In October, 1825, Sir George Cayley, of Brampton, in Yorkshire, obtained letters patent for a locomotive apparatus on the same principle as Mr. Barry's, described at page 445, but somewhat differently applied. An elevation of this machine is given in the following cut; a a represent a side view of the fore and hind running wheels of the carriage, the axletrees of which are made fast to the inclined ends of the wagon box b ; each of the two pair of wheels have deep grooves c c in their peripheries, and into these a stout endless chain dd is passed around, so as to connect the fore and hind wheels together on the oppo site side of the carriage. To show the groove c, one of the wheels is represented with one of the side flanges removed. Each link of the chain carries two per pendicular arms, which serve as the carrier or bearings to a small roller e e, which revolves at right angles to the running wheels. These rollers, which form a continuous series on both sides of the carriage, come successively in con tact with the ground as the machine is moved in its course, and step over the obstacles that may lie in their path. But in the case of any of the rollers alighting on a prominent stone, which might cause an injurious strain upon the machine, a solid wheel or roller f is fixed midway between the wheels on each side of the carriage, which receive and are capable of sustaining the pressure. In order that the carriage may be moved sideways, the rollers are placed at right angles with the running wheels.
The patentee has introduced into his specification some ingenious contrivances for keeping the wheels in a straight path upon unlevel surfaces ; but as these do net possess a very practical character, we must refer the reader to the speci fication for the particulars of them.
In the early part of this article are given some plans for the employment of toothed racks to railways, to enable a carriage, provided with a toothed wheel, taking into the teeth of the rack, to obtain sufficient resistance to ascend inclined nclined planes : but the former were subject to the disadvantage of a strain or twist, the rack in them being placed on one aide of the way. To obviate this defect appears to have been the object of Mr. Josiah Easton, who took out a patent, dated the 13th October, 1825, for "certain improvements in locomotive or steam carriages, and also in the manner of constructing the roads or ways for the same to travel on." The following brief description of this invention is given in the London Journal of Ares, Vol. Xl.:—" These improve ments consist, first, in forming a line of road, with a raised part along the middle, upon which a rack, or toothed bar of iron is placed ; and secondly, in adapting a toothed wheel to the steam carriage, which shall take into the said rack, and being actuated by the rotatory power of the steam-engine, shall thereby cause the carnage to be impelled forward upon the line of railroad, and the trains or other waggons after it." In the subjoined cuts, Fig. 1 exhibits a transverse section of the railroad, with the end view of a waggon upon it. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the manner in which the carriage is driven ; a a is the road fonned of masonry, the parts L L, on which the running wheels travel, being on a lower plane than the central part c of the road, whereon the rack d is situated. The
steam-engine, and other machinery appertaining to the locomotive, are constructed in the usual way ; the only novelty in the carriage is the toothed wheel e, which takes into the rack d, fixed along the centre of the road; and this toothed wheel being made to turn through the agency of a train of wheels actuated by the steam-engine, the carriage is thereby propelled, and the waggons drawn after it. In order to keep the carnag.1 in their track upon the road, two guide rollers ff are placed under the carriage, which run against the side of the central rib, and this prevents them from moving out of their course.
The chief resistance to the motion of carriages upon railways arising, as has before been explained, from the friction of the axles, many attempts have been made to reduce it, by the introduction of anti-friction rollers, variously disposed, the design being to convert the rubbing, or sliding, into a rolling action : but the generality of the contrivances for this purpose have had no other con sequence than the removal of the friction from one part to another, and of weak ening or encumbering the general structure by an unnecessary multiplicity of parts. How far these observations may apply to the invention of Mr. Brandreth, of Liverpool, patented in November 1825, we will leave the reader to consider. Fig. 1 exhibits a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of a railway waggon, to which Mr. Brandreth's patent is applied. a a are the axes of the running wheels b b, turning in bushes, and suspended in an angular iron framing c c ; at d is another axis above, carrying near its extremities anti friction rollers e e, the peripheries of which roll in contact with a grooved on the lower axis, by the revolving motion of the latter. The drawing, Fig. 1.1s intended to show a coal waggon, divided into two receptacles, and con nected together by a hinge joint. They are provided with loose bottoms, so that when they are brought on to the stage, whereon or through which the coals are shot, they may be readily discharged by the withdrawal of a bolt. • In November 1825, Messrs. John and Samuel Seaward, of the City Canal, London, obtained a patent under which their claim was for " the propelling locomotive engines, vehicles, and other carriages, by means of a wheel or wheels connected either by a swinging frame or frames to the crank shaft of a steam-engine, or other moving power, or working in circular grooves, so that it, or they, may rise or fall, to connect themselves to the roughness or unevenness of the ground, but supporting no part of the weight of the said engine, such weight being entirely supported upon separate wheels." A locomotive engine at a was placed on two pair of wheels b; c is the crank shaft of a steam-engine within the body of the machine; to the shaft c is attached the swinging frame d, with a propeller e turning on its axis g, at the vibrating end of the swinging frame. The steam-engine, was upon the springs f, so that the machine might travel upon rough roads.