IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO FACILITATE THEIR TRANSIT
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas' Rickett, of the Castle Foundry, Buckingham,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND OTHER
CARRIAGES TO FACILITATE THEIR TRANSIT"
Sealed the 25th January 1859, and dated the 13th August 1858.
5
"PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rickett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1858.
19
LI,. THOMAS RICKETT, of the Castle Foundry, Buckingham, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO FACILITATE THEIR TRANSIT," to,be as follows:―
4.
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the movement of locomotive
engines and other carriages, more particularly over soft or uneven ground, by
giving to them, through an elastic medium, a more extended bearing surface
the ground. For this purpose, in place of each driving or main wheel, I
employ two or more comparatively small wheels or rollers placed equidistant
longitudinally from the central axis, and around these wheels I place an élastic
hoop or hoops of proportionally large diameter, made of a thin plate or plates
: of steel, or combination of other materials; within this hoop the wheels roll,
and in consequence of the weight of the engine coming upon these hoops at
. two or more points, beyond the centre of bearing the hoop yields to the weight
till the bearing points of the rollers appreach or touch the ground, by which
means that portion of the hoop between the bearing points becomes nearly.or
Price

page_text: quite flat, and the load is sustained by a portion ofground approaching to the
whole distance between the centres of the rollers. As the engine or carriage
progresses, the rollers revolve within the elastic flexible hoop, which, at its
upper parts maintains a cycloidal form, and produces a continuous,extended,
and elastic bearing for the engine or carriage below and intermediate of the
points of bearing of the rollers or wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Rickett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RICKETT, of the Castle Foundry, Buckingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Rickett, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Rickett,
my executors,administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Rickett, ny executors, administrators, and assigns, should at a
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 Chaunel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES AND OTHER CARRIAGES TO FACILITATE THEIR TRANSIT," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Rickett, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, 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 Thomas Rickett, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the movement of locomotive
engines and other carriages, more particularly over soft or uneven ground, by
giving to them, through an elastic medium, a more extended bearing surface on

page_text: the ground. For this purpose, in place of each driving or main wheel, I
employ two or more comparatively small wheels or rollers placed equidistant
longitudinally from the central axis, and around these wheels I place an
elastic hoop or hoops of proportionally large diameter, made of a thin plate or
plates of steel, or combination of other materials; within this hoop the wheels
roll, and in consequence of the weight of the engine coming upon these hoops
at two or more points beyond the centre of bearing, the hoop yields to the
weight till the bearing points of the rollers approach or touch the ground, by
which means that portion of the hoop between the bearing points becomes
nearly or quite flat, and the load is sustained by a portion of ground approach-
ing to the whole distance between the centres of the rollers. As the engine
or carriage progresses, the rollers revolve within the elastic flexible hoop,
which, at its upper parts, maintains a cycloidal form, and produces. a con-
tinuous, extended, and elastic bearing for the engine or carriage below and
intermediate of the points of bearing of the rollers or wheels..
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of a locomotive engine arranged according to my
Invention, and suitable for travelling over soft or uneven ground; Figure 2 is
a plan, and Figure 3 an end view of the same engine. In these Figures some
of the parts are broken off or removed, in order to shew more clearly the
construction of the parts to which my improvements apply.
a is an elastic flexible hoop, on which the three wheels which support the
engine, videlicet, 61, 62, and 63 hear, and which are each made in two pirts, as
is shown, the crankshaft c of the engine is placed between the wheels and b²
and over the wheel 63; d, d, are guide pulleys, which maintain the elastic
flexible hoop a in its proper position; Figure 4 is a plan of the interior of this
hoop a drawn to a larger scale; Figure 5 is a transverse sectiou; and
Figure 6 is part of a longitudinal section of the saine. The hoop is divided
into three sections or parts, 1, 2, and 3; the outside sections 1 and 3 are of
cast steel rolled out into a plate, and the centre section 3 is formed of a bar
of iron coated with cast steel on one side; this bar is notched out on one side.
so as to form cog teeth, and these notches pass through the iron, but leave
uncut the steel on the other, side; the sections 1, 2, and 3, are, rivited to
cross bars e,e, which hold them together, and serve to protect them from wear.
The sections of which the hoop a is constructed should be of such a strength,

page_text: that the weight of the engine shall be sufficient to flatten it for a length
almost but not quite equal to the distance between the axles of the wheels 6¹
and 62, as the Drawing shows. On each side of the hoop a is formed a flange f,
to prevent dirt and stones from falling in under the wheels; these flanges are
in short sections of alternately single and double plates, and the single plates
are capable of sliding between the double plates to enable the flange to
accommodate itself to the different curves taken by the hoop. Each section of
the flange fis connected to the hoop by a bolt, and a piece of india-rubber is
interposed between each section and the hoop, to give a certain amount of
flexibility to the connection. On the crank shaft of the engine is mounted
a pinion, which gears with a cogwheel q, fixed on the same axis as the
wheel; the teeth of the wheel as it revolves gear with the teeth on the
hoop a, and thus. the engine is caused to move forward.
The engine shown in the Drawing is suitable for hauling and working a
cultivator, such as is described in the Specification of a former Patent granted
to me. Figure 7 is a section of a hoop a having the flanges fformed of strips
ofi vulcanized india-rubber, instead of thin iron articulated in the manner
already described. Figure 8 is a Diagram of the arrangement already
described; and Figure 9 is another Diagram, showing, that by increasing the
number of bearing wheels, any desired length of bearing surface may be
obtained.
Figure 10 is a side-view, and Figure 11 is a transverse section of an arrange-
ment in which an elastic flexible hoop a is employed; and this hoop, by bending
and conforming to the form of the surface over which it is passing, offers a
considerable length of bearing to the load which it carries, and as the load
passes off each portion of the hoop, it springs back to its original form, just as
in the arrangement already described; but this hoop is no longer combined
with bearing wheels b', 62, and 63; but in place thereof the axle of the carriage
has mounted on it a disc or plate, to which curved steel springs g are fixed,
and these springs are also connected to the hoopa, as is shown. Figures 12.
and 13 are transverse sections of the peripheries of wheels of the same con-
struction as that just described, but slightly modified in form.
Figures 14, 15, 16, and 17, show two other forms of wheel so slightly
differing from that shown at Figures 10 and 11, that no detailed description
will be necessary.
Having. thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood; that I do not confine myself
to the exact details described; but what I claim is, the use, as herein
described, to facilitate the movement of locomotive and other carriages, more

page_text: particularly over soft or uneven ground, of an elastic flexible hoop a, which
by bending conforms to the irregularities of the surface over which it passes,
and which springs back to its original form as the weight passes off it.
I also claim the combining such a hoop with carrying wheels b, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Rickett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
I also claim the combining such a hoop with carrying wheels b, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Rickett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
10 Witness,
B. GOBEY,
Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
THOS. RICKETT.
(L.S.)