MENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND CARRIAGES FOR STREETS AND ORDINARY ROADS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Haworth, of Mode Wheel House, near the
City of Manchester, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Haworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition on the 29th
January 1867.
I, JOHN HAWORTH, of Mode Wheel House, near the City of Manchester,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND CARRIAGES FOR STREETS AND ORDINARY ROADS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in part of certain improvements upon the improved
tramways, for which former Letters Patent were granted to me on the 25th day
of September 1860, No. 2326. In the Specification of the said Patent I
described how the wheels of the carriage were held on the tram rails by means
of a pulley, the circumference of which ran in a groove in an intermediate
rail.

page_text: Now my present Invention consists in dispensing with this pulley and the
grooved rail, and in employing only a plain intermediate rail which serves as
a guide. The driver of the carriage by sighting the end of the pole over the
guide rail would keep the axles of the carriage at right angles with the rails,
and thus retain the wheels on the tram rails.
Another part of my Invention consists in making tram rails of an improved
section, so that they will suit either broad or narrow tyres of wheels, and at
the same time making a safe footing for the horses. The upper part of the
rail is slightly concave, and the edges are tapered. Narrow wheels fit in the
concave parts of the rail, and broad wheels are supported on rounded pro-
jections formed at the sides of the concave part, where they join the
tapered edges, the object of the tapered edges is to allow the wheels to mount
easily on to the rails; the lower part of the rail has a midfeather or tongue
to fit in a groove in the usual sleeper on which the tram rail is bedded.
The last part of my Invention consists in an improved break, which is
applicable to carriages running on tramways or ordinary roads. In breaks of
the usual construction the break block does not adapt itself to the load on
the carriage, consequently when the carriage is heavily laden only one end of
the block acts on the wheel, and therefore when the greatest friction is required
the least is obtained. Now my Invention consists in connecting the break
blocks to curved springs attached to the under side of the body of the carriage,
the break blocks being worked by a lever on the foot board; the yielding of
the springs and their curved form enabling the blocks to bed against the tyres,
thus producing increased friction, by which arrangement the whole surface of
the blocks is at all times applied to the wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Haworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAWORTH. of Mode Wheel House, near the City of Manchester, Gentleman,
send greeting.
1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said John Haworth, Her special license that I, the said John Haworth,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Haworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND
CARRIAGES FOR STREETS AND ORDINARY ROADS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Haworth, my execuiors or administrators, 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 1, the said John Haworth, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following Specifi-
cation thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in part of certain improvements upon the improved
tramways for which former Letters Patent were granted to me on the Twenty-
fifth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, Number 2326.
In the Specification of the said Patent I described how the wheels of the
carriage were held on the tram rails by means of a pulley, the circumference
of which ran in a groove in an intermediate rail.
Now my present Invention, which is illustrated by the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, consists in dispensing with this pulley and the grooved rail, and
in employing only a plain intermediate rail which serves as a guide.
Figure 1 is a section of my improved tramway; Figure 2 is a plan thereof;
Figure 3 is a full-sized section of the intermediate guide rail marked a; and
Figure 4 is a full-sized section of my improved tram rails marked b. The
driver of the carriage by sighting the end of the pole of the carriage over the
guide rail a keeps the axles of the carriage at right angles with the rails, and
thus retains the wheels on the tram rails b. It is evident that the same object
may be attained by laying different coloured stones midway between the two
rails b.
Another part of my Invention consists in making tram rails of an improved
section so that they will suit either broad or narrow iyres of wheels, and at
the same time make a safe footing for the horses. The upper part of the

page_text: centre of the tram rail b is slightly concave and the edges are tapered. By
making train rails of this improved form it is evident that narrow wheels will
fit in the concave parts of the rails, and broad wheels are supported on the
rounded projections formed at the sides of the concave part where they join
the tapered edges; the object of the tapered edges is to allow the wheels to
mount casily on to the rails. The intermediate rails a are also tapered at
their edges for the same purpose, and all the rails are sunk a little below the
level of the sets or paving stones so as to offer the least obstruction to wheels
passing across the tramway and to the feet of the horses. The lower part of
the rails has a midfeather or tongue to fit in a groove in the usual sleepers on
which the intermediate and iram rails are bedded, as described in the Speci-
fication of my former Patent, above referred to.
The last part of my Invention consists in an improved break which is
applicable to carriages running on tramways or ordinary roads. In breaks of
the usual construction the break block does not adapt itself to the load on the
carriage, because when the carriage is heavily laden only one end of the
block acts on the wheel, and therefore when the greatest friction is required
the least is obtained. Now my Invention, which is illustrated in Figures 5
and 6, consists in an improved mode of connecting the break blocks to the
carriage, Figure 5 being an elevation and Figure 6 a plan of part of an
omnibus to which my improved break is applied; the break blocks c acting
on the hind wheels d are fixed to the curved springs e attached to the under
side of the body of the carriage, the break blocks c being pressed against the
wheels d by a treadle lever on the foot board connected by a cord or chain f
passing over suitable guide pulleys to the stay rod g which unites the two
break blocks, the yielding of the springs e and their curved form enabling the
blocks to bed against the tyres. When the driver releases the treadle lever
the action of the springs e removes the break blocks from contact with the
wheels. By this improved mode of applying and supporting the breaks
increased friction is produced when most required, and the whole surface of
the blocks is at all times applied to the wheels when the break is required.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,
First, guiding the wheels of carriages on the tramrails by sighting the end
of the pole over a rail or other equivalent laid midway between the tram rails,
as described.
Secondly, the improved form of tram rail shewn and described in reference
to Figure 4.

page_text: And, lastly, the improved mode of applying and supporting break blocks, as
shewn and described in reference to Figures 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Haworth, have hereto set my
hand and scal, this Twenty-second day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN HAWORTH. (L.S.)