AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICALLY LIGHTING RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Preece, of Gothic Lodge, Wimbledon, and
Jabez James, of Princes Street, Commercial Road, Lambeth, both in the County
of Surrey, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS
FOR ELECTRICALLY LIGHTING RAILWAY TRAINS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Precce
and Jabez James at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
10th January 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY PREECE of Gothic Lodge Wimbledon, and JABEZ JAMES of
Princes Street Commercial Road Lambeth, both in the County of Surrey. "AN
IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICALLY LIGHTING RAILWAY
TRAINS."
Our Invention relates to the lighting of railway carriages by electricity, the
object which we have in view being to provide means of generating a practically
uniform current of electricity notwithstanding the stoppage of the train or
variations in its speed. For this purpose from one or more of the running axles of
the train we work air compressing pumps so as to charge one or more reservoirs
with compressed air. We employ this compressed air to work an engine or engines
which work suitable dynamo-electric machines, the air engines having their supply
regulated so as to maintain as nearly as possible uniform speed. We conduct the
electricity generated by the dynamo electric machines by insulated wires coupled
up from carriage to carriage throughout the train, and to these wires we connect
incandescent electric lamps of any known kind. In order to provide for supply of
electricity during stoppage of the train, we make the air pumping power con-
siderably in excess of what is required for regular consumption, and provide
sufficient capacity in the air reservoirs to maintain the air engines at work for a
suitable period. We also provide automatic valves for regulating the air pressure
and for throwing the pumps out of action when the reservoirs are fully charged.
We prefer also to warm the air employed in working the engines and to apply the
cold expanded air to cool the compressing pumps. When trains are made up in
localities where power is available, the air reservoirs may be charged in the first
place from stationary engines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Precce and Jabez James in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th July 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY PREECE of Gothic Lodge Wimbledon, and JABEZ JAMES of
Princes Street Commercial Road Lambeth, both in the County of Surrey. "AN
IMPROVED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICALLY LIGHTING RAILWAY
TRAINS."
Our Invention relates to the lighting of railway carriages by electricity, the
object which we have in view being to provide means of generating a practically
uniform current of electricity notwithstanding the stoppage of the train or
variations in its speed. For this purpose from one or more of the running.axles
of the train we work air compressing pumps so as to charge one or more reservoirs
with compressed air. We employ this compressed air to work an engine or engines
which work suitable dynamo electric machines, the air engines having their supply
regulated so as to maintain as nearly as possible uniform speed. We conduct the
electricity generated by the dynamo electric machines by insulated wires coupled
up from carriage to carriage throughout the train, and to these wires we connect
incandescent electric lamps of any known kind. In order to provide for supply of
electricity during stoppage of the train, we make the air pumping power considerably
in excess of what is required for regular consumption, and provide sufficient
capacity in the air reservoirs to maintain the air engines at work for a suitable
period. We also provide automatic valves. for regulating the air pressure. We
prefer also to warm the air employed in working the engines and to apply the cold
expanded air to cool the compressing pumps. When trains are made up in localities
where power is available, the air reservoirs may be charged in the first place from
stationary engines.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is part of a transverse section of a railway carriage or van shewing in
elevation apparatus necording to our Invention, Fig. 2 is an end view and Fig. 3 a
plan of the apparatus. On A one of the running axles is fitted a sleeve B which
by means of a clutch C can be caused to revolve with the axle A or can be un-
coupled from it. On the sleeve B are fixed eccentrics E which along with the
sleeve and clutch are arranged within a casing D. The axle A passes through
sliding stuffing boxes F in the sides of the casing, these being free to slide up and
down in obedience to the vibrations of the vehicle on its springs, and being packed
to prevent access of dust or grit to the eccentrics. The eccentrics work a set of
pumps G which by stage pumping compress air into a reservoir H, which may
consist as shewn of a number of strong tubes closed at their ends, and communi-
cating with each other and the pumps by a pipe K. They also communicate by a
pipe L through a regulating valve M with an engine N which may be of the triple
cylinder kind such as is employed in fish torpedoes worked by compressed air. On
the shaft of the engine N and driven directly from it is the dynamo-electric
machine by which is produced the electricity required for lighting the train as
above described. Instead of working the eccentrics E direct froin the sleeve B on
the axle they may be worked by a countershaft as shown by the back and side
elevations Figs. 4 and 5 and the plan Fig. 6. In this arrangement the clutch C on
the axle A engages or disengages a pinion gearing with a wheel P on the counter-
shaft S which is mounted in bearings in a jointed frame Q suspended from the

page_text: framing of the carriage and linked to the axle A. The eccentrics E on this
countershaft work the pumps as already described, compressing by stages the air.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we claim -
First. The herein described method of electrically lighting railway trains, that
is to say, working from one of the running axles pumps which compress by stages
air into a receptacle, applying the compressed air to work an engine and dynamo-
electric machine, and employing the electricity produced thereby to work electric
lamps connected by conductors throughout the train.
Second. For the purpose of electrically lighting railway trains, the combination
of a set of air pumps worked from a ranning axle and compressing by stages, a
receptacle for the compressed air and an engine and dynamo electric machine,
constructed and arranged substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Jabez James have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Fifth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two.
JABEZ JAMES. (L.S.)