IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC RAILWAYS AND TUBES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Webster Rammell, of No. 1, Saint Alban's
Place, Saint James's in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC RAILWAYS AND TUBES,"
Sealed the 3rd August 1860, and dated the 10th February 1860. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Webster Rammell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th February 1860.
I THOMAS WEBSTER RAMMELL, of 1, Saint Alban's Place, St. James's; in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC RAILWAYS AND TUBES," to be
as follows:-
This-Invention is for an improved pneumatic railway peculiarly adapted
for underground communication in large towns, but which may be applied
above ground, and be used even for country lines. The railway is placed in a
hollow way or tunnel, which may be of any shape, but will be most con-
veniently made of the same shape in transverse section as the carriages
employed, and in size very little larger than such carriages. The carriages
are entirely supported and in their motion directed by the iron rails, grooves,
or trams constituting the way. The carriage underneath is boxed or framed
out in one or more places to the shape and nearly to the size of the tunnel,
and the same contrivance must be adopted in cases where the body of the
ГР.

page_text: carriage is not of the same shape and nearly of the same size as the tunnel.
A soft material is introduced to fill up the narrow space left between the
carriages and the casing of the tunnel, and is affixed to and moves along with
one or more of the carriages, by which means leakage of air is in great
measure prevented during the working, or in cases where the leakage is
inconsiderable this may be dispensed with.. The pneumatic pressure is applied
over the entire transverse area of the carriages, either by exhaustion or com-
pression, the pumps or other apparatus for the purpose being worked by steam
power, and proper valves and air passages being provided. For the exhaustion
or compression of the air I prefer to use the pump on the principle of the
screw or fan.
A railway may be either single or double, each line having its own tunnel
or hollow way, and may consist of one section only, or of many sections, which
may be worked concertedly, so as to pass the traffic on from end to end, with
stoppages for taking up and setting down at every station. The railways may
be used for the conveyance of passengers or goods, or upon a smaller scale of
any size desired, for the conveyance of parcels, letters, and the like through a
tube, in which case the rails or grooves guiding and directing the motion of
the carriage may or may not be part of the body of the tube, as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Webster Rammell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WEBSTER RAMMELL, of No. 1, St. Alban's Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, bearing date the Tenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Webster Rammell, Her
special license that I, the said Thomas Webster Rammell, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Webster
Rammell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, au Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN PNEUMATIC RAILWAYS AND TUBES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Webster Rammell, my executors or adminis
trators, 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 Thomas Webster Rammell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly ascertained and described in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say -
This Invention consists of improved railways and tubes for the carriage or
conveyance of passengers, goods, parcels, or letters, by means of atmospheric
agency; and of improved means of propelling and regulating the traffic upon
or through such railways or tubes. The rails, grooves, or trams constituting
the way are in all cases placed within tunnels or tubes, and the traffic is
carried within and through the tunnels or tubes. The carriages upon or in
which the traffic is placed rest and move immediately upon and are directed in
their motion by these rails, grooves, or trams.
The railways are peculiarly adapted for underground communication in
large towns, but they may be placed upon the surface, or upon a raised
structure, and may be used either for town or for country lines.
I now proceed to describe the construction and mode of working a
railway for the conveyance of passengers and goods according to my Invention.
I construct a hollow way or tunnel of brickwork, wrought iron, or other
suitable material, within which the train of carriages is to travel, having
terminal stations, and such intermediate stations (if any).as may be required.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of a tunnel as constructed of brickwork
for an underground railway; Figure 2 shews a transverse section; and
Figure 3 a longitudinal elevation of a tunnel or tube of iron or other metallic
material upon a raised structure as adapted for railways above ground,
especially in towns.
I prefer to make the casing or internal surface of the tunnel of the usual
tunnel form, as shewn in those Figures, but other shapes would answer.
Upon the invert I place the framework and rails constituting the permanent
way, adopting a rail and sleeper with a continuous bearing, and filling in the
whole framework solidly and in such manner that it may present a perfectly
even up per surface. The carriages I employ are mounted in much the same

page_text: manner as those in ordinary use upon railways, and I prefer to have them of
the same form in transverse section as the interior of the tunnel, as shewn at
B, B, B, B, in Fig. 1, and a few inches less in each direction; and in order
that the same clear space may be preserved all round, I frame out the carriage
(see B1, B¹,) in one or more places underneath, so that it may in like manner
clear the bottom and lower sides of the tunnel by an equal space. I fill in the
vacant space so left between the carriage' and the tunnel with a soft material
which is fixed to and moves along with one or more of the carriages, and which
in the passage through the tuunel yields to any inequality in the interior
surface. The soft material I prefer to use for filling up the intermediate space
left is some kind of matting made with a pile, and I apply it in strips of, say,
a foot to fifteen inches wide, one or more to each carriage; but any other soft
material which will prevent undue leakage of air may be used.
It is to be observed that the carriages need not necessarily be of the same
shape as the tunnel, but that any form of carriage may be used, provided it
be framed out in the manner described so as to fit the tunnel, of whatever
shape that may be, and also that only one carriage of a train, which be
'called the piston carriage, need be made to fit the tunnel.
may
The soft material interposed is intended to prevent excessive leakage of air
in the application of the power, but if the carriage fits closely or nearly so to
the tunnel and the leakage is inconsiderable it may sometimes be dispensed
with.
For propelling and working the train of carriage Imake use of atmospheric
agency, the pneumatic pressure being applied over the whole transverse area
of the carriage by rarefying and expelling the air in front of the train. For
this purpose I use a pump worked by steam power, and I much prefer one
upon the principle of the fan in which the air is expelled or pumped out by the
"action of the centrifugal force, but any other form of air pump may be used.
"The arrangements I propose for the practical application of the power and
the working and regulating of the traffic are as follows:-Fig. 4 shews a plan
of a portion of a single line of railway A, A, A, with a terminal station B, B,
"and an intermediate station C, C; Fig. 5 shews the portion of the line of
railway and the intermediate station C, C, ou a larger scale. The line is
made double at the intermediate station to allow the up and down trains to
pass, the part D, D, being reserved for down trains, and the part E, E, for up
trains. At the terminal and each intermediate station I erect a steam engine
of the requisite power, and in connection with it proper pumping machinery
as above explained, working in a suitable exhaust chamber F, F, into which
"is conducted the end of a shaft or air passage G, G, G, G¹, proceeding from

page_text: the tunnel at a point Z, Z','placed at some little distance, say, another y to one.
hundred yards from the station. I place in the air passage a screen valve H,H',
communicating between the tunnel and the exhaust chamber, and also another
screen valve L, L', communicating between the tunnel and the outer
atmosphere, and both of which are made to open and to close either by hand or
automatically as may be most convenient. I also place across the tunnel at
every terminal and intermediate station valve doors K,K,K", covering the
entire area of the tunnel, and opening outwards into the station. I connect
the stations by electric wire or other telegraphic communication. A train
being in readiness at the terminal station B, B, its head is brought up so as
to be just within the mouth or extremity of the tunnel; the valve doors K"
are opened, and the valves H and L are shut. A signal is then given
to the station C when the valve doors K, K', are closed, the valve H-opened,
and the valve L shut. The engine and pump are then started, and býtheir
action the air in the tunnel is quickly rarified and motion communicated
to the train by the superior pressure of the air behind it. As soon as the
'train has moved off into the tunnel and has reached the point 7''the
valve doors K" are closed after it and the valve L¹, opened so as to
admit a free supply of air behind the train, and avoid a rush of air
through the station B, B. The train theu soon acquires a high velocity
the air in front being drawn through the shaft and air passage G, G,'at
the station C, C, and that required to follow behind being supplied down the
air passage at the station B, B, through the valve L', and this velocity
is continued until the train has reached the point Zat the opening of the air
passage G at the station C, C. After passing this point the power of the
pumping engine acting, though in a less degree, behind, instead of as before,
in front of the train, has a tendency to draw it in the direction of the station
B,B, and practically assists in bringing the train to rest. Almost immediately
after the train has passed the point Z the valve H is shut, but the train being
"carried onward by the momentum it has acquired, and compressing the air
in the remaining portion of the tunnel, forces open the valve doors"K, and
enters the station C, C, where by the breaks it is brought to rest, its head
buffing against the air in the space in the next section of tunnel, às shewn on
the plan at M. The train remains in this position at the intermediate station
so long as may be required, and is then ready to proceed to the next station
in advance in the same manner as has been already described, and so on from
station to station. It will be seen that while the engine and pump at the
'intermediate station C, C, are drawing an up train from the station B, B, they
"may at the same time be employed by means of the corresponding valves

page_text: and air passages in connexion with the next length of tunnel, as shewn in
Figures 4 and 5, in drawing a down train from the station beyond, which will
enter the station C, C, at the same time, and will occupy the down platform.
Or two complete tunnels, with air passages, &c., may be placed side by side,
and one of these may be used for up traffic, and the other for down traffic.
It is an essential condition for economical working that the sections into which
the railway is divided should all be of nearly equal length, and I recommend
a length of six hundred and sixty yards, or thereabouts, as a very con-
venient length for the section. Provision thould be made for the transfer of
the trains from the up to the down line, and from the down to the up line at
the terminal stations, and this latter requirement I accomplish by means of
traversing tables or by switch apparatus.
. It is to be observed, that in the working of a line, of whatever number of
stations, the proportion of trains to stations may be regulated from time to
time in accordance with the requirements of the traffic; thus, in the case of
a line of ten stations, it may be worked with a train to each station, or with
any less proportion of trains down to one for the whole line, and, further, that
tiaversing tables inay be established at any intermediate station or stations on
a line, and thus a portion only of such line may be worked.
I now proceed to describe the construction and mode of working when the
Invention is to be applied to the conveyance of parcels or small packages.
I construct a tube or small tunnel either of brickwork, as shewn on Fig. 6,
of iron and wood as shewn in Figures 7 and 8, or of other suitable material.
The rails or grooves guiding and directing the motion of the carriage may or
may not be part of the body of the tube or tunnel. Fig. 9 shews a plan, and
Figures 6, 7, and 8 shew sections of convenient forms of carriage to be used
in this case. The mode of propelling these carriages and the general arrange-
ments will be similar to those already described, convenient arrangements
being made at the stations for the receipt of the carriages, as shown and
explained in the Specification to my Patent for "Improvementsin Atmospheric
Propulsion, and the Structures, Tubes, Machinery, and Apparatus applicable
thereto," dated the Twenty-second day of January, One thousand eight hun-
.dred and fifty-nine. In this case I make use of the following contrivance for
gradually reducing the speed of the carriages on their approach to a station,
and for bringing them to rest. Instead of connecting the exhaust chamber
with a single air passage proceeding from or leading into the tube, I use
several smaller or branch air passages leading from the exhaust chamber, and
entering the tube A, A, atdifferent points B1, B2, B3, &c., as shewn in Fig. 10,
the area of which branches collectively should be about equal to that of the

page_text: tube. The effect of this arrangement will be, that while the carriages. in
their main course will be drawn towards the station with the full force. of the
pump and full capacity of all the branches up to the point B5; beyond that
point the propelling power, and consequently the speed of the carriages will
be gradually reduced. For example, if there be five such branches, as shewn
in Fig. 10, then, on passing the point B5, the carriages will be acted upon only
with the power due to the capacity of the remaining four branches. On
passing the point B4, they will be acted upon only with the velocity due
to the capacity of the remaining three branches, and so on in succession.
Under this arrangement the retarding force due to the rarification of the air
behind the carriages, as well as in front, so soon as they have passed the
point B5, may be allowed to act, and to assist in bringing the carriages to
rest; but I prefer that this should not so act, and to avoid it I place a self-
acting valve upon each branch at the point where it enters the tube, as shewn
in Fig. 11, so contrived that the valve D will open by the action of the
piston E, shewn in that Figure, upon the power being turned on in the con-
veying tube through the valve C, shewn in Fig. 10, and will close again
immediately after the passage of the carriages by the action of the balance
weight F. The valve C in Fig. 10 should be closed as soon as the self-acting
valves D, D, &c., upon the several branches are opened. The valve G,
shewn in Fig. 10, corresponds to the valve doors K, K¹, shewn in Figures 4
and 5, and may be arranged so as to be kept shut during the approach of the
carriage until it arrives at the point B in Fig. 10, or thereabouts, and to
be then opened by any automatic contrivance. The velocities will then be
regulated solely by the capacities of the several branches (as influenced by
the pumps) and by the momentum of the carriage, and the carriage must of
necessity be drawn home. It should be observed that the capacity of each
branch air passage may be determined either by the size of the pipe itself, or
by the greater or less opening of the valve within it.
I do not confine myself to the particular arrangements and contrivances
above described, but what I claim as the Invention secured by the said Letters
Patent is,
1. The general combinations and arrangements abovedescribed with respect
to pneumatic railways and pneumatic tubes respectively.
2. A pneumatic railway or tube in which the carriages are placed inside
the tunnel or tube, but are independent of the tunnel or tube, and are wholly
supported and in their motion are guided and directed by two or more rails,
grooves, or trams, aud in which the pneumatic pressure is applied over the
whole or transverse area of the carriage.

page_text: 3. The contrivance for filling up with soft material the space between the
interior of the tunnel or tube and the outside of the carriage as applied to.
pneumatic railways and tubes, as above described.
4. The arrangement of a fan or centrifugal air pump, or a steam jet with
valves and shafts or air passages, as applied to pneumatic railways and tubes,
as above described. :
5. The use of several smaller or branch air passages leading into the tube
at different points, either with or without the self-acting valves, 80 as gradually
to reduce the velocity of the carriages, as applied to pneumatic railways and
tubes, as above described.
! "In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Webster Rammell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty.
T. W. RAMMELL. (L.S.)