CH. VII CONCORD COACH I I 7 



Mountains not as yet reached by the railroad, show 

 the two extremes of design. 



The peculiarities in construction of this coach 

 are, that it has three parallel, straight perches con- 

 necting the hind axle and the front transom-bed 

 and forming a very stiff rectangular frame. See 

 Plate XIV. The three perches extend 9 or 10 

 inches back of the hind axle and are connected 

 by a cross piece. At the four corners of this frame 

 rise four stiff, iron standards, firmly braced so that 

 they cannot bend, which carry, at their upper ends, 

 square iron shackles ; connecting these shackles 

 on each side are thick leather straps, and upon 

 these straps, or thorough-braces, rests the body of 

 the coach. 



This is exactly the mode of suspension of Eu- 

 ropean carriages before the introduction of springs, 

 which, it will be noticed, are wholly absent in the 

 Concord coach. 



The fore-carriage differs from that of the Enelish 

 coach principally in not having any outer futchells. 

 The inner futchells are spread out behind to take 

 the sway-bar, and brought together in front to take 

 the pole ; corresponding to the splinter-bar is an 

 evener, attached to the top of the futchells by a bolt, 

 about which it turns, its motion being limited by 

 chains which 00 from its ends to the axle. To this 

 evener are hooked the swingle-trees. 



The pole measures 9 ft. 7 in. from the front of the 

 evener, but inasmuch as the swingle-trees are 4^ 



