No. 216.] 121 



Railroad engineers have long since condemned superstructures for 

 tails of solid masonry, as being too rigid, and have adopted more 

 elastic structures 3 such structures have shown in their use a decided 

 saving in the " wear and tear" of railroad cars and of railroad 

 ■wheels. 



The cushion wheel of Mr. Ray extends the elastic principle still 

 further, and relieves the operation of the wheels on the track almost 

 entirely from concussion, and effects a still further and much greater 

 saving of" wear and tear." On this account, if from no other, it is^ 

 worthy of the highest consideration by railroad companies 5 but 

 while contributing largely as above to economy, the Cushion wheel 

 will also result in much ease and comfort to passengers by its in" 

 creased buoyancy, overcoming much of the Very disagreeable noisej 

 common to other wheels on the track. 



The wheel in question is made of two principal parts; the rim and 

 the hub part, between which is inserted a belt of india rubber, (de- 

 nominated the cushion,) insulating the two principal parts; and be- 

 ing elastic, does in fact act as an important spring in the system of 

 India rubber springage employed by Mr. Ray in the construction of 

 his truck; and it is believed to be the first attempt to introduce an 

 elastic medium in the body of a railroad wheels between the running 

 surface and the axle; although attempts have been made with suc- 

 cess, in introducing steel springs into the body of wheels for steam 

 carriages on common roads-— or rather of making the spokes them- 

 selves elastic and acting as springs; but such v/ere intended for corn* 

 paratively light burdens, and not calculated to resist lateral strains, 

 and wholly unfit to stand the heavy burderrs and severe lateral strains 

 necessarily thrown upon railroad wheels. 



In the ordinary railroad truck, with steel springs or single set of 

 springs, one placed over the journal boxes; and sometimes the sys- 

 tem is extended to a second set, or series between the bolsters; by 

 the introduction of a spring in the body of the wheel, as done by 

 Mr. Ray, another set or series is added to the system of springage, 

 and by which the buoyancy is increased independent of its quality; 

 but the quality of this India rubber spring has been the subject of 

 high admiration. In the ordinary truck having steel springs, the 

 same is required to be made with a view to a certain amount of 

 burden to be carried upon it; a truck built for heavy, is unfit for light 

 burdens, or vice versa; this is not the case with the India rubber 

 springs, for, while it is a soft and mellow spring for one ton, it is 



