CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COACHES, WAGGONS, OR OTHER CARRIAGES USED FOR THE TRANSPORTING OR CONVEYING GOODS AND PASSENGERS, TO BE DRAWN BY HORSES OR PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
REEDHEAD, of Henry Street, Vauxhall, in the Parish of Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Reedhead, His especial licence that I, the said John Reedhead, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Reedhead,
my executors, administraors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COACHES, WAGGONS, OR OTHER CARRIAGES USED
FOR THE TRANSPORTING OR CONVEYING GOODS AND PASSENGERS, TO BE DRAWN BY
HORSES OR PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Reedhead, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the

page_text: date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance. with the said proviso, I, the said
John Reedhead, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, and the Drawings
hereunto annexed, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of certain improvements in the construction of coaches,
waggons, or other carriages consist in the novel construction and arrangement
of the fore parts of the carriage, whereby the locking of the wheels is effected
with much greater ease and certainty than in the common construction of
carriages, and also in the manner of mounting the wheels of the carriage, each
wheel having a short axle of its own, and supporting the carriage upon
antifriction rollers, by which means the ordinary friction is much reduced;
and further, in adapting a friction break or drag to the wheels for the purpose
of retarding the progress of the coach in going down hill, all of which improve-
ments are shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan or horizontal view of a carriage with the wheels in their
position when running in a straight course. Figure 2 is a similar view,
shewing the fore wheels as locked when in the act of turning. Figure 3 is a
front end elevation of the same." Figure 4 is a section taken through the
centre of the fore axletree. Figure 5 is a section taken at the dotted line
A, B, in Figure 1, looking towards the fore wheels. Figure 6 is a back end
view of the carriage, and Figure 7 is a side elevation or representation, of the
general appearance of a coach intended to be drawn by horses, with the
improvements appended. a, a, are two splinter bars, with their roller bolts
for connecting the traces of the harness. These splinter bars are attached by
the bent wires b, b, to two short axletrees or axle boxes c, c, which carry the
axles of the fore wheels d, d, and turn upon vertical pins or bolts e, e, passed
through the fore axletree f, the splinter bars and axle boxes being mounted so
as to move parallel to each other, the latter partaking of any motion given to
the splinter bars by the horses in drawing the carriage forward, and thereby
producing the locking of the wheels as shewn in Figure 2; and in order that
the two wheels and their axles and axle boxes, together with the splinter
bars a, a, move simultaneously, the latter are connected by pivots to the
end of the links or levers g, g, which are attached to the arms i, i, that
receive the pole of the coach by a hinge joint or pin h (seen best in Figures 2
and 3), the arms i, i, turning on a vertical fulcrum pin k, passed through the

page_text: The
through, being firmly
Figure 9 is a plan or
main axletree f as the pole is moved from one side to the other.
axles o, o, are firmly fixed into the naves of the wheels, as represented in the
side view of a wheel detached at Figure 8, the axles being mounted so as to
revolve within their boxes in the following manner:-The axle boxes which
answer the purpose of short axletrees are formed of iron, and consist of one
main or bottom plate 1, seen best in Figures 4, 5, and 9. Upon this bottom
plate is formed the chamber m, m, carrying the two antifriction rollers n, n,
which turn on short axles passed through the sides and partition at the upper
part of the chambers. These antifriction rollers bear upon the cylindrical
part of the axle o of each wheel, and support the weight of the coach. p is a
bearing firmly secured in the axle box to the plate 1 for the end of the axle o
to run in, the axle being confined in its proper situation by a collar and screw
nut on its end. e is the vertical pin or bolt before mentioned, upon which
the axle box turns when the wheels are locking, and which bolt is enlarged
within the box, and has an eye for the axle to pass
secured to the plate 1, and also to the sides of the box.
horizontal view of the two axles and their boxes belonging to the fore wheels,
and Figure 10 is a view of the outside of the chamber m. A piece q is fixed
on the under side of the main axletree, which supports the ends of the plates l,
and thereby relieves the pins e, e, of the strain they would otherwise have to
withstand. The axles of the hind wheels are mounted upon similar plates 1, 1,
with bearings and chambers with antifriction rollers, but as these are not
required to lock, the plates l, l, are fixed on to the under side of the hind axle-
tree r, r, by screw nuts. 5, 5, are small openings or doors, which can be removed
for the purpose of unscrewing the nuts and collars of the bearings p when
the wheel is required to be taken off the carriage, when the axle can be with-
drawn from the boxes. If it should be thought necessary other chambers
with friction rollers may be placed on the under side of the plate to bear up
the end of the axles and relieve the bearing p. In order to stop or impede
the progress of the carriage in passing down hills there is a grooved friction
or break wheel t fixed by clamps or otherwise on to the spokes of one of
the hind wheels. u is a break band or spring of metal encircling the friction
wheel, one of which bands is fixed into the standard v upon the hind axletree,
and the other end connected by a joint to the shorter end of the lever w,
which has its fulcrum in the standard v. 'This lever extends up to the hind
seat of the coach, as shewn in Figure 7, and is intended to be under the
command of the guard or passengers of the coach, and when descending a hill,
or on occasion of the horses running away, the longer end of the lever is to be
depressed, which will raise the shorter end, and consequently bring the band

page_text: or spring u in contact with the surface of the friction wheel, and thereby retard
its revolution, and prevent the coach travelling too fast; or instead of attach-
ing the friction break to the hind wheel, as represented in the Drawing, it
may be adapted to the fore wheels, and the end of the lever brought up to the
side of the foot board, or under it, and within command of the coachman.
The standard which carries the fulcrum being made to move upon a pivot to
accommodating the locking of the wheels, it will be observed that by my
improved construction of the carriage and mode of locking I am enabled to
use much larger fore wheels than in common, and that the splinter bars will
always be in the position of right angles with the track or way of the horses
in drawing the carriage, by which they are much relieved, and always pull in
a direct and equal manner, parts of which improvements are also applicable to
carriages propelled by locomotive power.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Reedhead, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty throa