IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES AND IN THE AXLES OF SUCH RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES. PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edward Schofield Thornhill of Beswick, near
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, Thomas Forkuall of
Fairfield near Manchester, aforesaid, Engineer and Edward Thornhill
of Ardwick near Manchester aforesaid, Overlooker, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES,
TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES AND IN THE AXLES OF SUCH RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward Schofield
Thornhill, Thomas Forknall, and Edward Thornhill at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1883.
JAMES EDWARD SCHOFIELD THORNHILL of Beswick near Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, THOMAS FORKNALL of Fairfield near Manchester
aforesaid, Engineer, and EDWARD THORNHILL of Ardwick near Manchester
aforesaid, Overlooker "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES, AND IN THE AXLES OF SUCH
RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES."
Our invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the axles and
bearings of wheels of railway carriages tramcars and other vehicles and consists in
arrangements whereby we are enabled to reduce the amount of tractive force
required to move such railway carriages, tramcars or other vehicles.
We accomplish the above object by making the journals or necks of the axles of
railway carriages tramcars and other vehicles of less diameter than those hitherto
in use. To enable us to form such necks or journals of a less diameter than those
hitherto in use without decreasing the strength thereof we mount each wheel of the
railway carriage tramcar or other vehicle upon a separate axle such axle having
necks or journals formed thereon at opposite sides of the said wheels. The said
journals or necks revolve within any suitable axle box or bearing which supports
the body of the railway carriage tramcar or other vehicle by means of springs or
other suitable apparatus.

page_text: In some cases we connect the axles upon one side of the railway carriage or
tramcar with the axles corresponding thereto at the opposite side of such railway.
carriage or tramcar by means of a suitable coupling box or other suitable apparatus
the axles being prolonged for this purpose, the said coupling box or other suitable
apparatus serving to maintain the axles above named in a line with each other
and at the same time leaving them free to revolve independently of each other.
In another arrangement we propose to mount each of the wheels of vehicles
used on cominon roads so as to be capable of being rotated upon a fixed axle which
at each side of the wheel is connected to, and supports such vehicle by means of
springs or other equivalents therefor. By this arrangement we are enabled to
reduce the diameter of the fixed axle without diminishing its strength and we are
thus enabled to reduce the tractive force requisite to movo such vehicle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Edward Schofield Thornhill, Thomas Forknall, and Edward
Thornhill in the Patent Office on the 30th April 1884.
JAMES EDWARD SCHOFIELD THORNHILL of Beswick near Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Engineer THOMAS FORKNALL of Fairfield near Manchester
aforesaid Engineer and EDWARD THORNHILL of Ardwick near Manchester
aforesaid Overlooker " IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES AND IN THE AXLES OF SUCH
RAILWAY CARRIAGES TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES
"
Our Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the axles and
bearings of the wheels of railway carriages tramcars and other vehicles and consists
in arrangements whereby we are enabled to reduce the amount of tractive force
required to move such railway carriages tramcars or other vehicles.
We accomplish the above object by making the journals or necks of the axles
of railway carriages train cars and other vehicles of less diameter than those
hitherto in use-To enable us to form such necks or journals of a less diameter
than those hitherto in use without decreasing the strength thereof we mount each
wheel of the railway-carriage tramcar or other vehicle upon a separate axle such
axle having necks or journals formed theroon at opposite sides of the said wheel-
The said journals or necks revolve within any suitable axle box or bearing which
supports the body of the railway carriage tram car or other vehicle by means of
springs or other suitable apparatus
In some cases we connect the axles upon one side of the railway carriage tram
car or other vehicle with the axles corresponding thereto at the opposite side of
such railway carriage train car or other vehicle by means of a suitable coupling box
or other suitable apparatus the axles being prolonged for this purpose the said
coupling box or othor suitable apparatus serving to maintain the axles above

page_text: named in a line with each other and at the same time leaving them to revolve
independently of each other.
In order that our Invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect we will now proceed to more particularly describe the same reference
being made to the drawing hereunto annexed.
Fig: 1 is a plan Fig: 2 a side elevation and Fig: 3 an end view of so much of a
railway carriage or tramcar as is requisite to illustrate our invention. At a. a¹. a². a³
are axles fast upon which are mounted wheels b. b'. 62. 6³ respectively-For the
present we will assume that the axles a. a¹ a' a³ terminate at the points A. A¹. A². A³
respectively and as the axles a². a². a³ and wheels 6¹. 6. 6³ are similar to the axle a
and wheel 6 respectively we shall only describe the axle a and wheel b and to the
remaining axles and wheels we shall affix similar letters of reference with the
addition of a distinguishing number attached thereto.
At c. c. are end pieces made of timber or other suitable material secured to which
end pieces c. in any convenient manner are other pieces of timber or other
suitable material d. d. d. d-Secured to the pieces d d. d d are plates of metal a f
upon which are formed projecting parts or horn plates ex fx which act as guides
between which the axle boxes ; & mounted upon the axle a may slide-Although
we have shown one horn plate e* f* for each axle box j. k two of such horn
plates may be employed if desired or the plates e. f may be dispensed with and the
azle boxes j. may be connected to the frame of the railway carriage or tramcar
by means of springs or in any other convenient manner-The axle boxes j. k are
provided with steps one only of which is shown which steps are supported upon
necks or journals a* a** formed upon the end of the axle a one neck or journal a*
being at one side of the wheel b and the other neck or journal a** being at the
other side of such wheel b-The axle boxes j. k may support the frame of the
railway carriage or tram car by means of any ordinary arrangement of spring or
springs as shown at g. h.-Upon the axle boxes j. k are projecting parts which act
as guides to retain such axle boxes j. k in position when sliding upward and
downward upon the guide plates e. ƒ The journals a**a** formed upon the axle a
have collars formed at their ends so that the axle a is prevented from 'moving
longitudinally
By forming two necks or journals a* a** upon the axle a one of such necks
being upon one side of the wheel b and the other neck or journal being upon the
other side of the wheel b we divide the portion of the weight of the railway
carriage or-tramcar and its load to be supported by the wheel b between the two
necks or journals a* a**-By dividing the load supported by the wheel b between
the two necks or journals a* a** we are enabled to reduce the diameter of such
necks or journals a* a** without increasing the liability of the axle a to bending
or fracture-By reducing the diamoter of the necks or journals of the axles of
railway carriages and tramcars as above described we reduce the friction of such
necks or journals upon the steps or bearings within which such necks or journals
revolve and we thus cause a less amount of tractive force to be required to move
Buch railway carriages or tramcars aforesaid.
In the drawing we have shown a railway carriage or tramcar having four wheels
but it will be readily understood that a greater number of wheels may be employed
if desired.
We have hitherto referred to the axles a. a' a³, a' as being independent of each
other but we propose in some cases to connect the axles a. a. upon one side of the
railway carriage or tramcar to the axles a' a³ respectively upon the opposite side
of such railway carriage or tramcar in which case we prolong the axle a to the
point C and form upon the said axle a a collar n— -We prolong the axle a¹ to the
point C and form or secure thereon a socket o within which passes the end p of the
axle a. Upon the socket o we form a flange q-At ris a plate secured to
the socket o by means of bolts & provided with nuts-The plate has a circular
opening formed therein within which the axle a is free to be revolved―The plater
maintains the collar n within the circular recess formed in the socket o thereby

page_text: preventing the axles a. a from separating longitudinally-The socket o bolts a
plater and collar n forming a coupling which serves to maintain the axles a a¹ in
a line with each other while at the same time leaving them free to revolve inde-
pendently of each other.-We desire it to be understood that we do not confino
ourselves to the above described construction of coupling for connecting the axles
as any suitable arrangement of coupling may be employed-Although we have
herein before only referred to our invention as being applied to railway carriages
and tramcars we would have it understood that our said invention may be applied
to other vehicles.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed we desire it to be understood that
we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters Patent :-
:
Mounting each of the wheels of railway carriages tramcars and other vehicles
upon separate axles each of such axles being provided with two necks or journals
one at each side of the wheel which is mounted upon the said axle substantially in
the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and shown in referenco to
and in and by the drawing hereunto annexed
In witness whereof we the said James Edward Schofield Thornhill, Thomas
Forknall and Edward Thornhill have hereunto set our hands and seals this
twenty eighth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and eighty four.
JAMES EDWARD SCHOFIELD THORNHILL (L.S.).
THOMAS FORKNALL
EDWARD THORNHILL
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
"