MDRAVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Slaughter, of the Avonside Iron Works,
Bristol, in the County of Somerset, Engineer, for the Invention of
TMDRAVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
Sealed the 22nd March 1864, and dated the 7th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Slaughter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
October 1863.
I, EDWARD SLAUGHTER, of the Avonside Iron Works, Bristol, in the County
of Somerset, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locomotive engines. For
these purposes, in order that the exhaust steam from a locomotive engine may
be more advantageously condensed when the engine is passing through tunnels,
I apply to a locomotive engine the following arrangement of apparatus :-On
the passage leading from the steam cylinder into the chimney a cock or valve
is applied, and also a branch pipe leading to a surface condenser, in order that
the exhaust steam may be for a time shut off from the chimney, and during
such-time turned into the surface condenser, which is formed of tubes or
narrow passages that are exposed to the atmospheric air, in order to admit of
an extensive area of surface being acted on by the atmospheric air as the
locomotive engine moves quickly along a railway. This condenser is con-

page_text: veniently constructed of long tubular passages arranged in a direction from the
cylinder end of a locomotive engine to the other end thereof, where an injec-
tion condenser and air pump, such as are used in low-pressure engines, are
situated. The water tank is divided, or is in two parts, and a connecting
pipe is applied to one of the parts in order to supply cold water injection to
the condenser, whilst the water resulting from the condensed steam is pumped
into the other or hot water compartment of the water tank from which the
boiler is supplied. The ash pan is also arranged, as has beretofore been done,
so as to be closed when the exhaust steam is shut off from the chimney. By
these arrangements, when a locomotive engine is passing into and through a
tunnel or underground railway the exhaust steam will be shut off from the
chimney and will be turned into the combined surface and injection condenser,
whilst at the same time the ash pan will be closed, and thus will the products
of combustion as well as the steam be prevented passing into the tunnel or
underground railway.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Slaughter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
SLAUGHTER, of the Avonside Iron Works, Bristol, in the County of Somerset,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Slaughter, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Slaughter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Slaughter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Slaughter, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Slaughter, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locomotive engines. For
these purposes, in order that the exhaust steam from a locomotive engine may
be more advantageously condensed when the engine is passing through tunnels.
I apply to a locomotive engine the following arrangement of apparatus:-On
the passage leading from the steam cylinders into the chimney a cock or valve
is applied, and also a branch pipe leading to a surface condenser, in order that
the exhaust steam may be for a time shut off from the chimney, and during
such time turned into the surface condenser, which is formed of tubes or
narrow passages that are exposed to the atmospheric air in order to admit
of an extensive area of surface being acted on by the atmospheric air as the
locomotive engine moves quickly along a railway. This condenser is con-
veniently constructed of long tubular passages arranged in a direction from the
cylinder end of a locomotive engine to the other end thereof, where an injection
condenser and air pump, such as are used in low-pressure engines, are situated.
The water tank is divided or is in two parts, and a connecting pipe is applied
to one of the parts in order to supply cold water injection to the condenser
whilst the water resulting from the condensed steam is pumped into the other
or hot-water compartment of the water tank from which the boiler is supplied.
The ash pan is also arranged, as has heretofore been done, so as to be closed
when the exhaust steam is shut off' from the chinney.
But in order that the Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings annexed..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of parts of a locomotive engine
having my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a horizontal section.
thereof; and Figure 3 is a transverse section taken through the smoke box.
a is one of the steam cylinders of the engine, the exhaust steam from which,
when the engine is running in the open passes away through blast pipes.b as
usual, but when the locomotive engine is passing into or through.a tunnel or
underground railway the steam is shut off from the blast pipes b and caused
to pass through the surface condenser c in the following manner:- On the

page_text: passages a leading from the steam cylinders into the chimney a cock or
valve a is applied, and also a branch pipe or junction a leading into a
chamber c¹ at one end of the surface condenser c; when the three-way cock or
valve a³ is so turned by means of the handle a* as to shut off the exhaust from
the blast pipes 6 the exhaust steam passes away from the cylinders a through
the cock a into the surface condenser c, where the exhaust steam is partially
condensed; it thence passes into an injection condenser d of the ordinary
description, where it is condensed by a jet of cold water supplied in the fol-
lowing manner-e is a tank divided horizontally into two parts having an air
space between them in order that the temperature of the water in one com-
partment may not be communicated to that in the other. This tank is
supported on an extra pair of wheels, as shown, and the two compartments
referred to are each capable of holding the necessary quantity of water for
service between the terminal stations of an underground railway. On com-
mencing to work the cold water is run into the cold water tank and is used
for injection into the condenser d by passing through the suction pipe d',
cock d², and injection pipe d, which is perforated with numerous holes, as is
well understood. The condensed steam and injection water, together with any
air or gases therewith collected, are then pumped by the air pump f into that
part of the tank for holding hot water. The air pump f is worked from the
crank pin of the trailing coupled wheels, as shown more clearly by Fig. 4, or
in any other convenient manner; f₁ are the foot valves, and fe is the way
through which the water and gases are discharged into the hot water tank
from which the boiler is supplied. The surface condenser c is composed, as
shown, of a number of small tubes (or it may be narrow passages); it will be
seen that these small tubes do not extend from end to end of the surface
condenser c, but for convenience of manufacture and otherwise are divided
into two sets connected together by the short chamber c*; the steam is par-
tially condensed in passing through the condenser c by the atmosphere acting
upon the outer surfaces of the tubes of which it is composed, or these tubes or
some of them may be immersed in a tank of cold water. In some cases the
surface condenser may be dispensed with. The steam would then, when shut
off from the blast pipe, be caused to pass directly to the injection condenser d.
The ash pan is also arranged, as has heretofore been done, so as to be closed
when the exhaust steam is shut off from the blast pipes b. By these arrange-
ments, when a locomotive engine is passing into and through a tunnel or
underground railway, the exhaust steam will be shut off from the chimney
and will be turned into the combined surface and injection condenser, whilst
at the same time the ash-pan will be closed, and thus will the products of

page_text: combustion as well as the steam be prevented passing into the tunnel or
underground railway.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, but what I claim is the combined arrange-
ment herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Slaughter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
EDWARD SLAUGHTER. (L.S.)