US373605A - Elevated railway - Google Patents

Description

2 SHGGES STIG 611' 1 (No MQdl.)

13(1). READ.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

Patented Nov. 22, 1887.

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(No Model.)

D. D. READ.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

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- will afford the least possible obstruction to the wheels or pairs of wheels at the base, that susor pairs of wheels above the car-body, which 1 trusses are necessarily in a different plane from trussed suspension plan, which affords great UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. DEAN READ, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

. ELEVATED RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of lbet ters Patent No. 373,605, dated November 22, 1887.

Application filed June 15, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. DEAN READ, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Elevated Railways, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The object of my invention, relating to ele vated railways, is to produce a railway that streets in which it maybe erected, both as to ground-space occupied by the foundations and air-space occupied by thesuperstructure. The rails or supports for the cars are beneath the middle of the cars, which have centrally-located tain the weight, and centrally-located wheels may take a portion of the weight, but the main function of which is to retain the car in upright position, as the lower support in itself is not wide enough to afford the requsite stability. The track or road is constructed on the length of span between the columns or supporting-uprights, so that a less number of such columns will be required than in plans of elevated-railway construction usually adopted. The columns are extended to a height above the tops of the cars and form the supports for the suspension-cables, and at a short distance below their tops support a narrow truss, with which is connected the rail or rails for the wheels above the cars; and lower down the columns support the truss that sustains the rail or track on which the wheels beneath the cars run, the said truss being also supported from the suspension-cables. For a double-track road a single line of columns between the tracks may be used,the trusses being supported at either side of the said columns and the cars running by the sides of the columns; or in some cases it may be desirable to make double columns, between which the trusses are supported and the cars run. In either case the the suspension-cables, and rest on short cross beams or braces supported on the columns and on the cables. The cars are preferably narrow in proportion to their height, and the Serial No. 241,411. (No model.)

seats may be arranged in any convenient manner to best accommodate the occupants.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of one span of an elevated railway embodying this invention, sho wing, also, in side elevation, one of the passenger-stations and the stairway leading to it and one of the cars; Fig. 2, a plan view of the railway structure; Fig. 3, a cross-section showing the construction in which the vertical columns are between the two tracks; Fig. 4, a similar section showing the'construction in which a double column or upright is used, with the tracks between the two members; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the column represented in -Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a transverse vertical section of one of the cars, showingthe construction of the wheels and rails; and Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, details of construction of the various parts, to be hereinafter referred to.

The structure is supported at suitable points on columns or uprights a, Figs. 1 and 2, which may be of any suitable construction, being preferably, as shown, an open-trussed framework composed of angle or channel iron uprights, and connecting diagonal members of plate-iron riveted thereto. The said columns are extended upward to a point some distance above the top of the cars, when the latter are supported at the proper distance above the roadway, as shown, and thus afford an elevated point of support for suspension-cables b, proportioned to sustain the greater part .of the load on the span between each-two consecutive columns along the line of the structure. The said cables, which are preferably two in numher, as shown in Fig. 2, support at their middle point a cross-beam, 0, upon which rest the trusses d, that constitute the road-bed or main support for the traveling load, said trusses each being practically a continuous girder, composed of upper and lower members of channel or angle iron connected by suitable bracing-of plate-iron all securely riveted together. The said trussesd are supported on the cross-beam c, at the middle of the cables b, and on similar cross-beams supported directly on the columns a, and thus, owing to the support of the cables I), have to be only of a strength and stiffness sufficient to support the load on half the span between the two columns,

the effect of thecables 6 being equivalent to that of another column intermediate between the two shown; and as the portion of the columns a above the truss d or road-bed and the cables I) affords but little obstruction to light and air, the whole structure is much more desirable than one composed of a similar truss supported on double the number of columns extending only from the road-bed to the truss. The upper part of the columns a also forms the support for cross-beams or members e,(see Figs. 3 and 4,) on which are supported continuous trusses f, at the proper height to extend along above the cars in the same plane as the trusses (1 below the cars. The said trusses f are also supported between the columns a upon cables I) on the said columns a.

For a double-track road the columns a and cables b supported thereon may be placed between the trusses d, as shown in Fig. 3, or the said columns may be made in two parts, a a", as shown in Fig. 4, with the cross-beams or members a and esupported between them,and the trusses d and f extending along between the said members a a of the verticalsupports or columns. This latter construction of the columns is preferably for a single-track road.

The construction of the car and the co-operating rails of the track is best shown in Fig. 6, the car-body m being provided below its base with two trucks, a, each swiveled on a bolt, 0 so as to conform to sharp curves in the track. The lower wheels, 0, may be made as shown in Figs. 6, S, and 9, each as a single wide wheel running onjournals o, and having two grooves or treads, 0, that co-operate with the rails 1). (Shown as consisting of two angleirons or a single channel-iron securely fastened to the upper member, (1, of the truss d.) The bearing-piece o for the wheels is inclosed in a cylindrical portion or drum, 0, forming part ofa frame, 0 (shown in underneath plan in Fig. 7,) securely fastened to the car-body and affording a suitable bearingsupport for the said swiveled bearing-pieces 0 of the trucks. The said rails 12 form, practically, a portion of the upper member of the truss, and inelose a deep channel between them which may contain a propelling-cable, 7, when cable propulsion is to be used for the cars.

In some cases it may be desirable to make the supporting-wheels in pairs, as represented at 0*", Fig. 10, instead of using the construction shown in Fig. 9. Although the supporting-wheels afford a considerable width of base of support for the car,they would not ofthemselves give the requisite stability; and in order to maintain the cars in their upright position they are provided at their top with swiveled hangers if, provided with wheels t, that run on flaugesa on aninverted- Ushaped iron, a, connected with the lower member of the upper truss, f, as shown in Fig. 6.

\Vhile the main function of-the truss f and flanges or rails a supported thereon, and the co-operating trucks or wheels and hangers of the ear, is to keep the said cars upright, these parts may be constructed and proportioned to sustain a greater or less part of the weight of v the cars and their contents, and the inverted- U-shaped iron u afiordsa convenient support and protection for an electric cable, 1), which may be used when the trains are to be propelled by electricity, the said cable beingsuitably insulated from the truss and the electricity conveyed from it to the electric loeomotive by means ofa roller or brush connected with the said locomotive and traveling along in electrical contact with the said cable.

The construction of the frame-piece of, that connects the upper trucks or hangers with the car-body, is substantially the same as that of theloWerframe-pieee. (Representedin Fig. 7.)

The ear-body m is shown as provided with sliding doors in at its sides, and the usual end platforms are not required.

The construction of the station is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the same being supported on columns a, a at the side of the track, said columns supporting a platform, a", at the level of the car-floor and a roof or awning, a, above the said platform, which may be also supported between the columns a a upon a suspension cable, I)", connected with the upper ends of-thecolumns a and a and anchored to the cross-beams c of the adjacent spans of the track. The said platform a is provided at its entrance with a ticket office, a", reached from the street by steps a, or any suitable or usual elevating mechanism.

There will usually be two station-platforms rco at the same locality-one at each side of the tracks-and the strains of the supporting-connections between the track and station structures will thus be balanced.

By employing the comparatively narrow supporting-track placed centrally over the supportingtruss d, as herein shown, the usual cross tiers or sleepers for supporting the rails may be omitted, and one of the greatest obstructions to light and air removed. The pairs of trusses d and f may, however, be connected by light cross-bracing, as shown at d Fig. 2, to afford stiffness against lateral pressure'derived from wind or from the swaying of the cars.

The cars are shown in Fig. 3 as provided with safety-braces of, extending down from the carbody nearly to the lower member of the supporting truss d, and thus serving to prevent the car from overturning in case any accident should happen to the upper track or hangers.

The different cars of the train may be connected closely together, as there are no end platforms, andthe cardoors will be connected by suitable mechanism throughout the train to enable all to be opened and closed bya single attendant at any desired point on the train.

The bolts 1'', (see Fig. 6,) that form journals for the supporting-rollers for the propelling cable a, are fastened tightly to the irons 12 that form the rails, and thus prevent them from spreading under the weight.

It may in some cases be desirable to con- IIC struct the rails as shown in Fig.11, in which the irons p may be farther apart than in the construction shown in Fig. 6, and fastened together at an intermediate point by a plate, 1, provided with openings in which the cablesupport-ing pulleys or rollers are placed. With such widened track (represented in Fig. 11) the construction of truck represented in Fig. 10 will generally be used.

The construction of the'track and trucks above the car may be the same as that of the track and trucks below the car.

I claim- 1. An elevated-railway structure comprising supporting-columns extending above the road-bed and a lower supportingtruss extended beside and supported on said columns, at a point between the upper and lower ends thereof, and supporting-cables supported on the upper ends of said columns and sustaining said trusses between the columns, an upper truss, vertically over the first, supported on the columns near their upper ends, and cables supported on the upper ends of said columns and sustaining the said upper trusses between the columns,-the whole forming a railway 00- operating with cars provided with trucks above and below, and co-operating with rails supported on said upper and lower trusses, substantially as described,

2. A car-body haviiig a swiveled hanger above, provided with two wheels turning on substantially horizontal axes and arranged side bysidein a direction transverse to the car, and supporting-trucks below the car ,and co-operating upper tracks consisting of an inverted channel havingsubstantiallyhorizontalflanges at its lower edges, on which the wheels of the upper trucks run, and a supporting-track below the car-body and cooperating with the lower trucks, substantially as described.

3. A ear-body having swiveled beneath it trucks combined with wheels supported in said trucks, having two rail-engaging grooves or tread portions, and swiveled hangers above said cars provided withwheels, the said wheels above and below the cars co-operating with rails forming a channel-shaped track, substantially as described.

4. A car-body provided with centrally-located trucks below, having wheels, with two rail-engaging grooves or tread portions co-operating with rails of a channel-shaped track, combined with a support above the car-body, by which the latter is retained in upright position on the supporting-rails below, substantially as described.

5. In an elevated-railway structure, the supportingtruss and channel-shaped iron fastened to the upper member of said truss, the upper edges of said channel forming the supportingtrack of the railway,substantiall y as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

1). DEAN READ.

Witnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, M. E. HILL.

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