Climax locomotive
A lumberjack of considerable mechanical ingenuity, Scott sought to bring an improved logging locomotive of his own design to market and brought the drawings to the nearby Climax Manufacturing Company in Corry, Pennsylvania.
The invention was not patented in the name of Scott, as he had only a limited education, so he left the drawings to his brother-in-law George D. Gilbert, who was a civil engineer by profession and worked for Climax.
The idea of the differential transmissions was to reduce resistance on tight bends by allowing one wheel to turn with fewer revolutions than the one at the other end of the axle.
The design did not prove workable, because when driving at the adhesion limit, less tractive effort could be exerted compared to locomotives with rigid wheelsets.
[2] Rush S. Battles patented the basic design of the drivetrain without the differential, using simple hypoid bevel gears to drive the wheelsets with normal fixed wheels.
Charles D. Scott, who had previously proposed a less successful geared steam locomotive,[5] filed a lawsuit against Gilbert and Battles and applied for a patent in his own name, which was granted to him on 20 December 1892 after a lengthy legal dispute.
In addition, an agency and service facility was established in Seattle, Washington to sell and maintain locomotives for west coast buyers.
[8] Climaxes were built in three distinct classes: These featured a steam engine unit with two vertical cylinders mounted in the center of the locomotive.
Some Climaxes, especially Class A, were later converted to diesel or gasoline power, and some still exist in this form, using the original frame and drive mechanism.
