Some improvements in the construction of wheels for railway carriages were patented on the 31 et of August, 1830, by Mr. Wm. Loeb, of Bentom House, in Northumberland, a gentleman whose experience and knowledge in matters of this kind entitles his suggestions to the attention of the public.
The nature of this invention will be at once understood from, inspection of Ike. 1 and 2, where a a a a represent the tire and flags of a wrought-iron railway wheel ; boob spokes which are to be made dove-tailed at one end, and cast into the nave e, as shown in section at c'e, Fig. 2. The other end of the spoke has a right angular crank bend, as shown at f f f, Fig. 1 ; being carried round the circle to the next spoke ; and thus each spoke and its adjoining felloe are made of one piece of iron. By means of the crank bend at the end of the spokes, one felloe is permitted to pass over the end of another, and at this double part they are securely fixed together by strong screws, as shown by dotted lines. The tire, which is formed in passing finally through the rollers at the iron works, with a recess for the felloe, and a ledge to keep the carriage on the railroad, as represented at a a; and it is to be heated and fitted on the wheel in the usual manner, that it may contract and firmly grasp the wheel when it contracts in cooling. The ends of the spokes, too, must be made hot before the nave is cast upon them, that the junction of the two metals may be the more perfect. It is stated that it may be sometimes found more convenient to weld several pieces of iron together than to bend one piece twice at right angles. It is likewise stated that the spoke may be sometimes with advantage welded on the middle of a piece extending along a ring constituting the felloes in both directions.
• Messrs. W. G. and R. Heaton, of Birmingham, have built several steam carriages which have operated with various degrees of success in their own neighbourhood. Their patent is dated the 5th of October, 1830. The complicated nature of the machinery exhibited, in the specification of this patent, renders it quite impossible to make it fbIly understood without a series of drawings, and a detailed description, for which we cannot find room in this article. We shall therefore confine ourselves to an outline of the methods
which the patentees adopt to accomplish the object they have in view ; that of guidance of a locomotive carriage, and the management of the steam apparatus, that the power and speed may be accommodated to the nature of the road, the quantity of the load, 8/c. For the purpose of steering the carriage, a vertical spindle is placed at some distance before the axle of the front wheels, and on its lower end a small drum is fixed Around this drum is coiled a chain with its middle fixed upon the drum, and its ends made secure to the front axle at a considerable distance from the middle, so that the chain and axle may form a triangle with the drum, situated at hie angle opposite the longest side. The other end of the vertical spindle is connected with a frame situated in front of the coachman's, or rather the steersman's seat; and here is fixed upon the spindle a horizontal beveled-toothed wheel. Over this wheel an axis extends, terminated in two crank handles proceeding from the axes in different directions, so that one will be down when the other is up • and upon this axis is fixed another beveled-toothed wheel taking into the first. Now it is evident when these wheels are turned in one direction the right-hand fore wheel of the carriage will be advanced, and the coach will be turned towards the left, while if they be turned in the other direction, the left-band wheel will be advanced, and the carriage will be turned towards the right. This plan of steering will be immediately recognised by our readers as the same with that :adopted by Mr. James.
The driving wheels, or those to which the power of the engines is to be applied, are connected with the axle by means of a pair of ratchets furnished with a double set of ratchet teeth and a reversing pall. By this contrivance one wheel can be advanced or backed while the other is stationary, or moving in a contrary direction ; an arrangement which becomes necessary in the act of turning and backing. The means of acting upon the reversing pall is brought within the reach of the steersman by means of a set of connecting rods and lever.