IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCOMOTIVE: ENGINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Aveling, of Rochester, in the County of
Kent, Engineer, and Henry Rawlinson, of the same Place, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCOMOTIVE:
ENGINES"
Sealed the 19th November 1861, and dated the 21st May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Aveling and
Henry Rawlinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st May 1861.
We, THOMAS AVELING, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Engineer,
and HENRY RAWLINSON, of the same Place, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to effect an economy in the manufacture.
of agricultural locomotive engines and also to increase their efficiency and
durability. To this end we propose to place the working cylinder.in the
steam done and to bring the steam done to the forward part of the engine.
This arrangement will not only prevent priming when the engine is ascending
steep inclines, but also avoid the necessity for using either a long pipe to
convey the steam from the stean chamber to the cylinder. or for conveying.
the exhaust from the cylinder to the funnel. By enclosing the cylinder in.
the dome instead of in the fire-box or smoke-box, as is now usual, access to
the cylinder when repairs are needed will be greatly facilitated. In forming,

page_text: the casing of the boiler we carry the wrought-iron plates straight through
from end to end without a break in the configuration of the boiler, thus
avoiding the necessity for using angle iron or flanged plates at the fire-box
or smoke-box. In constructing the funnel we use cast iron, making it by
preference all in one piece. This not only effects an economy in the first
cost, but we find that the iron is capable of sustaining the intense heat to
which the lower part of the funnel is exposed much better, than wrought iron-
The ends, top, and bottom of the water tank we make of cast flanged plates
and bolt wrought-iron sides thereto, which sides are carried past the front
plate of the tauk and bolted to the axle plates which are themselves secured
to the fire-box of the engine. The draw bar we form of angle or T iron,
the ends of which are returned or bent back at right angles and bolted
to the wrought-iron side plates of the tank. The feather-of-the- T- iron
we chamfer off towards the ends, thus making the draw bar taper and
sufficiently elastic to act as a spring and neutralize the shocks occasioned by
the starting of the engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Aveling and Henry Rawlinsou in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, THOMAS
AVELING, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Engineer, and HENRY
RAWLINSON, of the same Place, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Thomas Aveling and Henry Rawlinson, Her special licence that
we, the said Thomas Aveling and Henry Rawlinson, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Aveling and
Henry Rawlinson, our 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 Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Aveling and Henry Rawlinsou, by an

page_text: instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, 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 Aveling (on behalf of myself
and of the said Henry Rawlinson) do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to effect an economy in the manufacture of
agricultural locomotive engines, and also to increase their efficiency and
durability. These advantages we propose to obtain by certain changes in the
details of construction and arrangement of such engines, the peculiarities of
which will be explained with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 shows in longitudinal section so much of a locomotive
engine as will serve to explain our chief improvement, and Fig. 2 is a cross
section of the same taken through the working cylinder and steam dome or
chamber.
37
In order to prevent as far as may be the condensation of the steam in the
working cylinder we place the cylinder in the steam dome and bring the steami
dome to the forward part of the engine. a, a, is the working cylinder, sur-
rounded by a casing b, b, which forms the dome or chamber from which the
steam is taken for supplying the cylinder. This casing bis "lagged or
covered with a jacket c of non-conducting materials in any well-known way.
The steam chamber is brought into direct communication with the boiler d,d,
by means of steam ways e; steam is therefore constantly circulating round the
working cylinder. f is the cut-off valve; g, the throttle valve; and /, the slide
valve for regulating the supply of steam and the discharge of the exhaust steam
to and from the cylinder in the usual way. The exhaust steam passes off by
a port (Fig. 2), to a pipe k (Fig. 1), opening to the funnel 2. This
arrangement it will be seen not only prevents priming when the engine is
ascending steep inclines, but also avoids the necessity for using a pipe for con-
veying the steam from the steam chamber to the cylinder, or for the employ-
ment of a long pipe (as is now commonly used) for conveying the exhaust
from the cylinder to the funnel; and further, by euclosing the cylinder in the
steam chamber instead of in the fire-box or smoke box, as is now usual, access
to the cylinder, when repairs are needed, will be greatly facilitated, it being

page_text: only necessary to remove the end plates a*, a*. In forming the shell of the
boiler d,d, instead of dividing it into three parts as is usual,by making a break
corresponding to the three divisions of fire-box, boiler, and smoke box, we
carry the wrought-iron plates straight through from end to end without a
break in the configuration of the boiler,except at the uuder side, where the dip
is made for the ash-pit, as shewn at Fig. 1, and we thus avoid the necessity for
using angle iron or flanged plates to connect the fire-box and smoke-box with
the boiler.
In constructing the funnell we use cast iron, making it by preference all in
one piece, securing it in position by bolts passing through lugs cast on the
lower end of the funnel, as shewn at Figs. 3, Sheet II., of the Drawings.
By forming the funnels of locomotive engines of cast iron we not only effect an
economy in the first cost, but we find that the iron is capable of sustaining the
intense heat to which the lower part of the funnel is exposed much betterthan
wrought iron.
As-an-improvement in the water tank we make their ends and top and
bottom of cast flanged plates and bolt wrought-irou sides thereto, which sides
are carried past the front plate of the tank and bolted or rivetted to the axle
plates which are themselves secured to the fire-box of the engine.
This arrangement will be best understood by reference to Sheet II., wherein
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the tank, Fig. 5, a sectional plan, and Fig. 6, a
vertical cross section taken respectively in the lines A, B, and C, D, of Fig. 4.
m is the axle of the hind wheels of the engine, and n, (Fig. 4), shews one of
the axle plates by which, through the aid of rivets the connection between the
box of the engine and the tank is made good. The mode of connecting together
the wrought-iron sides of the tank with the cast sides and top and bottom is
shewn on an enlarged scale at Figure 7.
As an improvement in the construction of the draw bars we form them of
angle or T-iron, the ends of which are returned or bent back at right angles,as
shewn in the detached views, Figures S. These draw bars are rivetted at their
ends to the wrought side plates of the tank,as shewn at Fig. 5,and the feather
of the T-iron we chamfer off towards the ends, thus making the draw bar
taper and sufficiently elastic to act as a spring, whereby the shocks occasioned
by the starting of the engine will be to a considerable extent neutralized.
Having now fet forth the nature of our Invention of improvements in the
construction of locomotive engines, and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First, arranging the working cylinder in the steam done or chamber

page_text: at the forward part of the engine in the manner and for the purpose above set
forth.
Secondly, forming the boiler casing, the funnel, water tank, and draw bars of
locomotive engines as described, and connecting the tank and boiler casing
together as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Aveling, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of November, in the year of cur
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
THOB. AVELING. (L.S.)