Improvements in or relating to Overhead or Elevated Railways.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Overhead or Elevated Railways.
I, LUCIAN FORD COOK, of Tacoma, Pierce County, State of Washington,
United States of America, 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 improvement in elevated railways, of the general class
in which the cars hang suspended from the rails on which they travel; and my
improvements apply generally to the track construction, the construction of the
cars and the manner of employing the motive power. My object is to provide a
transportation system which shall combine economy of construction and maintenance
with great possibilities as to speed of transportation coupled with safety and ease
of control.
In carrying out my system, I provide, generally speaking, an elevated track,
suitably supported upon pillars and girders, and from which the cars are suspended,
off of their centers of gravity, at their upper inner sides to travel at one side of the
line of pillars; the track and running gear of the cars being so constructed as to
permit cars suspended from the track at opposite sides to pass each other without
interference. The cars hanging as stated from their upper inner sides or corner-
portions tend to swing inward beneath the rail, and the inward pressure of the
lower part of the car, while it is being maintained in the vertical position, is utilized
to produce the necessary adhesive friction between the car and track structure
where the propelling force is applied.
In the drawings-
Figures 1 and 2 are broken views, taken respectively at right angles to each
other, illustrating the preferred track construction, when electricity is employed
as the motive power, and the manner in which the cars are supported;
Figure 3, an enlarged transverse section of one of the girders which supports the
track between pillars;
Figure 4, an enlarged broken sectional view of an electric motor car upon the
track structure; and
Figure 5, a view showing a construction for propelling the cars by means of a
travelling endless cable.
The pillars A are placed at desired distances apart. They may be wooden posts,
or metal of suitably braced construction firmly anchored in place as indicated in
the drawing. Extending between the pillars are girders B, which may be of any
material affording the necessary strength and stability, though I prefer to provide
them of steel and constructed as shown in the drawing. The track B¹ is at the top
and forms a part of the girder construction. Each track section rests at its ends
upon the tops of adjacent pillars, and when electricity is to be used as the motive
power for the cars, the construction may be as shown in detail in Figure 3. The
track B', there illustrated, is formed with a longitudinal recess t, affording two,
preferably concave, tread-surfaces t¹t, and outer guard flanges t². Formed upon
the under side of the track are two inner ribs or flanges s and two outer flanges s¹
extending the full length of the track, and affording between them sockets s².
The sockets s contain insulating material to which is attached metallic,
preferably copper, plates or wires s' affording electric conductors. Bolted to the
ribs s are side plates which extend the length of the track sections, and are
secured at opposite ends upon the sides of the pillars. At their lower edge
portions the side-plates are flanged to afford outer inclined traction-bearings or
rails ¹, inner tread-surfaces, and friction surfaces r³. At short intervals cross-
plates are provided to extend between the side-plates, and they are bolted in
place to brace the latter and thus strengthen and stiffen the girder.

page_text: The cars C may be of any desired construction and should be as light as possible
consistent with the strength required. As I prefer to provide them the cars are
separated into compartments entered through separate doors on the side of the car,
each compartment being capable of seating four persons. The cars may be of any
length which will permit them to round the curves of the track, and they should be
so arranged as to permit any desired number of cars to be coupled together into
a train. The cars shown in the drawings are divided into three compartments, and
each car is provided at its upper inner side with a bracket p running preferably its
fall length. The bracket p forms part of the main framework of the car and is
capable of sustaining the entire weight of the car and any number of passengers or
other load the car may have to carry. Journaled in opposite end-portions and at
the center of the bracket are car sustaining wheels o preferably somewhat inclined
as shown, and arranged to travel upon the tread surfaces t'. The brackets at their
under sides p' are shaped substantially after the contour of the tread surface t¹ and
guard flange t², so that in the event of the breaking down of the wheels o from any
cause, the bracket will slide upon the surface t¹ and hold the car to the track.
In the construction shown in Figures 2 and 4, where the cars are driven by
electricity, each car is provided on its lower inner side with wheels n, which bear
against and travel upon the traction rail r. Each car is provided with one or
more wheels n which may correspond in relative position with the sustaining
wheels o of the car. One of the wheels n of the motor car of the train may be
mounted on the armature shaft of an electric motor m in the car as shown in
Figure 3 to afford the drive wheel, and if desired all the wheels n of the motor-
car may be geared to the motor-shaft to increase the traction of the car. The
electric current may be taken from the insulated electric conductor s*, by a brush m¹
and conveyed to the motor by means of the wire m². To increase the gripping
surface of the drive wheel n it may be provided with a beveled rim n' to conform
to the surface of the traction rail.
On the underside of the car is a laterally sliding bar provided on its end with
a wheel placed preferably at an angle, as shown, and adapted to engage the
tread-surface. The bar may be moved to carry the wheel into and out of
engagement with the surface 72 by means of an operating lever on the car.
Adjacent to the bar is a similarly mounted brake-bar k provided at its end with a
brake-shoe k¹; and the bar may be slid to cause its shoe to engage the friction
surface by means of a lever on the car. The wheel when forced into
engagement with the tread-surface 2, draws the car inward and thus increases the
frictional engagement between the traction wheel n, and rail ¹, and by causing the
traction wheel to travel upward upon the rail, causes an increased weight of
the car to bear upon the traction wheel. It also prevents undue rise of the car,
from any cause which might permit the wheels o to jump the guard flange t2 and
leave the track.
On the lower inner side of each car is a frame which extends preferably
the full length of the car and projects under the tread-surface of the girder. The
object of the frame f is to afford an additional safeguard against undue rise of the
In event of the wheels breaking down from any cause, the guard frame by
engaging the under surface of the girder when the car rises will prevent its rising
so far as to permit the wheels o to jump over the guard flange t².
car.
It is desirable that each car be provided with at least two wheels placed like the
wheel to guard against undue rise of the car. When the motor is stopped and
the brake-shoe k' is forced against the surface 3 it will operate by its frictional
engagement therewith to stop the car. When it is desired to stop the car quickly,
the wheel may he moved away from the surface and the brake-shoe pressed
against the surface with such force as to swing the wheels n¹ out of contact with
the rail and cause the car to bear the shoe with all its pressure against the friction
surface +3.
In the construction shown in Figure 5, the cars are propelled by frictional
engagement with horizontal drive-wheels kept in constant rotation by an endless

page_text: travelling cable. The track construction is the same as for the electric system
described, except that the recesses s², insulated conductors and traction rails are
absent, and the friction surfaces and tread surfaces r² are formed somewhat
higher upon the girder. Journaled at short intervals along the under side of the
girders are large horizontal drive-wheels i on vertical shafts . The wheels i
project beyond opposite sides of the girders and their circumferential faces
afford traction bearings. Below and integral with the wheels are smaller
horizontally disposed pulleys, the circumferential faces of which are beveled
in the upward direction. Journaled at opposite sides of the pulleys are
pulleys, the circumferential faces of which are beveled in the downward
direction to an angle more abrupt than the faces of the pulleys 2, whereby the
spaces between the pulleys and are slightly wedge-shaped being more
contracted at the lower than at the upper sides. An endless travelling cable /
moves in one direction in the wedge shaped space between the pulleys and ³
at one side of the former, and in the contrary direction in the wedge shaped
space between the pulleys and on the opposite side of the former. The frictional
engagement of the cable with the beveled surfaces of the pulleys enhanced by
the wedging effect produced against the cable causes the pulleys and wheels i
to be rotated by the movement of the cable. The cars have sliding brake-
bars provided with shoes k¹ adapted to be moved into engagement with the
friction surfaces 78; and with guard wheels ', on sliding bars 1, to travel upon
the tread-surfaces ². At the lower inner edge of each car is a beam
affording a friction surface the full length of the car, adapted to bear against
the wheels i. The wheels are placed preferably so close together along the
girders that a car as it travels will always bear against at least two thereof;
and while it is desirable that each wheel i shall be driven by the cable, it may
be found sufficient to have every second wheel a driving wheel and every
intervening wheel i an idler, merely for the beam g to run upon. The brake
and guard-wheel are operated by suitable levers on the car. In starting the
car the brake is withdrawn from the surface to permit the beam g to contact
with the rotating drive wheels i; and to increase the frictional engagement
between the beam and drive wheels the guard wheels may be drawn against the
surface. To stop the car the guard wheels are moved away from the surface r²,
and the brake-shoe is forced against the surface to bear against the latter and
swing the car to move its beam 9 out of contact with the drive wheels i.
g
The track construction is comparatively inexpensive and takes up but little space
in a thoroughfare; and if desired it may be constructed to afford two or more
tracks one above the other, whereby two or more railway lines on which trains may
pass in contrary directions will be sustained by a single line of pillars. The construction
and perfect safety afforded thereby will permit cars to be run at very high speed
without danger of accident. I do not confine my invention to either the electric
or endless cable means of propulsion, as steam or other motive power may be
employed where desired, without involving material change in the general
construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. In a transportation system, a superstructure comprising a single line of girders
mounted upon pillars and supporting a track provided at opposite sides with tread
surfaces, whereby cars each suspended from one side of the track and provided at
their upper inner sides with supporting wheels running upon the said tread surfaces
may pass each other on the track, traction bearings for the cars at opposite sides
of the girder below the track operating to maintain the cars in upright position,
the propulsion of the cars being effected at the said traction bearings, substantially
as described.
2. In a system of elevated railway propulsion, the combination with a car

page_text: suspended off of its center of gravity from an overhead track of a traction bearing
below the track at which the propulsion of the car is effected, and means for
increasing the traction between the car and traction bearing, substantially as
.described.
3. In a system of elevated railway propulsion, the combination with a car
suspended off of its center of gravity from an overhead track, of a traction bearing
below the track, on the superstructure thereof, at which the propulsion of the car
is effected, means for increasing the traction between the car and traction bearing,
a friction surface upon the said superstructure and a brake on the car movable
against said friction surface, substantially as described.
4. In a system of elevated railway propulsion, the combination with a car
suspended off of its center of gravity, of a traction-rail having an inclined tread
surface, and a drive-wheel on said car having a correspondingly inclined tread,
substantially as described.
5. In an elevated railway system in which the cars are suspended off of their
centers of gravity, a track superstructure comprising a single line of girders
mounted upon pillars and supporting a track provided with tread-surfaces and
guard-flanges at opposite sides, whereby cars at opposite sides of the girder may
pass each other on the track, and traction rails on the girder below the track for the
drive wheels of the cars to bear against, substantially as described.
6. The girder B, supported upon pillars and surmounted by a track having tread
surfaces t¹, traction surfaces, friction surfaces ³, and tread surfaces, and an
insulated electric conductor on the girder, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
L
1 1009
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.