CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN Loco- MOTIVE ENGINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO MARINE AND STATIONARY ENGINES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
REMINGTON, of Park Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of August, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Remington, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said George Remington, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said George Remington, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN Loco-
MOTIVE ENGINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO MARINE AND
STATIONARY ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said George Remington, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Remington, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
These improvements refer particularly to the construction of locomotive
engines, but may in part be employed with advantage in marine and stationary
engines. The Invention, which I will now describe as adapted to a locomotive
engine, consists in the application of one, two, or a greater number of oscillating
cylinders, each having two pistons and two piston rods, with glands and stuffing
boxes at the ends of the cylinders, in and through which the piston rods are
made to work by the elastic force of the motive agent, and drive two pair of
working wheels of equal diameter; the cylinders are provided at the middle of
their length with hollow axles, which are attached to or cast on the sides
thereof, and work in fixed journals attached to the frame of the engine. In
this arrangement the axis or fulcrum of the cylinders must always be in the
plane of the centres of the axles and in a line midway between the axles of the
working wheels, or between the two axles upon which the cranks are formed;
steam or vapour is admitted between the two pistons and between the ends of
the cylinders and the pistons alternately, so that the pistons in each cylinder
are made to approach to and recede from each other alternately, and give
motion to the wheels by means of the cranks formed on the axles of the wheels
and placed opposite the ends of the cylinders, or the wheels may. be driven by
connecting the piston rods severally to the nave of its adjacent wheel by pins
projecting from the naves, the cylinders being placed opposite as aforesaid, but
upon the outside of the wheels.
In
The accompanying Drawing, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, are given in further
illustration of these improvements as applied to a locomotive engine.
this arrangement two cylinders are made use of and placed within the
base of the engine; the cylinders are marked A, A, and the transverse central
axes of both are placed in a line midway between the axles of the working
wheels and in the same plane as the centres of the working axles of the
same; B, B, B, B, are the hollow axes of the cylinders projecting from the
sides thereof, and working in the fixed steam chest C, and in the waste steam
chest D, D, respectively on their own bearings and in their own journals, the
joints being made steam-tight by packing. From the ends of the cylinders pro-

page_text: ject the piston rods E, E, E, E, and these are connected respectively to the
cranks F, F, F, F, on the axles of the working wheels. These cranks, to which
the piston rods are attached, are forged or formed at right angles to each other,
and the four working wheels are connected on the outside by the connecting
rods G, G, G, G, taking hold of the other cranks placed on the ends of the
axles, those on the same side of the engine being set parallel, thus keeping the
other cranks, or those to which the piston rods are attached, in such a position
that when the opposite cranks on the opposite axles are horizontal, the other two
opposite cranks are vertical, but in opposite directions, that is to say, when one
of the latter is turned down the other is turned up, and so on alternately as
the ends of the cylinder rise or fall over the bearings. Thus it is clear, the
cylinders being suspended in the plane drawn through the centres of the
wheels, and in a line midway between these centres, the working cranks of the
same being of equal throws will describe similar circles, and the centres of the
cranks in their travel round the centres of the axles will make equal angles
with the said plane, or will be at equal distances from it at the same time, but
at opposite sides thereof, so that the pistons will always move in a straight line
with the centres of the cranks and centre of motion of the cylinders. The
steam when admitted into the ends of the cylinder will make the pistons
approach each other, and the crank F¹, shewn in the longitudinal section
No. 2, will rise up in the direction of the arrow, and the crank F" will be
depressed in the direction indicated by the arrow, but these simultaneous
movements will cause the front and back wheels to revolve in the same direction,
and consequently give a forward motion to the engine. The steam is let in
from the boiler to the valve box or steam chest H, H, by the pipes J, J,
and the waste steam is taken off to the chimney by the pipes L, L. The valves
are placed on the inner side of the cylinders, and the slides are worked by
excentrics on the axles of the wheels, those on the one axle being for the
forward motion of the engine and those on the other for the backward motion.
The reversing excentrics are placed in a line with each other, as shewn in the
plan No. 1. 0, O, are the excentric rods, provided at their ends with curved
guides formed to the radius of the distance from the centre of the cylinder to
the cross head or pin of the valve rods P, P. These excentric rods are raised
and depressed by means of the beam K, and hand gear M, M, as will be
readily understood by referring to the Drawings. The following description of
the mode of working one of the cylinders will suffice for both, as the parts are
precisely similar:-The steam chest H, which contains the valves, is the full
length of the cylinder, and at one end projects a little beyond it. There are
three ports for admitting the steam, and three others for the passage of the

page_text: waste steam, making in all six ports, viz, two at each end for the inlet and
outlet of the steam, and two in the middle of the cylinder. Each pair of
ports is provided with a slide valve V, V, V, V; but the three slides are con-
nected together by the rod N, N, and are moved simultaneously by the
excentric rod O, O, and connecting rod P, P. The feed pumps are brought
from the tender under the fire-box, and are worked by levers projecting from
the centre of the cylinder. The whole of the other parts of the engine are the
same, or nearly the same, as at present in use, and therefore need not be here
further described, as their connection with the improved parts may be readily
traced on examining the Drawings. By my new arrangement of locomotive
engines I am enabled to distribute the power exerted by the steam on the
pistons equally to all the wheels of the engine, and thereby overcome the
vibrations and oscillations to which the locomotive is subject, by the unequal
distribution of power, and the varying effect of the connecting rods, particu-
larly when the engine is running at high velocities. In this arrangement no
connecting rods between the piston rods and the crank are required, and the
weight of the engine being equally disposed over the wheels, they will all be
equally efficient for work, and the steam instead of pressing, as in the present
engines, dead upon the end of the cylinder, will by this Invention always be
acting in favor of the motion, and a more powerful and safe engine will be
thereby obtained.
From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that a similar
arrangement of cylinders and pistons may be employed for land and marine
purposes, the crank axles being connected together in like manner by a rod G,
and one of the axles being provided with a spur wheel to communicate rotary
motion to any required gearing.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
to be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent, I claim the application of one, two, or a greater
number of oscillating cylinders, provided each with two pistons, working
simultaneously in opposite directions, for the purpose (in locomotive engines)
of driving two pairs of working wheels of equal size, such cylinders being
made to balance as a beam or hollow axles working in journals affixed to the
framing, and so situated that the centre of their motion shall be in the plane
of the centres of the crank axles, and in a line midway between the crank
axles of the working wheels, or between the two axles upon which the cranks
are formed. I also claim the mode of working the cylinders and pistons by
the admission of steam or vapour between the two pistons, and between the
ends of the cylinders and the pistons, so that the pistons in each cylinder are

page_text: made to approach to and recede from each other alternately, thereby giving
motion to the wheels, as before explained. In some cases I may find it
advisable to place the valves on the top or bottom side of the cylinders, so as
to move with them, or to place them so as to be detached from the motion of
the cylinder, because any other description of valve to that above described
can be applied to this Invention. And, lastly, I wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself exclusively to the position and distribution of the parts,
as shewn in the accompanying Drawings, but I claim the arrangement of
cylinders, pistons, piston rods, shafts, axles, and cranks, whether placed within
the base of the locomotive engines or on the outside of the wheels in the
plane of the cylinder, and also when placed between any two working axles in
marine or stationary engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Remington, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
GEORGE REMINGTON. (L.B.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Fifteenth day of February,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid George Remington came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
O said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.