Improvements in Grips for Cable Cars.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Grips for Cable Cars.
I, WILLIAM HENDERSON RUSSELL, of Vancouver, in the County of Westminster,
in the Province of British Columbia, in the Dominion of Canada, Carpenter, 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 devices for gripping the steel cables of cable car
railroads.
The object of my invention is a grip that will start the car without a jerk, will
not wear the cable near as much as the grips now in use and that can be operated
by any ordinary lever now in use.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved grip with operating lever attached.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the grip on a larger scale, partly in section, the lever
being omitted.
'
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the lower jaw on line x Figs. 12 and 4 on a
larger scale, showing the oil ducts, with the parts in the rear in perspective.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the grip on line y y Figs. 1 2 5 and 6, being
through the upper jaw.
Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the grip on line z z Figs. 12 and 4.
Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section of the grip on line vv, Figs. 12 and 4.
Two jaws, one rigidly and one movably supported, have each journalled in them
a series of grooved pulleys or friction rollers A A' placed hit and miss one above
the other and about one and a half to two diameters apart from center to center,
the end pulleys in the lower jaw being of a little larger diameter than the inter-
mediate ones and placed so that their bearing surface is slightly higher than the
intermediate's. Said pulleys or rollers A and A' are made with reduced axles a,
formed integrally or otherwise, so as to form proper anti-friction rollers. Said
axles a are journalled in journal plates B B and B' B' each provided at its upper
edge with a deep groove b, covered with a slide b¹ and from which boles, b", are
drilled through to the journal bearing. Said grooves are the oil reservoirs and
serve to lubricate the axle bearings of the friction rollers A and A'. Each pair of
journal plates is connected by a blocking piece C and C' respectively (Figs. 234
5 and 6)-extending high up between the plates and shaped out to allow room for
each pulley A or A' and through which the bolts D pass, which hold them together.
Each filling piece projects respectively below the lower and upper edges of the
plates B and B', the lower one C being rabbeted at its lower rear edge, flush with
the lower edge of the rear plate, to sit upon and fit the horizontal limb of a heavy
angle iron E through the upper or vertical limb of which the bolts D pass, and
having a projecting ledge c at the front, forming a rabbeted seat for the lower front
edge of the plate B; the upper one, C₁, also projecting over the top edge of the
upper front plate B' by a ledge c', forming a rabbeted seat for the upper edge of
the upper front plate B'. The ledge c¹ of the filling piece C¹ thus covers up the
oil groove b and holes c¹ are made in it (Fig. 5) to facilitate the filling with a
lubricant. The lower one, C, has also a perforation, 2, (Figs. 2 3 and 6) under
each pulley to prevent the recess, 3, being clogged up.
The lower jaw thus composed of the journal bars B with its rollers A and A',
filling piece C and angle iron E held together by the bolts D, is secured to two upright
yoke plates F, one at each end, flush at the rear with the angle iron, to which they

page_text: are spliced and riveted, (see Figs. 5 and 6) and lashed by an angle and buffer
plate F¹ which surrounds the outer edge and extends part of the way up. The
upper part is set over to accommodate the jaws in the groove of the subway and
the upper end is secured between the two frame bars G, which are attached to the
car, as shown in Figs. 12 and 6, being, held by the bolts g.
The upper jaw,
composed of the journal bars B with its rollers A and A' and the filling piece C,
is secured to the central plate Hwhich slides between the edges of the plates F
and passes between the two frame bars G and to the upper part of which the
operating lever I is pivoted and the quadrant J secured. The back of the claw i.
of the plate H to which the journal plate is attached, is flush with the angle iron E
and the upper part is set over to be in line with the upper part of the yoke plates F
and to pass between the bars G so as to slide freely in them. The edges preferably
overlap the yoke plates F, forming a rabbeted guide-way h. The lever I is
connected with the frame bars G by a pair of links I', one on each side, being
'secured by a bolt or pin 1" passing through the slot ¹ in the plate H to allow free
up and down movement to the latter.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a cable K is shown in position between the two jaws. Oil
tubes, L, are also shown in Fig. 2 to facilitate filling the oil groove in the lower
rear journal plate B.
It is essential that each pulley or roller A or A¹ be approximately central between
two pulleys or rollers journalled in the jaw above or below and that they are not
placed too far apart to allow the pulley or roller opposite a space to press the cable
too far into the intermediate space and thus bend it too much. I find in practice
that the bending or kinking of the cable necessary to effective traction is hardly
appreciable and it is in this that the greatly increased life of the cable is presumably
to be found.
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 I
claim is :-
1. In a cable grip, the combination of two series of small grooved pulleys or
friction rollers placed one above the other, the rollers in each series being placed
comparatively close together and in the center of the space of the opposite series,
one series formed in a jaw open at the top and secured to an upright plate at each
end which is carried by frame bars attached to the car, the other series formed in
a jaw open at the bottom and secured to a central plate adapted to move vertically
between the plates holding the bottom jaw and the frame bars and having the
operating lever attached to it, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of two journal plates or bars B having their upper edges
recessed and provided with a cover to form a reservoir for lubricants, the filling or
'blocking piece C shaped to allow room for pulleys open at the top and to receive
one of the bars B on one side and the edge of an angle iron on the other, an angle
iron E receiving and carrying one of the journal plates B and the blocking piece C,
bolts D passing through said journal plates filling piece and angle iron and a series
of grooved pulleys or rollers A and A¹ having a reduced journal bearing or axle a
journalled in said journal plates comparatively close together, substantially as
set forth.
3. The combination of two journal plates or bars B₁ having their upper edges
recessed to form a reservoir for lubricants, a blocking or filling piece C' shaped to
allow room for pulleys open at the bottom, bolts D connecting the journal plates
and blocking piece and a series of grooved pulleys or rollers A and A¹ having a
reduced bearing or axle a journalled in said journal plates comparatively close
together and the series containing one less than the mate with which it is to work,
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of frame bars G attached to a car, yoke plates F rigidly
secured to said frame and having a set-back f, an angle iron E secured to the lower
end of said yoke plates and a jaw open at the top and having a series of friction

page_text: pulleys A and A' journalled in it secured to said angle iron, a plate H adapted to
move vertically between the yoke plates and pass between the frame bars G, an
operating lever pivoted to said plate, links pivoted to said frame bars G and
connected with said lever, a jaw open at the bottom and having a series of friction
pulleys A and A' journalled in it so as to be central between two of them in the
jaw below and said jaw secured to plate H, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of May A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM H. RUSSELL,
Per A. Harvey,
His Agent.