AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR VARYING THE GAUGE OF CARRYING WHEELS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, FREDERICK MACKINLAY, of Buenos Ayres, in the Argentine Republic, but
temporarily of 23 Rood Lane, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said 'Invention for "AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR VARYING
THE GAUGE OF CARRYING WHEELS," to be as follows:-—
My Invention relates to improvements in axles and carrying wheels, and it is
designed to enable the wheel gauge to be varied at will and with ease, to allow of
a Railway Truck or other vehicle passing from one gauge of Railway or other Lines
to another.
My axle is formed with a right handed screw at one end, and a left handed screw
at the other end, of lengths corresponding to the extreme difference in gauges, and
the hubs of the wheels are internally screw threaded to run upon the external.
screw threads of the axles.
When the wheels are home in their extreme positions against either collar
provided on the axle, they are checked there by two or more stops at right angles
to the boss coming home upon other similar projections from the said collars.
When the wheels are in proper position for any desired gauge, they are securely
locked in place by clamped sleeves over the uncovered portion of the screw thread
on the axles.
These sleeves lock by means of square faces, projections, or blocks, against the
corresponding stops aforesaid upon the boss of the wheel and the collar of the axle
respectively.
The sleeves may be of various lengths, to allow of the wheels being locked upon
any part of the screwed travel to suit varying gauges.
The method of operation for effecting the change of gauge is as follows-
A pair of gradually widening switch tongues is provided between the rails of the
narrower and broader gauges, suitable crossing pieces being provided in conjunc-
tion with such switch tongues, so as to allow the wheels when widening or
narrowing in gauge to run from the narrow set of rails to the wider set, or vice
versâ. The angle of the said switch tongues is made to suit exactly the pitch of
the screw threads upon the axles-Where these switch tongues are used, each pair
of wheels must be caused to widen or narrow successively as they pass the
widening switches, by apparatus hereinafter more fully described.

page_text: Should it be desirable for all the wheels to alter gauge simultaneously, I
provide plate rails of the full width of the space between the narrow and wider
gauges.
Upon these plate rails all the wheels can travel outwards or inwards simul-
taneously.
I groove these plate rails with a series of parallel grooves with rounded pro-
jections between those on one plate diverging from those on the other to suit the
widening or narrowing pitch of the screws.
The wheels then, as they travel outwards or inwards, are sure to drop into one
or other set of grooves, and, thus to be guided accurately until they reach internal
guard rails, so that the carriage or wagon is maintained during the change centrally
to the rails.
To cause the wheels to travel accurately upon the screw threads at any required
moment, I lock the axle by a suitable friction or other clutch, which, inay auto-
matically be put into action by a lever at the switch points, or may be operated by
an attendant at any moment.
To effect a change of gauge, the sleeves over the threads; are first unlocked
and removed, the axles are then locked, either by the immediate action of the
shunter (the wheels in this case all travelling inwards or outwards simultaneously
upon the plate rails as herein-before described) or, the locking of the axle is automa-
tically put into action by a shunt lever, the wheels in this case travelling inwards
or outwards successively as they reach the shunting switches and shunt lever.
When re-set to the wider or narrower gauge the sleeves are all re-adjusted and
re-locked in place by the shunter.

page_text: CITIVATION
I, FREDERICK MACKINLAY, of Buenos Ayres, in the Argentine Republic, but
temporarily of 23 Rood Lane, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR VARYING
THE GAUGE OF CARRYING WHEELS" 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 improvements in axles and carrying wheels, and it is
designed to enable the wheel gauge to be altered at will, and with ease, to allow of
a railway truck, locomotive, carriage, or any other vehicle travelling upon gauged
rails passing from one gauge to another.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which
like letters refer to similar parts in the different views.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck fitted with form of my improved device.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the modification of the permanent way for effecting any
desired change of gauge.
Figure 4 is a transverse section through an axle and wheels fitted with my.
aforesaid improved device.
Figure 5 is an outside view, end view, and an inside view respectively, of
a detached clip, part of my said device.
Figure 5 is a detail of a detached alternative light dust clip.
The axles A and the carrying wheels B are provided with a right handed
screw C¹ at one end, and a left handed screw C at the other; upon which the hubs
of the wheels are fitted by an internally cut screw thread, to travel along the screw
threads of the said axle, when the change of gauge is to be effected by two of my
alternative methods. When the wheels are at their extreme positions for the
narrowest and widest gauges for which they are fitted, the hubs B of the wheels B
lock by means of a projecting tooth or teeth, cut upon each face of the said hubs,
against similar projecting teeth upon collars or shoulders D, D, D, provided in any
convenient manner upon the said axle. These aforesaid teeth are formed on both
the hubs of the wheels and collars of the axles, by cutting out the whole, half,
quarter or any fractional portion of a turn of the screw thread cut upon the axle
of the wheels according to the number of the projecting teeth required upon the
said hubs and collars.
When the wheels are in proper position for any desired gauge they may be
securely locked in place by a longitudinal key or bolt E, E, fitting in a longitudinal
slot, cut in the said axle and through the hubs of the said wheels, or alternatively,
by clamped sleeves or clips F, F, (shown in detail.at Figure 5, and clamped in place

page_text: in Figures 2 and 4), the said clips being either internally screwed or plain inside
and provided with corresponding projecting teeth, f, as described in connection with
the teeth upon the said hubs and collars. The said clips are conveniently made with
projecting flanges, so as to overlap the joints, and to protect the same from dust by
an india rubber or other suitable joint ring therein, or both the said clips and the
said bolt may be used in conjunction with one another, when a long run is to be
made without change of gauge.
•
In place of the said long locking key or bolt, two short ones for each wheel may
be used, or the locking bolt might be pierced through the hubs of the wheels, and
the axle, perpendicularly to its axis.
Where the change of gauge is frequent it may be convenient to dispense with
the said clamped slecves or clips F (Figure 5) using only the bolt as a locking
device, and in such case I protect, the screw thread upon the axle, and the joints
between the hubs of the wheels and collars, by means of light dust clips F¹ (shown
in detail in Figure 5), which are fitted with suitable india rubber joint rings, so as
to close hermetically over the said collars and bosses; or the said dust clips may be
made telescopic, so as to close up or elongate on change of gauge without removal.
The wheels may be locked both by the aforesaid longitudinal keys or bolts, and
by the aforesaid clips of suitable length, in any intermediate position between that
of the extreme gauges to suit any intermediate gauge.
The method of operation for effecting the change of gauge is as follows:-
A suitable, plain, flanged, trough rail or girder G (Figures 3 and 4) is provided in
any suitable siding, or at a point connecting two lines of different gauge one with
another: The said trough rail G is of a width equal to that between the outside of
the wheel when on the widest gauge, and the inside of the flange of the said wheel,
when altered to the narrow gauge, as shown in position in Figure 4.
When the truck, carriage, locomotive or vehicle reaches the point thus provided,
to effect the change of gauge, the wheels are unlocked upon the axles by the
withdrawal of the key E, and the removal of the clips F, if the latter had been in
use. The brake H (Figure 1) is now put into action by the external lever h or by
a hand wheel, or any other suitable device so as to firmly seize and hold the axles A
by means of the brake drums KK, The truck, carriage, or other vehicle is now
caused to travel with the axles securely held by the brake, by the locomotive or any
other tractive force, the wheels thus revolving upon the screw threads (before
described as cut upon the axles) and thus altering their position upon the axle to
a wider or narrower gauge, whilst travelling on their flanges in the trough rail G,
according to the direction of movement. When the necessary travel to bring them
to the altered gauge has been effected, the hubs check upon the teeth of the
collars D, or upon the face of any clip F, that may have been left upon the axle for
a change to an intermediate gauge. The wheels are then locked in place by the
aforesaid bolt or key E and the clips, if used, are replaced in position upon the
axle.
The aforesaid plate or trough rail G may be provided of such a length as to
allow only successive trucks, carriages, locomotives, or other vehicles, to change in
succession as they pass this point or may be of sufficient length to effect the change
simultaneously throughout a train of of any length,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The method of effecting a change of gauge in carry wheels. By the rotation
when unlocked, of the wheels with internally screwed hubs upon a right and left-
handed screwed axle, when the latter is seized by a brake, and the wheels run
upon a trough girder or plate rail, the wheels, after change, being locked in
place by toothed clips or by horizontal or vertical bolts or keys, substantially as
described.

page_text: 2nd In a truck or vehicle, fitted for effecting change of gauge, the combination of
a right and left handed screw axle, and wheels with screwed hubs thereon, with
locking toothed clips, and with an axle brake, substantially as described.
3rd The combination with the truck or vehicle, as claimed in claim 2, of a pair
of trough or plate rails, laid so as to connect the different gauges or rails, to allow
the change of gauge to be effected, substantially as described.
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.