Improvements connected with Toy Steam Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 20th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Toy Steam Engines.
A communication by the firm of JEAN SCHOENNER, of No. 7, Dammstrasse,
Nuremberg, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Man-
chester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object to provide valve arrangements for toy steam
engines, whereby it will be possible to make these latter with fixed, instead of, as
is generally customary, with oscillating cylinders, but yet both as regards simplicity
and mode of making can be suitably employed for toys. In order to attain these
objects, an arrangement of parts is employed in which, however, in contra-
distinction to existing similar arrangements, there is not required a special valve
case or box.
On the accompanying drawing, Figures 1 to 4 show a cylinder of a toy steam
engine fitted according to this invention, and this improved arrangement consists
as follows:-
A side piece A' is cast on the steam cylinder A, in which the steam passages or
ports are made. These may be enumerated as follows:-the steam admission
channel a and the two transit passages and c. The steam is admitted at the side
by means of a nozzle d, turns at right angles and opens at a¹ into the middle of the
valve face A²
The transit passages are separated from the opening a' by means of cross bars
or pieces e e', and in reality are only grooves or gutters cut out or formed in the
face of the side piece A'. This is of special importance for the formation of
the apparatus from one piece. At both ends the grooves or gutters are con-
nected by means of rectangular ports with the interior of the steam cylinder.
The steam distribution is effected by means of valve plate with the recess g
corresponding to the inlet opening a'. This recess, on the movement of the valve,
alternately places the opening a in communication with one or other of the
passages and c.
The exhaust steam escapes direct into the open air through the
ports b
The valve sliding on the face A2 is in other respects a flat plate and is made of
such a length that it also forms the cover for the passages e, it is set in motion in
the usual manner by means of an eccentric from the crank axle and is guided on
both sides by the ledges formed on the cast iron piece A. In order that the
valve may fit steam tight, it is pressed against its facing or seating by means of a
Hat spring fastened over it.
The mode of working of the arrangement hereinbefore described, which is shown
in an end position in Figure 2, is as follows:-
On the engine moving in the direction indicated by the arrow, the connection of
the steam inlet passage a with the passage is established by means of the
recess g; the steam passes behind the piston and drives the same forward. At
the same time with this movement an opening in the valve coincides with the
port c', so that as the piston moves forward the exhaust steam can escape through
the opening into the open air.
When the piston has reached the end of its stroke fresh steam is admitted to the
passage through the recess g, and simultaneously the rear edge of the valve

page_text: passes away from off the port 1 by which means the latter is left open, and thus
the exhaust steam can freely escape at this side.
The valve may have another sectional form to that given above, for instance it
may be of a round or oval cross section, but then the form or shape of its facing or
seating must be made to correspond.
Also in order to simplify the putting together of the main parts, in place of the
longitudinal flat valve fa slide valve F formed as a cylindrical pistou may be
employed, the facing or seating A2 of which is correspondingly formed as a hollow
cylinder (see Figures 5-7 of the accompanying drawing).
The hollow chamber g for connecting the steam inlet passage a with the transit
passages and is then produced by filing, cutting, or the like a segmentally
shaped picce out of the piston F. In the last described construction of parts, both
their manufacture, and the production of a steam tight connection are very much
facilitated, and consequently the engines can be made more cheaply. Where cheap-
ness is particularly desired, in order to increase the saving the parts may be
simplified by omitting the passage c, somewhat in the manner shown in Figure 6.
The valve may be kept to its seating in a similar way to the arrangement herein-
before described by means of the diagonal spring / which may only be fastened at
one side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :--
and
1. An improvement in toy steam engines with fixed cylinders, consisting in the
combination, with a steam inlet passage a, and passages 6 and e, formed as described,
of a valve of suitable cross section forming the covering for the passages b
having a recess g whereby the said passages can be placed alternately in connection
with the steam inlet, substantially as described.
C
2. In toy steam engines such as described, a round piston valve F fitting a
correspondingly shaped facing or seating A2, the said valve having a hollow space g
formed as described, whereby the steam inlet passage can be connected with the
transit passages, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of March 1893.
"ODNOSIWOHLT IN 11
Agents for the Applicant.