AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WARMING AND COOLING BAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Davies at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st October
1864. A communication from abroad by Pierre Grandjean, Léon
Henon, Alphonse Colas, and Marcel Colas, all of Paris, France.
.I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. .Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WARMING AND COOLING
BAILWAY CARRIAGES," (a communication to me from abroad by Pierre Grand-
jean, Léon Henon, Alphonse Colas, and Marcel Colas, all of Paris, France,)
to be as follows:-
The warming of the rolling stock of railways presents certain difficulties of
execution which the Inventors believe that they have completely obviated by
the means of a particular system which forms the subject of the present
Invention.
This system of warming is characterized by the employment of a special
carriage which contains the warming apparatus (properly so called) and the
accessories which are attached thereto, such as the coke box, water tank, and
a box for the junctions or couplings. This carriage is placed at the head of
the train between the tender and the luggage van, so that the cold air which
it is intended to heat can be passed thence into the carriages of different
classes, and even into the guard's box and luggage vans if desired...
The warming apparatus is composed of a furnace heated. by any suitable
combustible, which elevates the temperature of the air coming from the
:

page_text: exterior, this air being forced to pass several times through passages which
surround the furnace before being distributed to the carriages. The air, thus
raised to a convenient temperature (which may be indicated by a thermometer
placed on the main conduit), is distributed by means of a tube placed below
the frame of each of the carriages. This tube is provided with several
branches intended to distribute the warm air by means of foot warmers and
perforated tubes into the several compartments of the first, second, and third
class carriages.
The joining of the tubes is effected by means of tubes of india-rubber, which
are fastened by straps or other similar means at the time of forming the train.
This junction is effected in a very rapid manner, and does not delay the train
even when carriages are added to or taken from a train already formed. For
this purpose they are provided with a sort of coupling having a screw thread
intended to receive either an india-rubber tube or a cover in the event of its
being the last carriage of a train. The communication can thus be rapidly
established between all the carriages by means of the main tube.
The air intended to be heated is received by two ears or wings, arranged at
the sides of the casing of the furnace placed on the special carriage. These
ears introduce the air by a sort of tuyère, the orifice of which can be regulated
by the aid of a damper worked by a rack which has a certain number of
teeth, each tooth corresponding with the opening necessary to introduce a
sufficient quantity of air to warm four carriages.
The admission of the warm air into the compartments of the various classes
of carriages is regulated by a valve and a stop-cock placed on the tube of the
carriage which holds the warming apparatus, allows of the interruption or
complete stoppage (when desired) of the current of warm air.
The tubes which connect all the carriages together may also serve for
cooling the same, and are to be connected for that purpose to a refrigerating
apparatus, which in summer is substituted for the warming apparatus, the
latter with its carriage being removed.
The refrigerator is adapted to the luggage van at the head of the train to
distribute the cold air to the passengers carriages. This apparatus, which can
be made of sheet metal, is only mounted in the summer time, and is taken
away in the winter.