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Mr. George A. Bothwell, of
Owen Sound, Ontario, has devised an ingenious and novel scheme for
increasing the tractive power of a locomotive and securing additional
adhesion for utilizing same by providing the locomotive with a
supplemental set of smaller driving wheels. By means of a shifting
mechanism which is operated by a valve in the cab, the engineer is
enabled to throw the weight of the engine on either group of driving
wheels as desired. One group of drivers only are on the rail at
one time, as when the smaller wheels are lowered to the rail for the
purpose of increasing the tractive force the larger wheels are lifted
clear of the rail, and vica versa. By means of a suitable geared
shafting operated from the small drivers the weight on the truck wheels
is utilized to obtain the required adhesion. Changes from one
system to the other are made by suitable clutches in connection with the
mechanism which is operated by either steam or compressed air by means
of a cylinder which is shown just above and back of the locomotive
cylinder.
Gear Mechanism
The locomotive shown in the
illustrations to which this system has been applied is an old locomotive
which was recently rebuilt at the Hicks Locomotive & Car Works, Chicago
Heights, Ill., after the designs of Mr. Bothwell, for the purpose of
demonstrating its feasibility. Its purpose is to provide a
locomotive of maximum hauling capacity with minimum weight, it being the
inventor's idea that locomotives of the usual types equipped with this
arrangement will be enabled to take trains over ruling grades that
otherwise would require the services of helper engines.
Showing Application of the Bothwell Principle to an Eight-Wheel
Locomotive.
In a test recently made on a short grade with this locomotive, it
is stated that when running on the large drivers the engine stalled with
twenty-five empty cars, but was able to take over the grade twenty-three
cars. With the smaller drivers running on the rail and the larger
drivers raised the engine went over the grade with forty-seven cars, but
stalled with fifty, showing the hauling capacity with the smaller wheels
to be about double that obtained with the larger wheels. This is
thought, fully demonstrates the merits and practicability of the design.
It is also stated that a company has been formed, known as the Bothwell
Locomotive Company, with headquarters at Owen Sound, Ont.
Shifting Mechanism for transferring weight of locomotive
from one set of drivers to the other.
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