CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINES TO BE USED EITHER UPON RAIL OR OTHER ROADS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO MARINE AND STATIONARY STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
BURCH, of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of February, in the seventh year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Burch, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Richard Burch, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Burch, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINES TO BE USED EITHER UPON RAIL OR
OTHER ROADS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO MARINE AND STATIONARY
STEAM ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said Richard Burch, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had. will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso. I, the said
Richard Burch, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in the Drawings hereto annexed, and by the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
"My Improvements in Locomotive Steam Engines to be used either upon
Rail or other Roads, which Improvements are also applicable to Marine and
Stationary Engines," consist, firstly, in the peculiar construction of the engine,
or in a novel arrangement of its common essential parts, whereby I am
enabled to apply a separate cylinder and piston or direct driving power to
each running wheel of the carriage, and communicating the same to the crank
pin in the wheel, or to the crank on the end of its shaft, without the aid of
a connecting rod, and, consequently, coupling the wheels and effectually
causing each wheel to revolve at every stroke of the piston, and proceed along
the rails or road at each revolution, instead of. unnecessarily slipping upon
the rails without progression, as ordinary locomotive engines are liable to do.
To effect this, I apply two cylinders upon each side of the framing or carriage
of the engine, in a line between the wheel axles or crank centres, and as the
cranks revolve the cylinders oscillate between them, thereby yielding to their
motion. And by a second improvement which I have applied, this vibration
of the cylinder opens and closes the steam ports or valves.
My second improvement in the construction of locomotive and other steam
engines consists in the application of a peculiarly formed face or disc valve, which
is constructed upon the principal of an ordinary ventilator, and which I prefer
should be divided into 4, 8, 16, or such other number of equal parts as will
divide by 8 without remainder, one half of these equal parts to be solid faces,
and the other half to be openings or steam ports alternately, as will be more
fully described hereafter. A horizontal shaft placed across the carriage sup-
ports the parts which form these valves, and also carries the four cylinders and
forms the centres of oscillation for each pair, and as the cylinders vibrate upon
their common centres, the valves or steam boxes being fixed or stationary
upon the shaft, it will be evident that the opening and closing of the steam
ports is thus effected.
The third feature of novelty in the construction of locomotive or other
steam engines is, the introduction of a plate or disc of metal between the two
faces above described, constituting the valve, and this plate being formed with
corresponding openings or apertures to those in the valve, by being worked
either backwards or forwards by a lever, will instantly reverse the stroke of
the engine, and cause a retrogade motion to be performed, that is, by its
intervention converting those openings in the valve which were outlets for
the steam into inlets, and vice versa.

page_text: And my fourth improvement is, the parallel guides, or the means by which
the centres of the cranks upon one side of the engine carriage are always kept
square, or at right angles to those upon the other side; and this arrangement
also totally prevents any lateral strain upon the piston rods; this is effected
by the attachment of a slide or parallel groove, fixed on to the outer end or
cap of each cylinder, and consequently allowed to vibrate with it, and in
which groove or slide the brasses of the crank pins run or work. For the
more perfect illustration of these improvements, and in order to render their
application to locomotive and other steam engines perfectly understood, I
have attached to these presents two sheets of Drawings, in which Sheet I.
comprises their application generally to locomotive engines, and Sheet 2 their
application partially to stationary and marine engines, all of which separate
figures are marked with letters of reference, having corresponding letters upon
similar parts.
Sheet 1, Fig. 1, represents a side elevation of a locomotive engine con-
structed upon the principle of my improvements, and Fig. 2 is a plan or hori-
zontal view of the same; and in these figures the particular novelties of my
Invention are represented shaded with color, and the ordinary parts of the
engine are left in outline, that their application may be better understood.
Figure 3 is a side view of a pair of cylinders with the valve, taken from one
side of the carriage in order to shew it detached, and the situation of the
steam ports. A, A, is the boiler and furnace of the engine constructed upon
the ordinary principle, being supported by the framing B, B. C, C, C, C,
are four steam cylinders which are bolted by flanges, or otherwise fastened to
the steam chamber or valve box D, D. Upon the ends of the shafts of
the running wheels cranks b, b, are fixed at right angles, into which the
crank pins c, c, c, c, are keyed firmly, or, in the event of the wheels being
outside the framing, as some engine manufacturers may prefer, then these
crank pins c, c, must be firmly placed in one of the arms or bosses of the
wheels as usual, and to these crank pins the piston rods d, d, d, d, are
attached by straps of metal or otherwise, without the aid of the ordinary
connecting rod, the brasses of the crank pin at the head of each piston rod
working in the grooved guides or races d, d, as shewn at Fig. 1, keep
these two cranks at opposite angles to each other, and being at right angles
to the two on the other side of the carriage, cause the cylinders to vibrate
upon their central bearing e, e; the reciprocating motions of the pistons cause
the cranks to revolve, and with them the axles and running wheels of the
carriage. The reciprocating motions of the pistons are obtained by the
oscillations of the cylinders opening and closing the valves, and consequently

page_text: effecting the ingress and regress of the steam in the following manner, which
will be best understood by reference to Fig. 4, shewing the whole of the
parts of the valves in detail, and being a longitudinal section of the same
taken at the dotted line in Figure 5-The steam box or chamber f, f, consists
of two annular cavities or recesses, the external one in connexion with the
steam pipes, and the internal one in connection with the eduction pipes; g is
the induction or steam pipe in connection with the boiler, and charged with
steam in any convenient manner, and h is the eduction pipe which conducts
the spent steam from the engine; i, is the reversing plate, the faces or plan
views of which are shewn in back and front elevations in Figures 5 and 6;
the face of the plate, as seen at Figure 6, lies close to the steam box, and the
steam blows through the openings or ports j, j, j, into the cylinders. The
other openings or orifices k, k, k, lie against the interior annular cavity, and con-
sequently become eduction orifices; when no reversing motion is wanted, this
plate may be cast fast on to the steam box in one piece. 1, 1, is another plate
having exactly similar cavities or openings to the last described, but turned
with its face the reverse way about, and screwed to the seating of the cylinder
m, m; this cylinder seating is shewn detached in plan view at Figure 7,
(with portions of cylinders C, C, affixed), and vibrates with it, and conse-
quently brings its orifices alternately against the induction (or steam) and
eduction (or escape) orifices of the reversing plate. It must be observed,
that in Figure 4 the various pieces are all shewn slidden a little space
asunder on the shaft c, e, in order to represent them distinctly, but when in
operation they must all be in close contact, and ground so true that the valve
shall be made perfectly steam-tight. It will be seen in Figure 7 that the
face of the cylinder seating has two annular cavities or chambers, similar to
the steam box; the outer annulus is connected with the tops of the cylinders
by the steam passage q, q, and the inner annulus with the bottoms of
the same; the face Figure 6 of plate being laid upon it and fixed, the
orifices n, n, n, n, of face Fig. 5, communicate with the bottoms, and the
orifices 0, 0, 0, 0, communicate with the tops of the cylinders, and by
the vibratory motion of the same these cavities are alternately brought
against the steam and eduction orifices of the reversing plate, by which the
supply and discharge of steam is effected. When it is required to reverse
the engine, the engineer moves the lever p (see Figure 1) slightly, which
being connected to the reversing plate by a link, as shewn in Figure 8, the
plate i, i, is partially turned round the shaft e, until a steam or induction
orifice n is in the position that was before occupied by the eduction orifice o,
when the operations of the engine are immediately reversed. I would here

page_text: observe, that if it should be found more convenient to convert the inner
annulus of the steam box and cylinder seating into the induction or steam
passage, and connect the outer annulus or cavity with the eduction pipe, the
effect would be the same as that above described.
My improvements in marine and stationary engines will be seen in Sheet 2
of the Drawings, in which Figure 9 is a linear diagram representing the
essential parts of a stationary steam engine, upon the high pressure principle,
and Figure 10 an elevation of a pair of cylinders in connection with the
paddle wheel shaft of a boat or marine engine. In these figures a is the
fly-wheel shaft, or crank shaft, or paddle wheel shaft; b, the crank; c, the
crank pin; d, the piston rod, and e, the cylinder; the valve or steam box f,f,
is mounted upon a horizontal shaft g, g, and this shaft forms the centre of
vibration of the cylinder. In these figures no reversing plate is shewn, but
the two surfaces h³, h³, of the valve, as formerly described, are brought into
immediate contact, and as the half of the valve h¹ vibrates with the cylinder as
already understood, the other half or steam box h³ is fixed or stationary upon
the shaft g, by which the ingress and egress of the steam is effected. It will
also be evident with reference to these engines that this peculiar valve may
be used to a fixed or stationary cylinder, by giving an alternate reciprocating
motion to a plate or disc, provided with the proper orifices or ports similar to
the reversing plate (as before described), placed between the two valve
facings h, h. It may be necessary here to remark that, supposing Figure 10
to represent a diagram or plan view of a locomotive engine, instead of an
elevation of a marine engine, it will be very evident that, by making the
paddle wheel shaft b, b, the ordinary crank of the locomotive engine, that two
cylinders (instead of four) may be applied to those engines, by using my
improved valve as here shewn.
Having now described the particular features of novelty in my Invention,
and the means of their practical application, I wish it to be understood that
I do not intend to claim any of the well-known parts of the steam engine
already in use, and which have necessarily been alluded to in the above
description, but I do claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the mode of applying four cylinders to a locomotive steam engine,
or a direct driving power to each running wheel of the same, in the manner
above described, and shewn in Sheet 1 of the Drawings.
Secondly, the application of the peculiarly formed face or disc valve, con-
structed upon the principle above described, to locomotive, stationary, and
marine steam engines, as shewn in Sheets 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Thirdly, the introduction of a plate or disc between the two faces of the

page_text: valve (which I have called a reversing plate) for the purpose of reversing the
stroke of the piston, by instantly converting the induction steam ports into
eduction orifices, and vice versa.
And, fourthly, the mode of keeping the cranks of locomotive engines upon
one side of the carriage at opposite angles to each other, and being at right
angles to those upon the other side, to cause the cylinders to vibrate by means
of the slides or parallel guides, as shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Burch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
RICHARD (L.S.) BURCH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of August, in the
first year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Richard
Burch came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Instrument aforesaid,' and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of
the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven.