IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED VEHICLES TO ADAPT THEM FOR USE ON ROAD, RAIL, OR TRAMWAY
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wood, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
Hat Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF WHEELED VEHICLES TO ADAPT THEM FOR USE ON ROAD, RAIL, OR
TRAMWAY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wood at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1880.
JAMES WOOD, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED VEHICLES TO ADAPT THEM
FOR USE ON ROAD, RAIL, OR TRAMWAY."
My present Invention is designed for the purpose of effecting further improve-
ments upon Letters Patent granted to me on the 10th day of November, 1877,
numbered 4212, for "Certain Improvements in the Construction of Carts,
Waggons, &c., so as to adapt them for usage on Roadway, Railway, or Tramway.
The first part of my present improvements relates to an arrangement of levers
mounted on studs or bearings, secured to the body springs of the conveyance or
vehicle. At the end of one of the arins of each lover revolves a looso guide wheel;
another arm of the said lever may be connected by a lever or toothed quadrant to a
cross shaft placed in suitable bearings, and jointed to a vertical lever, the upper end
of which is in proper position to bo acted upon by the hand or foot of the driver,
who by lowering the guide wheels against the sides of the rail or tram, the
conveyance or vehicle will be guided and secured. Secondly. I dispense with the
loose guide wheels, and use in lieu thereof a shaft or roller, the ends of which are
keyed or otherwise secured a rim or wheel set at the required distance from each
other, so as to be capable of running in the grooves or against the sides of the tram
or rail they are intended to work upon, thereby acting as guide rollers to keep the
vehicle in position, the sail roller or shaft being similarly actuated and connected
by levers and tooth quadrant, as abovo alluded to, so that the roller or shaft, which
is slightly in front of the ordinary wheels of the conveyance, may be raised or
lowered. Thirdly. In the application of one or more springs for the purpose of
retaining the guide wheels or rollers in position when lowered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th January
1881.
JAMES WOOD, of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELED VEHICLES TO ADAPT THEM
FOR USE ON ROAD, RAIL, OR TRAMWAY."
My present Invention-is-designed-for-the-purpose-of effecting further_improve-
ments upon Letters Patent granted to me on the 10th day of November 1877,
No. 4212, for improvements in the construction of carts, waggons, &c., so as to
adapt them for usago on roadway, railway, or tramway.
The first part of my present improvements relates to an arrangement of levers
mounted on studs or bearings secured to the body springs of the conveyance or
vehicle. At the end of one of the arms of each lever revolves a loose guide wheel;
another arm of the said lever is jointed by a link to a vertical lever, the upper end
of which is in proper position to be acted upon by the hand or foot of the driver,
who by lowering the guide wheels against the sides of the rails or trams, the
conveyance or vehicle will be guided and secured.
Secondly. I dispense with the loose guide wheels, and use in lieu thereof a shaft
or roller, to the ends of which are keyed or otherwise-secured-a-rim.or_wheel set_at_
the required distance from each other, so as to be capable of running in the groove
or against the sides of the tram or rail they are intended to work upon, thereby
acting as guide rollers to keep the vehicle in position, the said roller or shaft
being similarly actuated and connected, as above described, so that the roller or
shaft, which is slightly in front of the ordinary wheels of the conveyance, may be
raised or lowered.
Thirdly. In the application of one or more springs for the purpose of retaining the
guide wheels or rollers in position when lowered.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon. Figure 1 is a partial sido
view; Figure 2 a plan; and Figure 3 a front elevation of an omnibus to which my
improvements are applied. A is a vertical lever centred on the bracket a¹ fixed to
the front of the vehicle. The lower end of the said lever is connected by the link a³
to the cross shaft or bar b, seen in Figure 4, to the cuds of which aro secured the
short arms c³, c³, of a pair of bell crank levers. These are mounted on the ordinary
axletree g or on studs or bearings secured to the body springs of the conveyance or
vehicle. The other arms c³, c², of the bell cranks are formed with suitable bearings,
in which revolves the shaft or roller d, on which is keyed or otherwise secured the
rims or wheels c, c, set to the proper gauge, so as to revolve when lowered in the
grooves or against the sides of the rail or tram, thus acquiring the same result as
the present flanged wheel, namely, keeping the vehicle on the rails. It will be seen
in Figures 1 and 2 that the guide wheels are in advance of the fore wheels of the
vehicle, so that the same will be more effectually guided and secured. The spring g'
attached to the cross shaft or bar b will greatly assist in keeping the guide wheels in
position when lowered. When desired the loose guide wheels seen in Figures 5
and 6 may be used in lieu of the guide roller above mentioned.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings my improvements are shown as applied
to an omnibus or car provided with a lock, which may be similarly secured when
in position, as described in above recited Letters Patent, but the same may be
applied to wheeled vehicles not so provided with a lock.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The guido roller d, arranged and constructed as horein described and
illustrated in the Drawings.
.
Secondly. Mounting the rollers or loose guide wheels on the levers c, c², in advance
of the ordinary wheels of the conveyance, as herein described and set forth.
Thirdly. Supporting the lovers c, c², on the ordinary axletree g, or on studs or
bearings secured to the body spring of the conveyance, as herein described.
Lastly. The application of one or more springs for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wood, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this 10th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1881.
WOOD