IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES, AND IN CARRIAGES USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME OR BE MADE
KNOWN, I, WILLIAM SMITH, of Upper Grove Cottages, Holloway, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of May,
in the fourteenth year of Her said Majesty's reign, and in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Smith, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and to such others as I, the said William Smith, my exors, adiñors, 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, the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES, AND IN CARRIAGES
USED ON RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said William Smith, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
made, performed, and carried into practical effect, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under my hand and seal, and enroll, or cause to to be enrolled, the same in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery in England within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Royal Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being had thereto, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I have pre-
pared the following description of my various improvements, and have made
the Drawings Sheet 1 and Sheet 2 hereunto annexed, and forming part of
this my Specification, and have affixed thereon similar letters of reference to
denote similar parts or portions of mechanism, or otherwise.
The first part of the Invention consists in the substitution of curvilineal
valves working on planes at right angles to the axis of the piston, instead of
parallel with it, as in the case of the ordinary four-way cock or common slide.
The cylinder is cast double, forming an outer and inner cylinder, and having
the apertures ordinarily allowed for the upper and lower valves made to extend
round the circumference of the entire circle. The valves which are concentric
with the cylinders, and play on the entire circumference, are worked by four
cylindrical slide rods, two of which pass through small stuffing boxes in the
upper plate of the cylinder; thus a much greater area is obtained for the exit
of the steam from the main cylinder. The space between the two cylinders
communicates freely with the atmosphere, so as to admit of the instantaneous
exit of the steam by means of the enlarged valves. The valve box in commu-
nication with the boiler is also worked on the same principle. The slide
valve, instead of acting on a single aperture, as of old, consists of a cylindrical
or curvilineal ring concentric with a small cylinder at each end of the box,
round the peripheries of which are a series of apertures extending round their
entire circumference. The ring valves are connected together by two rods
diametrically opposite each other, and the whole is worked by a third rod
working through a small stuffing box in the upper plate of the valve box in
the usual manner. In the improved construction, the pressure of the steam
being distributed equally and evenly round the entire circumference of the
cylindrical ring of the valve, counteraction of pressure tubes placed in a
diemetrically opposed direction, and the action and reaction being thereby
rendered perfectly equal and in contrary directions, the entire pressure is
removed, the only friction that remains to contend with is the mere rubbing
surface of the metal, which is very small. The combination of these arrange-
ments render the passage of the steam to or from the piston almost instan-
taneous, and the rapidity of the stroke, not only increased materially by it, is
brought to its maximum consistent with circumstances of detailed construction.

page_text: The second part of the Invention consists in the application of elliptical
excentrics for the working of the pistons of pumps or other hydraulic me-
chanical inventions, by which the power is more evenly regulated with reference
to the power required in the "lift," as compared with that of the down stroke,
the loverage giving maximum efficacy during the lift, and the minimum
power during the down stroke. This leverage can be regulated under altered
circumstances of construction, so as to lessen materially the amount of
original force applied to the main shaft.
The third part of the Invention consists in an improved railway compressed
atmospheric signals, to be fixed in or on railway carriages or luggage trains, in
connection with colored signal lamps. The vessels are filled with compressed
air at the termini or at intermediate stations, from a tank with pipes leading
to such convenient places as may be found advisable under local circumstances
for filling the receivers with compressed air. The tank is to be supplied with
compressed air by means of pipes in connexion with a pump, which can be
worked by the locomotive while standing at the station and waiting the
departure of the train, the signals to be given by both colored lights and
whistles of great force, so connected as to render the action of the one
dependent on the action of the other, and producing a simultaneous effect,
affecting the ear and the sight at the same time.
The details of these Inventions are shewn on Sheets 1, 2, and 3 respec-
tively. In the Figures of each Sheet similar letters refer to similar parts.
Sheet 1 represents six views of the improvements in the valve of steam.
cylinders. Figure 1 is a transverse, and Figure 2 a longitudinal, section of an
improved cylinder with curvilineal valves; Figure 3, an end view; Figure 4,
an elevation of the same, shewing the external arrangement for working the
said valves. a, the inner, and b, the outer cylinders; p' and p² the end plates,
so fitted as to leave the cylindrical apertures u', u, between them; and the
inner cylinder a, h', and h, the cylindrical slide valves kept in parallel planes
by the four rods g, two of which pass through small stuffing boxes ¹, as, on
the side plate p, and by these the valves are worked. These rings or valves
work air-tight on the outer surface of the inner cylinder, but leave'some space
between them and the inner surface of the outer cylinder, so as to leave a free
steam communication within the space between the two cylinders 'c, the valve
box communicating at d with the boiler. ',, two small cylinders' closed at:
the extremities s', 8, and communicating at their other extremities t¹, t²; with
the steam inlet discts w', w². These tubes are perforated round the circum-
ference with a series of apertures k, k, through which the steam passes
from the valve box c into the inlet ducts, and from thence to the cylinder.

page_text: ,, cylindrical valves similar in principle to the main cylinder valve working
steam-tight over the apertures k, k, connected together by means of two rods
passing m, and worked by a third one n passing through a small stuffing box
affixed to the outer plate p³, the reversed motion of the two rods g', g', and
n is communicated by means of the axle Y, in connexion with the levers;
, e, the piston, and f the piston rod, made in the usual manner. The working
is the same in principle as of the old. The enlargement of the valves which
extend round the whole of the circumference of the cylinder, add materially to
the rapidity of the stroke, and, consequently, to the efficacy of the working.
If desirable to restrict the dimensions of the valve box, the rectelineal slide
valve, Sheet 1, Figure 5 an elevation, and 6 a longitudinal section, is used.
It consists of rectangular metal plate a and flange b, having the aperture c
made through it, and communicating with the cylinder at d; over this works
a slide formed of two pieces, the one being furnished with sides, and the other.
being a plate shewn at c. The degree of pressure against the surfaces of the
sides of the casting a is regulated by two sets of screws placed in pans on.
each side of the plate. These screws are so arranged, that whilst every
alternate screw has the power of tightening the plate, the other set loosen the
same, so that a nice degree of adjustment is obtained; the steam pressure, being
the same on both sides, is thereby neutralized.
Sheet 2, Fig. 4 and 5, represent two views of the elliptical excentrics
applied to the working of a common pump, exemplifying the divertion from
the curvilineal to the rectileneal motion in connection with improved mode of
action. Figure 1 an elevation, and Figure 2 a side view. A, the main shaft
by which power is communicated; B, an elleptic excentric, one of whose
foci D coincides with the axis of the shaft A. C, a similar excentric placed
with one of its foci E vertically above the axis of the working-piston rod F of
the pump P. The two excentrics work in each other by means of teeth, the
pitch lines of which are shewn respectively by the lines b, b, b, and c, c, c. The
connecting rod f, g is fixed to the excentric c, at the centre of its longer axis
9, admitting the revolutions to take place in the direction of the arrows; the
maximum amount of force will be derived from the main shaft where the
excentrics are in the position represented in the Figures, that is, when the
end E of the lever E' has attained its maximum length. And on the con-
trary, the minimum force will only be used when they are in the reverse
position shewn by the red lines; in other words, the force will be concentrated
for the "lift" at a minimum for the fall, Sheet 3.
The third part of the Invention is represented in Sheet No. 2. Figure-1-is
an elevation, and Figure 2 an end view, of a portion of a railway carriage. In

page_text: this case a luggage van arranged with a raised seat 8, and box B for the guard,
placed at such an altitude above the roof of the van as to allow of his having
full view of the top of the train throughout. In a compartment of the van next
to this box, as at N, or in any convenient place, according to the time and
construction of carriage, is placed the air vessel destined to contain the con-
densed air. This is shewn separately at Figure 3. Within reach of the
guard is placed the handle H of a powerful railway whistle W, connected with
the air vessel in the usual manner. The axle of this handle is continued
beyond the inlet tube of the whistle, and is provided with a toothed wheel w,
acting at right angles to the pinion P, and the circumference of these are so
adjusted that a quarter revolution of the handle of the whistle gives a semi-
revolution of the vertical hollow axle a, and horizontal plate 6, both of which
turn freely on a fixed axle, as represented by the dotted lines. This fixed
axis carries the signal lamp L, constructed on the most approved principle.
A moveable case M, round the body of the lamp, at points diametrically opposed
to each other, carries the bulls-eyes, the one red and the other white, G!
and G. This outer case also carries the plates of the day signals P' and P³.
By this arrangement a quarter turn of the alarim handle not only gives the
whistle signal, but reverses the position of the revolving case M, and exposes
the red light and day signal, the two effects being necessarily simultaneous.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed and carried into practical effect, although
I do not confine myself to the precise dimensions or details of parts, as such
may be varied without departing from the principle of my said Invention, I
proceed to specify by claim the particular novelty thereof, and,―
Firstly, I claim my double cylinders which admit of a free space around
the entire perimeter of the inner one, and the top and bottom plates of the
outer cylinder, which leave a free issue for steam from above and below the
piston.
Secondly, I claim my "curvileneal" valves extending round the entire
circumference of the cylinder, and usable with either a double cylinder, or
inside or outside a single cylinder.
Thirdly, I claim my curvileneal slide valve for the admission of steam to
the cylinder, by which the pressure of steam is neutralized.
Fourthy, I claim my rectileneal slide valve, Figures 5, 6, Sheet 1, as
described.
Fifthly, I claim my " elliptical "eccentrics," Sheet 2, Figure
described.
, as herein
Sixthly, I claim my combination of condensed air reservoirs, whistles, and

page_text: signals as applied to railway carriages, the whole as herein-before particularly
described, set forth, and illustrated.
In witness whereof the said William Smith have hereunto set his
hand and seal this Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.