IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING RAILWAY CARRIAGES BY STEAM
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County, of Middlesex; Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR HEATING RAILWAY CARRIAGES BY STEAM." A communication
from abroad by "The American Car Heating and Brake Company," of Albion,
County of Orleans, and State of New York, United States of America.
1
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1877.
1.
ALEXANDER, MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR HEATING RAILWAY
CARRIAGES BY STEAM." A communication from abroad by "The American Car
Heating and Brake Company," of Albion, County of Orleans, and State of New
York, United States of America.
•
The first part of this Invention relates to the combination of suitable radiating
pipes and a main or feeding pipe in such a manner that the supply of steam to the
radiating pipes may be regulated by means of a stop-cock which is operated from
the inside of the carriage.
The second part of the Invention relates to a coupling for pipes or hose used in
heating railway carriages by steam, which may be quickly coupled, and which
shall uncouple automatically when the carriages are separated, and at the same
time, shut off steam. This coupling consists first and mainly in the use of a cam or
section of a screw thread fixed on one part of the coupling, and a spring catch of
any suitable design attached to the adjacent part, so that it may engage with the
cam or section of a screw thread by putting the parts of the coupling together and
turning them until tho catch following up the cam causes the parts of the coupling to
come together with considerable force. The coupling is released by tripping the
catch by means of a chain or cord.
The Invention also consists in the combination of a check valve in each of the
adjacent parts of the coupling with the devices described above. These valves are
so arranged as to become unseated when the coupling is united, inaking a con-

page_text: tinuous passage through the pipes. The coupling may have a check valve in one
of the parts, and a cross bar in the other, which may force the valve from its seat
when the coupling is united. A modified form of this coupling is provided with a
steam trap, which allows the water to escape that might otherwise accumulate in
the sag in the pipe between the carriages.
The third part of the Invention relates to a steam trap for freeing the steam
pipes of water, and it consists in a heavy iron cylinder having an expansion tube
of brass projecting horizontally from its head, and provided with iron rods and
levers to operate valves, one at the outer end of the tube, and the other at the head
of the iron cylinder, which is placed below the expansion tube and near the bottom
of the cylinder. These valves are not acted upon directly by the levers, as springs
are interposed which receive the motion from the levers, and which in turn operate
the valves. By this arrangement, if the valves are clogged from any cause, none of
the parts can be.strained.
Figure 1 in the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of a portion of a
railway carriage framing having the improvements attached.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the pipes.
Figure 3 is a partial plan of the arrangement of pipes, couplings, and steam traps
in each carriage; Figure 4 is a side elevation and Figure 5 is an end elevation of
the same.
Figure 6 is a side elevation in section on x, x, Figure 7, of the coupling;
Figure 7 is a plan view.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of a coupling containing a single valve; Figure 9 is a
longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 10 represents the manner of attaching the coupling to the carriages.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of a modified form of the coupling; Figure 12 is a
longitudinal'section of the same; Figure 13 is a transverse section on line x, x, in
Figure 12.
Figure 14 is a side elevation of the. steam trap; Figure 15 is a longitudinal
section of the same; Figure 16 is a transverse section on line.y-y, in Figure 14.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the Drawings in Figure 1, A is a main or feeding pipe extending
from the locomotive boiler through the entire train; B, B, B, are radiating pipes,
which are connected together at each end by the cross pipes C, C; D is a stop-
cock which connects the pipe A with the cross pipe C; E is a rod fixed to the
plug of the stop-cock, and extending to the side of the carriage, where it is pro-
vided with a lover a; F is a lever placed in front of the dial b, and connected with
the lever a by the rod c.
.
A
In Figures 3, 4, and 5, A¹ is a supply pipe, which extends under the carriage
from end to end, and is branched at each end, as at B¹ to take on the pipe
couplings a, a, which are placed conveniently on each side of the carriage
coupling, the couplings projecting beyond the platform of the carriage.
cross T is placed in the supply pipe at c¹, from which a pipe d' runs to each side
of the carriage, thence upward through the carriage floor, where it is provided with
an angle valve D'. The pipe d then runs along the side of the carriage under the
Beats, having under each seat a T with a larger branch, into which a pipe E' is
screwed, which is capped on the projecting end. Beyond the last seat a valve is
put in the pipe ɗ which opens downward; having the pipe C which passes through
the floor screwed into it. An angle valve h¹ is placed beyond the last-mentioned
valve.. The pipe is continued downward through the floor, and thence across
the carriage until the pipes from each side meet in the T at G¹ opposite the steam
trap H, which will be herein-after described; a short piece of pipe connects.
this with the steam trap. The steam trap H¹ is located so that it may take the
drip water from the pipe d, and also from the supply pipe A', taking it from
the TF through a short pipe i. The pipes are inclined as much as possible in t
the direction indicated by the arrows, which show the direction taken by the water
of condensation. All the pipes which are exposed under the carriages, and also the
i

page_text: .cylinder of the steam trap, are protected by a covering of felt or other good non-
conductor of heat.
Steam is taken from the dome of the locomotive boiler through a pressuro
reducer, which may be adjusted to give any proportion of the boiler pressure in
the supply pipe. It is then taken under the tender, at the rear end of which the
supply pipe is branched to take on a coupling on either or both sides of the carriage
coupling.
In case of an accidental separation of the carriages the connecting rubber pipes
are prevented from breaking by the automatic loosening of couplings to be herein-
after described. The steam is prevented from escaping by check valves in the
couplings, which close when the couplings are separated. The pipes in the
carriages may be arranged according to either of the above described plans,, but the
latter is preferred.
.
The coupling used in connection with the pipes, as above mentioned, may be
described as follows:-The part A¹¹, Figure 6, is fitted to slip over the sleeve B¹¹.
D" is a cam or section of a screw thread cast on the part C; E" is a spring catch,
which is attached to the part A" in such a manner as to bo capable of engaging
with the cam D. This catch is provided with an arm F", which extends upward,
and is connected with a chain G₁; a recess is also made at all for the spring b¹¹.
The chain G¹¹ is connected with some solid object, and is a little shorter than the
flexible pipe attached to the coupling, so as to admit of the coupling being released
before the flexible pipe is strained in case the carriages are separated by accident or
otherwise. H is a spring catch fixed to the part C at c", and is long enough to
admit of the coupling being separated a small distance where it retains the
flange d. This spring catch is intended to retain the part All after the catch Eli
has been tripped and the valves have found their seat, but as this catch is beveled
a little force in addition to that required to trip the catch E" will free the part A¹¹
from the catch H" when it is desired to separate the coupling entirely. I¹, I", are
valves, which are placed in the parts A and C, having their seats at e¹, e¹¹. The
stems of these valves are so long that when the parts of the coupling are united
the stems abut and force the valves from their seats, making a free passage through
the coupling.
In some cases the valve I may be dispensed with and the valve I¹¹ used alone,
and the cross bar f' may be used to force it from its seat, as shown in Figures 8, 9,
and 10, when the couplings will be used, one upon each of the adjacent carriages,
and the chain G" will be attached to the levers F" of both couplings. The iron
pipe is screwed into the coupling at J", and the flexible pipe is attached at K".
A groove is cut in the part C to receive a packing ring "; a corresponding
ridge k¹ is made on the part A"
.
In Figures 11, 12, and 13, G³ is a modified form of coupling in which posts e³, e³,
are placed in the part of the coupling designated by Ps. A forked lever f³ is con-
nected with the straps d³, d, by means of a joint at g³. h³, h³, are posts in the
part L over which the short ends of the forked lever hooks; I³ is a spring catch
which is placed in such a position as to be capable of retaining the lever when it
is pressed down; is a chain connected with the top of the catch Is at one end
while the other end is fastened to the carriage; J³, J³, are valves having the
guides, and the seats at ³, 13, and the projecting stems 13, 1³; m³, m³, are
springs placed between the valves J³, J³, and the guides ³, 13; L is a steam trap
which surrounds the coupling and permits of the escape of water which may
accumulate in the sag in the pipe through the aperture n³. The coupling G³ is
placed midway between the carriages in the main pipe, which for a short distance
each side of the coupling is made of some elastic material, or is jointed so as to
allow the carriage to separate and come together within certain limits. When the
coupling is made fast (which is done by hooking the lever f³ over the post h³, hs,
and bringing the long end of it under the catch Ï³) the stems of the valves J³, J³,
meet and force them out of their seats, making a free passage through the entire
length of the main pipe. On a separation of the carriage the chain & being a little
"
.

page_text: shorter than the elastic pipe sufficient force is exerted on the catch I³ to release the
lever f³ and uncouple the pipe. As the coupling is separated the valves J³, J³, are
allowed to come down to their seats, preventing the escape of steam.
The steam trap His shown on an enlarged scale in Figures 14, 15, and 16, in
which A is an iron cylinder; B is an expansion tube fixed to and projecting hori-
zontally from the head of the cylinder; C is a valve placed at the outer end of the
tube B' opening outward; D' is a spring having its lower end free and the upper
end fixed and arranged to hold the valve open; E' is a lever pivoted to the rods C*;
these rods are rigidly fixed at c. At d' a pin passes through the lever E', and also
through ears on the casting at the end of the tube B. A valve is placed at F
which is arranged similarly to the one just described, having the spring D³ which
holds the valve open, and the lever Es having a fixed pivot at a and jointed to the
rod 65. This rod is fixed to the outer end of the tube B; e, e, are adjusting screws
in the ends of the levers E², E³; G is the tube which conducts the drip water to
the trap.
In Figure 16 the cylinder A* is represented as divided in the centre by the
partition H*, and is provided with two apertures It, I*, for expansion tubes, also two
drip tubes G, G', making a double trap. The object sought in this arrangement is
to connect the double trap with two sets of pipes having varying pressure, as for
instance in heating carriages, the water of condensation from the supply pipe being
taken into one part, and the drip from the radiating pipes being taken into the
other part. As the valves are set open when the expansion tube is cold, it is
evident that while the water from the pipes is moderately cool it will continue to
pass out at the valves, and when the tube is, warmed by very hot water or steam
and consequently expanded, it will move the levers E, E³, which will.depress the
springs D, D, and close the valves more or less. When the steam is shut off from
the pipes which the trap drains, the heavy cylinder A will retain heat sufficiently
long to allow all the water to pass out without freezing. Should a small quantity
of water freeze in the lower valve, the upper one is not prevented from working, by
virtue of the yielding of the spring D³.
Having thus fully described the Invention and the 'manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,―
1st. The combination of pipes B, B, B, &c., with the stop-cock D, rod E, lever a,
lever F, and dial b, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set forth.
2nd. The supply pipe A extending from the locomotive throughout the entire
train of carriages, in combination with the distributing pipes d and radiating
pipes E¹, substantially as shown and described. .
3rd. In combination of the double steam trap H₁ with the supply pipe À¹ and
distributing pipe d, as shown and described.
4th. The combination of the part A", catch E, part C", cam Dч, and chain G",
substantially as specified.
5th. The combination of the parts A and C and spring H", when arrangod to
operate in the manner specified.
6th. The combination of the parts A and C, catch E, chain G, cam D",
spring catch H, and valves 1', I", substantially as shown and described.
7th. The combination of the part A", part 0" having the cam"D" and the catch E",
substantially as specified. .
Sth. The combination of the parts P³ and H³ with the straps d³, d³, lever f³,
catchi 1³, and chain 3, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set forth.
9th. The combination of the steam trap L³ with the coupling G, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before set forthi.
10th. The combination of the valves J³, J³, with the parts Ps and H³ of the
coupling G³, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set forth.
11th. The feeding pipe A³ in combination with the above devices when used to
convey steam from the locomotive boiler through a part or the whole of a train,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set forth.

page_text: 12th. In combination with the pipe G+ and the expansion tube B*, the inde-
pendent intermediate cylinder A whereby the trap is adapted to retain heat, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
13th. The combination of the valves C and F, tube B*, and cylinder A, sub-
stantially as specified.
14th. The combination of the levers E, ES, screws et, e³, springs D, D³, valves C
and F, rods b, 6, and expansion tube B, substantially as shown and described.
15th. The combination of two expansion tubes B' and their valves and levers
with a centrally divided cylinder, substantially as shown aud described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A. M. CLARK. (LS)