US450658A - Pleasure-railway - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. BORMANN. PLEASURE RAILWAY.

No. 450,658. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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. PLEASURE RAILWAY. No. 450,658. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMANN BORMANN, QF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLEASU RE-RAI LWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,658, dated April 21, 1891.

Application filed March 4, 1890. Serial No. 342,570. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IIERMANN BORMANN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, but now residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pleasure-railways composed of spiral courses arranged one within the other and of such type as to permit of cars or coaches being propelled over one of the spiral courses and to then descend over the other of said courses by gravity or otherwise to the starting-point for another trip.

The principal objects of my invention are, first, to afford the patrons of such a railway the excitement of a merry-go-round and the exhilaration of a sliding hill; second, to reduce the amount of space occupied by such railways and to afford a longer and more varied ride from the starting-point to the terminal pointthan has heretofore been obtained in pleasure-railways; third, to provide simple and durable mechanism for elevating cars or coaches over one of the ascending spirals of the course without shock or jar, and so that the cars or coaches may then be permitted to descend over the other spiral of the course, by gravity or otherwise, to the point of beginning for another trip, and, fourth, to provide means for preventing the cars or coaches from leaving the tracks.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following descriptiomtaken in con nection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of a railway-course embodying the essential features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an endless cable traveling over guide rollers and the main drum actuated by an engine, as shown in Fig. 2, and the said view serving to illustrate the manner of elevating a car or coach over one of the spiral courses of the railway. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the cars or coaches having portions cut away to expose to view preferred mechanism for antomatically gripping the cable; and Fig. 5 is an end view of the car or coach, showing the automatic mechanism for gripping the same to the endless cable of the course.

Referring to the drawings, A is the inner spiral course, and B the outer spiral course. These spirals, composed of trestle-work, are preferably arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The spiral courses, as shown in the drawings, are especially adapted for buildings or other somewhat similar places where the space available for such structures is comparatively limited; but of course the structure may be very materially enlarged or extended both vertically and longitudinally, as space will permit.

It may be remarked that in actual operation the sensation of ascendingone spiral and descending another spiral is very popular. Moreover, the courses winding around and up and down present a pleasing and amusing spectacle to those watching the sport, and the excitement may be still more enhanced by providing undulations in the courses; but I prefer to make the ascending and descending curved or spiral courses comparativelysmoot-h and gradual throughout.

G and C are the rails secured to the platforms C6 and a of the spiral courses, winding one within the other in a vertical direction, and these rails are preferably formed L- shaped, as shown in Fig. 5. In order to prevent the cars and coaches from jumping the tracks in their passage by gravity from the summit of the one course over the other to the point of beginning, the cars or coaches are elevated by cable, and may then be permitted to descend in connection with the cable again to the terminal point, if preferred; or the course such as described is also adapted to permit of the cars or coaches in train extending over the entire coursethat is, over the inner and outerspirals-and may be operated in any well-understood manner. I however prefer that the cars shall be elevated singly over the course, as described, by means of a cable passing over a series of pulleys cl, as shown in Fig. 3, and the cars and coaches then released therefrom and permitted to descend by gravity to the starting-point for another trip.

In Fig. 2 is shown a prime mover or engine G and friction-drums h and h for propelling the cable g along over the guide-rolls d and d in the direction of the arrows. The cable 9 is wound several times around the drums h and h to prevent the same slipping thereon. These drums have motion imparted to them by means of a train of gear I, which is actuated by the prime mover G.

The cars or coaches for use on such a railway may be of any preferred construction, provided with suitable gripping mechanism of a character adapted to automatically engage with and be disengaged from the cable, and causedto travel continuously over and around one of the spiral courses by means of the prime mover G, as hereinabove described; but preference is given to the construction of the cars or coaches as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, in which 'i is a platform mounted on wheels 1." and having seats 2' for the reception of passengers secured to the upper side thereof. 70 are lugs bolted or otherwise secured to the under side of the car or coach. k is a plate pivotally connected with the lugs 70. This plate is provided with a lug k and a stationary jaw 7.0 for contacting with the cable. Z is a bar pivotally'secured to the lug k and provided with a jaw Z, which, with the jaw 70 is adapted to grip the cable and the lever Z, having a roller Z S is a spring interposed between the bar Z and the v plate 70, in order to permit of the cable being normally gripped between the jaws 70 and Z. mis a cam-shaped or rectangular bar provided with a seat m, secured to the platform of the course between the rails O and O and adapted to not only engage with the roller Z but to depress the bar Z, and thereby draw the jaws k and Z apart, so as to release the cable. The bar m may be located at any point in the course, but preferably at the summit thereof, in order to automatically release the cars and permit them to descend by gravity to the point of beginning foranother trip.

It will be obvious that instead of using a cable arranged in the manner illustrated in Figs, 2 and 3 a motor-car may be employed for drawing or elevating the passenger cars or coaches to the summit of one of the courses and the same then be permitted to descend by gravity to the starting-point for another tri I? do not wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, as of my invention the combining of two spirals arranged one within the other or of a downgrade spiral combined with an upgrade spiral arranged concentrically to each other to constitute a complete pleasure-railway structure in which the cars or coaches are elevated by a cable to the summit of one spiral and are then allowed to descend by gravity over the other spiral to the point of beginning for another trip; but,

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A pleasure-railway consisting of two spiral courses arranged one within the other and having platforms provided with L- shaped rails, in combination with cars or coaches having wheels adapted to said rails, and means for propelling said cars or coaches, substantially as described.

2. In a pleasure-railway, the combination of a positively-driven cable, a car or coach having a plate pivotally secured thereto and provided with a stationary jaw, a bar pivotally connected with said plate and having a jaw, and a spring interposed between said plate and bar, substantially as and for th purposes set forth.

3. In a pleasure-railway, the combination of a positively-driven cable, a car or coach having a plate pivotally connected therewith,

a stationary jaw, a bar connected with said plate and provided with a jaw, a spring interposed between said plate and bar, and a stationary rod adapted to engage said bar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN BORMANN.

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