along the shunting slip without
discharging the load.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim, the
arrangement of railway and tramway wheels, axles, and axle boxes, sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Richard Fennelly, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
DIATTADD LENNETTV
RICHARD FEN
BTANNBT T V
TAROTTNT:
(L. s.)