IMPROVEMENTS IN OMNIBUSES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Herbert William Hart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th September 1880.
HERBERT WILLIAM HART, of Palace Chambers, St. Stephen's, in the City
of Westminster, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OMNIBUSES, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER VEHICLES."
Among the many objections raised against omnibuses as at present constructed,
may be mentioned want of comfort in the arrangement of the inside seats, especially
for ladies, want of ventilation, the difficulty and inconvenience of getting in and out,
and also up and down from the roof, and the discomfort of the roof seats,
especially during wet weather.
Now the object of the present Invention is to obviate these inconveniences and
otherwise improve the construction of omnibus.
To this end I arrange the rows of inside seats back to back, and place them along
the centre of the omnibus; the admission to these rows of seats is obtained through
separate doors at the end of the omnibus. If preferred one of these doors may be
used for entrance only, and the other for exit only, a transverse passage at about
the centre of the omnibus allowing the passengers to pass from one side to the
other. The body of the omnibus I propose shall be much nearer the ground than
usual, and to enable me to obtain this result I use cranked axles for the hind
wheels, the springs supporting the body being connected by link rods. The
reduction in the height from the ground will necessitate a change in the position of
the fore carriage, which instead of being under the body as at present will be
arranged in front of it. This arrangement will give me an opportunity of
providing if desired an additional seat on either side of the omnibus, the
passenger occupying such seats facing in the direction of the doors.
In order however that the distance between the wheels shall be as nearly as
possible the same as in omnibuses at present in use, I advance the bind wheels 80
as to bring the body nearly in equilibrium on the hind axle. The inside of the
vehicle will be reached by two steps, which will take the contour of the back of
the body, and will be provided with suitable hand rails.
The omnibuses will in general remain open at the ends, but sliding doors will be
provided for use when required, and hand rails will be placed along the sides of the
vehicle for the convenience of passengers passing to or from their seats.

page_text: The roof of the omnibus I form with a well in the centre, the rows of roof
seats being placed opposite one another and over the passage ways in the inside.
The roof seats I propose to cover with a light awning or roof, with side pieces or
flaps to be used in wet weather. The means for getting onto the roof will consist
of a light iron ladder provided with suitable hand rails, and which will project
slightly from the rear of the vehicle to leave room underneath for the conductor to
stand.
The box seats will be carried by brackets, and they will be reached from the roof
of the vehicle only, one of the seats on either side being arranged to lift up to allow
the passengers to pass, and they will be enclosed by a railing.
The ventilation of the vehicle will be effected in the following manner :-One or
more trumpet shaped mouths will be placed outside the front of the body to catch
and collect the currents of air. These mouths will communicate with an internal
diffusing chamber containing means for dividing up the currents of air before they
enter the vehicle. In order to carry off the vitiated air displaced by the fresh air,
a collecting chamber communicating with the outside will be provided at the rear
of the vehicle. Tubes connected with the diffusing chamber may also convey air
under the inside seats.
The arrangement of the omnibus above described will allow of the better
lighting than at present, as the light can be fixed to the body of the omnibus
instead of swinging backwards and forwards with the door. Provision will also be
made at the back and front to signal to the public the fact of the omnibus being
full.
The vehicle will be provided with a break arrangement of any approved
construction which will be actuated by the driver in any convenient manner.
I also propose to form the pole and splinter bar in one, and to connect the pole
of the fore carriage by a vertical bolt, which will be connected in any convenient
manner to a band lever within reach of the driver, so that should either of the
horses fall, the pole and splinter bar can readily be released from the omnibus by
the driver rocking the hand lever, and thus the difficulty at present experienced in
releasing the traces and breast chains to allow the fallen horse to rise will be
overcome in a simple manner. If desired, stays between the splinter bar and the
axle of the front wheels may be provided.
It will be obvious that the arrangements for ventilation may be adapted to other
kinds of carriages, whether for road or rail, and the pole arrangement or its
equivalent can be rendered applicable with but slight modifications to four wheeled
carriages and other vehicles both for single and two horses.