US1575304A - Monorail engine - Google Patents

Description

March 2 1926.

T. H.y WRIGHT MONORAIL ENGINE Filed' Nov, 2, 1923 o mi" .ri-HIVI 3 Sheets-Sheet l Qniill" :mim

'March 2 1926. 1,575,304

` T. H, WRIGHT MQNORAIL ENGINE Filed Nov. 2, 1923 3 sheets-sheet 2 l C I El@ March 2 1-926. 1,575,304

T. H. WRIGHT MONORAIL ENGINE Filed Nov. 2, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

unirse star Morneau linmean aannemer a i923.- saei .Ne were.

To all whom t may concern:

13e tknown that L THOMAS H- WRIGHT, a citizenV of the United States, residing at Los Angeles7 in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented'netv and useful Improvements in Monorail Fun'.- glues. of wlhcl'l the :following iS a speeication.

My invention relates to monorail engines and has for its purpose ,the provsionof a novel Safety .drive and braking mechanism im object of my v"111.ventral is to render a monorel engine against accident due to breaking of the driving means, while the engine is located upon aV grade track,

Another object is to nrovide a novel braking means which maybe concurrently applied to the front and rear wheels of amonorail @usine A ,Still further object is .t provid@ 'auXiL iary braking means 4applicable to the monorail.

Other objects and advantages of iny invention will be made manifestin the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved inonorail engine.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the service braking mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing the auxiliary braking mechanism in nonbraking position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional. view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the operation of monorail trains over hilly terrain, I have discovered that the great strain of starting a train on a grade is liable to break one or both of the mechanisms provided for delivery of the motive power from the motor to the wheels. In or- .der to overcome this,4 I have provided a double sprocket upon each end of the driving axle 16 of the monorail motor M. In alignment with a gear of each of the double sprockets 15 and fixed to supporting axles 17 are driven sprockets 18. Chains 19 connect the driven and drive sprockets thus aligned and transmit the motive force from the motor M to the main supporting axles 17 and thus to the grooved wheels 2O mount ed thereon. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, dual power transmitting meansy is thus provided between the motor and each ef .the axles '1;7. With an engine provided with this mechanism one ofthe chains '1;9 might break and the axle 17 would still 1be driven by a chain 19 upon the opposite ysigle ofthe motor. The axles 17 are jburnaled in Nbones 21 which are provided with adjusting links 22 for shifting the axles 17 longitudinally to tighten or4 relax the ,Chains 19 as desired.

For operating in the hills it is found necessary to provide my rnonorail engine with sand "boxes S and sand dispensing pipes 23 from which the dispensing of sand in the path of the wheels is controlled by any suitable means (not shown).

Braking means for concurrently retarding the axles 17 is provided. This cemprises brake drums 24 fixedly mounted upon the axles `17, and contacted by Vshoes 25 carried by brake jaws 26 a-1id`27- whichare pivoted at 2S t'o the frame of the engine. Means for swinging the jaws 26 and 27 toward each other and bringing the shoes in contact with the brake drum 24 for effecting braking action comprises a lever 29 fulcrumed at 30 in the `bifurcated upper` terminal portion of the jaw 26. At the opposite end of the lever 29 is pivotally attached an operating link 31 the other end of which is pivoted to the end of an arm 32 mounted upon an operating shaft 33. Pivotally mounted upon the lever 29 and medially from the ends thereof is a rod 34 which passes through a boss 35 formed upon the frame of the vehicle and a spring 36 and a collar 37 mounted pivotally in the upper terminal bifurcated end of the jaw 27. A

nut 38 is turned down upon the threaded end of the rod 34 against the collar 37 so that when the operating shaft 33 is rotated so as to draw the link 31 away from the brake, jaws 27 and 26 will be rocked toward each other thereby effecting a braking ac tion.. Aswill be seen in Fig. 3, rotation of the yoperating shaft 33 causes braking action concurrently on both the front and rear brake drums 24. VAs will be understood7 this is a very desirable feature in a monorail engine Where there are but two wheels for effecting driving and braking action for the entire train of cars. A hand lever 39 is mounted upon theY operating` shaft 33 and provided with a ratchet keeperk 40 for operation and maintaining the brakes in brak'- ing relation with the drums 24.

An auxiliary or modified form of braking means which I have found very successful upon my monorail engines is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6. In this form of brake a jack screw 41 threadedly 'engages a cross piece 42 connecting the sides of a frame 43. The screw 41 is providedat its upper extremity with a wheel 44 for manual rotation of the same. As will be clearly seen in Fig. 4, the lower end of the jack screw 41 is turned down to provide a shoulder 45 andk a threaded pin 46. This pin fits closely an opening in a bracket 47 so that the shoulder 45 bears against said bracket. The bracket 45 is mounted upon a brake shoe 48 which may be lowered in contact with the rail R by rotation of the hand wheel 44. A nut 49 is turned onto the jack screw 41 and forms` a shoulder to limit the downward movement of the jack screw 41. kThis serves to keep the operator from screwing the jack screw 41 down to such an extent that the wheel flanges would jump the rai-l. `Braces 50 are provided pivotally secured to the frame 43 at 51 and rigidly secured to the brake shoe 48 at their opposite ends. These braces serve to transmit to the frame 43 retarding tendency of the brake shoe when pressed against the rail. l/Vhen it is desired to life the brake shoe 48 from the rail, the jack screw 41 is rotatedso that it of the bracket 47 lifting the brake shoe 48 from engagement with the rail R. The bottom surface of the brake shoe 48 is provided with down turned edges 58 which prevent any possibility of the shoe leaving the rail when pressed into engagement therewith.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a very effective braking means particularly adapted for use on vehicles yof the monorail type. IVhile some of the monorail engines which-I now have in operation are merely fitted for the brake illustrated in Fig. 3, for the more hilly regions I nd that additional braking surface than that supplied by the two supporting wheels is necessary in which case I am adding to the engine equipment the brake illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6.

l/Vhat I claim is:

In a monorail car construction having a frame with axles at opposite ends mounted therein, central wheels on said axles, the combination of a centrally positioned engine having a driving axle, a pair of sprockets on each end of the driving axle, a pair of sprockets on each of the supporting axles between the wheels and the bearings, and sprocket chains leading in'opposite directions from the sprockets on the driving axle, said chains driving the sprockets on the supporting wheels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. c

THOMAS Hfwnieirr.

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