IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I WALTER HONARATO BARKER of 44 Tentercroft Street, Lincoln in the county
of Lincoln, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in or applicable to steam engines the
object of the improvements being to convert an engine with its boiler of the class
ordinarily known as the "Semi fixed" on the vertical system, into a portable
engine, so as to allow of the said engine and boiler being transported on ordinary
roads by means of horse power, and of being easily and expeditiously placed in
any suitable required position for working.
In carrying out my invention I employ two or more wheels provided with a
pole or shafts. The engine or boiler is provided with a joint or sliding bearing
adapted to the main axle of the wheels so that the engine can turn on the said
axle. To the pole or shafts I apply a worm operated by a hand wheel, the said
worm driving a worm wheel or pinion provided with a chain wheel over which
passes a chain, the ends of the chain being connected to the ends of the boiler or
to other suitable parts of the engine or boiler, or instead of the said worm wheel,
chain wheel and chain, a worm (or a toothed pinion) and a quadrant applied to
the engine and boiler may be employed or any other equivalent mechanism. It is
evident that the quadrant may if preferred be fixed to the shafts and the worm to
the engine or boiler. Or the shafts can be secured to the boiler and the engine be
tilted into position for travelling by using them as levers. When required a leg or
legs is or are hinged or otherwise jointed to the rear end of the pole or shafts for
the purpose hereinafter described. By this arrangement when preparing to travel
the engine and boiler by means of the hereinbefore described gearing is pulled or
turned from the vertical position into a horizontal position (or as approximately so
as convenient) onto the shafts or pole, the sliding bearing or joint allowing it to be
drawn into any convenient position with regard to the axle so as to balance it
when travelling on a level road or up or down hill. When brought to a place.
where the engine is to be worked the above named leg or legs (when employed) are
brought into the vertical position so that the end or ends thereof will rest on the
ground and support the shafts or pole to take the weight of the engine while placing
it in position. By means of the herein before described gearing the engine is tilted

page_text: into the vertical position (from the horizontal) so that it rests on the bed plate or
bottom of the boiler as the case may be the shafts or pole and wheels can be
taken off.
The pole or shafts of the carriage is or are so connected as to allow of their
being folded, turned up or taken off and the wheels may be either taken off, raised
from the ground or they may be left in their normal position. It will be obvious
that when in a position for travelling, the engine may be either above or below the
boiler and the boiler may be adapted to the axle so that the centre of the boiler
will be above or below the centre of the axle.
Large or small wheels can be used and so placed as to balance the boiler when in
a horizontal position.
The bearing on the shafts or framework of the pole may be dropped or placed on
the axle between the wheels (or outside the wheels). The axle is then fitted
between two angle irons or casting on the boiler and can then be secured in that
position, but the weight of the engine and boiler when horizontal will keep the
shafts and wheels in position for ordinary purposes without further securing.
By this means the wheels and shafts can be readily removed. Or the said wheels
and shaft can be fixed by any other suitable means.
.

page_text: "
I WALTER HONORATO BARKER of 37 Haverstock Hill in the county of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in or applicable to steam engines the
object of the improvements being to convert an engine with its boiler of the class
ordinarily known as the "Semi-fixed" on the vertical system, into a portable
engine so as to allow of the said engine and boiler being transported on ordinary
roads by means of horse power, and of being easily and expeditiously placed in any
suitable required position for working.
In carrying out my invention I employ two. or more wheels provided with a
pole or shafts. The engine or boiler is provided with angle irons or an iron strap
or a casting in which the axle is placed or secured so that the engine can turn with
the said axle into a horizontal or nearly horizontal position The pole or shafts
then fit onto the axle or boiler. To the pole or shafts I apply a worm operated by
a hand wheel the said worm driving a worm wheel or pinion provided with a chain
wheel over which passes a chain the ends of the chain being connected to the ends
of the boiler or to other suitable parts of the engine or boiler, or I may employ a
chain wheel without the worm and worm wheel; or instead of the said worm
wheel, chain wheel and chain a worm (or a toothed pinion) and a quadrant applied
to the engine and boiler may be employed or any other equivalent mechanism. It
is evident that the quadrant may if preferred be fixed to the shafts and the worm
to the engine or boiler. Or the shafts can be secured to the boiler and the engine
be tilted into position. for travelling by using them as levers. When required a
leg or legs is or are hinged or otherwise jointed to the rear end of the pole or shafts
for the purpose of supporting the weight of the engine when placing it in
position.
The bearing on the shafts or framework of the pole may be dropped or placed on
the axle between the wheels (or outside the wheels). The axle is then fitted
between two angle irons or a casting or is secured by an iron strap on the boiler
and can then be secured in that position but the weight of the engine and boiler
when horizontal will keep the shafts and wheels in position for ordinary purposes
without further securing.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a side
elevation of a portable steam engine (with its boiler) provided with. my improve-
ments and in which the engine and boiler are brought into position for travelling
by means of a chain and chain wheel operated by a worm and worm wheel, the
engine and boiler being shewn in position for being raised or for working; figure 2,
is a similar view to that shewn in figure 1, but representing the engine and boiler
in position for travelling; figure 3, represents a side elevation of a portable steam
engine in which the engine and boiler are brought into position for travelling by
means of a worm and a quadrant, the engine and boiler being shewn in position for
being raised or for working and the shafts or pole of the carriage placed the reverse
way to that shewn in figures 1, and 2; figures 4, 5, and 6 are detached details of
some of the parts of the portable engine shewn in figures 1, and 3. Figure 7, is
a similar view to figure 1, but shewing the portable engine and boiler provided

page_text: with means for raising them from the ground when being turned into position for
travelling and in which the chain is operated by a chain wheel alone; figure 8 is a
transverse section of the same; figure 9 is a part vertical elevation of the boiler
and fittings without the wheels and shafts or pole; figure 10, is an elevation
shewing the engine and boiler in position for travelling; figure 11 is an elevation
shewing a portable engine and boiler provided with another arrangement for
receiving and fixing the axle and for raising the engine and boiler and in which
the engine and boiler are turned into position for travelling by means of a worm
and a quadrant the engine and boiler being shewn in position for being raised or
for working; figures 12, 13 and 14 are detached details of some of the parts.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to figures 1, 2, 4 5 and 6,-a, a,
are the travelling wheels and b, the pole (or shafts) with which the wheels a, are
provided; the axle l, shewn in figure 6 is attached to the boiler by being placed in
the angle iron or casting c, fixed on the boiler, as shewn in figure 5, so that the.
engine or boiler. d, can turn on the said axle; and the journals c¹, of the pole (or
shafts) fig 4, are then placed over the axle; e, is the worm applied to. the pole (or
shafts) b, and operated by the hand wheel e¹; f, is the worm wheel or pinion
driven by the worm e; g, is the chain passing over a chain wheel (not shown in
the drawing) with which the worm wheel f, is provided the ends of the said chain g,
being connected at h, and i, to the ends of the boiler.d, or to other suitable parts
of the engine; j, is the leg (or legs) hinged or otherwise jointed at k, to the rear
end of the pole or shafts b, for supporting the weight of the engine when raising or
lowering the same: By referring to figure 2, it will be seen that the axis of the
boiler can be inclined at any degree to balance it better on the wheels a, if
required, x, and z, representing axial lines of the boiler when so inclined.
By this arrangement when preparing to travel, the axle l, with the wheels a, is
placed in position as herein before described and the shafts b, (or pole) are then put
on; the leg (or legs) ; when used are brought into the vertical position as shewn in
figure 1, and the engine and boiler d, are then raised as hereinafter described if
required and pulled or turned from the vertical position. as represented in figure 1,
into a horizontal position (or as approximately so as convenient) onto the shafts or
pole b, as shewn in figure 2, by means of the chain g, and chain wheel operated by
the worm e, and worm wheel f, and the engine and boiler are then secured in the
said position, the boiler turning with the axle 7, into any convenient position with
regard to the axle so as to balance it when travelling on a level road or up or down
hill; the leg (or legs) j, is then raised from the ground on its hinge or joint k, and
secured under the carriage as seen in figure 2. When brought to a place where the
engine is to be worked the above named leg or legs (when employed) is or are
again brought into the vertical position so that the end or ends thereof will rest on
the ground and support the shafts or pole b, to take the weight of the engine d,
while placing it in position. By means of the herein before described gearing the
engine d, is tilted into the vertical position (from the horizontal) so that it rests on
the bed plate or bottom of the boiler as the case may be and the shafts or pole b,
and wheels a, can then be taken off.
4
The pole or shafts b, of the carriage is or are so connected as to allow of their
being folded, turned up or taken off and the wheels may be either taken off, raised
from the ground or they may be left in their normal position. It will be obvious
that when in a position for travelling the engine may be either above or below the
boiler and the boiler may be adapted to the axle so that the centre of the boiler 5
will be above or below the centre of the axle. When the centre of the axle is not
at the side of the boiler it is necessary to raise the engine and boiler before turning
so that the bottom of the boiler or the bedplate will clear the ground in turning
which I effect by screws or by a chain or other suitable means, as hereinafter
.described.
Large or small wheels can be usel and so placed as to, balance the boiler when
in a horizontal position.
5

page_text: The arrangement shewn in figure 3, is the same as that herein before described
when referring to figures 1, and 2, with the exception that instead of the said
worn wheel, chain wheel and chain, a worm e, (or a toothed pinion) and a
quadrant, applied to the engine and boiler d, are employed. It is obvious
however that the quadrant ", may if preferred be fixed to the shafts b, and the
worm e, to the engine or boiler d; in this arrangement the leg j, (or legs) is not
employed.
Instead of the hereinbefore described arrangements of gearing the shafts may be
secured to the boiler and the engine be tilted into position for travelling by using
the shafts as levers or any other equivalent mechanism to that hereinbefore
described may be employed.
In the arrangement shewn in figures 7, 8, 9 and 10, the centre of the axle is
about the centre of the boiler or at the centre of gravity and it is therefore
necessary to raise the engine and boiler as shewn by dotted lines so that the
bottom of the boiler or the bedplate will clear the ground when turning the
engine into the horizontal position. It is pulled or turned over by means of
the chain wheel f, as shewn; the shafts or framework of the pole are or is fitted on
as shewn in figure 4; the axle 1, is fastened to the boiler by a strap m.
The engine and boiler are raised from the ground by means of screw threaded
straps n, and nuts n¹, (or by any other suitable means). The ends of the screw
straps n, fit under the boiler or bedplate as shewn or are bolted to the same; an
angle iron o, figure 9, is employed to bolt the axle 7, to when the boiler is raised as
shewn by dotted lines but it is not generally necessary to secure the axle by any
other means than by tightening the straps;.8, 8, figure 8 are the parts of the axle
for receiving the shafts (or pole). The engine and boiler can be raised if preferred
by passing the chain from the chain wheel f, over the axle and then fastening it to
the bottom of the boiler so that by tightening the chain it will raise the boiler;
the straps are then tightened to keep it in position and the chain is placed in
position for turning the engine and boiler. Either of the above arrangements can
be fitted to any ordinary engine and boiler without it being necessary to drill any
heles, as the straps n, keep the axle 7 in position and hook or catch under the
bedplate or boiler.
'
In the arrangement shewn in figures 11, 12, 13 and 14, a casting c, is fixed to
the boiler d, and the axle 1, fits into the said casting; the engine and boiler are
then raised (by turning the screw n), into the position shewn by dotted lines and
are then pulled or turned into a horizontal position; figure 12, shews an elevation
of the axle for same. 8, 8, are the parts of the axle for receiving the shafts (or
pole) b, figure 4; figure 13, shews the axle placed in the casting; figure 14, shews
the position of the axle when the boiler raised.
By the hereinbefore described means the wheels a, and shafts b, can be readily
removed. Or the said wheels and shafts can be fixed by any other suitable
means.
•
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1). A steam engine provided with suitable means such as are herein described
whereby the engine can be used either as a stationary engine and boiler of the
class ordinarily known as the "Semi-fixed" on the vertical system, or be converted
into a portable engine substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
(2). In a portable steam engine the means for fixing the axle and raising the
boiler so as to clear the ground in turning in combination with suitable means such
as a worm, worm wheel, chain and chain wheel, as shewn in figures 1 and 2, or a
worm and quadrant as shewn in figure 3, for turning the engine and boiler from a
vertical position into a horizontal or inclined position or vice versa substantially as
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
(3). In a portable steam engine the casting on the boiler adapted to receive the
axle 1, of the travelling wheels and the casting or straps serving to raise the engine
'

page_text: and boiler when required in combination with the shafts b, or framework of the
pole of the carriage arranged so as to be dropped or placed on or removed from the
said axle substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and represented
in figures 7 to 14 of the accompanying drawing.
(4). The improved portable steam engines herein before described and represented t
in the various figures of the accompanying drawing.