AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TRACTION ENGINE
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Payne, of Thrapstone, in the County of
Northampton, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION
OF TRACTION ENGINE."
Sealed the 7th February 1865, and dated the 9th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Payne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
August 1864.
I, MARK PAYNE, of Thrapstone, in the County of Northampton, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF TRACTION ENGINE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the details of construction
of traction engines, the chief object being to maintain their working efficiency.
The power transmit to the traction wheels through a gear wheel of peculiar
construction, that receives motion from a spur pinion attached to or cast with
a chain wheel, which is actuated by an endless chain from a pinion on the
crank shaft of the engine. This gear wheel is composed of two rings bolted
together with transverse rounds, into which the driving pinion gears as into
spur teeth, and thus any dirt taken up by the wheel will work out by the
action of the pinion. The rings are bolted to forked arms radiating from the
boss of the wheel. The advantage of this construction of wheel is, that when
a round is broken it can be readily replaced while the engine is on the road.

page_text: The axle of the driving pinion runs under the boiler, and carries a capstan for
the purpose of hauling the engine out of any slough into which it may happen
to run by the aid of a chain and anchor. This axle is carried by slotted
brackets. and is capable of being shifted in order to throw the pinion in and
out of gear. When out of gear with the wheel before mentioned this pinion
may be made to drive the hauling tackle or windlass used in steam cultivation.
The cylinder or cylinders can be mounted either above or below the boiler and
within the smoke box. For the purpose of reducing friction, and to simplify
the construction of the engine, I make the cross head work on one fixed guide,
(instead of a pair, as heretofore), which guide is carried by the cylinder cover,
and is further supported by a bracket on the shell of the boiler. This cross
head is made in two parts to allow of easy access to the brasses of the fixed
guide.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Mark Payne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
PAYNE, of Thrapstone, in the County of Northampton, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Mark Payne, Her special license that I, the said Mark Payne,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark
Payne, my 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 nake, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
TRACTION ENGINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Mark
Payne, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Mark Payne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say): -
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the details of con-
struction of traction engines, the chief object being to maintain their working
efficiency.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews the improved engine in side
elevation, or so much of it as is requisite to illustrate the nature of the
Invention and Fig. 2 is a partial transverse section of the same shewing the
arrangement of the driving gear.
A. A. is the boiler and framing of the engine; and B is the axle of the
driven or traction wheels: C is the cylinder of the engine, inserted in the
smoke box D. the crank shaft receiving motion from the piston rod of the
cylinder. On the crank shaft is keyed a chain wheel a, which through an
endless chain b communicates rotary motion to a chain wheel c on the cross
shaft E: this shaft E is mounted in slotted brackets F (see Fig. 2), firmly
secured to the shell of the boiler. The driving power is transmitted to the
traction wheels through a gear wheel G of peculiar construction mounted on
the axle B. This wheel receives motion from a spur pinion d attached to or
cast with the chain wheel c, which is actuated as before stated by means of
the endless chain and pinion on the crank shaft of the engine. This gear
wheel G is composed of two rings bolted to forked arms radiating from a
central boss. These rings are also rivetted together by transverse rounds, into
which the spur pinion d gears as into spur teeth. The advantages of this
arrangement are, that any dirt which may be taken up by the wheel G cannot
become imbedded between the teeth or rounds, but will work out by the
action of the teeth of the pinion, also that when by accident a round is broken
it can be readily replaced while the engine is on the road, and further that
the use of the rounds admits of the teeth of the driving pinions being
increased in size and strength, and thus avoid the risk of their being stripped
when the engine is engaged in heavy work. The cross shaft E carrying the
driving pinion is also fitted with a capstan H, which is intended to be used
for hauling the engine out of any slough into which it may happen to run by
the aid of a chain anchored ahead and connected with the capstan. When
employing the capstan the driving pinion should be thrown out of gear with
the wheel G. For this purpose the bearings of the shaft E are made capable
of being shifted in the brackets F, which carry them. This motion is effected

page_text: by means of a hand lever I, connected by a rod to a double bell-crank
lever i, keyed to a transverse rod i running under the boiler. To this rod
near the opposite end thereof is keyed a rock lever F, to the extremities of
which, as also to the extremities of the bell-crank lever i, are jointed pendent
wedges k, which slide in vertical slots made to receive them in the brackets F,
and press alternately against the opposite end of the sliding bearings. As,
therefore, the levers i, 2, are rocked by the action of the hand lever I, the
wedges on one side the fulcrum rod i will rise, and on the other side be
depressed, and thus the bearings will be slidden to or fro in the slotted
brackets sufficiently to throw the pinion d in or out of gear as desired. When
the pinion is out of gear with the wheel G motion may be transmitted to the
hauling tackle or windlass used in steam cultivation. For this purpose I
prefer to mount the hauling drum or windlass at the side of the engine, as
shewn at K, Fig. 2, or it may be placed in any other convenient position,
and I cast the drum with a ring of bevil teeth on its side. On the shaft E I
mount a bevil pinion e, which gears into the bevil teeth on the drum, and
drives that when the spur pinion is thrown out of action. The cylinder or
cylinders can be mounted either above or below the boiler, and within the
smoke box. When the engine is intended to be used for general agricultural
purposes I prefer the arrangement shewn in the Drawing, but in constructing
engines exclusively for traction purposes, as steam ploughing and transporting
loads, I prefer to place the cylinder as shewn in red in Fig. 1, as I am thereby
enabled to dispense with the use of one shaft and of the endless chain. In
this case the shaft E will be the crank shaft, and as it will then be incon-
venient to mount it in sliding bearings, I propose to use the ordinary sliding
clutch for throwing the spur pinion d in and out of gear.
For the purpose of reducing friction, and to simplify the construction of the
engine, I make the cross head work on one fixed guide (instead of a pair, as
heretofore), as shewn in side view at Fig. 1, and in cross section on an
enlarged scale at Fig. 3. In these Figures M is the guide and N the cross
head sliding thereon. This guide is carried by the prolonged flange of the
stuffing box of the cylinder cover, and is further supported by a bracket on
the shell of the boiler. The cross head N is made in two parts, the lower
part being a kind of inverted saddle piece, and embracing the brasses of the
cross head, and the upper part which receives the coupling pin of the con-
necting rod fitting into the saddle piece, and being secured thereto by trans-
verse screw bolts. This arrangement permits of access to the brasses of the
fixed guide by simply removing the screw bolts which couple the parts of the
cross head together.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of an improved con-
struction of traction engine, and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim:-
First, the application to traction engines of the gear wheel G, constructed.
and operating as above described.
Secondly, transmitting motion to a capstan and hauling drum from the
transverse driving shaft as explained.
And, lastly, the arrangement of cross head and fixed guide as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Payne, have hereunto set my hand
and seal. the Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness.
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
MARK PAYNE. (L.S.)