IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEARING TRAMWAY RAILS OF DIRT
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Spooner Shields of Liverpool.in the county of Lancaster
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEARING TRAMWAY
RAILS OF DIRT
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Spooner Shields at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th August 1882.
SPOONER SHIELDS of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
IN APPARATUS FOR CLEARING TRAMWAY RAILS OF DIRT."
This invention consists
"IMPROVEMENTS
1st in a revolving brush formed of steel springs or other strong stout or suitable
material caused to revolve upon each rail and shaped to suit the contour of the
rail The component parts of the brushes are so set as to sweep the dirt into the
centre of the track between the horses feet.
2nd The brushes are keyed or fixed to a shaft running at the back or front of
the tramway in sliding bearings admitting of vertical but not horizontal adjust-
ment collars on the shaft hold it from longitudinal displacement. A vertical or
somewhat oblique handle with a bearing on or on each side of the centre of the
brush bearing shaft is brought up through the platform and is regulated vertically
by hand by means of a hand wheel a spring catch and notches or other mechanism.
If desirable the bearing on this shaft can be held by a spring so as to give way
somewhat in the handle when the brushes meet a very obdurate obstacle coming
to position again the moment said obstacle is passed. The brush shaft is preferably
run by means of a cross belt from the axle of the car so as to give the brushes a
motion in the inverse direction to that in which the wheels are running and by
using different sized belt pulleys the ratio of speed can be greatly increased in
favour of the brushes.
In order to prevent slipping of the belt on the pulleys, I sometimes provide it
with projecting buttons knobs or cross bars fitting into depressions or cross
grooves in the pulleys or use a driving chain and pulleys shaped to suit instead of
a plain belt.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Spooner Shields in the Great Seal Patent Office
14th February 1883.
SPOONER SHIELDS of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
IN APPARATUS FOR CLEARING TRAMWAY RAILS OF DIRT."
on the
"IMPROVEMENTS
This invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 Is a plan showing tramway, front wheels of car and brushing apparatus.
Fig. 2 A side elevation of same and sole plate of wagon.
Fig. 3 Side view of brush (full sized in original drawings filed.)
Fig. 4-Section of same without the wires or bristles, and
Fig. 5 A section of rim of brush diagonally through the holes a through which
the wires are inserted.
This invention consists 1st in a revolving brush A formed preferably of steel
springs B caused to revolve upon each rail and shaped to suit the contour of the
rail. The component parts of the brushes are so set as to sweep the dirt into the
centre of the track between the rails. The rows of spring "bristles" being placed
at an angle of 45 degrees or thereabouts with the axis as shown. 2nd The brushes
are keyed or fixed to a shaft C running preferably on the rails between the front
and hind wheels in vertically sliding bearings D. Collars on the shaft hold it
from much longitudinal displacement but about two inches play is allowed (shown
at E) to enable the brush to keep in the track groove in the rail when the car is
going round curves.
Referring to the drawings
A is the rotary brush, B bristles of steel spring of the same, C shaft carrying
.brush, D bearings of ditto, E play on shaft for going round curves, F tram rail,
G front wheel, H chain wheel or pulley on shaft of same from which a driving
chain or belt is stretched to chain wheel or pulley I on brush shaft. The chain is
crossed and the chain wheels proportioned so as to enable the brush to rotate at a
greater speed than, and in the contrary direction to that of the wheel shaft. J is
a handle with screwed shaft working in bearing K and armed with a nut L
which by means of slotted bell crank levers M M' and connecting rod N raises and
lowers the bearings of the brush shaft C in the guides P, the pin Q on the
bearings D interlocking into the slot of the bell crank lever M¹. RR are brackets
attached to the body of the tram car carrying the motion. Referring to the brush
although the bristles project from rather a broad boss they all project so that
their outer ends shall come nearly into the same plane. The effect of this is to
give great rigidity with a narrow periphery that shall fit into the groove on the
tram rail. In practice I prefer to fix the bristles into ring S, and place in this ring
a central core T, to prevent the bristles being forced out and then on both sides of
this wheel place a flange bolted to the centre or on one side formed in one with
the centre and cause these flanges to firmly bite the ring S or lock into projections
on it. The centre or the flanges are firmly keyed to the shaft. a are the holes in
the ring S set at an angle of about 45 degrees with the axis through which the
wires or bristles of the brush project. These are arranged as shewn in Fig. 5 and
when worn are easily replaced and renewed. The letters b c d and e in Figs 3
and 5 shew the position of the same set of bristles in each view. The arrow shows
the direction in which the tram-car is travelling.
Although I bave described the brush as running between the wheels of the
tram car it can be placed in front or in rear or at both ends if desired.
Now I am well aware that revolving brushes have been used before for cleaning
roads, and brushes of divers kinds have been suggested for use on tramway rails

page_text: "
and I do not therefore wish to make a broad claim for such application but I
believe that it is quite new for the purposes described (1) to form the brush of
hard flat spring metal and so as to revolve (2) to arrange the blades or "bristles
in skew lines so as to brush the material to one side, (3) to set the "bristles" at
different lateral angles in a broad hub so that they shall all project into one
narrow periphery that will fit into the groove of the tramway rail and (4) to place
the brush shaft in sliding bearings with lateral play in such manner that it can
accommodate itself to curves while at the same time it can be raised and lowered
at will and it is these improvements substantially as described that I claim as my
invention.
In witness whereof I the said Spooner Shields have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
SPOONER SHIELDS
(LS.)