IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES. IN PART APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES GENERALLY. AND TO RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT
to William Clark, junior, of Dunfermline, in the
County of Fife, North Britain, Engineer, and John Clark, of
Paddington, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES. IN PART APPLICABLE
TO STEAM ENGINES GENERALLY. AND TO RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 25th September 1868, and dated the 26th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark and
John Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 26th March 1868.
We, WILLIAM CLARK, junior, of Dunfermline, in the County of
Fife, North Britain, Engineer, and JOHN CLARK, of Paddington, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES. IN PART APPLI
CABLE TO STEAM ENGINES GENERALLY, AND TO RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES,"
to be as follows:--

page_text: Firstly. We propose to arrange the boiler vertically instead of
horizontally on the engine framing, and instead of placing the fire-
grate at or near the bottom of the boiler we propose to place it about
one-third of the height of the boiler above the bottom, and the lower
portion we furnish with tubes of say three or four inches diameter, so
that the fuel used may drop into these tubes and fill them with burning
fuel, thereby increasing the generating power of the boiler. We provide
a suitable grating to cover the lower end of the said tubes to prevent
the fuel from falling through 'till not wanted. The said tubes may
either be cylindrical or conical. We propose also to fit the upper
portion of the boilers with tubes of smaller diameter than usual, that is,
from three-quarters to one inch diameter.
The arrangement of fuel tubes above described may with advantage
be used with the ordinary horizontal boilers of locomotives or other
engines by fitting the lower portion of the fire-box therewith.
Secondly. We propose to increase the power of the engine by adding
bearing wheels of smaller diameter fixed on the same axles as the
ordinary driving wheels. These smaller wheels run upon a tramway
above the level of the ordinary rails and sufficiently high to raise the
ordinary driving wheels a little out of contact with the rails. The said
tramway may be of wood or other suitable material and the smaller
wheels may be flanged in the ordinary way or be grooved or otherwise
cut or formed on the face to suit the tramway. In the case of coupled
engines we mount pairs of smaller wheels on each coupled axle.
Thirdly. We propose to construct engines for steep inclines by
dispensing with driving wheels, and instead thereof causing the pistons
to operate two or more cranked levers having clutch boxes at their
lower ends to grip the rail; these levers and clutches may be fitted to
work on the ordinary rails or on a central rail, rope, or chain specially
laid for the purpose.
The last improvement, with a modified clutch box, may be applied to
increase the power of "traction engines" for common roads.
Fourthly. We propose to improve the bearing springs of engines by
rolling the several plates which compose the springs with longitudinal
corrugations. By this means a much lighter plate than common may
be used and effect a great saving in the weight of the spring without
impairing their general efficiency. The corrugations may be either

page_text: curved or angular, and may consist of one wave or more in the width.
as special circumstances may require. The said improvements are also
applicable to springs composed of flat plates for other carriages or
purposes.
Fifthly. We propose to add an indicating float to the ordinary gauge
glasses by which to indicate more perfectly the water level. We fit
inside the glass a metal cylinder hollow and fitted with air or gas so as
it may float upon the surface of the water in the gauge glass, and thus
indicate the water level. This indicating apparatus is also applicable
to other descriptions of boilers besides locomotive engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Clark and John Clark in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 26th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLARK, junior, of Dunfermline, in the County of Fife, North Britain,
Engineer, and JOHN CLARK, of Paddington, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Clark, junior, and John
Clark, Her special licence that we, the said William Clark, junior,
and John Clark, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said William Clark, junior, and John Clark, 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 LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES. IN PART APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES
GENERALLY. AND ΤΟ RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES." upon the con.
dition (amongst others), that we, the said William Clark, junior, and
John Clark our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: 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 we, the said William Clark, junior, and John
Clark, 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:-
The improvements have reference to locomotive engines generally, and
to railway and other carriages intended to work on steep gradients;
and,
First. We propose to arrange the boiler vertically instead of horizontally
on the engine framing, and instead of placing the fire-grate at or near
the bottom of the boiler we propose to place it about one-third (more
or less) of the height of the boiler above the bottom; and the lower
jortion we furnish with tubes of about six inches diameter (more or
less) so that the fuel used may drop into these tubes and fill them with
burning fuel, thereby increasing the generating power of the boiler.
We provide a suitable grating to cover the lower end of the said tubes
to prevent the fuel from falling through 'till not wanted. The said
tubes may either be cylindrical, or conical, or square. We propose
also to fit the upper portion of the boiler with tubes of smaller diameter
than usual, that is. from three-quarters of an inch to one inch
diameter.
The arrangement of the fuel tubes above described may with
advantage be used with the ordinary horizontal boilers or other engines
by fitting the lower portion of the fire-box therewith.
Secondly. We propose to increase the power of the engine by adding
bearing wheels of smaller diameter fixed on the same axles as the
ordinary driving wheels. These smaller wheels run upon a tramway
above the level of the ordinary rails, and sufficiently high to raise the
ordinary driving wheels a little out of contact with the rails. The said
tramway may be of wood or other suitable material, and the smaller
wheels may be flanged in the ordinary way, or be grooved or otherwise
cut or formed on the face to suit the tramway. In the case of
coupled engines we mount pairs of smaller wheels on each coupled
axle.

page_text: Thirdly. We propose to construct engines for steep inclines by causing
the pistons to operate two or more cranked levers, having clutch boxes
at their lower ends to grip the rail. These levers and clutches may
be fitted to work on the ordinary rails or on a central rail, rope, or
chain specially laid for the purpose.
The last improvement substituting bearing feet for the clutch box
may be applied to increase the power of traction engines upon common
roads.
Fourthly. We propose to improve the bearing springs of engines and
carriages by rolling the several plates which compose the springs with
longitudinal corrugations. By this corrugation a much lighter plate
than common may be used, and effect a great saving in the weight of
the springs without impairing their general efficiency.
The said improvements are also applicable to springs for other carriages
or purposes.
Fifthly. We propose to add an indicating float to the ordinary loco-
motive and other boiler guage glasses by which to indicate more perfectly
the water level therein. We fit inside the glass either a solid cylinder
of any material specifically lighter than water, or a hollow one filled
with air or gas so that it may float upon the surface of the water in
the guage glass be. coloured, and thus indicate the water level more
distinctly.
The accompanying Drawing is intended to illustrate the general form
of engine, boiler, and other details of our said Invention.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a locomotive engine designed according to
the first plan; and Fig. 2 a side elevation of a similar engine, designed
according to the second plan herein-before mentioned respectively, the
latter shewing the boiler in section; Fig. 3 is an inverted enlarged
plan of the rail clutch shewn in elevation at Fig. 2.
The following reference applies to each of these illustrations where
the index letter appears thereon.
a, a, are the bearing and driving wheels, such as are usually fitted
to the present locomotive engines, and are of the ordinary construction;
b, the main axle with outside cranks and bearings; c, e, the ordinary
raiis; d, d, the additional driving wheels for wood rails keyed fast upon
the axle b; e, e, the additional raised wooden rails or tramway upon
which the driving wheels d bear, for increasing the tractive power of

page_text: the engine on steep inclines. These rails may be made of metal as
herein-after described. e, e', guard rails for causing the engine to keep
the track when running upon the raised rails e, e; f, f, vertical boilers.
The boiler fittings may be of the ordinary kind; g, g, water tank and
coal bunker; h, space for engine men; i, the improved fire-box; h, k,
the fuel tubes below the fire-box, the lower ends of which tubes are
partially closed by the grate ', which is lowered and raised as required
by the rack bar, worked by hand or levers fitted thereto. The bottom
of the fire-box is considerably dished in order to allow the steam
generated by the fuel resting thereon and in the lower tubes to ascend
through the water spaces into the steam chest at the top of the
boiler. This improvement may also be applied to ordinary locomotive
and other steam boilers; 1, 1, the small tubes passing through the upper
portion of the boiler to the smoke box ', through which the products
of combustion ascend and escape by the funnel ;m is a centre rail
intended to be fixed for the engine, shewn at Fig. 2, to work itself along
by clutch power. The ordinary bearing wheels m', m', may be fitted
and worked in the usual way as driving wheels or as bearing wheels
only is a steam cylinder, the piston rod of which is connected by
the double links n' to the cranked lever n, which are centred at n³ in
the beam n. These cranked levers arc so centred that the clutches
keep a horizontal line; o, o, vertical limbs extending to the centre
rail m; p, p, the clutches with which the terminal portions of .the
limbs o are fitted. These clutches are made to keep the line either by
the radial rods n, n, or other equivalents, the crank levers having each
a slight vertical motion at their centres; q, q, are pawls or grippers
of steel or hard metal formed as here shewn, and reversible in the clutch
box to the position shewn by the dotted lines in order to allow the
engine to work along by the centre rail in opposite directions. These
pawls are adjusted or turned to their required positions by the end of
the rail itself as it enters the clutch box at either end.
Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections of the improved spring plates.
Fig. 6 shews the form of wheel and rail when the latter is made of
metal instead of wood, as shewn at Fig. 1. The angle of the groove
in the wheel and of the head of the rail may be varied as required.
These rails may be laid outside the carrying rails.
We claim the form and mode of constructing locomotive engines for
working heavy traffic and steep inclines.

page_text: JOHN CLARK. (L.S.)