CERTAIN IMPROVED MEANS OR METHODS OP DIMINISHING DRAUGHT AND FRICTION IN CARRIAGES AND OTHER CONVEYANCES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WRIGG, of Upper Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seven-
teenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the
tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Henry Wrigg, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Henry Wrigg, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henry Wrigg, my executors, administrators, 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 expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVED MEANS OR METHODS
OP DIMINISHING DRAUGHT AND FRICTION IN CARRIAGES AND OTHER CONVEYANCES,"
partly communicated to me by my deceased brother, William Kersall Wrigg,
and partly invented by myself; in which Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said Henry Wrigg, shall cause a particular description of the

page_text: nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the 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
Henry Wrigg, hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention consists
in diminishing draught and friction in carriages and other conveyances by
constructing every description of carriage in such manner, and providing it
with such appendages and appliances, that its weight shall always be borne by
rails attached to the carriage, & resting or moving on one or more of an
endless chain of friction wheels caused to revolve by the traction or propulsion
of the carriage in a longitudinal direction, and this, whether such carriage
move on prepared or unprepared ground, and whether it is propelled by
animal or steam or any other power. And I declare that the following is a
full description of the manner in which the said Invention is to be carried
into effect, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say:-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a carriage
constructed according to my Invention, to be propelled by steam (in both
Figures some of the less material parts being, for the sake of greater clear-
ness, omitted). It consists of two distinct bodies, A and B, connected by one
common framework a, a, the front body A serving to guide the carriage, and
the hind body to carry the passengers or goods, as also the steam machinery
by which the whole is to be propelled. Each body is provided with its own
separate rails and friction wheels. The machinery peculiar to the front
body A is sustained by a separate framework a¹, a'. C, C, are solid
cranked axles, which revolve in brasses b, b, and D, D, are deeply-flanged
tumblers made fast to hollow axles c, c, which encircle the solid axles
C, C. E, E, are links of the endless chain or series of railway friction
wheels F, F, which, with their pedestals P, P, revolve round the tumblers
D, D; and G, G, is a frame fixed between the tumblers to which the
stationary rails r, r, are attached, and which may be either flanged or plain.
A side elevation of one of the axles C, C, and transverse elevation of one of
the tumblers D, D, are given separately on an enlarged scale in Figure 3.
C is the cranked axle, and c the hollow axle which encircles it. D is the
tumbler, which is firmly attached to the hollow axle c. d, d, are the flanges.
fis a clutch by which the hollow axle c may be made fast to or detached

page_text: from the solid axle C at pleasure; and 9, 9, are tappets attached to the
tumblers in such positions that as the tumbler revolves they catch into the
links E, E, of the endless chain, which links fit into the space between the
flanges d, d, and rest upon the surfaces e, e. On one side of the inner flange d
there is a friction drum h, which is in one piece with or attached to the
tumbler D, and revolves with it. From this drum a belt is carried to a lever,
which is under the controul of the conductor of the carriage, so that when the
tumbler is freed from the main axle (C) by the application of the clutch f, as
aforesaid, the conductor can, by acting on the belt and friction drum, as afore-
said, very speedily check the speed of the tumbler or bring it to a state of rest.
A plan, side elevation, and section of one of the friction wheels (I), with its
pedestal P, and other appendages, are given separately, on an enlarged scale,
in Figures 7, 8, and 9. The pedestal P consists of an open square box of
wood k, (divided horizontally into two portions, as presently hercin-after
explained,) raised on a circular bottom m, which is also of wood, but is shod
with iron, a layer of felt i, i, being interposed between the wood and iron to
deaden the sound of the machinery when in motion. The axle n of the
friction wheel F turns in brass bearings o, o, screwed to two of the sides of the
box at top, and the wheel revolves partly within the box. The box k is
divided horizontally into two portions as aforesaid, in order that the upper
portion may, in the course of the revolution of the whoels, be turned round
before the lower has deviated from a horizontal position, and this is effected by
the intervention of the three metal pieces p, q, s. The first p is an annular
plate of iron, which is made fast to the top of the under portion of the box,
and projects considerably at the four sides. The second (2) is a similar
annular plate of brass, but of less diameter, and consequently projecting less
at the sides, which is made fast to the bottom of the upper portion of the box.
These two plates move freely round upon one another, and are made, therefore,
as smooth as may be on the surfaces which come in contact. The periphery
of the plate 9 is bevilled outwards, as shown.. The third piece (s) is a ring of
iron, which rests on and is secured to the plate p, and is bevilled inwards on the
inside so as to correspond with and overlap the bevilled edge of the plate q.
The result of this arrangement is, that, as each pedestal comes to the turning
point in the course of its revolution round the drums, the top part first moves
very equably and steadily round, and then brings the lower part after it by
means of the overlapping bevel edge of the ring s. The hinder body B of the
carriage (see Figures 1 and 2) is in most respects a counterpart in double of
the front part A, that is to say, it has solid cranked axles C, C³, similar to C, C,
but of greater length, and tumblers D', D', similar to the tumblers D, D,

page_text: but attached in pairs to the axles C³, C³, one at each end, and, either fixed to
or turning loosely on these axles, two endless chains of friction wheels and
redestals F, F, and P₁,P¹, similar to F, F, and P, P; (excepting only that
the pedestals are not divided, but in one piece, as shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6,)
and two fixed sets of rails G', G', similar to G, G, which rest or move on the
two series of friction wheels F, F¹. The carriage is in effect a four-wheeled
one, with two guide wheels (placed end to end) in front. The central space L
may be appropriated to the accommodation of passengers or goods, or if the
carriage is not designed to afford such accommodation, but to be employed in
drawing or propelling passenger and goods vehicles, the space L may be
occupied by the steam engine or other motive agent employed. M, N, T, V,
and W are the parts of the machinery by which the two parts of the carriage
A and B are made to move in unison. M, is a pinion affixed to the under
side of one of the cross pieces of the frame a, a, which is common to both
A and B, the axis of which pinion is prolonged upwards through the cross
piece, and terminates in a hand lever N. T is a cog wheel affixed to the top
of the framework a³of the fore part A, into which the pinion M works. V is
a circular ring bevilled outwards, which fits into a corresponding bevil edge W,
raised on the top face of the cog wheel, and is made fast at top to the common
frame a, a, (see sectional view of these parts, Figure 12,) whereby the two
frames a, a, and a', a', and through them the two parts A and B of the carriage,
are immoveably connected together, while at the same time the fore part A is
left free to turn in any direction. X, X, are buffers which act against spiral
springs coiled around their respective shafts, which shafts play into sockets
Y, Y, attached to the sides of the frame.
From the preceding description the manner in which progression is given to
the carriage will be readily understood. Previous to starting some of the
pedestals of each chain of friction wheels are resting on the ground, while all
the rest are wound round the tumblers, and the entire weight of the carriage is
sustained by such of the friction wheels only as are in direct contact with the
rails. It is desirable in the case of the fore part A that there should not be
more than one wheel in contact with the rails at a time, in order that this
which is the guiding part of the vehicle may turn with as much ease as
possible, and with this view the rails are made short and rounded off at the
end as shewn in Figure 1; but in the case of the hind part B, it is immaterial
how many of the wheels may be in contact with the rails. When a rotatory
motion is given to the main axles C and C¹ (by animate or inanimate power),
and thereby to the tumblers D and D³, the carriage slides forward by means of
the rails attached to it on the friction wheels beneath, while simultaneously

page_text: therewith a revolving motion is imparted to each of the endless chains of
wheels, which brings one wheel after another in continual succession under the
rails, producing thus all the effect of one continuous rail. The axles C and
C' of the tumblers D and D' are represented in the Drawings as turning in
circular bearings; but where the carriage is intended to be used on very rough
ground, it will be desirable to substitute slotted bearings, so that the tumblers
may give way to a small extent upwards, and the carriage be thus more easily
carried over any obstacle which it may encounter. Instead also of the
pedestals being, as represented in the Drawings, united by metal links, they
may be united by pieces of leather or other like flexible material; and in either
case, should the carriage be much exposed to dust or dirt, it may be proper to
fill up the spaces between each pair of pedestals with a piece of leather or
cloth of the width of the pedestals, in order to catch such dust or dirt, and
prevent its falling on the interior parts of the machinery on the pedestals
becoming inverted. When animal power is employed to draw the carriage,
the fore or guiding part A may be dispensed with. The oiling of the axles is
effected by an oil box of a peculiar construction, one such box being attached to
the brass bearings of each axle. An external elevation and sectional elevation
of this box are given in Figures 10 and 11. As is the box which is filled with
oil to about the height shewn. Bb is a lid which is screwed on to a ring
which projects from the side of the box. C, neck by which the box is
screwed into the brass bearing o. Dd, a tube which is passed down through
the neck C to the axle C, and carried upwards a little way above the
level of the oil in the box. E, E°, are some threads of cotton, which being
inserted at one end into the tube D4, and dipping at the other into the oil,
supply by capillary attraction a constant flow of oil to the axle. F' is a
circular rack raised on the top of the brass bearing, and secured to the neck
of the oil cup, which takes into the rack F', and holds the box fast when
screwed into its place. The advantage of this oil box is, that no supply of
oil can be given to the axle except when the box is nearly vertical, and that
there can be no escape of the oil except in the direction of the axle.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not restrict myself to
the employment of any given number of drums or friction wheels, but that the
means or methods of diminishing draught and friction in carriages and other
conveyances which I claim as being new, and as constituting the said Invention,
are as follows:-
First, I claim the employment of a rail or rails permanently attached to the
framework of the carriage or other conveyance, and resting or moving on one.

page_text: two, or more of the friction wheels of an endless chain or chains of friction
wheels, caused to revolve by the traction or propulsion of the carriage or other
conveyance in a longitudinal direction, so that there shall always be one wheel
after another presented in continuous succession for the rail or rails to move
on, as before described.
Second, I claim the employment of a friction wheel pedestal of the peculiar
construction represented in Figures 7, 8, and 9, whether the same is combined
with such other machinery as has been before described or with any other
machinery having for its object the diminution of draught and friction in
carriages and other conveyances; and,
Third, I claim the employment for the purposes of my Invention of the oil
box of the peculiar construction before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Wrigg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-seven
HENRY WRIGG. (L.S.)
Taken and acknowledged by Henry
Wrigg (party hereto), at Skibbereen,
in the County of Cork, this Tenth
day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-seven, before me,
MICH GALLWAY,
A Magistrate acting in and for the County of Cork.