IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC AND OTHER RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREWITU."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Webster Rammell of No. 17 Pall Mall, London
Civil Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC AND
OTHER RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREWITU."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Webster Rammell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th December 1881.
THOMAS WEBSTER RAMMELL, of No. 17 Pall Mall, London, Civil Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC AND OTHER RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREWITH."
"
1. My present improvements are in parts based on those described in the
Specifications of former Letters Patent granted to me and dated 10th February
1860 No. 356, 6th November 1860 No. 2718, 26th March 1864 No. 756, 13th July
1866 No. 1844, 21st August 1868 No. 2608, 19th December 1874 No. 4380, and
23rd December 1878 No. 5245, for the working of pneumatic railways. Hitherto
the machinery and connecting air ways have been proposed to be established at
the side of the line, and the pressure from a single machine has been applied to one
section of tubular-way only."
One part of my Invention relates to the manner of arranging the machinery
and connecting air-ways, as well as those for the supply and escape of the air, and
of applying the pressure in the working of two or more sections of such railways.
With this object I connect the opposite ends of two sections of tubular-way
together by a single air-way of suitable size, passed, if be practicable, beneath the
intervening station, and with a single machine placed on the line of this air-way
and also beneath the station. I work both the sections of tubular-way in the
same direction, making use of a vacuum in drawing the train of carriages towards
the station at which the machinery is placed, and of a plenum in sending on the
train from this station to the next station in advance.
In this manner a line of any number of sections may be worked from end to
end with trains in the same direction by pneumatic machinery placed at alternate
stations onlyv

page_text: A supply and escape air-way in connection with the open atmosphere is brought
to the machine beneath the station, and the valves are so arranged as to admit of a
plenum or vacuum being used in either section of tubular-way in order to give
motion in either direction as desired.
For the more convenient application of this method of working I provide a
piston-carriage for each end of the train, using that at the head for drawing the
train towards the machine, and of that at the tail for sending the train onwards
from the machine after the train has passed the machine.
I place the engine for driving the pneumatic machinery also beneath the station,
if practicable; preferring to use hydraulic means of communicating the power to it
from a separate steam pumping station placed apart, and capable of thus working
several such stations.
2. In employing water as the medium for communicating the power from the
steam engines to the pneumatic machines, it is important that it should be so
applied as to avoid the friction and loss of head due to long lengths of connecting
pipeage, and also that there should be no waste of the water that has been used.
I therefore, where the length of a line is considerable, divide it into different
sections of convenient length for the purpose, and place the pumping station as
nearly as may be in the middle of each section in order to shorten the length of
pipeage as far as practicable, and thus reduce the loss of head.
I prefer to group in this way, say, six sections, or seven stations together, placing
the pumping station as near as may be to No. 4 or the midway station, I then
connect No. 4 station with the pumping station, and transmit the power also
by suitable pipeage to No. 2 and to No. 6, thus serving each alternate station-with-
the necessary power. In this manner, in combination with my method above
described of working two sections of tubular-way with a single pneumatic machine,
I reduce in the working of six sections of tubular-way the friction and loss of
head to what is due to the length of pipeage necessary to connect two sections
only.
If desirable a greater number of sections may be grouped together to be served
from the same pumping station. To prevent the waste of the water, I make use of
return pipeage, through which it may be led back to the pumping station from the
station it has served after being raised to the requisite height.
I apply the power immediately to the pneumatic machines beneath the stations
by placing with them suitable hydraulic engines for the purpose.
3. Another part of my Invention relates to the form of the tubular-way
employed.
Hitherto one of the ordinary tunnel shape, or of a circular form has been used,
but the adoption of these forms involves an unnecessary width in the tubular-way
to allow for the passage of a conveniently shaped carriage. Thus the width of the
carriage being, say, 10 feet, and its height at the sides to the springing of the roof,
say, 9 feet, in this improvement I make the tubular-way of corresponding width
and height on that line with sufficient allowance for clearance. But from the
height of 9 fect or thereabouts downwards I make the sides of the tubular-way
flat or nearly so like those of the carriage, and then for strength gradually curve
them inwards towards the rails.
The top I make segmental like the roof of the carriage, but again with proper
allowance for clearance. In this manner a tubular way of, say, 11 feet in width,
may be very well made to accommodate a carriage of the great width given above,
whereas a much greater width of way would be requisite were the usual form
adopted. At the line of springing the haunches may be rounded off, if desired,
without much interfering with the object aimed at, which is the avoidance of
unnecessary width for the tubular way.
Another advantage from this part of my Invention is in the reduction of the
width necessary for the terminal-doors.
4. Another part of my Invention relates to the method of placing and fixing
the permanent way within the tubular-way when cast iron is employed. It is of

page_text: great importance that the permanent way should be truly set and firmly held in
position, in order that the sail-plate on the piston carriage may always be concentric
with the contour of the tubular way. The more surely to effect this I causo
suitable brackets to be cast in the lower plates or invert of the tubular way to
receive the sleepers (by preference longitudinal) of the permanent way, and to
which they may be securely bolted down. The rails themselves, in order to obtain
the desired elasticity in the way, I cause to be fastened to intermediate packing
pieces placed upon the sleepers midway between the brackets, and of thickness to
give the necessary clearance, so that the spring in the wooden sleeper may be free
to act.
In this arrangement of the permanent way I provide space for the necessary
pipeage of a pneumatic railway between the longitudinal sleepers and the bottom
of the invert, by lengthening the brackets, and placing other sleepers upon them to
receive suitable covering plates for the purpose, and which covering plates I so
arrange that they may be readily lifted for the inspection and repair of the
pipcage.
5. In the working of pneumatic railways inconvenience is experienced from the
present arrangement of the terminal doors of the tubular-way, by the interposition
of which the pressure is brought to bear upon and is removed from the train.
These doors are now made to open outwards from the tubular way, and the pressure,
or the vacuum within as the case may be, is always opposed to their free action,
both when they are released for opening, or when they are to be closed.
Thus with a departing train the plus pressure applied to the tubular-way
opposes the closing of the doors, and rams or other means have to be employed to
effect it; and in the case of an arriving train the minus pressure within opposes
their opening, and weights have to be used to counter-balance it.
Another part of my Invention consists in working the doors to open inwards, by
which arrangement both the plus and minus pressures when used are favorable to,
and assist, the rapid action of the doors.
6. Another part of my Invention relates to the carriages employed on pneumatic
railways, and is also applicable to other railways.
Instead of the ordinary form of railway carriage with cross seats, and doors at
the sides to each division or compartment, I use a carriage with cross scats but
with a gangway down it on one side, and which is made to extend from carriage
to carriage the whole length of the train. To effect this I prefer to increase the
width of the carriage. Thus the ordinary carriage employed, having a width of, say,
8 feet, with room for 5 seats on each cross bench, I make my carriages, say, 10 feet
wide, leaving room on the benches for the same number of seats, but providing, out
of the additional width, room for a continuous gangway on one side of the carriage.
In place of separate doors to each compartment I provide only two (by preference)
to each carriage of several compartments, making the one serve for ingress and the
other for egress, and I prefer to make them with a sliding or a side throw action.
The carriage ends are made to telescope one into another, so that a continuous
gangway is preserved.
It is convenient that the gangway should always be kept on the platform side
of the train and to secure this advantage both on the "up" and the "down"
journey, I make the benches, moveable on cross runners, so that on the change of
direction of the train from the "up" to the "down" line, or vice versa, they may
be shifted over as desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Webster Rammell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th June 1882.
THOMAS WEBSTER RAMMELL, of No. 17 Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC AND OTHER RAILWAYS AND IN
"
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREWITH,"
1. My present improvements are in part based on those described in the
Specifications of former Letters Patent granted to ine and dated 10th February
1860, 6th November 1860, 26th March, 1864, 13th July 1866, 21st August 1868,
19th December 1874 and 23rd December 1878, for the working of pneumatic
railways. Hitherto the machinery and connecting air-ways have been proposed
to be established at the side of the line and the pressure from a single machine has
been applied to one section of tubular-way only.
One part of my Invention relates to the manner of arranging the machinery and
connecting air-ways as well as those for the supply and escape of the air and of
applying the pressure in the working of two or more sections of such railways.
With this object I connect the opposite ends of two sections of tubular-way together
by a single air-way of suitable size passed if it be practicable beneath the inter-
vening station, and with a single machine placed on the line of this air-way and
also beneath-the-station-I-work_both_the_sections of tubular-way in the same
direction making use of a vacuum in drawing the train and carriages towards the-
station at which the machinery is placed, and of a plenum in sending on the train
from this station to the next station in advance.
In this manner a line of any number of sections may be worked from end to
end with trains in the same direction by pneumatic machinery placed at alternate
stations only.
A supply and escape air-way in connection with the open atmosphere is brought
to the machine beneath the station and the valves are so arranged as to admit
of a plenum or a vacuum being used in either section of tubular-way in order
to give motion in either direction as desired.
For the more convenient application of this method of working I provide a
piston-carriage for each end of the train using that at the head for drawing the
train towards the machine and that at the tail for sending the train onwards from
the machine after the train has passed the machine.
I place the engine for driving the pneumatic machinery also beneath the station
if practicable preferring to use hydraulic means of communicating the power to it
from a separate steam pumping station placed apart and capable of thus working
several such sections.
Figures 1 and 2 on the accompanying Sheet represent in plan and in section an
underground station A, A' on a line of pneumatic railway where it is intended to
work the two sections of tubular-way B, B', and C, C₁, connected with it, with
trains travelling in the same direction as indicated by the arrows. The pneumatic
ejector is shown at D, D', a a' being the pressure chamber and b b₁ the exhaust
passages, e e¹ &c. are the corresponding valves. E E' is the connecting way with
shaft and chamber for the supply and escape of the air dealt with and also provided
with similar valves. F F and G G are the air-ways connecting the two sections
of tubular way with the pneumatic ejector and chambers. HH' and I I' are the
terminal doors of the respective sections of tubular way. K is the room containing
the steam or the hydraulic engines for driving the pneumatic ejector."
In practice when it is desired to draw on a train from the station at the farther
end of section B, the terminal doors H H', are closed, when by opening the
valves e, e¹, between the air-way F F and the exhaust passages b, b1, and also those
between the pressure chamber a a' and the escape air-way E E¹ the air in

page_text: section B B becomes rarefied and is at the same time put in process of with-
drawal and of expulsion through the shaft E E', a partial vacuum being thus
created within the tubular-way the train is propelled towards the station A A¹ by
the superior density of the natural atmosphere behind it, its delivery into this
station being effected by the momentum acquired and automatic opening of the
terminal doors H H at the proper moment. When it is desired to send this train
on through the section C C¹ to the station next in advance it is first made by
convenient means to enter the section the valves e e¹ between the supply air-
way E E and the exhaust passages bb' and also those between the pressure
chamber a a¹ and the connecting air-way G G are then opened and the terminal
doors II' closed when by the superior density of the air forced into the
section C C to that of the natural atmosphere the train is propelled through it
until it is delivered into the station in advance, the transmission of the train in
the same direction through the two sections of tubular-way having been effected
by a single pneumatic machine.
After the second delivery both sections of tubular-way become again available
for use and thus a continuous service may be kept up through them and through
any additional number of sections in advance similarly arranged.
If in some cases it is found more convenient to place the pneumatic machinery
at the side of the station instead of beneath it this may be done by simply
prolonging the air-ways described to the desired point and so arranging them that
they may communicate with their respective chambers.
In employing water as the medium for communicating the power from the steam
engines to the pneumatic machines it is important that it should be so applied as
to avoid the friction and loss of head due to long lengths of connecting pipeage
and also that there should be no waste of the water that has been used. I therefore
where the length of a line is considerable divide it into different sections of con-
venient length for the purpose and place the pumping station as nearly as may be
in the middle of each section in order to shorten the length of the pipeage as far as
practicable and thus reduce the loss of head.
I find it advantageous to group in this way say six sections or seven stations
together placing the pumping station as near as may be to No. 4 or the midway
station. I then connect No. 4 station with the pumping station and transmit the
power also by suitable pipeage to No. 2 and to No. 6 thus serving each alternate
station with the necessary power. In this manner in combination with my method
above described of working two sections of tubular way with a single pneumatic
machine I reduce in the working of six sections of tubular-way the friction and
loss of head to what is due to the length of pipeage necessary to contect two
sections only.
If desirable a greater number of sections may be grouped together to be served
from the same pumping station. To prevent the waste of the water I make use of
return pipeage through which it may be led back to the pumping station from the
station it has served after it has been raised to the requisite height.
I apply the power immediately to the pneumatic machines beneath the stations
by placing with them suitable hydraulic engines for the purpose.
The diagram Figure 3 represents a line of pneumatic railway composed of six
sections A, B, C, D, E, F, each, say, half a mile in length and having seven
stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. In this case I find it advantageous to place the
pumping station G near No. 4 station and to connect this station directly with
it by the short length of pipeage H as shown for the service of the sections C
and D on the method of working above described. The remaining four sections of
tubular-way A and B and E and F, I respectively connect with G by the pipeage I
and K laid to stations 2 and 6 as shown in order that they also may be similarly
worked. Return pipeage to station G is also laid in each case to avoid waste of
water. In this manner the above line of six sections and say of the length of
three miles may be worked with the loss of head from friction due only to say one
mile of continuous length of hydraulic pipeage.

page_text: Hitherto the sectional form of underground pneumatic roadways has been that
of the ordinary tunnel shape or of a circular form but the adoption of these forms
involves an unnecessary width in the tubular-way to allow for the passage of
a conveniently shaped carriage Thus the width of the carriage being say ten feet
and its height at the sides to the springing of the roof say nine feet in this
improvement I find it advantageous to make the tubular way of corresponding
width and height on that line with sufficient allowance for clearance.
from the height of nine feet or thereabouts downward I make the sides of the
tubular way flat or nearly so like those of the carriage, and then for strength
gradually curve them inwards towards the rails.
But
The top I make segmental like the roof of the carriage but again with proper
allowance for clearance. In this manner a tubular way of say eleven feet
in width may be very well made to accommodate a carriage of the great width
given above, whereas a much greater width of way would be requisite were the
usual form adopted. At the line of springing the haunches may be rounded
off, if desired, without much interfering with the object aimed at, which is the
avoidance of unnecessary width for the tubular way. Another advantage from
this part of my Invention is in the reduction of the width necessary for the terminal
doors. Figure 4 gives a cross for a tubular way A, and of a carriage B of the
shape which I prefer to use, the excess of width which the adoption of a tunnel
of the usual form would involve in order to obtain the requisite height and
width at the haunches C C¹ being shewn by the dotted line a, a¹. Although I
believe the sectional form above shown to be new for the purpose and very
advantageous I make no separate claim to it as fórming a separate part of my
present Invention.
Another part of my Invention relates to the method of placing and fixing
the permanent way within the tubular way when it is made of cast iron.
It is of great importance that the permanent way should be truly set and
firmly held in position in order that what is termed the sail-plate on the
piston-carriage may always retain the same relative position to the transverse
section of the tubular way. The more surely to effect this I cause suitable
brackets to be cast in the lower plates or invert of the tubular-way to receive the
sleepers (by preference longitudinal) of the permanent way and to which
they may be securely bolted down. The rails themselves, in order to obtain the
desired elasticity in the way, I cause to be fastened to intermediate packing pieces
placed upon the sleepers midway between the brackets, and of thickness to give the
necessary clearance, so that the spring in the wooden sleepers may be free to act.
In this arrangement of the permanent way I provide space for necessary
pipeage of a pneumatic railway between the longitudinal sleepers and the bottom
of the invert by lengthening the brackets and placing other sleepers upon them to
receive suitable covering plates for the purpose and which covering plates I so
arrange that they may be readily lifted for the inspection and repair of the
pipeage. Figure 4 also shews my improved method of fixing the permanent
way in the lines of tubular-way. The brackets D D¹ are cast in the lower plates,
at convenient distances say of three feet apart at the upper edge they are furnished
with flanges as shown to which the longitudinal sleepers E, E', are bolted down,
other longitudinal sleepers F, F', are provided to receive the plate G covering the
space provided for the hydraulic and other pipeage as shown.
In the working of pneumatic railways inconvenience is experienced from
the present arrangement of the terminal doors of the tubular way by the
interposition of which the pressure is brought to bear upon and is removed from
the train.
These doors are now made to open outwards from the tubular way
and the pressure or the vacuum within as the case may be is always opposed
to their free action both when they are released for opening or when they
are to be closed. Thus with a departing train the plus pressure applied to the
tubular way opposes the closing of the doors and rams or other means have
to be employed to effect it, and in the case of an arriving train the minus

page_text: pressure within opposes their opening, and weights have to be used to
counterbalance it.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the doors to open inwards
by which arrangement both the plus and minus pressures when used are
favourable to and assist the rapid action of the doors. Figure 5 represents, in
plan, the terminal doors A, A, to the section of tubular way B terminating
in the station C, when a train is propelled under vacuum towards the station C,
the terminal doors are closed as shown by the dotted lines a a¹ and are held in
position by the cams bb¹ at top and bottom. On the train arriving at the proper
point of proximity to the station these cams are released and the doors fly back
into the recesses provided for them as shown, the partial vacuum within the
tubular way assisting the operation. When pressure is employed for the
propulsion of a train from the station C, in the opposite direction, the doors are
closed as soon as the train has entered the tubular way and the pressure within
assists in keeping them shut until they are properly secured by the cams and again
released on the tanin being delivered at the opposite end.
No balance weights or rams are therefore required for controlling the doors as
has hitherto been the case while at the same time by this improvement their action
is rendered more rapid and certain.
Another part of my Invention relates to the caruiages employed on pneumatic
railways and is also applicable to other railways.
Instead of the ordinary form of railway carriage with cross seats and doors at
the sides to each division or compartment, I use a carriage with cross seats but
with a gangway down it on one side, and which is made to extend from carriage
to carriage the whole length of the train. To effect this I prefer to increase the
width of the carriage. Thus the ordinary carriage employed having a width of say
of eight feet with room for five seats on each cross bench, I make my carriages say
ten feet wide leaving room on the benches for the same number of seats, but
providing, out of the additional width, room for a continuous gangway on one side
of the carriage. In place of separate doors to each compartment I find it advan-
tageous to provide only two to each carriage of several compartments making the
one serve for ingress and other for egress, and 1 make them with a sliding or a
side-throw action. The carriage ends are made to telescope one into another, so
that a continuous gangway is preserved.
"
"
It is convenient that the gangway should always be kept on the platform side of
the train and to secure this advantage both on the "
up and "down" journey I
make the benches moveable on cross runners, so that on the change of direction of
the train from the "up" to the "down" line, or vice versa, they may be shifted
over as desired. Figure 6 represents a train of three carriages A, B, C, made to tele-
scope at their meeting ends the one into the other, so as to constitute one continuous
compartment. They are shown ten feet in width which dimension allows of five
scats being provided on each cross bench and of a clear gangway of about two feet
in width from end to end of the entire train. The gangway is intended to be
always on the platform side of the "up or the "down" line on which the train
happens to be, in order that the passengers entering or leaving may move to or from
their seats with as little disturbance as may be of those already seated. Entrance
and exit are obtained by preference through sliding on side-throw doors in the
positions shown by the arrows. In the instance given the train is supposed to be
stationed say on the "up" line of rails F next the platform G. In order that when
travelling on the "down" line the gangway may still be on the platform side, tho
cross beaches are made moveable that they may be shifted over to the opposite side
of the train. With this object they are placed on cross runners and are so connected
together beneath that by a single movement the whole number may be simul-
taneously shifted. A simple means of effecting this is shown in Figure 4. The
spindle bruns the entire length of the train; at each bench it is furnished with a
toothed wheel c and the rollers d, d x are also provided: a perforated metal band
e passes over the wheel and the rollers and is fixed to the benches ƒ at the point g.

page_text: By a movement of the spindle in one or the other direction the benches are thrown
to the right or left as desired. The entire movement required is over the space of
about two feet only. The Figure 4 the benches are placed midway: in Figure 6
they are shown by the dotted lines as wholly shifted over, so that the gangway
may be available for the "down" line.
The letters D and E represent respectively the piston carriage at the head or the
tail of the train: as the case may be.
The arrangement of carriage described is suitable for any kind of railway.
Having now described my Invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed, I claim :-
1. The improved combination of parts for working a pneumatic railway by
means of a plenum and vacuum arranged and worked substantially as described
and shewn in the Drawings annexed in Figures 1 and 2.
2. The improved combination of parts employed for working a pneumatic
railway by hydraulic power the pipes and connections being arranged and worked
substantially as herein described and shewn in Figure 3 of the annexed Drawings.
3. The improved construction of permanent way wherein the rails are laid upon
and connected with sleepers or equivalent supports cast with and forming part of
the iron tubes of a tubular roadway substantially as described and shewn in
Figure 4 of the annexed Drawings.
4. The improved construction and arrangement of doors employed for working a
pneumatic railway substantially as herein described and shewn in Figure 5 of the
annexed Drawings.
5. The improved construction-of-railway carriage-arranged-with-a-side-gangway
and shifting seats substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figures 4
and 6 of the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Webster Rammell have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Fourteenth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.