IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY CARS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Wood, of Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TRAMWAY CARS."
Sealed the 19th July 1872, and dated the 23rd January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Wood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd January 1872.
I, ALEXANDER WOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY CARS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to construct tramway cars in such a
manner as to enable them to accommodate a greater number of passengers,
whilst at the same time the length of the car is diminished so as to
bring the horses or other propelling power nearer to the work to be per-
formed. These advantages are secured by constructing the body of the
car in the form of an oval or ellipse, and in lieu of forming it with parallel
sides as heretofore, and the greatest width of the car being then at the

page_text: centre seats can be placed in the middle of the passage at that part to
accomodate two, four, or other number of passengers, which will enable
the like number of seats to be taken off from the length of the car,
thereby not only decreasing its actual weight but also diminishing the
draught. The rounding off of the ends of the car also enables the plat-
forms on which the passengers step to be made wider, and so afford
greater facility on entering or leaving the car, whilst at the same time
this form of car is well adapted for overcoming the resistance to its
motion afforded by the surrounding atmosphere.
on the 22nd July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
WOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send' greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third 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 successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Wood, Her special license that
I, the said Alexander Wood, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Alexander Wood, my executors, adminis-
trators, or 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
CARS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Wood, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Wood, 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 statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to construct tramway cars in
such a manner as to enable them to accommodate a greater number of
passengers both inside as well as outside, whilst at the same time the
length of the car is diminished so as to bring the horses or other motive
power nearer to the work to be performed. These advantages are
secured by constructing the body of the car in the form of an oval
or elipse, thereby not only decreasing its actual weight but also dimin-.
ishing the draught. The rounding off of the ends of the car also
enables the platforms on which the passengers step to be made wider,
and so afford greater facility in entering or leaving the car, whilst
at the same time this form of car is well adapted for overcoming the
resistance to its motion by the surrounding atmosphere.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, that is to say :—
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto appended, Figure 1 is a side
elevation of my improved tramway car, whilst Figure 2 is a horizontal
section of the same. As shewn by the Drawings, but more particularly
at the horizontal section, Figure 2, the body A of the car is constructed
of an oval or eliptical form, and is supported on two pairs of wheels B.
The seats C are carried entirely round the interior of the car, with the
exception of at the entrance D. The entrance D and platform E are
situated at the rear end of the car, whilst at the front end is the driver's
scat F and coupling bar G, to which the horses are attached in the
ordinary manner. Situated on the platform E is a stair or ladder H
leading to the outside or roof seats I. A guard rail K is provided,
running round the top of the car in front of the scats I in the usual
manner.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Figure 1 is in part a vertical section and
in part a side elevation of a second arrangement of my improved tram-

page_text: this arrangement the body A of the car is constructed similarly to
that one herein-before described, and illustrated on Sheet 1 of the
Drawings, excepting that it is provided with an entrance B and plat-
form C at each end. The draw bar D extends beneath the body of the
car from one extremity to the other, thereby allowing of the horses being
attached in the usual way to either end of the car, thus obviating the
necessity of turning the car at the end of each journey, as under the first
arrangement.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would obscrve
in conclusion, that what I consider novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the constructing of tramway cars with
oval or eliptical bodies and having entrances at one or both ends,
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated on the annexed
two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Wood, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.