IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS, AND IN CARRIAGES TO BE USED UPON THEM, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE TO RAILWAYS AND THEIR CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Henry Ward at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th September
1864.
I, WILLIAM HENRY WARD, of the City of Auburn, in the County of
Cayuga, and State of New York, one of the United States of America, and
75, Hatton Garden, London, E.C., do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS, AND IN CARRIAGES TO BE USED UPON
THEM, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE TO RAILWAYS AND THEIR CARRIAGES," to be as
follows:-
Which consists in the use of one or more parallel grooved rails, of such
construction as not to cause any unevenness of roadway, placed in the roadbed
with their grooves upward, so as to admit of a corresponding projection or
flanch on the tread of the carriage wheels to roll in, and retain the coach on
the line of rails.
The passenger (or other) carriages are constructed with a passage through
the inside centre of sufficient width for persons to pass, with seats on either
side (the passage), the backs of which (the seats) are made to turn over, so
as to face forward or backward agreeable to the occupant's pleasure, with
suitable and appropriate footboards placed near the bottom of the seat frames
for the use, convenience, and comfort of the passengers during their journey.'
The saloon or passenger part of the carriage is placed upon what is termed
"trucks," which are attached to the carriage by means of a ringbolt passing
through the bottom of the carriage and their centre, to secure them in their

page_text: proper place beneath the carriage, and allow of their swinging on said central
or ringbolt at an angle either way from a direct line to that of nearly 45°,
whereby the carriago has the facility to move on a circle with ease and
freedom, the diameter of which is but little more than its extreme length, by
one of the wheels (or both) being loose on the axle. Beneath the bottom of
the carriage are placed circular rings (whose centres coincide with the central
or ringbolt), that rest on fixed or other rollers of the trucks, so as to allow
ease and freedom for the truck to swing' or turn on its centro beneath the
carriage, however great the weight. A segment or other gear is secured to
the trucks corresponding to their centre, and in a line corresponding with their
centres are placed intermediate gear wheels, secured on dead centre pins or
bolts beneath the bottom of the carriage for connecting the trucks, whereby
the motion of the ono truck is imparted to that of the other in an opposite
direction, thereby supplying the means for self-adaptation to any line of
railway, as by the forward truck taking the line of rail on the curve, it of
gear wheels
necessity must turn from the direct line, and by means of the
working into each other, and the segment gear of the trucks, a corresponding
opposite motion or turn is imparted to the rear truck, and thereby leads it
directly in the path or tread of the forward or leading truck. The same
results can be attained and is hereby claimed by the use of cross connecting
rods between the trucks as is accomplished by means of the gear wheels to
impart the required motion.
For tramway coaches the draft is attached to a cross bar evener, which has
parallel connecting rods with the trucks, which rods may be extended cross-
wise from truck to truck in place of the gear wheels, whereby direction is
imparted to the carriago corresponding with the line of rails by means of the
draught (horses) being directed by the driver, who is enabled to detach
the draught at pleasure by means of a band rod secured to the polo or tonguo
to which the horses are attached coming within his reach without a change of
place or position.
Appropriate and efficient brakes are supplied to each truck and their wheels,
so as to effectually lock each wheel when brought into requisition by means
of a hand wheel or crank secured on a ratchet wheel shaft at either end of
the carriage, from which is imparted the force applied on the hand wheel or
crank to the brakes on the wheels by means of cord, chain, or rod and lever
connections, or either of them, or their equivalent.
For the purpose of cleaning the groove in the rails or romoving other
obstructions, suitable and appropriate adjustable cleaners and scrapers are
secured to the trucks in front of the wheels for that purpose:

page_text: The passenger coaches or carriages are provided with doors at either end on
line of passage, to enable the conductor, guard, or other persons to pass in
safety from coach to coach while in motion through the entire train; also
windows in the ends of the coach (as well as the sides), enabling the passengers
to see into the adjoining carriage, and the brakeman to look in and learn if
all is right within. The carriages are provided with easy and convenient steps
for persons to get on and off at either end of the carriage on either side at the
end platforms.
To enable the conductor or guard to communicate with the driver at
pleasure, a suitable bell-pull and bell arrangement is provided, and placed
within hearing and seeing of both guard and driver, with the connection
passing from coach to coach, connected by appropriate snap hooks, and leading
through the carriages, so as to be used by the passengers to sound an alarm
in case of need.