IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Edwin Crighton, of Newcastle upon Tyne,'
Mechanical Engineer, and John Septimus Ayton, of the same Place, Mechanical
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
4 I▸
Sealed the 27th January 1880, and dated the 30th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edwin Crighton
and John Septimus Ayton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 30th July 1879.
CHARLES EDWIN CRIGHTON, of Newcastle upon Tyne, Mechanical Engineer, and
JOHN SEPTIMUS AYTON, of the same Place, Mechanical Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS
IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
Our Invention relates to locomotive engines intended more particularly for use
on tramways and common roads, and it consists of improvements in certain parts
of the same and in their general arrangement, whereby increased efficiency is
obtained and the inconveniences of smoke and exhaust steain which attend the
use of tramway locomotive engines of the ordinary construction are obviated.or
greatly diminished.
In carrying out our Invention the heated products of combustion from the fire
box are caused to pass through a series of tubes into a combustion chamber at the
opposite end, whence they are conducted back through flues or tubes into a sinóke
box and chimney situate at the fire box, end of the engine. It is preferred to
employ return flues with a series of return tubes, all leading into the smoke box.
Into these flues or tubes, or into one or more of them, is conducted the exhaust
steam from the engine cylinders, in order that such steam whilst promoting the
draft, may be completely consumed by the beated products of combustion, during
their passage to the chimney...
The discharge of the exhaust steam from the blast. pipe leading from the engine
cylinders into such return flue or flues or tubes is regulated by means of an
adjustable blast nozzle or injector of the peculiar construction hereinafter described,
such blast nozzle or injector (when central flues and side tubes are employed) being
placed within or opposite the central flues, whilst branch passages may be formed

page_text: communicating between the said blast nozzle or injector and the side tubes. This
blast nozzle or injector consists of a mouth piece, pipe, or tube, within and pro-
truding from which is a hollow conical plug having its apex inwards, the plug
being so arranged as to leave an annular space between its external periphery and
the interior of the mouth piece, the size of which space may be varied by adjusting
the position of the plug. The sides of the cone and also its base are perforated
with small holes, so that the exhaust steam will enter into the interior of the plug
by the holes at the side and escape by the holes at the base. The steam is thus
thoroughly divided, a restricted annular jet being directed against the internal sides
of the flues or tubes, whilst other jets (vi, those from the holes in the base of the
plug) are directed into the main body of the gases passing into and through the
Blues or tubes. We are thus enabled to reduce the steam to the requisite fine state
of division to ensure its perfect consumption by the heated products of combustion
and at the same time to provide the necessary aggregate area for the escape of the
steam to prevent back pressure.
In order to assist the draft of the fire and to prevent back last or down draft a
small noiseless fan blast may be provided, worked from the engine axle by a belt
or. other suitable gearing, the said fan discharging into the chimney of the engine and
thereby creating a constant and certain current of air up the chimney during the
time the engine is in motion.
The cylinders may be conveniently placed at the end of the engine at which the
combustion chamber is situate, and they may be vertical or inclined and so
arranged as to drive a shaft separate from the axle of the driving wheels, to which
latter motion may be transmitted by means of cranks and coupling rods, or
equivalent means, a governor driven from the said intermediate shaft being placed
in a suitable position. The feed water tank may be placed beneath the boiler, and
so arranged as to be capable of being moved longitudinally in order to equilibriate.
the load as required.
The draw gear consists of a jointed bar, having a slot adapted to a fixed pin in
the centre of a rigid_wheel_base.or-other-convenient-point-so-as-to-admit-of-a-radial
motion of the bar and of a longitudinal motion to the extent of the length of the
slot. The bar is supported in suitable guides at each end of the engine, and is
screw threaded at each extremity, and there provided with a nut or hand wheel
beyond which is the usual book or connection. The carriage or train, may therefore
be coupled to either end of the engine and the draw gear tightened by the act of
operating the nut or hand wheel at the opposite, end, the strain of the traction
being sustained by such nut or hand wheel at the front end of the engine. The
brake gear (which we propose to use in combination with the other improvements
herein before described), consists as applied to two sets of wheels of two sets of
bangers suspended from the frame, and each carrying a set of brake blocks, the two
sets of hangers being coupled by rods. One set of hangers have connected to them
adjusting links with three pins, the top or first pin connecting the link to the
hanger, the middle or second pin connecting the link to the brake lever rod, white
the third or bottom pin forms the connection of the link with the rod leading to
the brake blocks of the other pair of wheels.
The subsidiary segment is coupled by a rod to the actuating lever, and when such
lever is operated in order to apply the brakes the whole system first moves upon
the centres of the joints of the two segments as a fulcrum, and one set of brake
blocks is applied to one set of wheels, and the motion being continued the other
set of brake blocks is turned upon the centres of the main segments and is
applied to the other set of wheels. By this arrangement all liability of the brakes
being unequally applied owing to the undue wear of either set is obviated, as both
sets are infallibly applied and with equal force, whatever variations may take
place in the wear of the two.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Edwin Crighton and John S eptimus Ayton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th January 1880.
CHARLES EDWIN CRIGHTON, of Newcastle upon Tyne, Mechanical Engineer, and
JOHN SEPTIMUS AYTON, of the same Place, Mechanical Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
Our said Invention relates to locomotive engines intended more particularly for
use on tramways and com mon roads, and it consists of improvements in certain
parts of the same and in their general arrangement, whereby increased efficiency is
obtained and the inconveniences of smoke and exhaust steam what attend the use
of tramway locomotive engines of the ordinary construction are obviated or greatly
diminished.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section of a tramway
locomotive engine constructed according to our said Invention; Figure 2 is a part
transverse vertical section and part end elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a half
plan of the under framing and lower portion of the engine; Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7
are views of the blast nozzle or injector hereinafter referred to shewn detached, and
drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1, 2, and 3, Figure 4 being a longitudinal
section of the nozzle, Figures 5 and 6 end views of the plug and nozzle respectively,
and Figure 7 a view of the rear end; Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the draw gear,
Figure 8 being a longitudinal section, and Figure 9 a sectional plan of the same;
and Figure 10 is a side elevation illustrating our improvements in brake gear.
In carrying out our said Invention the heated products of combustion from the
fire box A (Figures 1 and 2) are caused to pass through a series of tubes B into a
combustion chamber C at the opposite end, whence they are conducted back through
flues or tubes D, D', into a smoke box E and chimney F situate at the fire box end
of the engine. In the example illustrated in the Drawing the return flues or tubes
consist of a central flue D and two side tubes D₁ arranged one at each side of the
central flue, but the number and arrangement of the return flues or tubes may be
varied as required. Into these return flues or tubes or into one or more of them is
conducted the exhaust steam from the engine cylinders by means of an adjustable
blast nozzle or injector G, whereby the discharge of such exhaust steam is so regu-
lated that whilst it promotes the draft the steam will be completely consumed by
the heated products of combustion during their passage to the chimney.
When à
central return flue D and side tubes D' are employed, as in the example illustrated
in the Drawing, the blast nozzle or injector is by preference placed opposite the
central flue D, as shewn, or within the same, and branch passages may be provided
if required communicating between the blast nozzle or injector and the said tubes.
The blast nozzle or injector is illustrated in detail in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 of our
Drawings. It consists of a mouth piece or tube a within, and protruding from
which is a hollow conical plug 6 having its apex inwards, the plug being carried by
a screw spindle c and being so arranged as to leave an annular space d between the
external periphery of the plug and the interior of the mouth piece or tube a, the
size of which space may be varied by adjusting the position of the plug 6 by
the act of turning the spindle c with the aid of the handwheel e. The sides of
the cone 6 are perforated with small holes f and the base of the cone is perforated
with small holes g, so that the exhaust steam from the blast pipe admitted into the
mouth piece or tube a at h will enter the interior of the plug through the side
holes and escape by the holes y at the base. The steam is thus thoroughly divided

page_text: We
a restricted annular jet being directed against the internal sides of the flue D,
whilst other jets (videlicet, those from the holes g in the base of the plug) are
directed into the main body of the gases passing into and through the flue D.
are thus enabled to reduce the steam to the requisite fine state of division to ensure
its perfect consumption by the heated products of combustion, and at the same time
to provide the necessary aggregate area for the escape of the steam to prevent back
pressure. In order to assist the draft of the fire and to prevent a down draught a
small noiseless fan'may be employed, worked from one of the axles of the engine by
means of a belt and pulleys or other suitable gearing, the said fan creating and
discharging into the chimney a constant and definite current of air during the time
that, the engine is in motion.
I
Hare the cylinders of the engine, which are by preference placed as shewn at
the end of the engine at which the combustion chamber C is situate, and are either
vertical or inclined, and so arranged as to drive a shaft I separate from the axle K
of the driving wheels L, to which latter motion may be transmitted by cranks and-
coupling rods M or equivalent means, a governor N being provided driven from the
said intermediate shaft I.
O is the feed water tank, which is represented as placed beneath the boiler P
upon a portion of the under frame Q, and so arranged as to be capable of being
moved longitudinally in order to equilibrate the lodd as required.
The draw gear is represented in the general views, Figures 1 and 2, and most
clearly in the detail views, Figures 8 and 9. It consists of a bar R composed of,
say, three lengths i, k, l, jointed together at m, n, the central one of which is
formed with a slot o adapted to a fixed pin p, the arrangement being such as to
admit of the requisite radial motion of the bar and of a longitudinal notion, to the
extent of the length of the slot. The bar R is.supported in suitable guides at q, 1',
at: opposite ends of the engine and is screw threaded at each extremity and there
provided with a nut or hand wheels or s¹, beyond which are the usual hooks or
connections t, t. The carriage or train may therefore be coupled to either end of
the engine and the draw gear tightened by the act of operating the nut or hand
--wheel-at-the-opposite-end,-the-strain-of-the-traction_being_sustained by such nut
or, hand wheel at the front end of the engine. For example, assuming that the
carriage or train is coupled to the hook t, the draw gear is tightened by. turning
the nut or hand wheel.s at the opposite end until the nut or hand wheel.8 at the
rear end takes a bearing against the end of the frame at q, so as to receive and
sustain the strain, of the traction.
6:
The brake gear is illustrated in the general view, Figure 1, and in the detail
view, Figure 10. It consists as applied to two sets of wheels of two sets of hangers
$,$, suspended from the frame Q at u, u', and each carrying a set of brake blocks
(marked respectively T, T¹). The set of hangers S have attached to them at v
adjusting links U, which are jointed at w to one end of rods V, connected at their
opposite extremities to the other set of hangers S, and the said adjusting links
also at a point x, intermediate between the points and w, are connected to the
rod W leading to the brake lever X. By the act of operating this lever the
hangers S with their adjusting links U are first caused to move bodily upon
the centres u as a fulcrum and the brake blocks T are applied to the wheels L,
and the motion being continued the links U turn upon their centres », and the
brake blocks T¹ are applied to the wheels L. By means of this arrangement all
liability of the brakes being unequally applied owing to the undue wear of either
set is obviated,aas both sets are infallibly applied and with equal force whatever
variations may t ke place in the wear of the two.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or.carried into effect, we
would observe in conclusion that what we consider to .be .novel..and .original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the hereinbefore in part, recited
Letters Patent.is,-
¡¡First. The variable perforated blast nozzle or injector for regulating the dis-

page_text: charge of the exhaust steam into the return flues or tubes, substantially as herein-
before described.
Secondly. The peculiar construction and arrangement of draw gear, substantially
as and for the purpose herein before described.
Thirdly. In brake gear for tramway or other locomotive engines the employment
of hangers having adjusting links, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
Fourthly. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting a
tramway or other locomotive engine, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by our Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Edwin Crighton, on behalf of John
Septimus Ayton and myself, have to this our Specification set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of January, One thousand eight hundred and
CHARLES E. CRIGHTON. (L.S.)