Hansom cab 1886

The Hansom cab is a two-wheeled enclosed horse-drawn vehicle, which was pulled by one horse. It was designed for carrying one or two passengers, on a hire basis, but little or no luggage. On either side of the cab are brass carriage lamps. The large timber-spoked wheels with solid rubber tyres were for comfort. They were faster than the four-wheelers in the ever more congested city streets.The first Hansom cab was designed in 1834 by Joseph Hansom of York, UK. Subsequently there were many variations of the design that stayed on roads around the world until the 1930s. Hansoms were racy and had a disreputable image. A middle class lady would never travel alone in one. There were over 7000 hansom cabs in London alone circa 1900. The model is based on a US patent lodged by Charles Reade, of Chicago, USA in 1886. It had two proper doors and completely shielded passengers from the weather.Dimensions - wheel diameter 1508 mm, overall height 2335 mm, overall length 4000 mm, track width 1850 mmI got the horse as a freebie a long time ago and can't remember the source. It is included as a freebie.