Year: 1886

page_text: We JOHN MOLAREN and HENRY MCLAREN of the Midland Engine Works
Hunslet in the Borough of Leeds Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its principal object to give to a Traction Engine more
spring than can be obtained from the use of spring wheels only as will be herein-
after fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The motor
shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating the application of our Invention
is constructed on the compound principle having two cylinders X X¹ the one X for
high pressure steam which exhausts into the low pressure or expansion cylinder X¹.
These cylinders are cast together and mounted on the front end of the boiler Y
which is of the locomotive multitubular type. The bearings of the crank shaft
and other shafts and mountings may be secured in any convenient manner to this
boiler which therefore forms the frame or bed plate for the motor. The power is
shewn as being conveyed from the crank shaft to the road wheels by means of
spur gearing. In the train of gearing there is introduced a differential or com-
pensating gear to enable the engine to turn curves of short radius without undue
strain on the main axle or other working parts, and the engine is mounted on
springs of different descriptions namely strong conical or volute or laminated or
equivalent springs acting upon the axle boxes; spring wheels, and a spring fore
Carriage all as hereinafter more fully described. In order to admit of the springs
first mentioned above, acting without throwing the various gear wheels too far in
or out of engagement we provide meaus hereinafter fully described for carrying
the main spur driving wheel and in order that the driver of the Engine may
control the speed of the vehicle when going down hill we provide a chain brake
worked from the footplate of the engine all as hereinafter fully described.
In order to give the engine more "spring" than can be had from the use of
spring wheels only, it is mounted according to this Invention upon two strong
conical volute laminated India rubber or other equivalent springs as shewn at A A
in figure.1 of the accompanying drawing. These springs take a bearing upon the
axle boxes or main axle bearings B B which are free to slide up and down in the
guides C, C. These guides are fixed to the side plates of the fire box, which are

page_text: '
carried backwards for the purpose. The top of the spring bears against a collar D
screwed on a pin E by means of which it is kept in a vertical position, and can be
adjusted to the proper compression or any other convenient arrangement can be
adopted for the same purpose. The axle box bearings consist of a bushed casting
having two slippers trunnioned into it and turned in a circular form vertically to
fit into the guides C which are bored or hollowed out for the purpose-so that in
the event of one wheel mounting an obstacle and causing the spring to act more on
one side than on the other the slippers still maintain their vertical position while
the bearing is free to accommodate itself to the angle taken by the axle. In order
to admit of the axle thus moving vertically, provision is made to prevent the teeth
of the spur gearing from being jerked too far in or out of engagement or from
being thrown across, which would be the case if the main spur driving wheel were
fixed on the axle. This difficulty is overcome by making the main driving wheel
in the form of a ring or circular toothed rack F shown on an enlarged scale in
Figure 3 This ring has neither spokes nor boss, but it is made perfectly circular
on its inner circumference and is held in position by and runs upon groved
rollers G which are mounted on studs fixed in the same casting which forms the
axle box guides O. An eccentric bush or brass is arranged upon these studs, sO
that the rollers G run actually upon these bearings and these eccentric bushes can
be turned round when required, so as to form an adjustment whereby the wear can
be taken up when required and the ring F can thus be maintained in a concentric
position. This ring bas two crank pins H cast or fixed upon it. Strong iron
links I I are attached at one end to these crank pins and at the other end they are
coupled up to the main driving boss J which carries the toothed pinions K K of
the differential gear shewn in dot and pick lines in Figure 3. It will however be
seen that if these links I were coupled direct and rigidly to the driving boss J when
the two points of connection were in a horizontal position the springs on the main
axle would become inoperative the one link I being in tension and the other one in
'compression (the moment the spring offered to work and it is consequently
necessary to provide against this. We therefore couple the links I to the aforesaid
main driving boss J through the intermediary cross shaped bell cranks L. These
bell cranks work on pins M which fix them to the main driving boss J. The
links I take hold of it by the outer end or apex through the pins N and the base or
legs of the bell crank rest on the pins O. These pins pass through the rim of the
main driving boss and are screwed into a washer plate P which bears on an india
rubber or other suitable spring Q. This plate and spring serve the double purpose
of breaking the shock occasioned by the sudden starting of the engine and permits
the spring to act in any position of the links I, I.
Or instead of connecting the links I to bell crank levers as described they may
be arranged as shewn in Figure 4 to work freely in eyes formed in the main boss J
springs being placed on the links for the purpose of counteracting shocks.
In order to admit of the front end of the engine being mounted on springs we
fix a perch, bracket or supporting plate a under the front end of the engine in the
usual way and we provide a fore carriage bracket b (see Figure 2) which carries the
front axle c by means of a pin d. This forecarriage bracket b is free to revolve
horizontally upon the perch pin e which-passes through the top of the forecarriage
bracket b The axle pin d is supported at both ends by strong conical or laminated
or equivalent springs ff and in order to allow sufficient range for the working of
these springs there is a vertical slot hole of sufficient length in the forecarriage
bracket b A proper bearing g for the springs is provided on each end of the axle
pin d and the springs bear against the under side of the flange b¹ of the fore
carriage bracket b.
In order that the engine driver may be able to control the brake of the vehicle a
chain pulley R is cast on a sleeve S with a worm wheel T on the same axis. This
worm wheel is actuated by a screw under the drivers hand, by means of which the
chain actuating the brake on the vehicle can be tightened or slackened at pleasure.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First In Traction Engines the employment in combination with rigid or spring
wheels of additional springs arranged in connection with the axle boxes and fore
carriage substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
Second-The combination with the train of gearing for transmitting motion to
the road wheels of traction engines of the toothed ring F connected to the main
driving boss J by coupling links I centred at one end to the ring F their opposite
ends being arranged to slide in eyes formed in the boss J or being otherwise
connected therewith so as to admit of the axle yielding to sudden shocks substan-
tially as herein before described and illustrated by our drawings.
Third-In traction Engines the combination with the train of gearing for
transmitting motion to the road wheels of the toothed ring (F) mounted on
rollers (G) substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
Fourth In traction Engines mounting the supporting rollers G on eccentric
bushes substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
Fifth-In Traction Engines the combination with a train of gearing for im-
parting motion to the road wheels of the differential or compensating gear K
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Sixth In traction Engines the combination with a train of gear wheels for
transmitting motion to the road wheels of the toothed ring F crank pins H links I
bell cranks L pins N and O washer plate P and springs Q the whole being
combined and arranged to operate substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Seventh-The general combination and arrangements of parts constituting
the improvements in Traction Engines substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.