AN IMPROVED CIRCULAR ENDLESS RAILWAY
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CIRCULAR
ENDLESS RAILWAY."-A communication from abroad by Ernest Michaux,
of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 2nd January 1866, and dated the 5th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th July 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11,
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CIRCULAR
ENDLESS RAILWAY," (a communication to me from abroad by Ernest Michaux,
of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France,) to be as follows:-
This little railway is intended specially to be used as a pastime in public
places of amusement, or in private parks or gardens, and is thus composed:
Two parallel rails, laid in a circle of say 59 feet in diameter, form the way,
which is thus about 177 feet round. The locomotive which is to draw over
this way a train composed of carriages capable of containing from 8 to 10
persons is a complete locomotive with coupled wheels; it is about half the size
of an ordinary locomotive, is slightly curved, mounted obliquely, and the

page_text: diameter of the wheels on the inside of the circle is about 1½ inches less than
that of the outer wheels; this also applies to the carriages. Under the
locomotive, as well as beneath each of the carriages, is fixed a rod, which
carries two friction rollers embracing the joint of a double T-headed rail
placed between the two rails of the way in its entire length, the effect of which
arrangement is to prevent any running off the rails. The way is formed of
about 9 feet 10 inches in length, bolted on to wooden sleepers; the extremi-
ties of these rails come on to sleepers of half the thickness of the first,
and when the but ends of these rails are in contact the half sleepers are
coupled together, and thus give a thickness equal to the first; the half
sleepers are so bolted that the circular way forms but one very strong whole.
-
Any running off the rails of this circular railway is prevented by the
adoption of the oblique wheels and of the friction rollers, which turn when the
train is in motion, and are constantly in contact with the rail above
mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED CIRCULAR ENDLESS RAILWAY," (a communication to me from
abroad by Ernest Michaux, of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,

page_text: or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawing forming part of this my Specification, and to the several
diagrams drawn thereon:-
This little railway is intended specially to be used as a pastime in public
places of amusement, or in private parks or gardens, and is thus composed:
Two parallel rails (see Figure 1), laid in a circle of say 59 feet in diameter,
form the way, which is thus about 177 feet round. The locomotive (see
Figures 1 and 2) which is to draw over this way a train composed of carriages
capable of containing from 8 to 10 persons is a complete locomotive with
coupled wheels; it is about half the size of an ordinary locomotive, is slightly
curved, and rests obliquely on the way, the diameter of the wheels on the
inside of the circle being for this purpose about 1½ inches less than that of the
outer wheels; this also applies to the carriages. Under the locomotive, as
well as beneath each of the carriages, is fixed a rod, which carries two friction
rollers embracing the joint of a double T-headed rail (see Figure 8) placed
between the two rails of the way in its entire length, the effect of which
arrangement is to prevent any running off the rails. The way is formed of
rails (see Figure 4) of about 9 feet 10 inches in length, bolted on to wooden
sleepers; the extremities of these rails come on to sleepers of half the thickness
of the first, and when the but ends of these rails are in contact the half
sleepers are coupled together, and thus give a thickness equal to the first;
the half sleepers are so bolted that the circular way forms but one very strong
whole.
Any running off the rails of this circular railway is prevented by the adoption
of the oblique wheels and of the friction rollers, which turn when the train is
in motion, and are constantly in contact with the rail above mentioned.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
in which it is carried into practical effect, I would here observe that I do
not confine myself to any particular form, material, or dimensions as regards
the constitutive parts of the system, and only claim their exclusive use when
forming part of "An Improved Circular Endless Railway," substantially as

page_text: herein-before described, and illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand, and seal, this Third day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)