IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR WORKING CARRIAGES THEREON
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
OLDFIELD WARD, of Cork Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and
MALCOLM WILLIAM HILLES, of Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, in the same
County, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of November, in the ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and Malcolm William Hilles, our exors,
admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and Malcolm William
Hilles; our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Frederick Oldfield Ward and Malcolm William Hilles, our exors, admors, or,
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time.
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, üise, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS, AND IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR WORKING
CARRIAGES THEREON;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that we, the said Frederick Oldfield Ward and' Malcolm William Hilles, or
one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,

page_text: as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Frederick Oldfield Ward and Malcolm William Hilles, do hereby declare that
the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists,-
First, of a mode of arranging machinery or apparatus for working railways
by means of steam caused to act on a piston moving in a tube fixed along the
length of the railway, the steam employed being generated in a boiler carriage
moving along the railway.
Secondly, our Invention consists of a mode of making rails for railways, by
combining wrought and cast iron.
Thirdly, our Invention consists of a peculiar arrangement of buffing apparatus
for using air as an elastic medium. And,
Fourthly, our Invention consists of a mode of arranging a sledge apparatus to
be placed between carriages, in order to prevent the carriages being driven into
each other by the pressure of the hinder carriages in the event of any sudden
stoppage in front.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
b
Figure 1 shews a longitudinal section of part of the tube a, which is fixed
between the rails of a railway in a similar manner to what atmospheric
railways are now constructed. This tube has a longitudinal slit throughout its
length, and it has a piston 6 working therein. The longitudinal slit does not
have any valve, but is open from end to end, excepting at that small section
thereof where the steam is working for the time being, at which part of the
tube the slit is filled up by means of a slide, which fills up a portion of the slit,
and works steam-tight therein. We would state, that a cover to the slit in
the tube may be used, and so arranged as to be raised out of the way at the
time of a train passing, and then moving back into position when the train
has passed. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, show this slide separately and in detail.
It consists of the central bar c, the upper plate c³, the lower plate c³, and the
two side packing plates, c³, with springs d at intervals to press it outwards
against the sides of the slits of the tube a. The piston 6 is affixed to the

page_text: moving slide so that it just comes within that part of the closed tube a where
the placking plates c³ end, hence behind the piston the tube a is for some
distance a cosed cylinder, into which steam flows, and presses against the
piston and the valve of the tube last closed, as hereafter explained. d¹ is the
steam pipe leading to the boiler, hereafter more fully described. The moving
slide is carried by the boiler carriage, and is moved therewith, by which
means the slide is constantly closing fresh portions of the tube a, and the
tube a is so arranged in respect to the moving slide and the piston that valves
are brought into action across the tube in succession, by which the portion of
the tube a which is closed by the moving slide at all times contains one valve e,
and these valves are brought into action in succession, as hereafter explained.
The moving slide carries at its end a bent steel spring e¹, for the purpose of
closing the valves e after the piston & slide have passed on. Figure 6 shews
two sections of the slide c on a larger scale; Figure 7, a section and side view
of the piston, also on a larger scale. Figure 8 shows a transverse section of
the piston; and Figure 9, some of the details. Figure 10 shews part of the
tube a in section, and on a larger scale than the previous Figures, in order that
the valve apparatus may be more fully seen. Figure 11 is an external view of
part of the tube a, by which the means of working the
be understood. Figure 12 is a plan of part of the tube a.
a front view of the valve box, which is formed in the casting of the tube.
Figure 14 shews. a front view and sectional plan of the case containing the
valve. Figure 15 shews a view of the valve separately; and Figure 16 shews
a front view of the valve box, with the case containing the valve inserted
therein.
slide will readily
Figure 13 shews
The exterior of the tube a is of iron or other suitable material, the interior
being lined with wood, in order that as little heat may radiate as possible. The
valve e is a slide. valve, being its spindle. f, the arms or frame for moving
he valve. This frame is attached by.connecting rods or links g to the lever h,
and the lever h is acted upon at its projecting end i by a horizontal arm carried
by the boiler carriage (it is not considered necessary to show this arm). At
ther times the tendency of the valves e is to remain open, but when closed by.
he projecting end i, and pressed on by the steam, the valves e will remain.
losed across the. tube a..
Figure 17 shews a side view of a boiler carriage. This machine simply
onsists of a suitable boiler. mounted on a carriage, as is shewn, and from it is
upplied the steam to propel itself and the train to be connected therewith.
is a lever handle in connection with the handle of the steam cock k by a
onnecting rod ; by which a person can turn the steam on or off from the

page_text: tube a at pleasure.
From the under part of the frame is suspended
the moving slide before described, by means of the bars 1, l, as shewn; these
bars allowing of some upward and downward play by the bars being suspended
between springs m, m, as will readily be understood on examining Figure 18.
By this arrangement of machinery and apparatus it will be seen that a
constant flow of steam will take place into the tube a through the steam pipe
behind the piston, and that portion of the tube a which is behind the piston
will be closed steam-tight by the slide c longitudinally, and transversely by a
valve e, by which means the boiler carriage and train attached thereto will
be propelled along the railway. It will be evident that the flow of steam
will not in all cases be required to be constant, in which cases the steam
will be cut off, and allowed to expand through a length of the tube, accord-
ing to the speed desired to be obtained and the load to be propelled.
The second part of our Invention consists of a mode of making rails for
railway, by combining cast iron with wrought iron.
Figure 19 shews a plan, Figure 20 a side view, of à rail constructed
according to this part of our Invention, the chairs or means of fixing being
cast therewith. Figure 21 shews an edge view and plan of the wrought-iron
bar used, which is notched at intervals, as is shown; and Figure 22 shows two
sections of the rail complete. In making this compound rail the mould is to be
made as if about to cast a rail wholly of cast iron, a bar of wrought iron being
introduced into the mould so that the cast metal will fill the remainder of the
mould, and adhere to the wrought-iron bar; or, in place of running the cast-
iron on to the wrought-iron bar, the cast portion may be made of such shape
as to receive a wrought-iron bar. We have shown the section of rail we prefer,
but the same may be varied.
The third part of our Invention consists of an improvement in buffing
apparatus for railway carriages. Figure 23 shews part of a longitudinal
section of a railway carriage. Figure 24 shews an end view of the same part,
so that one of the buffing apparatus, according to our Invention, is shown fixed
to the framing of the carriage. A is a cylinder, with a piston; B, the piston
rod of which works through a stuffing box C; and the buffer head D is formed
at the end of the piston rod. The cylinder A is at all times supplied with air,
in order to offer an elastic resistance to the piston, which resistance will
increase as the piston is more forcibly acted on in the cylinder.
We would remark, in respect to this part of our Invention, that we
are not aware that it has before been proposed to use air as the elastic
means of retarding buffing apparatus. We do not claim the same, the
peculiarity of this part of our Invention being the use of a hole E through

page_text: the cylinder, and the piston in its ordinary position will be over the hole, but
immediately it is pressed on it will pass the hole, and enclose all the air beyond;
and when the piston is relieved from pressure it will return to the hole, and
thus will be ensured a constant supply of air to the interior of the cylinder;
and if the piston be drawn out by any means until it assume the position
shewn by red linės it will enclose the air in the part E¹ of the cylinder; thus
the air entering freely at the hole E will offer resistance on either side of
the hole.
We will now describe the fifth part of our Invention.
Figure 25 shows a side view of parts of two railway carriages having a
sledge or apparatus for retarding carriages, and also for preventing the
succeeding carriages coming against the preceding ones in the event of any
sudden check in front. F is the sledge, the nature of which is shewn in the
Drawing, which, dropping on the rail, tends to retard the train; and it can
only drop on to the rail when the carriages come nearer together than in their
ordinary positions when moving along the railway. The sledge F is suspended
by means of the links or connecting rods G, in the manner shown; and it will
readily be understood that should the carriages from any cause come nearer
together than what is shewn, the connecting rods or links would allow the
sledge to descend to the rail, and the wheel of the hinder carriage would
come against it, thus causing it to act as a break on the wheels of both
carriages, and as a skid or slide upon the rail.
Our next improvement is shown in Sheet A, Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 repre-
sents the boiler of an ordinary locomotive. A, A, the firebox; B, B, the body
with its tubes; C, C, the smoke box; D, D, the chimney; E, E, the dome. The
safty valves, water-level and cocks, force-pump, feed-pipe, and other ordinary
gear and fittings necessary to a boiler are omitted, to simplify the Drawing, as
they are well known, and not modified in our improved plan. Instead of cylinders
and pistons acting on the crank axle of a pair of driving wheels by a recipro-
cating movement, we employ a long cylinder F, F, placed horizontally under the
middle of the boiler, into which steam can be admitted at either end through the
tubes G and G, which are supplied by the tube H in the dome. This tube H
is filled at its upper end with an ordinary regulator to vary or cut off the supply
of steam. This is omitted, for simplicity's sake, in the Drawing. The cylinder
F, F, has a longitudinal slit underneath, and each lip of this slit has a groove,
three quarters of an inch deep, in which a strip of brass, half an inch thick, is
fastened by means of screws countersunk. The holes in the brass which
receive these screws are, however, large enough to allow the brass to play in
and out, so that it miny protrude more or less out of the groove towards the

page_text: corresponding strip of brass in the opposite lip. Beneath the strip of brass
are placed in each groove pieces of strong steel spring, which tend to make the
strips of brass protrude out of the grooves towards each other, so as to press
with a firm but yielding embrace anything placed between them in the slit. In
the middle of the road runs a series of flat bars of iron G³, set edgewise in cast-
iron chairs, end to end, so as to act as a continuous bar, which glides within
the slit of the horizontal longitudinal cylinder when the machine is in motion,
or rather the lips of the slit of the cylinder glide over the longitudinal bar. At
every fifteen feet of this flat bar there is placed a fixed valve or piston I, Figure 2,
'consisting of a cast-iron disc of somewhat less diameter than the horizontal tube,
having around its edge a groove in which is fitted a strip of brass, under-
neath which is a strip of steel spring tending to press the brass outwards.
These strips of brass and steel are bedded in felt in the groove, so as to be
steam-tight. The disc has a hole in the middle into which is driven a
wrought-iron axle K, which is supported in holes in the uprights l, l, which
are firmly set in the chair p by the central part m descending between the
extremities of two of the flat bars, and are further secured by the branches
n, n, which are fixed in the bars by vertical bolts and nuts o, o¹. The chair p
is screwed to the sleeper q. The holes in the uprights 1, 2, are made larger
than the axle K, so that a piece of felt may be interposed to give a further
yielding and slight play in all directions to the disc or piston I. When the
machine moves along the railway, the horizontal cylinder glides over the piston,
receiving it at one extremity and emitting it at the other, so that it is closed
successively in every part of its length as by a cork. The horizontal cylinder
is slightly bell-shaped at each end, the more readily to receive the piston,
which by its yielding adapts itself to slight variations in the position of the
cylinder. The cylinder itself is hung in such a manner as to yield both
laterally and vertically, but not so that it can rotate on its own axis. This is
effected by casting on it at each side arms like those of a cannon, which are
supported in holes in the branches of a rod r, r, which descends vertically
through a guide tubes, and bifurcates, one branch going to receive one arm,
and the other branch going to receive the other arm of the cylinder. The
guide tube 8 is firmly bolted to the smoke box, or to a cross piece fixed to the
frame of the machine; and a strong spring, the end of which is shown at t, is
attached to the upper part of the vertical rod, so as to admit of an elastic play
upwards or downwards. A similar arrangement is repeated at u, and if necessary
at other points of the length of the cylinder, and the result is, that the cylinder
is-not dragged sideways or upwards by the slight oscillations and jumping of
the machine, but can travel equably along the bar which is between its elastic

page_text: lips. At each end of the horizontal cylinder is a flap valve V, V, opening
inwards and upwards, shewn at V in its vertical position, and at V¹ raised
into a recess made for the purpose in this part of the cylinder, which is cast
square at the top here, to allow a flat place for the valve. This valve opens
inward to allow it to pass the fixed piston I, and when it has passed the valve
falls, and the steam being at the same moment admitted through the tube G,
finds itself imprisoned within the cylinder between the valve V and the piston
I. It presses by its expansive force against both these surfaces, and as one
is fixed (the piston) and the other moveable (the valve), it urges the valve
forward with. a force proportioned to the number of square inches of its
surface and the tension of the steam. It is therefore easy for practical men
to calculate the dimensions to be given to the cylinder, valve, and pistons, but
we believe the proportion shewn in the Drawing, taken as reduced to one
tenth, will be found a good size with reference to the evaporating power of
such a boiler as is shewn. The admission of the steam is governed by a slide
valve w, worked by the rod x, which runs through the stuffing box Y. This
rod is jointed at its extremity to a rod Z, which is again jointed to the short
arm of a lever a, which turns on an axis 6 fixed to the side of the cylinder, and
extends downwards so as to be caught by the projection or tooth c, which is
cast on the chair p that supports the piston I. Hence it results that at the
same instant the piston passes the valve the steam is fully turned on. A
second similar lever d is caught by the tooth c in its passage, and by the rod e
draws back the valve, and cuts off the steam. The rod e may be fixed at
various points of its length to the lever d, which can also be moved along the
slide bar f, so that the steam may be cut off at various points, if it is wished to
work expansively, and this adjustment may be prolonged the whole length.of
the cylinder, though, for clearness, it is represented shorter in the Drawing.
The blue lines represents a second position of the lever d upon the bars f, e, e,
cutting off the steam at a later period. The gear and working of the steam
valve at the other end of the cylinder is exactly the same, and has been therefore
omitted in the Drawing. The flap valve v is raised or left free by the rod 9,
around which hooks a crank h, fixed on the axis of the hinge of the valve, and
the motion of the rod g is transmitted by the lever i, i, turning on the centre
to the flap valve v¹, which has a similar crank hooking round & worked by
a similar bar, the result being that when one valve is free the other is raised
out of the way, so as to let the piston pass out. Suitable gear is provided
(as is well understood, and need not here be figured,) to allow the engine.
driver to open one or other of the slide valves, so as to admit the steam at
either end, and set the machine in motion in either direction, care being

page_text: taken to raise out of the way that flap valve which approaches the piston
when it has entered the cylinder. The levers a and d, which work the steam
valve, have a rule joint in their longer arms, so that the tooth c only acts on
them when the engine goes in the direction of the arrow. The corresponding
levers of the steam valve at the opposite end of the cylinder have rule joints in
the opposite sense, that they are only caught by their corresponding tooth when
the engine moves in the contrary direction. To obtain a draught we let off
a certain quantity of steam from time to time into the chimney through the
tube a', which is governed by the gear 61, 61, as is well understood; but we
expect that the advantage resulting from the direct action of the steam will
enable us to do with a less active combustion and smaller consumption of
steam, so that so strong a draft will not be required, except occasionally.
Having now stated the mode by which we prefer to carry out this part of
our improvements, we would observe, that we do not confine ourselves to the
particular arrangement herein given, but reserve to ourselves the right to
modify and adapt the various parts, so long as we retain the characteristic
feature of this part of our improvements, which is the direct application of
steam, through a horizontal longitudinal cylinder, to produce locomotion by
acting against fixed pistons set up in the road, and successively passed by the
cylinder, which is yieldingly hung and suitably guided to meet them without
collision; and it is this characteristic feature which constitutes our claim with
respect to this part of our improvements.
: Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with for performing the same, we would wish it to be under-
stood, that we make no claim to the separate mechanical parts herein
described, nor do we confine ourselves to the details, so long as the peculiar
character of either part of our Invention be retained. But what we claim
is,—
First, the mode of arranging machinery and apparatus herein described,
whereby a fixed tube, having an open slit, is closed by a moving slide longi-
tudinally, and transversely by a valve e, a supply of steam (either constant or
interrupted) being kept up behind the piston from a boiler moving along the
railway.
Secondly, we claim the mode of making rails for railways by combining
wrought and cast iron, as herein described.
Thirdly, we claim the mode of keeping a buffing apparatus supplied
with air.
Fourthly, we claim the mode of arranging a sledge apparatus, as herein

page_text: Fifthly, we claim the mode of directly applying steam, through a horizontal
longitudinal cylinder, to produce locomotion by acting against fixed pistons set
up in the road, and successively passed by the cylinder, which is yieldingly
hung and suitably guided to meet them without collision.
In witness whereof, I, the said Malcolm William Hilles, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-six.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of May, in the
year in the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Malcolm William Hilles
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.