Improvements in the Stair Cases of Omnibuses and Tram Cars adapted to Carry Passengers Outside.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after Amend-
ment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by the
decision of the Chief Examiner of the 3rd day of March 1898.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Stair Cases of Omnibuses and Tram Cars
adapted to Carry Passengers Outside.
I, CHRISTOPHER DODSON, of Harmood Street, Camden Town, in the adminis-
trative County of London, Omnibus Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the stair cases of omnibuses
tram cars, adapted to carry passengers outside. The object of it is to provide
a stair case up or down which a passenger can begin to ascend or descend, but
more particularly the latter, without being called on by the circumstances of
the case, to face the risk of being thrown upon, or falling over the hand rail, by a
sudden forward motion of the vehicle.
As the staircases and hand rails of vehicles of the class above mentioned,
especially of omnibuses, are constructed at the present time; the stair case begins
its descent at the rear edge of the roof of the vehicle, generally at one corner,
the handrail following suit. Thus there is not generally any special landing;
and what is worse, the descending handrail is too low to serve as a guard rail,
but occupies a convenient position for catching the descending passenger some-
where below his middle and so serving after he has lost his balance, to ensure his
falling over the said rail into the road.
According to the present invention, the above mentioned corner of the roof, is
continued backwards at its original level, to form a landing.
Instead of this continuation backwards being at the original level, it may be re-
placed by one or more steps according to the height of the roof. From the rear edge
of the landing, or from that of the last step, the stair case is led in a direction at right
angles with the length of the vehicle, to the foot board. The side hand rail of
the vehicle does not stop, as heretofore, at the tail end of the vehicle, but is con-
tinued at the proper height of a hand rail, round the two outer edges of the
landing, or of the substitute steps, thereby serving as a guard rail. Further
it does not begin to follow the stair case until the passengers passage down the
same has brought his hand low enough to grasp and follow it, without his having
to stoop
The foot of the stair case, may be, if preferred carried lower than usual so as
to merge in the platform near the side of the latter, the bottom tread of the
staircase being in fact a portion of the platform.
The staircase band is continued down below the platform to the tread of the
side step. The upright of the hand rail stands at the outer corner of the side

page_text: step, thereby bringing the hand rail conveniently within reach of an intending
passenger standing on the kerb.
Dated this 24th day of Nawamhan 1806
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Stair Cases of Omnibuses and Tram Cars.
adapted to Carry Passengers Outside.
I, CHRISTOPHER DODSON, of Harmood Street, Camden Town, in the adminis-
trative County of London, Omnibus Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the stair cases of omnibuses. and
tram cars, adapted to carry passengers outside. The object of it is to provide
a staircase up or down which a passenger can proceed to ascend or descend
more particularly the latter-even while the vehicle is in spasmodic or sudden
motion without being exposed to the risk or danger of being thrown upon or
over the handrail by any sudden or violent movement of the vehicle.
At the present time the stair-case of vehicles of this class, especially of omni-
buses, begins its descent at the rear edge of the roof and generally at one corner
and thence extends downwards in a more or less curved or winding form to the
platform, the handrail following the contour throughout.
Thus there is not generally provided any special landing, and the handrail
being at an angle with the stairs throughout, presents no surface "square" to the
body, and therefore no efficient guard against a passenger being thrown over it
by any sudden stoppage or movement of the vehicle. Moreover the handrail
being invariably below the level of the waist of a person of average height, it
becomes an assistance to, rather than a guard against, a possible overthrow.
I will now proceed to describe my invention, and in order that the description
may be fully comprehended it is accompanied by a sheet of drawings, illustrating
the application of my invention to a vehicle.
In the said drawings:--
Figure 1 shows in side elevation the rear portion of an omnibus fitted with
my improved stair case and hand rail.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1.
According to my invention, the corner of the roof A at the rear of the vehicle
from which the ordinary stair-case commences its winding descent, is continued
backwards at one or more lower levels according to the height of the roof. in
other words, instead of the stairs being continued to the roof, a second flight B
is interposed between the top stair and the roof, the said landing being two or
three steps below it as found most convenient.
From the near edge a of the landing B, the staircase C extends downwards at
right angles to the length of the vehicle, to the platform D. The side hand-rail b
instead of terminating as heretofore at the rear end of the vehicle, is continued
at the proper height of a hand rail, round the two outer edges of the second
flight B or of the substitute steps thereby serving as a guard rail. Further the
extension of it over the landing is horizontal with a right angle bend c. It
begins to follow the oblique direction of the stair case C immediately over the
top stair at a proper height, so that a person passing down the stair-case could
most conveniently grasp and follow the rail without having to stoop.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I am aware that it has previously been proposed to provide special
landings on staircases of tramcars and the like, and I do not claim such a landing
per se, but I declare that what I claim is :-
-
1. The combination with a tram-car or omnibus adapted to carry passengers
outside, of a two-flight right-angle stair-case surmounted by a hand-rail adapted
to meet the body squarely at all points, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 24th day Auszust 1897.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.