IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND RAILWAYS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RUSSELL CRAMPTON, of Southwark Square, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixth day of October, in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Russell Crampton, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Russell Crampton,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Russell
Crampton, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Russell Crampton,
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 Her said
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
Thomas Russell Crampton, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to.
consist in improvements in locomotive engines and railways, which will be.
distinctly understood by referring to the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: In this Drawing the scales are marked, thereon, and all the letters of
reference denote the same parts in each Figure respectively.
My first improvement consists in the arrangement of a locomotive engine
in such a manner as to include the tender within the same frame, having
outside cylinders. This will be understood by referring to Figure 1, in which
A represents an upright tubular boiler, connected by means of framing to
the tender B, for containing the necessary supply of water and coke; C, C,
the cylinders, fixed to the tender; D, D, the driving wheels. The position of
the engine driver is between the boiler and tender.
My second improvement consists in employing external cranks or eccentrics
for working the slides, instead of by means of eccentrics fixed to the axles
inside the wheels. It will be seen, by referring to Figure. 1, E is the bearing,
generally called the crank pin, from which an arm is returned to the required
position provided with the bearing G; this bearing G is for the purpose of
moving the slides when the engine is going in one direction; fixed or united
in one piece with the bearing G is another arm, marked H, having a bearing .I
for the purpose of moving the slide by means of communications, unnecessary
here to describe, in the reverse direction to that before alluded to; it will be
,clear to locomotive builders that the small bearings or cranks G and I must
be placed in the same relative positions with the main cranks as excentrics on
ordinary engines. (Small eccentrics may be used instead of the bearings G
and I). I should observe that the communications with the slide shewn in
the Drawing is the ordinary link motion, which is now very generally used; and
that the peculiar mode of connection. would be varied so, as to be adapted to
the particular arrangement of the machinery to which it is applied!
'My next improvement consists in the means of altering the shape of the fire
box, so
as to increase the length of the tubes as well as to extend the area of
the fire grate; this will be clearly understood by referring to Figures 2 and 3
on the same Sheet. In Figure 2 it will be seen that the top of the fire box is
contracted longitudinally in proportion to the amount of increase required in
the length of the tubes. Should it, however, be required to preserve the
length of the top of the fire box and increase the length of the fire bars C, it
is only necessary to extend the bottom of the fire box, as seen in Figure 3,
either by one of the ends, maŕked D, D, or both of them; according to
circumstances.
My fourth improvement consists in placing a wooden rail outside (or in any
more suitable position) the ordinary iron rails on railways, 'on' which wooden
rail the driving wheel of the locomotive is intended to run at the same time the
other wheels revolve on the iron rail. By this arrangement the great adhesive

page_text: qualities of wood are insured, while the disadvantages arising from the increased
traction, resulting from the whole of the wheels moving upon wood, is obviated.
Figure 4: A is part of a driving wheel of a locomotive engine, shewing the
tire sufficiently increased in width to bear upon the wooden rail B; the other
wheels, as before remarked, run upon the iron rails D, as heretofore; the
height of the wooden rail should be somewhat higher (say a quarter of an inch)
than the iron rail which is contiguous thereto.
Having now described generally the nature of my improvements, I wish it
to be understood that I do not claim the using upright boilers, nor the employ-
ment of wooden rails separately; but what I do claim is,-
Firstly, the combination of an upright tubular boiler with tender, having
outside cylinders in one frame.
Secondly, the use, of returned eccentrics projecting from the crank pin or
main connecting rod bearings, for the purpose of working the slide valves of
locomotive engines, as before described.
Thirdly, the means of increasing the length of the tubes by bringing them
into the fire box, as well as extending the bottom of the fire box, as before
described.
Fourthly, the combination of wooden with iron rails, the driving wheels being
constructed to run upon the wood while the remaining wheels run upon the
iron.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Russell Crampton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in tho year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.