Improvements in Omnibuses.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Omnibuses.
I, WILLIAM ALEXANDER RUSSELL, residing at 185 South Halsted Street, in the
City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, United States of America,
Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OMNIBUSES," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the improved summer or open car omnibus
or carette.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section at line 2, 2, of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross vertical section at line 3, 3, of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an under side view of the rear portion of my car.
Figure 5 is a side elevation showing my winter or closed car omnibus or carette.
My invention relates to car omnibuses or vehicles designed to carry passengers
but not running on a track and I have named or styled it carette.
The objects of my invention are to provide an improved conveyance for passengers
which will be low and convenient to get into or out of and which will at the same
time be so supported on springs that it will ride easily; and to provide an improved
body for vehicles of this class which will seat a large number of passengers and which
will permit the passengers to enter at the side.
I accomplish these objects as illustrated in the drawings and as hereinafter described.
That which I claim as new will be pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:-
A represents the body of the car-omnibus, which I will more particularly hereinafter
describe.
The lower panel a on each side of the body A, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5, is
curved inward to permit the wheels to be placed as near to the main portion of the
car body as possible and permit the forward wheels to turn.
B, B, are the forward carrying-wheels, which, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, are
quite low.
C is the front axle. This axle, as shown in Figure 3, is bent downward so that
its middle portion is several inches below the hubs of the wheels B.
D represents springs for the forward end of the car-omnibus or carette. These
springs are secured on the axle C and are provided with hounds F and a fifth wheel E,
as shown in Figure 3. These springs, as shown, are made quite flat so as not to
raise the body A any more than necessary for the wheels B to turn under its panel a,
and in use, these flat springs are found to be superior to those heretofore in use.
The body A is provided with a circle, or a fifth wheel, which rests on the fifth
wheel E, as shown in Figure 3 so that in turning, the hounds F, springs D, and
bent axle C, can turn beneath the circle or fifth wheel on the vehicle body.
G represents the tongue. This tongue is secured between the forward ends of the
hounds F. The hounds being low, I prefer to bend the tongue G at. or near the
point where it enters the hounds F in order to raise its forward end to the proper
height for the horses. The double-tree H is secured to the hounds. F.
I is the foot-board. This foot-board consists of a horizontal portion b which
projects outward from the body A, and of a curved portion c. The forward curved
portion cgives a sufficient space for the double-tree H which is beneath it.
d is the seat which is secured to the front end of the body A and extends across
its entire width.
e is a projecting portion of the roof of the body A which projects over the.seat d,
and foot-board 1.
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page_text: K is the rear axle. This axle K is also bent downward so that the body A will
be supported at the same height by the springs D at the rear as at the front.
On account of the body A being supported on axles bent downward, and flat
springs, it is quite low. The body A is so hung on the springs D, which are quite
flat, that it is an exceedingly easy vehicle to ride in.
In the open or summer car there are two longitudinal seats f, ƒ,
one on each side,
as shown in Figure 2, which seats are over the panels a and between the wheels B, B.
These seats extend rearwardly a sufficient distance to permit the wheels B to turn
under the panels a over which these seats fare located.
9 represents a number of cross-seats which are arranged in pairs, the backs of
each pair being joined, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The number of these cross-
seats g will depend upon the length of the car-omnibus or carette. The frame of
the carette is widened in rear of the panels a so that the seats g extend the entire
width of the car-omnibus or carette between the front and rear wheels. The front
cross-seat g faces forward, thereby giving entrance spaces at the sides to the seats f.
The rear cross-seat g faces forward, as best shown in Figure 2, its back being near
the forward edge of the carrying wheels J.
i, i, are two longitudinal seats in rear of the cross-seats 9 and between the rear
carrying-wheels J. These seats are located on opposite sides of the car-omnibus and
may face each other as shown.
jis the rear platform to give entrance to the seats i. This platform is provided
with side steps k. Each side of the car body A, for the open or summer car, is
provided with a step m between the wheels B and J to give access to the cross seats g
and longitudinal seats f.
This construction of the car body and arrangement of the seats therein, utilizes
the entire space between the front wheels and between the rear wheels by longitudinal
seats, and the space between the longitudinal seats at the front and rear by cross-
seats. The cross-seats 9 can be made quite long so as to seat a large number of
passengers and thereby utilize the entire space between the forward and rear longi-
tudinal seats. The seats are all readily accessible and their arrangement permits the
largest possible number of passengers to be carried in a car-omnibus of a given
length.
The carette may be covered by a suitable roof, L, and the sides of the car are left
open, the roof being supported upon posts. This renders the carette an agreeable
conveyance and an exceedingly pleasant one for summer use. If desired, the front of the
car between the driver's seat and the longitudinal seats f may be closed by a panel n.
The body A of the winter or closed car, shown in Figure 5, may have any suitable
arrangement of seats therein.
prefer to arrange the seats longitudinally along the
sides of the car.
The platform at the rear of the body A is detachably secured to the body A by
rods M, as shown in Figure 4.
The rear end of the body A. of the winter or closed car, is closed by a sliding door.
This door is enclosed in a partition which is open at the bottom for the passage of the
door and to allow any dirt which may get into the guideway to find an exit, thereby
preventing the clogging of the door at the bottom.
By the construction of running gear shown and described, all the advantages of
the track street car are contained in a conveyance which does not require a track.
The two forms shown in Figures 1 and 5 adapt the car for summer and winter use.
Both of these bodies are hung so low by means of bent axles and low springs that it
is an exceedingly easy vehicle for passengers to get onto or off from which makes it a
very popular conveyance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :
1. A car-omnibus body having longitudinal seats f, cross-seats g, and longitudinal
seats i, substantially as specified.

page_text: 2. The combination with low forward wheels B, and rear wheels J, of a car body
having curved panels a at its forward end and longitudinal seats over said panel a,
between the forward and rear wheels, and longitudinal seats i between
the rear wheels, substantially as specified.
cross-seats
3. The combination with low forward wheels B, and rear wheels J, of the car body
having longitudinal seats at its front and rear ends, and long cross-seats 9 extending
the entire width of the body between the wheels, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with low forward carrying wheels B and rear wheels J, of a
car body having panels a, longitudinal seats fover the panel a, cross-seats g, entrance
spaces h, h, at the sides of the car in front of the forward cross seats g, longitudinal
seats i between the rear wheels, and platform j in rear of the body A, substantially
as specified.
5. In a car-omnibus, a sliding door, in combination with the body A having an
enclosing partition open at the bottom for the passage of the door partly out of the
body and preventing clogging at the bottom, substantially as specified.
6. In a car-omnibus, the combination of a body A having lower inwardly curved
panels a, the front bent axle C, the small wheels B located in rear of the front end of
the body, low down hounds F, the flat springs Dattached to the hounds and turning
therewith, a fifth wheel, and a tongue G secured to the forward end of the hounds,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
7. In a car-omnibus, the combination with the body A having curved panels a, of
low front wheels B, bent axle C, flat springs D, low-down hounds F, a fifth wheel,
circle, tongue G, rear wheels J, and bent axle K, substantially as specified.
8. In a car-omnibus, the combination of the body A having lower inwardly curved
panels a, the front bent axle. C, the small front wheels B located in rear of the front
end of the body, the low down hounds F, the flat springs D attached to the hounds
and turning therewith, the fifth wheel E, a circle, the tongue G secured between the
forward ends of the hounds and bent upward at about the point of the attachment
of the double-tree, the foot-board I having horizontal portions b and upward curved
portion c, a double-tree H attached to the hounds beneath the curved portion c of the
foot-board, substantially as described.
9. In a car-omnibus, the combination with the body A having lower inwardly
curved panels a, the front and rear bent axles C, K, small front wheels B, large rear
wheels J, flat springs D, foot-board 1 having upwardly curved front portions c, low
down hounds F having the double-tree H attached thereto beneath the curved portion
of the foot-board, and the rear platform ; having side steps k, substantially as
described.
Day 20
WILLIAM ALEXANDER RUSSELL.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.