Improvements in Electric Railway Systems and Cars.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Railway Systems and Cars.
We, THE BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON COMPANY, LIMITED, of 83, Cannon Street,
in the City of London, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
our said invention (which has been communicated to us from abroad by William
B. Potter, residing at Schenectady, in the County of Schenectady, State of New
York, United States of America, Electrical Engineer), and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:
This invention relates to inclined railways, which are also adapted for traffic
along level road-beds and to cars or locomotives for such railways, and con-
sists in the provision of means whereby a car may travel from a level track to
and up an incline provided with a bearing and rack rail; the arrangement being
such that no adjustment of the parts is necessary before starting up the incline,
no parts project below the rail, no auxiliary axle is required, and the entire
bearing surface of theoretically perfect gear-teeth is utilized.
The invention consists in the combination with the main driving wheel and
gear wheel, of a secondary tread surface which is adapted to act simultaneously
with the gear wheel, upon the inclined way, after the main driving wheel has
left the level track.
Of the drawings, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a car-axle equipped in accord-
ance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of an inclined railway, and
Fig. 3 is an end view of a modification.
A is the main driving wheel of the vehicle, and bears normally on the level
rails. B is the secondary tread surface, shown in Fig. 1 integral with the driv-
ing wheel, and in Fig. 3 integral with the gear C, which gear constitutes a
bearing surface auxiliary to the tread B, and assists the latter up an incline by
engagement with the rack C¹. B¹ is the rail of the incline with which the
tread B engages. This rail and the rack C¹ may have any desired mutual rela-
tion, integral, separate and secured together, or independently secured to the
roadway. In the latter case the wheels B and C might be located on opposite
sides of the driving wheel A, which would rotate freely between the separated
wheel and rack. The wheels A, B, and C, may have any desired position with
respect to each other, for B and C may be so much smaller than A 'that there
is no danger of their interference with guard rails or curves or switches, as has
heretofore been the case.
In order to prevent slipping or breaking of teeth, the pitch circle of the gear
wheel C must be of the same diameter as that of the tread of the wheel B, when
a gear such as is shown in the drawings is used. But the invention is not
limited to this form of gear, for auxiliary gearing may be designed to operate
in the combination, which is not subject to this limitation of the diameter of
pitch circles.
In Fig. 2 are shown the two axles of a truck, only one axle being provided
with a gear, but each provided with the secondary tread.
Fig. 3 illustrates a form in which the axle is extended beyond the journal

page_text: box of the main wheel, and the secondary wheel and gear are mounted on the
extension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention (which has been communicated to us from abroad), and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :—
1 The combination, with the driving wheel of a vehicle, of a secondary tread
surface of smaller diameter than the tread of said wheel, and a bearing surface
auxiliary to said secondary tread, provided with teeth, substantially as described.
2 The combination; with the driving wheel of a vehicle, of a secondary tread
surface of smaller diameter than the tread of said wheel, and an auxiliary bear-
ing surface provided with teeth, the pitch circles of which have the same dia-
meter as that of the said secondary tread surface, substantially as described.
3 The combination, with the driving wheel of a vehicle, of a secondary tread
surface of smaller diameter than that of the tread of said wheel and formed
integral with said wheel, and an auxiliary bearing surface provided with teeth,
the pitch circle of which has the same diameter as that of said secondary tread,
substantially as described.
4 The combination, with the driving wheel of a vehicle, of a secondary tread
surface of smaller diameter than the tread of said wheel, an auxiliary bearing
surface provided with teeth, the pitch circle of which has the same diameter as
that of said secondary tread, the bearing rails and a rack for said toothed sur-
face, substantially as described.
5 The combination, with the level and inclined bearing rails, of a tooth sur-
face extending parallel with the inclined rail, the teeth extending above the
bearing surface of said rail, the vehicle driving wheel, a second wheel having
a tread surface of less diameter than that of the tread of said driving wheel,
and a gear wheel having a pitch circle of the same diameter as that of the tread
of said second wheel, substantially as described.
6 In a railway, the combination with the track rails, of the rack, and the
auxiliary rails or surfaces, out of line with the track rails horizontally.
In a railway, the combination with the track rails, of the rack, and the
auxiliary rails or surfaces out of line with the track rails horizontally and
making a vertical angle therewith.
T
1
1
1000