IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND CARRIAGES RUNNING ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Greene at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th March
1856. A communication.
I, HENRY GREENE, of Windlesham, near Bagshot, in the County of Surrey,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND CARRIAGES RUNNING ON RAILWAYS,"
to be as follows:-
The first and principal part of my Invention consists in arranging the
machinery, cylinders, and other working parts of the engine upon one frame,
and upon another frame, distinct from the former but coupled thereto, the
boiler or boilers for generating the steam to supply and work the said
machinery or engines, connection being made between the cylinders on the
one frame and the boiler or boilers on the other frame by suitable pipes and
universal joints, the exhaust steam from the cylinders being conveyed back to
the chimney of the boiler to form the blast by similar pipes and joints. I do
not confine myself to the necessity of having two distinct frames, but also
reserve to myself the right of having the whole machinery and boiler or boilers

page_text: upon one frame, but in such a position in relation to each other as to be quite
distinct, and the boiler to be placed either in front or behind the engines or
motive machinery. For the purpose of having the steam pipes as short as
. possible, I propose taking the steam from the boiler at a point near the fire
box end of the same, and for the same reason, in reference to the exhaust
steam or blast pipe from the engine, I propose placing the chimney imme-
diately over, or nearly so, the centre of the fire box. The draught from the
fire to be taken in the usual way from the fire box through tubes in the body
or shell of the boiler into a smoke box of proper dimensions, this smoke box
to be in connection with flues running along the top or on each side of the
.boiler outside the outer shell, and terminating in the chimney, before men-
tioned. Within this flue or flues I propose carrying the feed pipes for
supplying the boiler. In order to heat the water, before entering the same,
I propose also to construct the boiler in such a manner that the upper part of
the external shell shall run over and form the top or roof of the outer fire box,
the sides of the projecting end to be pieced and carried downwards to form
the outer walls of the fire box. The upper part of the framing of the engine
or working end of the machine to be covered with plates of iron, forming á
platform and coke space, suitable trap doors being left where necessary for
access to the working parts of the engine and for facility of lubrication. The
water for supplying the boiler I propose carrying in tanks fixed in convenient
positions round the platform last mentioned, which will serve to confine the
coke to its place, and form a raised bulwark for protection to the driver and
fireman in moving around the engine when in motion. Should it be found
necessary, further supply tanks can be carried on the frame supporting the
boiler, or suspended beneath each or both frames, as may be found convenient
or advantageous. I propose also, in supporting the before-mentioned enginé
and boiler, to use four or six wheels under each frame, or six or eight wheels
in case the frame of both engine and boiler is in one. I also propose to do
away with the present system of long axles keyed fast to the wheels, and to
substitute short axles keyed into each wheel, and having a bearing (of a
suitable length) projecting from each side of the wheel, this bearing to be
supported in axle boxes (of the usual construction and having vertical
motion), one in each side frame, which I propose having double, with a space
between sufficient for the wheels to work in freely. These frames to be
constructed of wrought-iron plates or of wooden beams plated with wrought-
iron; by the above. means I propose applying the improvement of loose wheels
without the hitherto experienced difficulty of applying the same running

page_text: loosely on the axles. Should a sufficient benefit arise, I propose applying
a similar improvement to the main or crank shaft of the engine, by sub-
stituting for the two large cylinders at present in use with the continuous
crank shaft, four smaller ones, placed back to back, and working on a crank
pin fixed in the boss of each wheel, the ends of this short crank shaft to be
supported similarly to the other supporting axles of the engine and boiler.