US169322A - Improvement in elevated railways - Google Patents

Description

J. WESTGOT'T.

Elevated-Railway.

910,169,322, Patented0ct.26,l875.

i4 1 r% W A'FTOBNEYS,

MPETERi PHOWUTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C'- IMPROVEMENT lN ELEVATED RAlLVilA'VS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,32 2, dated October 26, 1875; application filed September 13, 1875.

e To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Wnsrcorr, of

' had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which-,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with a part of the car broken away Fig. 2, an end view.

The object of this invention is to provide a cheaper construction of railroads than that now in use and it consists in the particular construction of a single-rail elevated track in combination with a specially-constructed car, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing, A represents the single iron rail, which is made of, the best iron or steel. Said rail is fastened securely to the wooden beam B, which is about twelve inches square and securely fastened upon the tops of the piles O. The latter are made either of wood or iron, and driven into the ground in I a line, and a sufficient distance down to make a steady and reliable support, the number in a given space, and the interval between, be-

ing regulated according to the amount and character of the traffic over the same. D is the specially-constructed car, which is provided with a single pair of wheels, E E, one at the front and the other at the rear of the car, upon the outside, instead of beneath the same, and so arranged in housings that the bottom of the car will be near the rail, so as 'to lower the center of gravity as much as possible and prevent the car from being topheavy. The wheels E are provided with two flanges, which extend down on each side of the rail, straddling the same. The body of the car is extended down upon each side of the piles, at F, to a distance of about three feet, which extensions form baggage or freight receptacles paneled upon the outside, and to which access is had through doors opening outwardly. The said extensions help to balance the car, and are faced upon the inside with iron rails 00, which engage with friction-wheels G upon the sides of the piles, to support the car and prevent any swaying motion. Said friction-wheels are made with flat smooth faces, and are located some distance below the rails, and near the bottom edge of the car, the function of said wheels being not so much for guiding as they are for fending off and preventing the gripin g.

The object of placing the friction-wheels upon the piles and the side-supporting rails on the car is to lessen the expense of construction, the wheels upon the piles taking the place of iron rails, which would otherwise have to be substituted therefor, so that the only cost for guide-rails is that upon each side of the car. Another advantage arising out of this arrangement is, that the wheels, when placed upon the piles, do not rotate continuously and become hot and worn, as would be 7 the case if they were attached to the car.

By means of the above-described construction, the cost of railroads is greatly lessened, as is alsothe cost of current repairs, the piles not being affected by frosts and rains so as to render the track uneven, as is the case with the earth-beds of the cross-ties. The work of grading, bridge-building, &c., is also very greatly reduced, the piles being madeto project above the ground different lengths, according to the face of the country, so as to bring the top of the same upon the same'hor izontal line. The track being, therefore, always smooth and even, there is comparatively but little wear and tear upon the rolling-stock, and theheavy expense of maintaining large gangs of section-men dispensed with.

I am aware of the fact that a single-track railway has been constructed, in which guiding and supporting rails attached to thelower sides of the car are made to move in grooved pulleys, arranged upon each side of the track, above the main rail, and upon independent supports, and I therefore confine my invention to the particular devices shown and described. In the case referred to, however, the road necessitates the employment of crossties, which it is the object of my invention to dispense with, and the pulleys, being above the rail, are required to be grooved in order to hold and guide the car in an upright position, whereas my pendent baggage-extensions make a self-sustaining car, with which the fiat friction rollers upon the piles are only employed to fend off and prevent griping.

Having-thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, is-

[n asingle-rail railway the combination, with the car having pendent baggage-receptacles, faced upon the inside with iron rails, of the single beam B, surmounted by the main rail, and the supporting-piles 0, having the flatfaced friction-rollers G attached to each side of the same, below the main rail and near the level of the bottom of thependent extension,

substantially as and for the purpose described. The above specification of my invention signed by me this 9th day of September, A.

JOHN WESTOOTT.

Witnesses:

SoLoN O. KEMON, CHAS. A. PETTIT.

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