AN IMPROVED METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND
APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE." A communication from abroad by George
Westinghouse, junior, of Pittsburg, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November 1880.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE." [A communication from
abroad by George Westinghouse, junior, of Pittsburg, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to the warming of railway carriages by the heat of the
lamps used for illuminating the carriages. For this purpose the upper part of the
lamp above the reflector, and a portion of the chimney are enclosed within a casing
forming a heating vessel, which is preferably protected externally against loss of
heat by radiation. The heated parts of the lamp and chimney have their surfaces
largely extended by fins or corrugations so as to conduct a great part of their heat
and impart it to the air in the heating vessel, or the chimney may be extended in
size and provided with tubes or passages, which being exposed to the heat of the
products of combustion impart a large portion of that heat to air passing through
these tubes or passages.
Air is supplied to the heating vessel, and being heated
therein is conducted by suitable tubes to the lower part of the carriage or com-
partment, into which the heated air issues, preferably, under the seats, so as to
warm the lower extremities of passengers. In order to cause the air to pass
through the heating vessel and tubes, the inlet to the heating vessel is provided
with a mouth piece mounted as a vane on a vertical axis, so as to present its open
mouth to the wind. Or when compressed air is employed for working the breaks
of the train, a portion of the compressed air is directed into the heating vessel to
be warmed and circulate through the carriage. As the air thus employed is at
such pressure that it will issue with considerable velocity from an orifice, it is
preferably applied to act as in an injector, a comparatively small stream of the
compressed air causing less rapid flow of a much larger volume of atmospheric air.
When compressed air is not available to be employed in this manner, an air pump
or blower may be worked from one of the running axles so as to produce the
current required for the circulation, either directly or by injector action.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th May 1881.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, AND APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE." A communication from
abroad by George Westinghouse, junior, of Pittsburg, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the warming of railway carriages by the heat of the
lamps used for illuminating the carriages. For this purpose the upper part of the
lamp above the reflector and a portion of the chimney are enclosed within a casing
forming a heating vessel, which is preferably protected externally against loss of
heat by radiation. The heated parts of the lamp and chimney have their surfaces
largely extended by fins or corrugations, so as to conduct a great part of their heat
and impart it to the air in the heating vessel, or the chimney may be extended in
size and provided with tubes or passages, which being exposed to the heat of the
products of combustion impart a larger portion of their heat to air passing through
these tubes or passages. Air is supplied to the heating vessel, and being heated
therein is conducted by suitable tubes to the lower part of the carriage or com-
partment, into which the heated air issues, preferably, under the seats, so as to
warm the lower extremities of passengers. In order to cause the air to pass
through the heating vessel and tubes, the inlet to the heating vessel is provided
with a mouth piece mounted as a vane on a vertical axis, so as to present its open
mouth to the wind. Or when compressed air is employed for working the breaks
of the train, a portion of the compressed air is directed into the heating vessel to
be warmed and circulate through the carriage. As the air thus employed is at
such pressure that it will issue with considerable velocity from an orifice, it is
preferably applied to act as in an injector, a comparatively small stream of the
compressed air causing less rapid flow of a much larger volume of atmospheric air.
When compressed air is not available to be employed in this manner, an air pump
or blower may be worked from one of the running axles so as to produce the
current required for the circulation, either directly or by injector action.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a vertical section of a railway
carriage lamp with passages arranged according to this Invention for heating air
supplied to the carriage. The cold air, impelled in any of the ways above mentioned,
enters by a passage A an annular channel a immediately above the reflector R of
the lamp. From this channel it passes through a perforated plate or wire gauze
into an annular chamber B, whence by several tubes, of which one is shown at b, it
rises into a chamber C. From the chamber C the air, heated by its passage through
the channels and chambers above mentioned, is led by a pipe D to the places in the
carriage where it can be conveniently permitted to issue, for example, under the
seats. The air for supporting the combustion of the lamp flame enters by shielded
lateral apertures E, and descending within the external casing finds its way by
holes or slits e at the periphery of the reflector into the interior of the globe G.
The hot products of combustion ascend through the funnel F in the middle of the
chamber B, strike the dome H, then spread out laterally under the chamber C, and
ascending all round its periphery by an annular passage h finally issue by the
funnel K into the shielded hood of the lamp, and thence into the open air; Fig. 2
is a vertical section of an arrangement that may be employed instead of a cowl
and vane, to get the wind impulse for the air entering by the channel A the
heating chambers of the lamp. A tumbler M pivotted at m is made to fall to
the one side or other of the casing N, which is fixed on the carriage roof

page_text: according to the direction in which the carriage is advancing. The air entering
under the lip P passes through a perforated metal or wire gauze screen p into the
casing, whence it flows by the pipe A to the heating chambers of the lamp described
with reference to Fig. 1.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim,-
First. The method of warming a railway carriage by causing a current of air
supplying the carriage to pass over surfaces heated by the carriage lamp so as to
be warmed thereby, substantially as herein described.
Second. The construction of carriage lamp with air heating chambers and
channels, substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
AT
CHAº. D. ABEL. (L.S.)