IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Grantham, of King's Arms Yard, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TRAMWAY CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 2nd July 1872, and dated the 19th January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Grantham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th January 1872.
I, JOHN GRANTHAM, of King's Arms Yard, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows :-
My Invention consists of arrangements by which my improved steam
carriage for tramways, for which a Patent has been granted to me, dated
the 28th day of July, 1871, No. 1991, may be adapted to run on asphalte
and common roads, the same apparatus being also applicable to tramway
carriages worked by horses.

page_text: When these arrangements are to be applied to my improved steam
carriage the plan will be as follows:-Instead of the steam engines
being employed to drive the wheels having flanges they will be attached
to an extra pair of wheels having no flanges, but adapted to work either
on rails or on roads without rails. There will also at one end of the
carriage be another pair of smooth wheels running on an axle with a
swivel, the same as the fore body of an ordinary horse carriage. These
last will not be used when on the rails, but when about to leave the rails
for the asphalte or common roads the axles and wheels which have
flanges and which at present guide the carriage are raised up, and the 1
whole weight is thrown upon the driving wheels and the fore body. This
is done by shafts and eccentrics actuated by a steam cylinder or by levers
and screws worked by the engineer at the ends of the carriage, by which
the axle boxes of the flanged wheels are raised up sufficiently to allow
these wheels to clear the rails. The reverse of this takes place when the
carriage has again to work on the rails.
In the case where this apparatus is to be attached to a carriage drawn
by horses both sets of flanged wheels will alone be required to support it
The levers
when on the rails, and the smooth wheels be all set free.
and changing gear will, be so arranged that these may be raised and the
smooth wheels bear the whole weight when off the rails.
In both cases provision is made by which the man at the front end of
the carriage can steer it; this is done by fixing on the fore body a double
pulley, round which is a chain or wire rope attached to a small upright
spindle on each platform, having a small pulley at the bottom and a
wheel at the top for the man to steer by.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteeth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Grantham, Her special
license that I, the said John Grantham, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Grantham, 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 TRAMWAY
CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Grantham, my executors 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 I, the said John Grantham, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of arrangements by which my improved steam
carriage for tramways, for which a Patent has been granted to me, dated
the 28th day of July, 1871, No. 1991, may be adapted to run on asphalte
and common roads, the same apparatus being also applicable to tramway
carriages worked by horses.
When these arrangements are to be applied to my improved steam
carriage the plan will be as follows:-Instead of the steam engines
being employed to drive the wheels having flanges they will be attached
to an extra pair of wheels having no flanges, but adapted to work either
on rails or on roads without rails. There will also at one end of the
carriage be another pair of smooth wheels running on an axle with a
swivel, the same as the fore body of an ordinary horse carriage. These
last will not necessarily be used when on the rails, but when about to
leave the rails for the asphalte or common roads the axles and wheels.

page_text: which have flanges and which at present guide the carriage are raised
up, and the whole weight is thrown upon the driving wheels and the
fore body; this is done by shafts and eccentrics actuated by a steam
cylinder or by levers and screws worked by the engineer at the ends of
the carriage, by which the axle boxes of the flanged wheels are raised 5
up sufficiently to allow these wheels to clear the rails. The reverse of
this takes place when the carriage has again to work on the rails.
In the case where this apparatus is to be attached to a carriage drawn
by horses both sets of flanged wheels will alone be required to support it
when on the rails, and the smooth wheels may be set free. The levers 1
and changing gear will be so arranged that the flanged wheels may be
raised and the smooth wheels bear the whole weight when off the rails.
I also adopt another plan by which the whole of the wheels always
remain in action while the carriage is on the rails; in this case it is only
required to raise and lower the flanged wheels when leaving or entering 1
upon the rails.
In all these cases provision is made by which the man at the front
end of the carriage can guide it; there is fixed on the fore body a double
pulley round which is a chain or wire rope attached to a small upright
spindle on each platform, having a small pulley at the bottom and a 2
wheel at the top for the man to guide by.
I also employ as one method of working the swivel in guiding the
carriage a rod attached to the axle, one end of which rod is secured to a
nut working on a screw; this screw forms part of a shaft which runs
under the carriage to each platform, and is worked by the engineer at 2
either end as in the case of the pulleys above described; or in case horses
are employed the hand gear for guiding may be dispensed with and
shafts for the horses be substituted, and the carriage guided as on
ordinary roads.
In order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and a

page_text: Figure 1 is the elevation with the wheels A and B having the usual
flanges running in the grooves of the rails either on one or both sides ;
the engine power however is applied in this case to the wheels C which
have no flanges; the weight of the carriage is thus borne while on the
rails by six wheels, but guided only by wheels A and B; when however
the carriage leaves the rails these wheels are raised by means hereafter
described, and the whole weight is borne on the wheels C, D. By
Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the wheels D are attached to a
swivel F like the fore body of an ordinary road carriage, and by which
the carriage is guided when not on the rails.
Plate 2 shews the details by which this change is effected, and of the
fore body I by which the wheels D are carried. Figures 1, 2, and 3 are
different views of the axle swivel, india-rubber spring, and wheels,
marked respectively E, F, G, H; Figure 2 is the plan of the framework
which carries the fore body; I, the double pulley round which wire
ropes or chains are placed leading to the smaller pulleys K, Plate 1;
these are placed on the upright spindles L to be worked by the engineer
on either platform, they are used in guiding the carriage when off the
rails; Figure 3 is a transverse section of the axle, swivel, and spring,
also marked E, F, G; Figure 4 is the clip N by which the pulley is
attached to the axle E.
I have now to describe the manner in which the wheels A, B, are
lifted when the carriage leaves the rails, and how they are restored to
their position when the carriage has again to be worked on the rails; on
Plate 1, Figure 1, will be seen two levers marked a, b, worked by rods
represented by dotted lines c, d, which rods are actuated by the steam
cylinder O; the piston of this cylinder is so formed that it will act
either way according as the valves are moved by the engineer, which
valves like the other operations can be worked from either platform.
The levers a, b, seen also in Plate 2, Figures 5 and 6, work cross shafts P
placed just above the axles, and are supported by the brackets Q,
Figures 5 and 6; on the ends of these cross shafts are formed small
eccentrics p; the eccentrics are enclosed in small oblong holes in the
axle boxes R.; on the shafts P being moved by the lovers a, b, as shewn
by dotted lines in Plate 1, Figure 1, the axle boxes will be raised or
lowered by the eccentrics. In these axle boxes work the axles S,
Plates 1 and 2, of the wheels A, B, Plate 1, which will also be raised or
lowered at the same time. The axle boxes, axles, and wheels arc similar
t

page_text: to what are commonly employed for rail or tramway carriages, but I do
not confine myself to the exact form of these parts as there are many
mechanical contrivances by which this operation may be performed; I
have described that which I consider to be the best.
I claim the system of raising the wheels A, B, to enable the carriage 5
to leave the rails and work on asphalte or common roads, or vice versâ,
to restore the wheels so that the carriage may again work on the rails,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grantham, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our 1
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JOHN GRANTHAM. (L.S.)