Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Jan., 1889
Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
I, l'ATRICK HENRY SHANNON of Jamestown, State of New York, United States
of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an apparatus for heating railway carriages or cars and
consists in the constructions and combinations which I shall hereinafter fully
describe.
To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and
use my invention, I will now describe the same and indicate the manner in which I
carry the same into effect.
The following methods of heating have been employed heretofore and are used at
the present time; first among them is the steam heater. It has been found imprac-
ticable to heat railway cars by steam exclusively as with the present capacity of
engines only a few cars can be so heated.
Heat may be stored in sand but its specific heat is much less than that of water.
Brine or glycerine serve as better reservoirs of warmth, but both substances fuse at a
temperature much below that of water.
Hot water is a god circulating medium for the diffusion of heat and its use has
met with much favorin Europe. In practice boxes, three feet long, six inches wide,
and four inches deep were filled with hot water, and placed within the cars, at the end
of two hours it was necessary to remove the boxes for the purpose of reheating
them.
To store heat for a longer period, chemicals were employed by M. Ancelin of
Paris.
By referring to the well known fact that water, while solidifying evolves con-
siderable specific heat, which had become latent within it during its change from
solidity to fluidity, it will be perceived that fusion occurs at a temperature too low to
be of practical benefit for the purpose in view.
Therefore, those solutions which cohere or freeze at ordinary temperatures suy 60°.
or 70° give off their specific heat at the required degree; and after the diffusion of
their sensible caloric, that is, the latent heat which remains in the substance down to
Pin 1

page_text: the point of crystallization, at ordinary temperature becomes sensible during fusion.
Such substances boil at a temperature much higher than water, and while this is not
indicative of greater specific power it is most advantageous by reason of superior
thermal capacity without change of condition, or expansion into steam.
The chemical system as operated by M. Ancelin of Paris is as follows. He puts
the solutions into metallic boxes the openings of which are then soldered, and on
being placed within a reservoir and heated externally by a current of steam, they
are withdrawn and placed in suitablepositions on the floors of the carriages. At the end
of twelve hours the boxes are removed for reheating, after which they are again ready
for replacement in the cars. These heaters will retain warmth six times as long as
similar vessels containing hot water.
This system as applied abroad is not conformable to the requirements of long trains
moving over great distances. To accomplish this latter result is the object of my
invention.
Referring to the drawing C represents what I prefer to designate "caloriferes "
consisting of a box or receptacle A let into or suitably secured to the floor of the cars at
desired points. Within these exterior boxes are placed other receptacles or flasks B
filled with acetate of soda or other appropriate chemicals and connected together by
steam pipes which pass through said flasks and body of chemicals, thereby heating the
latter.
The receptacles or flasks may be of any suitable shape while their size depends
largely upon the amount of heat desired.
The pipes a and b extend from the locomotive and pass through the central part, of
the car and caloriferes" and they are connected with branch pipes c and d whose
diameters approximate the diameters of the main pipes.
The pipes c and d project from opposite sides of the main pipes and are suitably coiled
within each of the indepondent receptacles or flasks and are connected with the main
pipes at points inside of the outer box or receptacle A as shown, suitable cocks e
being placed in the main pipes to direct the whole body, of steam through the
branch pipes when desired, other cocks e¹ being likowise let into the branch pipes to
shut off the steam from any one or more of the caloriferes or from those flasks or
receptacles through which the said pipe passes.
A car heated by my apparatus and side tracked for twelve hours would remain
comfortably warm during the whole of that time. The warmth emitted would be free
from the unpleasant odour usually attending heat by other means. The main object
attained by this plan is the production of sufficient heat while dispensing with fire or
steam during transit.
In the event of an accident there would be no heat capable of producing ignition
and the chemicals when exposed to the air would cohere at once, thereby becoming
harmless to the person.
The manner of transmitting the initial temperature, as well as renewing the same
to the chemicals varies, and may conform to the appilances in every day use on the
different roads. The steam may be applied before starting by the engine that is to
draw the train, by a stationary boiler or pipe-line therefrom, or by a switch engine on
a side-track, or in the rear of the coaches, by one or all of these agencies, and while
the train is stopped at a station for a brief period, the steam may be directed from the
engine of the train to the heaters, thereby the surplus steam instead of wasting
through the blow off may be utilized in this way.
I prefer however live steam for heating the substances.
The chemical heat is diffused gradually, which necessitates the use of a consider-
able quantity of solution, and the heat passes froin the caloriferes into the car,
through suitable registers R.
A train of fifteen coaches adequately heated and side-tracked for the night would
be sufficiently warm in the morning, without the agency of heat other than that
chemically stored. It will not be necessary to lessen the fire in an engine attached
to the train before leaving a road terminus, nor while at way stations, as the surplus
steam generated during such times would be used as before stated.

page_text: The valves in the rear car of the train may be opened when desired, and the air as
well as the water of condensation forced out at those points.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In an apparatus for heating railway cars, the caloriferes consisting of
external boxes or receptacles, and internal independent chemically filled flasks or
receptacles, in combination with the steam pipes leading from the engine, and
branch pipes connecting with the main pipes at points inside of the caloriferes,
passing through and independently, coiled in each internal flask or receptacle whereby
its contents are heated, substantially as described.
Second. In a car heating apparatus, the main steam pipes, in combination with
caloriferes secured in the cars and consisting of exterior boxes, chemically filled flasks
or receptacles, within said boxes but independent thereof, and of each other, and
pipes connected with the main pipes, having a plural number of coils, one of which is
located inside of each flask whereby its contents are internally heated, substantially as
described.
Third. The boxes or caloriferes, and the independent flasks or receptacles placed
therein so as to leave a surrounding air space, said boxes containing chemicals, in
combination with the main steam pipes passing through the cars and caloriferes and
branch pipes of the same diameter as the main pipes, connected with said pipes at
points inside the outer boxes and independently coiled within each chemically filled
flask, and the cocks in the main and branch pipes for directing the course of the
steam, substantially as described.
Dash: 5511000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.