Improvements in Car Trucks.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Trucks.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON LACY, of 20 Furnace Street, Kingston, County of Ulster
and State of New York, Mechanical 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. that class of trucks especially designed for use on cars
which are driven by their own motors.
The object of my invention is to provide a car-truck in which the side frames
will be of great strength and at the same time be comparatively light in weight, and
one in which the side frames will have greater powers of resisting and enduring
both 1.teral and vertical strains than the side-frames heretofore used.
My invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter set forth.
and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.
Referring to the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a car truck embodying my invention, with the bolster
plate and load bearing springs supporting said plate removed from one side of
the truck.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said truck, partly in section at one end and partly
broken away at the other end.
Fig. 3 is a section of the middle tie-plate, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.
In the drawings, A represents one of the side frames of the truck and A', the
other. Each of these side frames is a duplicate of the other, being composed of parts
similar in form, construction and arrangement. A description of one of the said
frames, with its connecting parts, will therefore be sufficient.
B-B are the wheels, C-C, the axles and D-D, the housing of the journals of
said axles.
E-E are
pedestals which hold the journal housings in place. These pedestals are
each made of metal, preferably of malleable iron and cast in one piece and in the
shape of a double yoke which slides down over the journal housings.
The pedestals are provided with webs a-a and flanges b-b made integral with them.
c-c denote rivet receiving sleeves between said flanges, and d-d, ribs on said pedestal.
Each side frame is composed of the parts e,e,f, f, g,g, and e, e, f,f,g', 9₁₂
connected by the pedestals E-E and the middle and end tie-plates, or castings, and
stay, or repair pieces" as hereinafter more fully described.
The parts e, e, f, f, g, g, which form a part of the outer portion of the side frame,
are similar in form, construction and arrangement to the corresponding parts e¹, el,
ff, g, g', which form a part of the inner portion of the frame; and may be made
of any suitable bar steel or iron; but they are preferably made of flat bar steel
about three inches in width and from about to of an inch in thickness, or more
or less according to the weight to be carried, or to the service in which the truck is
to be employed. When they are made of flat steel bars, they are so arranged that
their side surfaces lie in substantially the same vertical plane.
These parts e, e, f, f, g,g, and el, e, f, f, g, g', are about five inches apart, a
distance nearly equal to the width of the podestal from its inner to its outer side, and
are secured to their respective pedestals by rivets h, h.
i, i denote castings to which the outer ends of the side frames are secured by means
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page_text: of rivets k, k passing through said 'outer ends and the holes in said castings. These
castings may properly be called the end tie-plates above referred to, as they serve to
securely bind together the outer ends of the side frames.
In each of these castings are located spring seats i, for the coiled springs,
m is a vertical spring check bolt, passing through the casting i, and provided with a
lug, or shoulder m' upon which the coiled spring i³, located in a chamber in the under
side of each casting i, is seated.
The functions of this spring bolt m are to counteract to a certain extent, the
upward tension of the springs, and at the same time to relieve the springs
between the bolster plate and the side frame from all strain from the push and thrust
of the frame of the truck.
The outer and the inner parts of the side frame where the parts f, f and f
respectively cross each other as illustrated in the drawings, are connected by suitable
metal pieces n about midway between the pedestals. These pieces may be properly
called the middle tie pieces above referred to.
These tie plates are formed preferably of one piece of casting, having shoulders n', n'
and rivet receiving sleeves n, n2 made integral with it and secured to the bars
of the outer and the inner side of the side frame by means of rivets n³, n³; the
said shoulders n', n¹ being so arranged and set apart at a distance sufficient to
receive the bars forming the inner and the outer sides of the frame and to rest
against the edges of said bars, to relieve the rivets from shearing strain.
o, o denote elliptical equalizing springs having their ends seated in the spring
seats o, o'. These spring seats of o may serve as tie pieces between the outer
and inner sides of the side frames to prevent them from bending, and are secured
to said side frames by means of rivets o2, 02.
P, p. are bolster plates upon which the car body is designed to rest and be
secured, arranged longitudinally above each side frame and supported by suitable
load bearing springs, as 2, and equalizing springs as o, o.
pp denote castings attached to the under side of the bolster plates P, P in
which castings are located the seats p², p2 for the upper ends of the springs,
and a recess for the upper end of the spring bolt m.
9, 9 are load bearing springs, resting upon the journal housings D D and supporting
the pedestals E E.
v, v denote stay or "repair pieces" adapted to fit into the recess at the lower
ends of the pedestals E E with their ends abutting against the ends of the outer
and inner sides of the frame, and secured to the flanges of the pedestals by means
of the bolts v, v which fit into the bolt holes of said "repair pieces" and in the
rivet sleeves of said flanges. These "repair pieces" may, by reason of such
construction, be easily taken out and permit the removal of the axle with its housing
from the side frame. These stay or "repair pieces" when securely fastened in
position, also serve the purpose of making the side frame continuous and unbroken
and therefore greatly increase its strength.
w, w denote the motor hanger bars, with their ends secured to a vertically movable
bolt u', the upper part of which rests upon a suitable spring u which has its seat
in a casting secured between the outer and inner sides of the side frames so that
the motor may ride as easily as possible, no matter how much the car-truck may
be moved out of its normal position by the unevenness of the road-hed.
By the construction above set forth, it is obvious that a side frame of great strength
is obtained, the said frame being composed of two truss portions, each dual in character
and connected by suitable pedestals and tie devices and a double X form truss located
in the middle portion of each frame, formed by the crossing of the parts f, f and f,ƒ³
respectively, as described, and one by which the objects of the invention above stated
may be attained.
The load bearing springs located between the bolster-plates p, p and the side frames
are so arranged in the length of the said frames, that the weight of the load will be
equally distributed upon each of the double truss portions of the frame, and at such
points thereon that the middle portions of the side frame will co-act with the truss

page_text: portions to prevent the side frames from becoming bent from their normal position in
either a lateral or a vertical direction.
The various parts of the side frame are secured to each other and with their
connecting parts by means of rivets, driven and headed, preferably when red-hot,
when it is not otherwise specified, to ensure greater strength and to prevent the parts
from becoming loose and rattling.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. In a car-truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss.
portions in combination with two pedestals, a suitable tie-plate located between said
truss portions forming a double X form truss, located midway between said pedestals,.
substantially as described.
2. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss.
portions in combination with two pedestals, the outer and inner parts of said truss.
portions being secured respectively to the outer and inner flanges of said pedestals,
spring seats secured between the outer ends of said truss portions serving as ties and
a double X form truss located midway between said pedestals, substantially as.
described.
3. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss
portions in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions and a
tie-plate n, located between said truss portions forming a double X form truss, located
midway between said pedestals, substantially as described.
4. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss.
portions in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions, said
pedestals being each provided with a yoke adapted to slide over the journal housings,
and the outer and inner parts of said truss portions being secured respectively to the
outer and inner flanges of the top and bottom of said pedestals and a double x form.
truss located midway between said pedestals, substantially as described.
5. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss
portions in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions, a stay
or "repair piece "v, and a double X form truss located midway between said pedestals,.
substantially as described.
6. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss
portions in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions, a
bolster plate and load bearing springs located between said side frame and said bolster
plate and a double X form truss located midway between said pedestals, substantially
as described.
7. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form trass.
portions, in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions, said
pedestals being provided with webs a and projecting flanges b, a journal housing and
load bearing springs located between said housing and the pedestal, and a double X
form truss located midway between said pedestals, substantially as described.
8. In a car truck, a side frame comprising two similar double diamond form truss
portions in combination with two pedestals located between said truss portions, a
bolster plate, springs between said bolster plate and side frame, and a double X form.
truss located midway between said pedestals, substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of June 1896.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant..