IMPROVE- MENTS IN TRACTION AND PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Barrans, of 2, Caledonian Terrace, Queen's
Road, Peckham, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TRACTION AND PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 13th July 1859, and dated the 13th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Barrans at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th January 1859.
I, JOSEPH BARRANS, of 2, Caledonian Terrace, Queen's Road, Peckham, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION AND PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in traction and portable
steam engines. For these purposes in constructing such descriptions of
engines in order to support the weight of the boiler and steam cylinder or
cylinders, a beam or lever is applied at the wider part thereof. The hinder
end of this beam or lever moves on an axis, the bearings of which are fixed to
the boiler. The beam or lever carries a box or apparatus for receiving a
vulcanized india-rubber spring, or a spring of other suitable material, and the
smoke box end of the boiler rests on and is supported by the spring. The
fire-box end of the boiler is carried by the axle of the hinder or driving wheels,
there being vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable springs interposed
between the axle and the bearing parts of the boiler. The fore end of the
lever beam is formed into an axle, on which the fore carriage and locking

page_text: motion are arranged to turn, so as to admit of the fore axle inclining to the
one side or to the other, in the event of passing over an eneven surface. The
driving wheels are driven by pinions gearing into cog wheels fixed to the
driving wheels, and by preference there are two sizes of pinions used, so as to
give at different times different speeds of driving, and when such is the case
it is preferred to have the cog wheels which are fixed to the driving wheels
cogged on their inner and outer surfaces, and in order to keep the axle of the
driving wheels and the axles of the pinions correctly distanced they are
connected by suitable links or framing, and the two pinions which drive either
of the cog wheels are arranged in such manner that when the slow speed is
desired, the pinion on the axis which receives its motion from the engine
slides on its axis out of gear with its cog wheel into gear with an intermediate
wheel which is on the axis of the other pinion, and the axis of such pinion is
moved into and out of position by an eccentric or otherwise. In constructing
the driving wheels, each wheel consists of two or more parts or rings, which
are so arranged that all may press on the ground and act as one wide ring
thereon, or only one or more of the parts or rings of which a wheel is
composed may bear on the ground, and one or more of the rings are made
plain on their peripheries, whilst another or others is made with fixed teeth or
transverse projections to give them a more secure holding,preferring that such
teeth or projections shall not go from side to side of a wheel, but only partly
so, and that they shall alternate. The fore wheels may also each be composed
of two or more parts or rings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Barrans in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BARRANS, of 2, Caledonian Terrace, Queen's Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Barrans, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Barrans, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Joseph Barrans, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should

page_text: at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION AND PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES." upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Barrans, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals,should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great. Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Barrans, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The
This Invention has for its object improvements in traction and portable
steam engines. For these purposes in constructing such descriptions of
engines in order to support the weight of the boiler and the steam cylinder
or cylinders, a beam or lever is applied at the under part thereof; the hinder
end of this beam or lever moves on an axis, the bearings of which are fixed to
the boiler. The beam or lever carries a box or apparatus for receiving a
vulcanized india-rubber spring, or a spring of other suitable material, and the
smoke box end of the boiler rests on and is supported by the spring.
fire box end of the boiler is carried by the axle of the hinder or driving wheels,"
there being vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable springs interposed
between the axle and the bearing parts of the boiler; the fire end of the lever
beam is formed into an axle, on which the fore carriage and locking motion
are arranged to turn, so as to admit of the fore axle inclining to the one side'
or to the other in the event of passing over an uneven surface. The driving
wheels are drived by pinions, gearing into cog wheels fixed to the driving
wheels, and by preference there are two sizes of pinions used, so as to give at
different times different speeds of driving, and when such is the case it is
preferred to have the cog'wheels which are fixed to the driving wheels cogged
on their inner and outer surfaces, and in order to keep the axle of the driving
wheels and the axes of the pinions correctly distanced they are connected by
suitable links or framing, and the two pinions which drive either of the cog
wheels are arranged in such manner that when the slow speed is desired, the
pinion on the axis which receives its motion from the engine slides on its

page_text: axis out of gear with its cog wheel into gear with an intermediate wheel which
is on the axis of the other pinion, and the axis of such pinion is moved into
and out of position by an excentric or otherwise. In constructing the driving
wheels, each wheel consists of two or more parts or rings, which are so
arranged that all may press on the ground and act as one wide ring thereon,
or only one or more of the parts or rings of which a wheel is composed may
bear on the ground, and one or more of the rings are made plain on their
peripheries, whilst another or others is made with fixed teeth or transverse
projections to give them a more secure holding, preferring that such teeth or
projections shall not go from side to side of a wheel, but only partly so, and
that they shall alternate. The fore wheels may also each be composed of two
or more parts or rings.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a side elevation, partly in section, of so much of a traction
engine constructed according to my Invention, as will (aided by the other
Figures of the Drawing) enable me to describe my Invention.
Figure 2
shews an end elevation of parts of the same traction engine; Figure 3 shews
the fore wheels and locking apparatus; and Figures 4 and 5 shew some of the
details more fully than is done in the other Figures of the Drawing. a, a, is
the steam boiler, which may be of the form shewn, or of other ordinary con-
struction 3. 6 is one of the two steam cylinders which give motion to the
cranked axle c by suitable connecting rods; d is a steam pipe leading from
the boiler to a steam chest or casing partly around the chimney, by which
the steam is heated after it leaves the boiler; e is a steam pipe from such
chest or casing leading to the engine or engines on the crank axis, and at each
end thereof is a pinion which is arranged to gear with the teeth of a cog
wheel on each side of the carriage fixed to one of the main or driving
wheels v, placed on the axes.g¹, g², as hercafter explained. The wheel f may
have teeth on the outside only, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or on the inner
and outer sides thereof, as shown at Figure 4, and the pinions h, h, on the
crank axis are made to gear in and drive the wheelf when the driving is to
be on the first motion from the crank axis,and such pinions are arranged to slide
on the crank axis out of gear with the wheel f on each side, and into gear
with a wheelj, on the axes of which are pinions k, which gear in the teeth of
the wheels when it is desired to propel the carriage by the second or slow
motion, or in place of using wheels f with outer teeth only, wheels f may be

page_text: 2
employed, each having an inner and an outer set of teeth, as at Figure 4, in
which case one of the pinions h will be arranged to work with one of the rings
of teeth, and the pinion k will gear with the other rings of the teeth of the
wheelf on each side of the carriage. The hinder part of the boiler of the
carriage rests on springs 7, which may be of the form shown, or they may be
of vulcanized india-rubber, or they may be of other form. The bearing of
the cranked axle, and also of the axes which carry the wheels and pinions j, k,
are arranged to slide in suitable guides formed in brackets m, m, on each side
of the carriage, and the bearings are kept in correct relation with the axle g
by means of links n, n, on each side of the carriage, which at their upper
ends are pin jointed to the bearings j, k, and at their lower ends they
embrace the axis g; hence the axle g and the axes which carry the pinions
h, le, which work in the teeth of the wheels f, will at all times be kept correct
in regard to each other; o is a beam or lever, which by preference is con-
Structed of two plates a few inches apart. The beam or lever is attached to
the under part of the boiler at p, and moves on a suitable axis at that place ;
is a spring box to contain a spring of vulcanized india-rubber, or other form
of spring may be used; r is the supporting pin, which is upheld by the spring,
and supports the boiler at its under part, as shewn; the fore part of the beam
or lever o is formed into an axle, which is supported in a bearing s on the
fore axle, by which the fore wheels and the fore axle may incline when on an
uneven road or surface. The fore wheels and axle are arranged to lock to
admit of the steering of the carriage by gearing, as shewn in the Drawing.
The hinder wheels t are each shown to consist of two wheels, but they may
be arranged to consist of more than two; one of each of the two parts or
wheels (composing each of the hinder wheels) is arranged to rotate on the
axle g concentric therewith, whilst the other is arranged in such manner that
it may be on the axle in an eccentric position in regard to the axle g, and by
having the eccentric axis variable such one of the two wheels on each side of
the carriage may at pleasure be raised off and kept raised off the road, or it
may, when desired, be caused to come in contact with the road immediately
below the axis. The eccentric motion is obtained and regulated as shewn in
the Drawing by means of a screw wheel w and screw a. The screw wheel w
is fixed on the axis g, and the bearings of the axis of the screw x are supported
by a fixed bracket; hence the axis g can be turned round so as to bring the
excentric axis g² into the position shown in the Drawing, which is its highest
position, or turn it round so that the wheel v¹ will touch the road; the wheel
v turns excentrically on the larger part gl of the axis, and the wheel v¹
turns freely on the smaller part or neck g² of the axis, such smaller part g

page_text: being excentric to the part g₁. The periphery of each of the wheels vi, v¹, is
roughed or has projections thereon, as is shown by the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is, the mode herein
described of supporting the fore part of the carriage and machinery by the
beam or lever o and parts connected or combined therewith; secondly, I claim
the combined mechanism for giving motion to and for keeping the axle g and
bearings of the axles of the pinions h and k correct in regard to each other,
as herein described; and, thirdly, I claim the mode of combining the main or
driving wheels v, vl, and axes g, g¹, 92, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Barrans, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JOSEPH BARRANS. (L.S.)