Improvements in Elevated Railways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 3rd Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1889-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevated Railways.
I ALFONSO DERAY GATES, of Cleveland, in the County of Cuyahoga and State of
Ohio, United States of America Manufacturer, 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 elevated railways, and is designed to give momentum to
cars propelled thereon, and to reduce the friction of running cars to a minimum.
My invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as herein-
after described, and shown in the drawings, and more particularly pointed out in
the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of my
improved roadway, showing the car and platform with planes in working position.
Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is at transverse broken
section in detail; Fig. 4, a view of brake mechanism; Fig. 5, an elevation of
one of the planes reversed and at rest. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of
my roadway upon an enlarged scale.
In the accompanying drawings, A represents the main frame, composed of four
or more longitudinal stringers.
A¹, are pillars under the frame supporting it from the ground.
B. are short girders, of the box variety, working in the vertical guides B',
secured to the main frame A, and supporting on their upper surfaces the axes (
of the rollers C, over which travels the platform D. From this platform the car E
may depend by means of hangers E', as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 or the car may be
placed upon the top of the said platform as shown in Fig. 6. I prefer to build the car
on the top of the running platform D. If the car depends from the platform D, the
hangers E, are placed with reference to the the length of the car so as to preserve its
equilibriumi. The hangers are provided with springs e at their lower extremity to
modify any jar arising from the motion of the car, and also have guiding-rollers I,
described hereinafter.
upon
ALS
The short girders B, provided with the rollers C, are placed a intervals along the
main frame A in such a manner that the platform D will always be supported by two
of the rollers on each side of the platform. Stops c are placed
the upper surface
of the girders B to limit the movement of the roller axes c¹, length of this run
being such a proportion to the length of the platform D that the axes c¹ will traverse
the distance between the stops c while the platform D is traveling over the periphery
of the rollers C. The diameters of the axes and rollers are also proportioned accordingly.
Any suitable proportions for this purpose may be used. For instance, the platform D
being sixty feet, the run on the girder between the stops c may be five feet,
and the diameter of the axes and rollers, respectively, two inches and twenty-four
inches. I consider the proportions given as practical as any other.
One end of the girder B rests upon a support, a², hereinafter to be described, and
the opposite end rests upon a spring, b, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. As the
platform D comes upon the roller c, the weight of the car will depress that end
of the girder B which rests upon the spring b to a level with the opposite end.
When the girder is relieved of the weight upon it, the spring will raise its end

page_text: of the girder slightly above the opposite end, and thus throw the roller C back to its
starting point, ready for the next on-coming car.
In Fig. 2, is shown a further means for tilting the girders B. This means
consists in the shaft a', carrying eccentric a², which plays under the girder-
planes B. giving these an inclination when the eccentrics are raised to the end of
their throw. The shaft a is supported in bearings a on the stringers of the
frame A. On the eccentric shaft a¹ are keyed large wheels a³, having projections a
on one-half of their periphery. Similar projections on the rear portion of the car
engage the projections on the wheels a³, and turn the eccentric-shaft a¹ and
eccentric a² when the projections on the car reach the projections on said wheels.
In case the car is suspended from the platform D and the engaging projections
are placed on the top of the car, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the eccentric will
be to the front of the shaft a', as shown. The engaging projections at may, however,
be placed on the under side of the platform D, whether the car depends from it, or be
placed on top of it, in which case the eccentrics would be on the opposite side of the
shaft a from that shown in the drawings. Counter-weights as on the wheels a³ will
return them to their former position and bring back the eccentrics while the springs b
will restore the girders B to the position shown in Fig. 5; or other means such as
weights ray be used to restore said girders to their position of rest when relieved of
the weight of the car, or all these means may be combined for this purpose.
The girder at the left of Fig. 1 shows the position of the girders as the platform 1)
leaves them before regaining their original position, while the girder y at the right
of the figure shows their position before being reached by the car-supporting
platform.
To secure the position of the eccentrics a² under the girders B. cleats are secured to
the ander side of the latter, it may be on each side of the said eccentrics, so that the latter
works between them, or a single such cleat may work in a groove in the eccentric as
shown, Figs. 2 and 6, and thereby maintain the girders in proper relation to the
eccentrics, which latter are secured to the shaft upon which they are mounted between
fixed collars, so that they can have no lateral movement upon the shaft, as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3.
A form of brake attachment is shown at E2, supported on the hangers E' and
worked by the rope e', and drum e³, and worm and wheel e³, operated from within the
car by a hand-wheel and gear, e, as shown in Fig: 1. The brake shoes * always
remain in the horizontal position and have their bearing upon the longitudinal
springers E on the main frame A.
Rollers Fupon the hangers E', traverse the inside surfaces of the stringers E³ and
serve to guide the car in its movement, while a knuckle-joint, G, on the hanger
prevents jar to the car at starting and stopping.
It will be observed that motive power for propelling the car-supporting plat-
form D may be applied by various means. What I consider the inost practical
means of propulsion is that of a cable operating either above or below the plat-
form D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:
1) An elevated railway consisting of the supporting pillars A, the main frame A,
the girders B, provided with stops and means for tilting said girders, the rollers C,
and the platform D, substantially as shown.
C
2) In an elevated railway, the combination of the car-supporting platform D,
the rollers C, the girders B, and means for tilting said girders substanitally as
shown.
3) In elevated railway, the platform D and the car E, suspended by and moving
with said platform, in combination with girders adapted to be tilted within certain
limits, and rollers U, adapted to move upon said girders within certain limits with
movement of the car, substantially as described, for the purpose stated.

page_text: 4) In an elevated railway, the girders supported at intervals adapted for indepen-
dent tilting movement within and on each side of the supporting structure, and
provided on their upper surfaces with the fixed stops cc, near each end thereof, in
combination with the rollers C, having their axis resting and rolling upon said girders
between said stops, and the platform D. supported upon said rollers, and the car
suspended from said platform below said girders, substantially as described, for the
purpose specified.
5) In an elevated railway, the platform D and the car E, suspended by and moving
with said platform, in combination with girders B, supported at intervals and adapted
for independent tilting movement within and on each side of the supporting structure,
the rollers C, adapted to have a limited movement upon the said girders, and wheels a³,
supported by said structure and provided with means for engaging the car, substan-
tially as described, for the purpose specified.
6) In an elevated railway, the combination of the platform D, the car E,
suspended thereby and provided with projections e, the girders B, mounted
for independent tilting movement, the rollers C, adapted to have a rolling movement
between stops on said girders and the wheels a³, having projections at upon a portion
of the circumference adapted to engage with the said car projections, in the manner
and for the purpose stated.
7) In an elevated railway, a car-supporting platform propelled upon rollers C and
means for returning said rollers, substantially as shown.
8) In an elevated railway the platform and the car suspended thereby, and means,
substantially as described, for supporting said platform, consisting of the girders B,
adapted to have independent tilting movement, the rollers C, adapted to have limited
movement upon said girders in carrying the car forward, and means for returning
said rollers to their starting point consisting of the spring b, substantially as described,
for the purpose stated.
9) In an elevated railway, the combination, with a car and a platform which carries
and supports the same in suspended relation thereto, of girders Bat intervals in the super-
structure and adapted to have independent tilting movements within certain limits,
and provided with rollers C, adapted to support said platform, to roll upon said
girders, and to be returned by gravity upon said girders, to the starting point,
substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
10) In an elevated railway, the combination, with a car, a platform carrying and
moving with said car in suspended relation thereto, and the rollers C, for supporting
said platform, of a brake attachment depending from said platform in proper relation
to a fixed part of the superstructure, and means, substantially such as described, for
operating said brake from the car, whereby the weight of the car, and its carrying
platform are partially or fully relieved from their rolling supports and transferred to
the bearing of the brake-shoes upon the super-structure, substantially as described, for
he purpose specified.
11) The combination, in an elevated railway, of the platform D, the rollers C,
upporting the latter, a car suspended from said platform, with a brake suspended
rom the latter, consisting of the knee-joint and brake-shoo, the fixed frame-stringer
art E, and means, substantially as described, for connecting said knee-joint with
perating devices of the car, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
Dated this 3rd day of Anansi 1880
HORN & SON,
Agents for Applicants.