Improvements in Ash Pans for Locomotives.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ash Pans for Locomotives.
We, HENRY PEARSE AND FOLLETT HOLT, of the Buenos Aires & Rosario
Railway, Campana, in the Province of Buenos Aires, Republic of South America,
Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention has reference to improvements in ash pans for locomotives, and
consists in arrangements whereby the damper doors are worked from the foot
plate, the operation being such that only one lever is required for operating both
dampers.
At the present time the ash pan is fitted with a front and rear damper door each
of which is operated by a separate rod from the foot plate and both may be open at
the same time with the present system, which latter is objectionable particularly if
they be operated simultaneously.
With our invention we provide a single lever and connecting rod from the foot
plate of the engine to a cross bar fitted intermediate between the dampers. At the
lower end of the cross bar rods are provided one to each of the dampers, the said
rods terminating with slotted ends operating around a spindle connected to a crank.
The said crank is made fast to the upper part of the dampers.
The lever has a middle position and is capable of being moved forward or back-
ward; the forward movement can be arranged to operate the front damper and the
backward movement the rear damper or vice versa, the object being that only one
lever is needed and only one damper can be opened at one time.
The second portion of our invention relates to the use of a hinged perforated
plate, one for either end of the ash pan, inside the damper doors. We are aware
that these have been used before but they have been in the form of fixed plates.
The present method of fixing these is by securing them in position by bolts or
equivalents. With our invention we arrange a hinge at the bottom of the per-
forated plate and a spring operating that the perforated plate is normally held
closed. When it is required to be opened for the purpose of cleaning the ash pan
it is opened from the top and is held open as long as required, and as soon as it
is required to be closed it is let go and the spring returns it to the closed position.
The object of the perforated plate is to prevent the live cinders dropping out
during the running of the engine whereby fire is frequently caused by setting alight
grass, brush &c., on the side of the track.
In order that our invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect we will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ash pan showing the operating gear.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken through R-S of Figure 3.
Figure 3 is a plan.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the higher end of the ash pau, showing the damper b
raised giving a view of the perforated plate.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the lower end showing the damper closed.
The same letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of the drawing :
a is the ash pan, 6 is the damper at the higher end of the ash pan, and c the
damper at the lower end; d is the cross bar, d¹ is the spindle connecting the lower
end of the cross bar to the rods e and f; e¹ is the slotted end of the rod e, f is the
slotted end of the rod f, g is the spindle operating inside the slotted end of e, his
the spindle operating inside the slotted end off, k is the spindle upon which the
crank operates, is the spindle upon which the crank / operates, m is the lower
perforated plate and n is the higher perforated plate, m¹ is the hinge upon which
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page_text: the lower perforated plate moves and n¹ is the hinge upon which the higher
perforated plate moves, o is the spring for keeping the perforated plate m in the
closed position, and p is the spring for keeping the perforated plate n in the closed
position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In ash pans for locomotives, arrangements for operating the ash pan dampers
by one lever at the foot plate whereby a forward movement of the said lever
operates one and a backward movement of the same lever operates the other,
substantially as described with reference to the drawing annexed.
2. In ash pans for locomotives, means whereby only one ash pan damper may be
operated at one time, substantially as described with reference to the drawing
annexed.
3. In ash pans for locomotives, the combination of operating the dampers by
means of a cross bar and connecting rods, substantially as described and as illus-
trated on the drawing annexed.
4. In ash pans for locomotives, hinging the perforated plates at their lower ends
and springs being provided for keeping them in. the closed position, substantially as
described with reference to the drawing annexed.
Dated this Sixth day of September 1893.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
Agent for said Applicants.