IMPROVEMENTS IN OMNIBUSES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Herbert William Hart at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1881.
HERBERT WILLIAM HART, of Palace Chambers, St. Stephen's, in the City of
Westminster, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OMNIBUSES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER VEHICLES."
Among the many objections raised against omnibuses as at present constructed
may be mentioned want of comfort in the arrangement of the inside seats, especially
for ladies; want of ventilation, the difficulty and inconvenience of getting in and
out, and also up and down from the roof, and the discomfort of the roof seats,
especially during wet weather.
Now the object of the present Invention is to obviate these inconveniences, and
otherwise improve the construction of omnibuses.
To this end I arrange the rows of inside seats back to back, and place them
along the centre of the omnibus. The admission to these rows of seats is obtained
through separate doors at the end of the omnibus. If preferred, one of these
doors may be used for entrance only, and the other for exit only, a transverse
passage at about the centre of the omnibus, allowing the passengers to pass from
one side to the other. The body of the omnibus, I propose, shall be much nearer
the ground than usual, and to enable me to obtain this result, I use cranked axles
for the hind wheels, the springs supporting the body being connected by link
rods. The reduction in the height from the ground will necessitate a change
in the position of the fore carriage, which, instead of being under the body as
at present, will be arranged in front of it. This arrangement will give me an
opportunity of providing, if desired, an additional seat on either side of the
omnibus, the passengers occupying such seats, facing in the direction of the
doors.
In order however that the distance between the wheels shall be as nearly as
possible the same as in omnibuses at present in use, I advance the hind wheels so
as to bring the body nearly in equilibrium on the hind axle. The inside of the
vehicle will be reached by two steps which will take the contour of the back of
the body, and will be provided with suitable hand rails.
The omnibus will in general remain open at the ends, but sliding doors will be
provided for use when required, and hand rails will be placed along the sides of
the vehicle for the convenience of passengers passing to or from their seats.

page_text: The roof of the omnibus I form either with a well in the centre, the rows of roof
seats being placed opposite one another and over the passage ways in the inside,
or if in the centre, as in ordinary omnibuses. The roof seats I propose to cover
with a light awning or roof, with side pieces or flaps to be used in wet weather.
The means for getting on to the roof, will consist of a light iron ladder provided
with suitable handrails, and which will project slightly from the rear of the vehicle
to leave room underneath for the conductor to stand. Where the seats are placed
in the centre, I divide the steps at the top of the ladder.
The box seats will be carried by brackets, and they will be reached from the
roof of the vehicle only, one of the seats on either side being arranged to lift
up to allow the passengers to pass, and they will be enclosed by a railing.
The ventilation of the vehicle will be effected in the following manner:-One or
more trumpet shaped mouths will be placed outside the front of the body to catch
and collect the currents of air. These mouths will communicate with an internal
diffusing chamber containing means for dividing up the currents of air before they
enter the vehicle. In order to carry off the vitiated air displaced by the fresh air,
a collecting chamber communicating with the outside will be provided at the rear
of the vehicle. Tubes connected with the diffusing chamber may also convey air
under the inside seats.
The arrangement of the omnibus above described will allow of better lighting.
than at present, as the light can be fixed to the body of the omnibus, instead
of swinging backwards and forwards with the door. Provision will also be
made at the back and front to signal to the public the fact of the omnibus being
full.
The vehicle will be provided with a brake arrangement of any approved con-
struction, which will be actuated by the driver in any convenient manner.
I also propose to form the pole and splinter bar in one, and to conneet the pole
to the fore carriage by a vertical bolt, which will be connected in any convenient
manner to a hand lever within reach of the driver, so that should either of the
horses fall, the pole and splinter bar can readily be released from the omnibus by
the driver rocking the hand lever, and thus the difficulty at present experienced in
releasing the traces and breast chains to allow the fallen horse to rise, will be over-
come in a simple manner. If desired, stays between the splinter bar and the axle
of the front wheels may be provided.
It will be obvious that the arrangements for ventilation may be adapted to other
kinds of carriages, whether for road or rail, and the pole arrangement or its equivalent
can be rendered applicable with but slight modifications to four wheeled carriages
and other vehicles, both for single and two horses.