IMPROVE- MENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAM-CARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hinksman, of 117 Great Russell Street,
. Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAM-CARS PROPELLED BY
MEANS OF ROPES.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hinksman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1883.
'CHARLES HINKSMAN, of 117 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAM-
CARS PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES,"
This invention relates to the means and appliances by which the tran-cars are
propelled on tram roads by endless or other ropes or rope cables, arranged and
travelling in hollow tubes under the roadway.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means of gripping and
releasing the rope, and to enable the gripping portion to be readily removed from
the slotted tube, by the car being backed or otherwise brought to a box, and the
gripper raised on moveable centres.
Ünder the body, or under one or both of the platforms of the car, I attach my
gripping apparatus, which consists of jaws having a vertical motion, or radial
motions resulting in vertical pressure and grip upon the rope.
The jaws which grip the rope are forced towards each other by means of cranks,
levers, cams, eccentrics, and other equivalent mechanical appliances, and the jaws
are caused to approach and recede from each other in vertical, circular, or eccentric
lines or courses. In some cases the upper jaw is fixed to the frame, and the lower
jaw is made to approach it. In other modifications both jaws are made moveable.
Longitudinal axles, either rigid, flexible, tubular, or otherwise, are fitted under
the car, which are actuated by suitable levers, whereby the operations of gripping
and releasing the rope can be effected from one or either of the platforms.
1 arrange radial bars, or equivalent devices, so as to enable the gripping
apparatus, when placed under the platform, or otherwise than under the centre of
the car, to follow the curve of the road, wherever the curvature of the road may
render such an arrangement necessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Hinksman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th September 1883.
CHARLES HINKSMAN of 117 Great Russell Street Bloomsbury in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR WORKING TRAM-CARS
PROPELLED BY MEANS OF ROPES
"
This Invention relates to the means and appliances by which the Tram-cars are
propelled on Tram-roads by endless or other ropes or rope cables arranged and
travelling in hollow tubes under the roadway.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means of gripping and
releasing the rope, and to enable the gripping portion to be readily removed from
the slotted tube, by the car being backed or otherwise brought to a box, and the
gripper raised on moveable centres.
Under the body, or under one or both of the platforms of the car,
I attach my
gripping apparatus, which consists of jaws having a vertical motion, or radial
motions resulting in vertical pressure and grip upon the rope.
The jaws which grip the rope are forced towards each other by means of cranks,
levers, cams, eccentrics, and other equivalent mechanical appliances, and the jaws
are caused to approach and recede from each other in vertical, circular or eccentric
lines or courses. In some cases the upper jaw is fixed to the frame, and the lower
jaw is made to approach it. In other modifications both jaws are made moveable.
Longitudinal axles, either rigid, flexible, tubular, or otherwise, are fitted under
the car, which are actuated by suitable levers, whereby the operations of gripping
and releasing the rope can be effected from one or either of the platforms.
I arrange radial bars or equivalent devices, so as to enable the gripping apparatus
when placed under the platform, or otherwise than under the centre of the car, to
follow the curve of the road, wherever the curvature of the road may render such
an arrangement necessary.
And in order that ny said invention may be fully understood, reference is hereby
made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several figures.
car.
Figure 1 is an elevation (partly in section) of a portion of the road and a Tram-
a is a longitudinal tubular shaft sustained by the attachments a' upon the
axles of the wheels, and firmly fixed to the gripping frame. Inside this shaft is a
crank shaft which actuates the crank b and connecting rod b'. This connecting
rod is in connection with the sliding link c and this sliding link actuates the upper
jaw of the gripping apparatus. The lower jaw d is connected to the two side
frames c. ce is a box in the cable tube. f is a pulley which sustains the cable g
when the same is not held up by the grip. h h are the levers by which the crank
shaft bis actuated.
In some cases the frame itself with the lower jaw is also made capable of vertical
motion, by means of additional cranks or eccentrics, suitable joints being provided,
if necessary, and in such a case the throw of the crank b may be made smaller
in order to divide the travel of the jaws between the two cranks, or the grip
may be effected by the throw of c¹ alone, the bar c being fixed. In such case
vertical guides may be affixed to the car, if found desirable, to keep the lower part
of the rod that actuates the lower jaw vertical, or the bar c which is fixed in this
arrangement may itself be made to act in this manner.
Figure 2 is another longitudinal elevation (partly in section) in which the
tubular shaft is shortened and the crank shaft is actuated by the shafts a², a².

page_text: i is a
These shafts a² a² are connected to the crank shaft by universal joints a³ a³.
lever fixed to the shaft a. The use of this lever is to enable a man to raise the
grip clear of the road as shewn in Figure 3, which is an end elevation of the car.
The levers and i partially balance the weight of the grip, until the latter is
hooked up to a link or chain as shewn, after which the levers h h may be removed
from their sockets.
Figures 4. 41. 42. 43 and 44. are diagrams of the details, which will be readily
understood with the aid of the letters of reference. It will be observed that there
is a certain amount of play in the jaws shewn in Figure 4', the cable being held
at d. Also that the double jaws are for gripping one of two cables when there
are two cables in one tube, as sometimes is the case. Figures 5 and 5¹. are plan
views of Figures 4 and 43.
Figure 6 is a back view of the lever h and notched radius bar with the locking
and releasing gear.
This
Figure represents in elevation one modification of my said invention.
arrangement does not require a continuous shaft under the car, but is fixed at
each end under the platforms. is the platform. h are the hand levers which
actuate the sleeve m and internal shaft n. The sleeve m has two cranks m¹
affixed thereto and connected by rods (not shewn in the diagram) with the links
c. c' and the inner shaft n, by means of the crank n' actuates the link c. These
links respectively operate the jaws which grip the rope. The upper ends of this
fraine are fitted to sliding bars l. which work in guides, and allow the grip to
radiate to any curve of the tube and also to guide the same to a central position
when the road is straight. Figures 8 and 9 shew two of the methods of guiding
the gripping apparatus. In Figure 8 the sliding bars are shewn without a radius
bar, and in Figure 9 a radius bar is added. Other forms of guide bars may be
used for effecting this object. The centre q is placed at or near the line of one of
the axles.
The frame and links of the gripping apparatus shewn in Figure 7 are all fitted
with hinges o o and at the side (or the same may be at the back or front) of each
binge are two sockets fitted with moveable pins p p. When these pins are in the
sockets (as shown in Figure 7) each bar is rigid, but when the pins are removed
the jaws can be raised out of the tube, the hinges acting as joints for that purpose
and the jaws may then be hung by a chain as in Figure 3., or the pins of the
hinges may be removed and the portion of the apparatus detached. By this
arrangement the grip at the forward end of the car may be lowered into the tube
and that at the rear end may be raised clear of the tube and road. The hinges
are so arranged that they are all in line when the rope is released.
In Figure
the details of the grip inside the tube are not fully shewn, as the scale is too small
for the purpose and these details are herein after described.
The apparatus shewn in Figure 7 may be boxed in with a light metallic box
down to the dotted line in order to afford increased rigidity and to protect the
same from dirt.
Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the cable way and a portion of the
gripping apparatus shewing the lower jaw let down, and the upper jaw raised the
cable resting on the pulley.
Figure 11 shews the lower jaw raised and the cable also raised thereby in which
position the cable can slide on the jaw.
Figure 12 shews both jaws gripping the cable.
Figure 13 shews another modification in which the two jaws sweep the position
of the cable whether above or below the centre.
In Figures 14 15 and 16 the brackets which hold the jaw pivots are shewn and
the successive operations are clearly seen-Figure 14 shewing the cable clear,
Figure 15 sustained by the lower jaw and Figure 16 gripped.
This mode of picking up and gripping the cable will prevent the necessity of
"fishing" for the cable, as in former plans, and the cable cannot escape from the
radius of the jaws.

page_text: The devices above described may with obvious modifications be made to apply
to the cases where the lower jaw is fixed and the upper jaw is moveable or
vice versa or where both the jaws are moveable.
The jaws may be lined with alternate linings of hard wood and intermediate
unlined spaces as shewn in Figure 17 or the wood lining may be continuous.
Having thus particularly described 'and 'ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried into effect,
I declare that what I consider novel in the above and what I claim as my
invention, is as follows:-
1. The manufacture and use of gripping apparatus fitted under the body of the
car substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and shewn on the
drawings Figures 1 to 6 or any mere modification thereof.
2. The manufacture and use of gripping apparatus fitted under the platform at
both ends or at one end of the Car substantially as hereinbefore described and
shewn in Figures 7 to 17, or any mere modification thereof.
3 The manufacture and use of gripping" apparatus for Tramcars propelled by
ropes in which the grip is made by channelled jaws closing on the rope from above
and below substantially as and for the purposes described whether such closing is
effected by the movement of one or both jaws.
4. The several methods of actuating the grips hereinbefore described and shewn
on the drawings.
5 The method or means of raising and detaching the gripping apparatus or a
portion thereof as herein before described and shewn on the drawings
6 The application of radial guides substantially as herein before described in
reference to Figures 7. 8 and 9 or any mere modification thereof.
7 The use and manufacture as and for the purposes described of the several
arrangements hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings, together forming
my improvements in means and appliances for working Tram-cars propelled by
means of ropes or cables
In witness whereof I the said Charles Hinksman have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eighteenth day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
CHARLES HINKSMAN
(L.S.)