US402319A - Elevated railway - Google Patents

Description

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No. 402,319. Patented Apr. .30, 1889.

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. I ELEVATED RAILWAY. No. 402,319. Patented Apr.,30, 1889,.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFONSO D. GATES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

E L EVAT E D RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,319, dated April 30, 1889.

Application filed January 16, 1889. Serial No. 296,514. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ALFONSO D. GATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elevated Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elevated railways,

and is, designed to give momentum to cars view of brake mechanism; Fig. 5, an elevaworking in the vertical guides B, secured to the main frame A, and supporting on their upper surfaces the axes O 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 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'plaoed with reference to the length of the car so as to preserve its equilibrium. 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 F, as described hereinafter.

The short girders B, provided with the rollers G, are placed at intervals along the main frame Ain such a manner that the platform D will always be supported by two of the roll ers on each side of the platform. Stops c are placed upon the upper surface of the girders Bto limit the movement of the roller-axes c, the length of this run being such a proportion to the length of the platform D that the axes 0' will traverse the distance between the stops 0 while the platform D is traveling over the periphery of the roller O. The diameters of the axes and rollers are also proportioned accordingly. Any suitable proportions for this purpose may be used. Forinstance, the plat form D being sixty feet, the run on the girder between the stops 0 may be five feet, and the diameter of the axes and rollers, respectively, two inches and twenty-four inches. I con sider the proportions given as practical as any other.

One end of the girder B rests upon a support, a hereinafter to be described, and the opposite end rests upon a spring, 19, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. As the platform D comes upon the roller 0, the weight of the car will depress that end of the girder B which rests upon the spring 12 to a level with the opposite end. When the girder is relieved of the weight upon it, the spring will raise its end of the girder slightly above the opposite end, and thus throw the roller 0 back to its starting-point, ready for the next oncoming car.

. In Fig. 2 is shown a further means for tilting the girders B. This means consists in the shaft to, carrying eccentric a 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 a are keyed large wheels a having projections a on one-half of their periphery. Similar projections on the rear portion of the car engage, the projections on the wheels a and turn the eccentric shaft a and eccentric a when the projections on the car reach the projections onsaid 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 a 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 a on the wheels a 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-may 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 X at the left of Fig. 1 shows the position of the girders as the platform D 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 a under the girders B, cleats are secured to the under side of the latter, it may be on each side of the said eccentrics, so that the latter work 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 E supported on the hangers E and Worked by the rope e, drum c and worm and wheel a operated from within the car by a hand-wheel and gear, e as shown in Fig. 1. The brakeshoes 6 always remain in the horizontal position and have their bearing upon the longitudinal stringers E on the main frame A.

Rollers F upon the hangers E traverse the inside surfaces of the stringers E 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 platform D may be applied by various means. hat I consider the most practical means of propulsion is that of a cable operating either above or below the platform D.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An elevated railway consisting of the supporting-pillars A, the main frame A, the girders B, provided with stops 0 and means for tilting said girders, the rollers O, and the platform D, substantially as shown.

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, substantially as shown.

3. In an 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 0, adapted to move upon said girders within certain limits with the movement of the car, substantially as described, for the purpose stated.

4:. In an elevated railway, the girders supported at intervals adapted for independent tilting movement within and on each side of the supporting structure, and provided on their upper surfaces with the fixed stops 0 0, near each end thereof, in combination with the rollers 0, having their axis resting and rolling upon said girders between said stops, 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 0, adapted to have a limited movement upon the said girders, and wheels a, supported by said structure and provided with means for engaging the car, substantially 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 0, adapted to have a rolling movement between stops on said girders, and the wheels a having projections 01, 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 G 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, substanti ally as described, for the purpose stated.

9. In an elevated railway, the combination, with a car and a platform which supports and carries the same in suspended relation thereto, of girders B at intervals in the superstructure and adapted to have independent tilting movements within certain limits, and provided with rollers 0, 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 movingwith said car in suspended relation thereto, and the rollers O, for supporting said plating the latter, a car suspended from said platform, with a brake suspended from the latter, consisting of the knee-joint and brakeshoe, the fixed frame-stringer part E, and means, substantially as described, for connecting saidknee-joint with operating devices of the car, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

ALFONSO D. GATES.

Attest:

WILLIAM G. GATES, JOHN HAPPINGER.

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