IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION AND STORAGE OF ILLUMINATING OR OTHER LIKE GAS TO MOTORS FOR DRIVING TRAM-CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES, AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF STARTING AND WORKING GAS ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR" PROAL SP
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Mudge Marchant of Fenchurch Street in the City
of London, and Thomas Wrigley of Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION AND
STORAGE OF ILLUMINATING OR OTHER LIKE GAS TO MOTORS FOR DRIVING
TRAM-CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES, AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF STARTING AND
WORKING GAS ENGINES, AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Mudge Marchant and
Thomas Wrigley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
22nd March 1883.
ROBERT MUDGE MARCHANT of Fenchurch Street in the City of London and
THOMAS WRIGLEY of Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE APPLICATION AND STORAGE OF ILLUMINATING OR OTHER LIKE GAS
TO MOTORS FOR DRIVING TRAMCARS OR OTHER VEHICLES AND FOR THE PURPOSE
OF STARTING AND WORKING GAS ENGINES AND IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED
THEREFOR
"
First The object of our Invention is, the application of compressed illuminating
or other like gas to the purpose of effecting the power required to work and run.
tramcars at the required speed and on any gradient it provides an Engine which
requires no boiler or furnace and no Condenser, so that there will be neither water,
nor steam, nor smoke, to render its transit over public thoroughfares objectionable-
whilst the weight added to the driven load and the capacity required become so
reduced that there will be no difficulty in attaching the Engine to the frame of the
tramcar itself, and below the floor thereof or in converting the Car wheels into
driving wheels worked from the Engine-on which driving wheels the whole
passenger and other load can be carried so that there can be no question of these
slipping on any gradient whatever.
We effect the compression of the Gas by means of a small stationary Engine and
vapor compressing pumps at either end of the journey. preferably at the terminus

page_text: having the lowest level-and we supply, such gas from any convenient reservoir in
which a supply is kept stored for the purpose of charging up the much smaller
reservoir for the compressed gas which every car will contain in some convenient
form, and for a 12 mile journey and any gradients-a reservoir in the Car of some
18 Cubic feet would afford ample capacity for the required charge.
We prefer to store such Gas at a pressure of some 300 lbs on the square inch at
the start of the Car from the charging up point on the tramway, and so to arrange
the capacity of the reservoir to the work to be done that there shall still remain in
it some 150 lbs on the square inch of pressure when the reservoir is recharged
to the 300 lbs:
In the charge so stored we provide great vapor or pressure in an explosive gas, and
our object is to apply both the pressure and the explosive power of the Gas for the
purpose of the transit required and to such purpose we expand the Gas to the
purpose of power before we explode it to such purpose, and by this means we
overcome the difficulties which would attach to any application in which there was
no-element of a compressed Gas capable of such use.
To the purpose of effecting such process we attach to the overhanging frame of
the tram Car and below the floor thereof and beyond the trämcar wheels at either
end of the car. two pair of small tandum cylinders of which one Cylinder (to each
one of the pair) shall be comparatively very small to the other, and in the
proportion required, we work these small cylinders (to each one of the pair) by the
pressure and expansion of the stored Gas and we work the larger Cylinder (to each
one of the pair) by the explosion of the Gas charge after such expansive use thereof,―
and we obtain the power required by known application to such purposes The
Engine would be made workable from either end of the Car.
By the full pressure and expansive use of the Gas as a vapor we get over all
difficulty in starting the Engine and by the explosive consumption of the charge so
expanded and used we obtain the full additional benefit of Gas Engine action, and
by such combination of Cylinders-in two of which the pressure and expansive
force of the vapor is applied to the purpose of motive power-and in the other two
of which the charge of Gas is exploded to the purpose of increasing such power we
obtain a tramcar motor which requires neither boiler furnace, or condensor, occupies
little space and adds the least possible weight to the load carried.
+
Secondly the object of the invention relates to the working and starting of Gas
Engines with greater facility. than hitherto for this purpose we attach to an Engine
provided with such a combination of Cylinders as those herein described (that is
to say at least with one pair of tandum Cylinders) a vapour Compressor pump of
such dimensions as shall deliver into any appropriate reservoir a charge of the
illuminating Gas for every charge passed forward from such reservoir to the small
Cylinder of the tandum pair for pressure and expansive use and again from such
smaller to the larger cylinder of the tandem pair for the purpose of its explosive
use and we maintain the pressure in such Gas reservoir at any determined and
required pressure and we effect such combination of a preliminary pressure and.
expansive action and of a subsequent explosive action by known applications to
such purposes and so obtain a result which renders the Gas Engine of convenient
uses in cases for which its existing action is in no way applicable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Mudge Marchant and Thomas Wrigley in the Great Seal.
Patent Office on the 22nd September 1883.
ROBERT MUDGE MARCHANT of Fenchurch Street in the City of London and
"IMPROVE-
THOMAS WRIGLEY of Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
MENTS IN THE APPLICATION AND STORAGE OF ILLUMINATING OR OTHER LIKE GAS
TO MOTORS FOR DRIVING TRAMCARS OR OTHER VEHICLES AND FOR THE PURPOSE
AND
MEANS
WORKING GAS ENGINES AND IN
STARTING
EMPLOYED
OF
THEREFOR"
THE
Our Invention consists in so compressing any illuminating Gas that it can be
expansively applied to the propulsion of the piston of an Engine Cylinder before
its explosion to the purpose of propelling another piston in another Cylinder is
effected.
Such application affords the action obtainable from a compressed air charge for
locomotive purposes with a mere fraction of the charge which would be necessary
to effect the same power with any nonexplosive Gas and such application will
render the Gas Engine as easy to start and as uniform in its velocity as any Steam
Engine.
For locomotion in tramcars or on Railways there will be no boiler or furnace.or
condenser required and for Tramcars the transit over public thoroughfares will be
rendered unobjectionable-the weight added to the driven load will be the
machinery of the Engine alone without any boiler or furnace or condenser and to
this will be added the weight of a few cubic feet of high compressed illuminating
Gas in the storage chamber In Tramcars the Engine would be attached to the
frame of the Car below the floor thereof and the stored Gas would be by preference
under the seats-the wheels of the Car would be the driving wheels of the Engine
and as the whole load would be on these there can be no question of slip and
gradients would become a mere question of power.
For the purposes of locomotion we effect the compression of the Gas by means of
a small stationary Engine and vapor compressing pumps at either end of the
journey and we supply such Gas from any convenient reservoir in which a supply
is kept stored for the purpose of charging up the much smaller reservoir for that
compressed Gas which each Car will contain. We prefer to store such Gas at a
pressure of some 400 lbs on the square inch at the starting of the Car from the
charging up point and so to arrange the capacity of the reservoir to the work to be
done that there shall still remain in it some 150 lbs per square inch of pressure
when the reservoir is recharged to the 400 lbs
In the stored up charge we provide great vapour pressure in an explosive Gas
and our object to apply both the pressure and the explosive power of the Gas for
the purposes of the transit required-and to such purpose we expand the Gas to
the purpose of power before we explode it to such purpose, and by this means we
overcome the difficulties which would attach to any application in which there was
no element of a compressed Gas capable of such use.
To the purpose of effecting such process we prefer to attach to the overhanging
frame of the Tramcar and below the floor thereof and beyond the Tramcar wheels
at either end of the Car-two pair of small tandum Cylinders of which one Cylinder
(to each one of the pair) shall be comparatively very small to the other, and in the
proportion required.-We work these small Cylinders (to each one of the pair) by
the pressure and expansion of the stored Gas, and we work the larger Cylinders
(to each one of the pair) by the explosion of the Gas Charge after such expansive

page_text: use thereof, and we obtain the power required preferably from Engines constructed
in the manner described and shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
In the Drawing one Engine is shewn attached to a shaft, two such Engines
would be separated by the distance between the centres of the Car wheels and
attached to their axles as separate Shafts (one axle or shaft to each pair of
Cylinders) and were the Car wheels connected by a swing bar so that they should
work together, then the drawing shewn, would fully express one of the Engines
which would be attached to any Car frame for locomotive action and the two
Engines could be made equally workable from either end of the Car and would
add the least possible weight to the load carried and occupy the least possible
space.
The application may be varied to purposes of Tramcar or other locomotive action,
but it will for such purposes consist of a stored charge of highly compressed illumi-
nating or explosive Gas, of the expansive application of such Gas on one piston or
pistons, and of its explosive action on another piston or pistons of the Engine-
and generally the application will be similar to the Engine arrangement shewn
leaving out of such arrangement the compressor pump which for locomotive
purposes would be attached to and worked from the stationary Engine referred to
as necessarily to be fixed at one of the termini or other convenient locality.
For stationary Engines the application enables these to be started with facility
and affords the means of obtaining from them a uniform velocity. The accom-
panying drawings shew the combination of Cylinders herein described.-The vapor
compressor pump shewn in the drawings will be worked in connection with the
Cylinders and every revolution of the Engine will be made to deliver into the
storage reservoir of the Compressor pump a charge of illuminating Gas for every
charge passed forward from such reservoir to the small Cylinder of the tandum pair
for pressure and expansive use, and again from such smaller to the larger Cylinder
of the tandum pair for the purpose of its explosive use and we maintain the
pressure in such Gas reservoir at any determined and required pressure, and we
preferably effect such combination of a preliminary pressure and expansive action
and of a subsequent explosive action in the manner shewn by the accompanying
Drawings and herein described, by which we obtain a result which renders the Gas
Engine of convenient use in cases for which its previously existing action was in
no way applicable.
In order that the Invention may be well understood and explained in detail we
have hereunto annexed two Sheets of Drawings upon which letters of reference
are marked on Corresponding parts on all the him like
represents a longitudinal section of the tandum pair of Cylinders with
Valve arrangement attached.
:
Fig 2 represents a transverse section of Fig: 1 through the line*<><>
Fig 3 represents a vertical section of the Compressor pump
Fig 4 represents an end view of the same.
Fig 5 represents an underside plan view of the general arrangement of the
Engines combined as applied to a Tram Car or Locomotive Carriage, and
Fig 6 represents in side elevation a portion of the Engines having the air
pumps shewn in position and as they would appear when fixed to Stationary
Engines
Figs 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent in detail detached portions of the general con-
struction of the Cylinders, valves, and compressor pump, their combination whether
for employment on Engines for locomotive or stationary purposes are alike with
this exception only that when employed as locomotive Engines the compressor
pumps shewn at Figs: 3 and 4 are detached and are separately fixed in connection
with a reservoir or storage chamber situated at the termini or other convenient

page_text: place for charging up the Car or Locomotive Chambers with sufficient Gas for any
determined number of miles.
In the Figs of the Drawings A A are valve Chambers through which the Gas
passes to the tandum Cylinder C by the port or thoroughfare B operated upon by
the slide valves A' A' from the storage chambers of the compressed Gas, and so
exerts pressure on the piston D which piston is propelled to the end of its stroke
by the expansion of any determined charge of such Gas after which the Gas is
passed by the operation of the valve A¹ and at a pressure in excess of the
atmosphere through the pipe E and by the operation of the valve A³ through the
passage B' into the mixing chamber F to which Chamber atmospheric air is
admitted through the valve at G from the pump H (vide Fig 6) which compresses
air into the chamber F opening thereby at the required stage of pressure the
valves I, I, which form passages when open between the mixing chamber F and
the combustion chamber K through which such, gases duly proportioned pass into
such combustion chamber K where they are ignited through the passage L by the
flame conveyed thereto from the firing Chamber M.-The combustion being effected
the pressure of the Gas acts on the inner surface of the piston N driving it
externally towards the exhaust passage O through and from which the spent gases
escape into the atmosphere. The action given to the piston N when being propelled
forward is obtained by the pressure and expansion of the Gas, and its return
stroke is obtained by combustion of the Gas the forces combined effect one complete
revolution to the crank of the driving shaft of the Engine. The other parts of the
Engine such as the piston rod water jacketing and connections with the driving
shaft are well known and therefore require no explanation further than what is
shewn on the Drawings.
When it is necessary that an excess of pressure should be exerted by the Engine
when employed for propelling Tram Cars or locomotive vehicles at the time of
starting or going up hill we place in communication with the port or thoroughfare B
of the small tandum Cylinder C the hollow plug P containing one opening or
aperture communicating with a port or thoroughfare leading into the Chamber A
and another opening or aperture leading into the passage B. The plug P can be
so turned that its openings or apertures can be readily placed in communication
with the ports or apertures mentioned or can be shut off therefrom. In the former
case a fuller charge of Gas is delivered through the passage B. into the tandum
Cylinder C thus increasing pressure on the piston D.
The compressor pump shewn at Figs 3 and 4 is the one we prefer to adopt, the
arrangement and construction of which may be described as follows a is the pump
so constructed as to compress the Gas in stages, the character of the stage being
determined by the size of the piston rod b which determines the capacity of the
annular space formed between the outer surface of the piston rod b and the inner
surface of the Cylinder or pump barrel a. Any reduction of the annular space
gives a corresponding increase of pressure on the opposite face of the piston c and
any increase in the size of such space gives in like manner a reduced pressure on
the opposite face of the piston c, Gas is first received or passed into the pump a
through a valve opening inwards in the port or thoroughfare d where it is
compressed to a given pressure and delivered through the valve d' into the
chamber e from which it is again delivered in its compressed state through a valve
in the passage d². into the Chamber a¹ from which after further compression it is
passed through the port d³ into the storage chamber e¹ from which it is finally
delivered for use.-In the case of stationary Engines such delivery will be direct
to the small tandum cylinder c and in the case of Tramcars or locomotive vehicles
such delivery will be for storage in suitable receptacles.
The pump and space a' a¹ is supplied by preference with oil which with the
action of the pump piston will alternately fill the pump clearances and as the
piston retreats leave room above the surface of the oil for the reception of the Gas
charge. The chambers e and e¹ are also charged up to a certain height with oil
above which in such chambers the pressure of Gas is contained. The pipe f (vide

page_text: :
Fig 4) is so placed that its bottom opening or aperture will be below the surface
of the oil in the pump barrel and its top or upper opening or aperture below the
surface of the oil in the chambers e and e¹ a cock or valve g in such pipe f enables
the passage of the oil through such pipe to be regulated in quantity as required.
Having now described our method of compressing the Gas and also our method
of applying its pressure and expansion and afterwards passing it on at the
required pressure for combustion in combination with the air supplied for that
purpose we further state that we cool and cleanse the Cylinder and combustion
chamber and after each charge has been ignited by passing through the same
a charge of fresh air by the action of the pump h' which forces such air through
such Cylinder k and exhaust o at the time the piston n. has opened such exhaust
thoroughfare at the termination of its forward stroke.
Having now described the nature of our invention together with the means we
employ for carrying the same into practical effect we wish it to be understood in
conclusion that what we claim as new and as of our Invention is
First The arrangement employment and combination in the construction of Gas
Engines of the means whereby the pressure and expansion of Gas and its
subsequent combustion can be used in the manner and for the purpose as
herein substantially described set forth and illustrated in the drawings
annexed at Figs 1. 2. 5. and 6, and
Secondly The novel arrangement construction and combination of the compressor
pump shewn at Figs 3 and 4 of the Drawings to be employed for
compressing and storing Gas in the manner and for the purpose as herein
substantially described set forth and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof we the said Robert Mudge Marchant and Thomas Wrigley
have hereunto set our hands and seals this the Twentieth day of September in the
year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty three.