AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR TRAMWAYS, TRACTION, and LOCOMOTION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ferdinando Tommasi, of Paris, in the Department
of the Seine, and Republic of France, Gentleman, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ferdinando Tommasi
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th September 1874.
I, FERDINANDO TOMMASI, of Paris, in the Department of the Seine,
and Republic of France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR TRAMWAYS, TRACTION, and
LOCOMOTION," to be as follows:-
The machine is composed of two metal cylinders. Each cylinder is
filled with oil, glycerine, or other liquid, into which dip a certain
quantity of small copper tubes of the shape of a lengthened U. The
two ends of each tube each terminate in one of two basins or reservoirs

page_text: contained in a piece of bronze or other metal, upon which all the tubes
are fixed and soldered. A metal washer fits on to the two basins so as
to completely separate them. Two tubes are fixed upon this washer, so
that each tube corresponds with a basin. The result of this arrange-
ment is that by causing either hot water or any other hot liquid to
enter one of these tubes it immediately spreads in one of the basins,
enters one of the ends of all the small tubes, and immediately issues by
the other tube of the washer after passing out of the opposite end of all
the small tubes, and by the other basin. The liquid heated by the
contact of the small tubes through which the heat passes immediately
expands and forces a piston placed on the upper part of the cylinder to
rise. This piston is a plunger, that is to say, arranged like the pistons
of hydraulic presses. When it is raised to the proper height the
circulation of heat in the small tubes stops, and is immediately replaced
by a circulation of cold water, the contact of which condenses the
glycerine, and consequently compels the piston to lower to its original
position. The two pistons are joined to a beam and placed at equal
distances from the centre of rotation, one to the right, the other to the
left of the said beam.
The distribution of heat and of cold water is effected by two slide
boxes, the rods of which are connected to the said beam, and so
arranged that when heat is circulating in one cylinder cold water is
circulating in the other. The result is that when one piston rises the
other lowers, which naturally gives an oscillating motion to the beam,
this movement causing the slide boxes to operate automatically the
alternate distribution of the heat and the cold water to the two cylinders.
A special arrangement causes the rods of the slide boxes to rise and
lower sharply; that is to say, at the actual moment that the beam
completes its movement in one direction and is about to commence its
movement in the other. The hot water or any other hot liquid after
having circulated in the small tubes of each cylinder runs into a receiver,
as also does the cold water. Into each of these two receivers plunges a
suction and force pump, the pistons of which are also connected with
the same beam, always on opposite side and at equal distances from the
centre of rotation; thus when the beam is working these pumps
continually pump into two separate receivers, the hot water (or other hot
liquid), and the cold water. The two receivers are placed as high as the
top of the vehicle..

page_text: In the receiver containing the hot water (or any other hot liquid) the
heat is constantly fed by a flame from portable gas, petroleum, or still
better, by pieces of cast iron at a white heat, renewed every half hour.
These pieces of cast iron will be heated at the stations of the tramway,
and not in the carriage.
In the receiver containing the cold water the cold is constantly
provided by a refrigerating mixture held in a tubular apparatus, and
replaced from time to time.
▾
At the two ends of the beam are jointed the pistons of two air suction
and force pumps. These pistons, set in motion as well as all the rest by
the alternate expansion and condensation of the oil, glycerine, or other
liquid contained in the two cylinders intended for this purpose, as
previously described, constantly force and compress air in a special
receiver provided with a safety valve, which prevents the aforesaid air
passing beyond a fixed degree of pressure. From this receiver the
compressed air passes into two cylinders, precisely as for steam engines.
The piston rods of these two cylinders, and consequently their connecting
rods, are set upon the axle of the wheels of the vehicle at a right angle.
These pistons set in motion by compressed air are double-action pistons.
It is needless to give any further description here.
All the pieces which serve to drive tramway cars by the working of,
the above-mentioned pistons are exactly the same as those employed in.
ordinary locomotives, in which air is used for motive power instead of
steam, which is mechanically the same thing.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ferdinando Tommasi in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 1st March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FERDINANDO
TOMMASI, of Paris, in the Department of the Seine, and Republic of
0 France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-

page_text: Two tubes are fixed upon the upper washer, each tube corresponding
with a basin (see G). The result of these arrangements is that by
causing heat (steam, water, glycerine, oil, or other heated liquid) to
penetrate into one of these tubes this heat immediately spreads by one
of the basins into one of the ends of all the small tubes, and also
immediately issues by the other tube, passing out of the opposite end of
all the small tubes, and by the other basin.. The liquid contained in the
cylinder, heated by the contact of the small tubes, in which circulates
the heat, expands, and drives out a plunging piston H contained in the
same cylinder. This piston pushes before it the rod of another piston I
held in an air pump K, which piston compresses the air with which the
pump K is filled, and at the same time drives it into the slide boxes L.
and L', and into the receiver Y, which forms reservoir and compressed
air chest, and which is in free communication with the aforesaid slide
boxes. These boxes, by means of the eccentrics N and N¹ and slide
valves O and O', distribute to the cylinders M and M' this compressed
air, which acts on the pistons within them in the same way as in double-
action steam cylinders. At the moment that the piston H reaches the
end of its stroke the circulation of heat in the small tubes is suddenly
replaced by the aid of a mechanism nearly analogous to that of the
slide boxes (see P, Q, R,) by a cold circulation (water, glycerine, oil, or
other cooled liquid), which by rapidly condensing the aforesaid liquid
contained in the cylinder drives back the piston H, drawn as it is by the
cross piece S and connecting rods T, which are attached to a crank on
the shaft U, upon the cranks of which are jointed all the connecting
rods T of the four cylinders. These cranks are set in couples in a straight
line, and each couple at a right angle to the other. The piston H in
returning carries with it the piston I, which acts on the pump K, as in
the preceding movement, this pump being a double-action pump. The
shaft U carries two eccentrics R. Each eccentric acts upon four boxes
at once. Two of these boxes distribute to one couple of cylinders the hot
and the cold steam, and the two others cause the separate issue from
these cylinders of the hot liquid and of the cold liquid, so that the one
may be utilized as well as the other. These eccentrics R are not
arranged like ordinary eccentrics, that is to say, at a right angle to the
respective cylinders, but almost in a straight line therewith.
The arrangement of the slot (sec Q) of the connecting rod permits.
the eccentric to act on the boxes only at the last moment of the stroke,
and consequently in an almost instantaneous manner.

page_text: '
'compressed air may be dispensed with, the pressure of the steam
producing the same effects upon the liquid.
.
Suitably placed steam guages, water guages, and thermometers permit
the engine driver to regulate at will the temperature and the pressure of
the liquid in question.
The cooling apparatus is composed of a receiver in the form of a small
tubular boiler, the outer surface of which is everywhere in contact with
a cooling or refrigerating mixture constantly kept up in a receiver in
which the aforesaid tubular boiler is entirely plunged. The liquid
contained in this boiler cools as much as possible, and after having in
its turn. circulated in the small tubes comes back into the boiler by
means of a pump worked by the eccentric V₁, and fed by the cold liquid
issuing from the small..tubes, without being mixed with the hot liquid
by means of the delivery slide boxes P'.
In order that the circulation of the cold liquid may take place with
the same speed as the other care is taken also to introduce into the
boiler containing it a certain quantity of compressed air, the pressure of
which is constant, because the volume of the liquid is always the
same..
The tubes which lead the hot and cold liquids from the respectivé
receivers into the slide boxes have each a regulating cock and a driving
cock. The two driving or governing cocks are connected; the one has
a handle, and the other an index turning on a dial. Upon this dial are
engraved the words "go. on," - slacken speed, "stop; " and according
to the position of the index the carriage travels, slackens speed, or
stops.
Arrangement of the Wheels of the Carriage.-The carriage has six
wheels, two wheels (the driving wheels) are set on their axle as above
set forth, the other four wheels turn upon two axles fixed upon a frame
attached to the carriage by a pivot in the centre. This arrangement
permits the carriage to perform the necessary evolutions for conveniently
passing over curves in the way.
To avoid confusion the mechanism placed upon the platform and the
arrangement of the wheels which I have just described are not shown on
the Drawings, and the more so because it is not in this arrangement of the
wheels, nor in the greater part of the mechanism that consists this

page_text: Invention of an improved hydro-thermo atmospheric carriage for
tramways.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I claim as
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the
use in tramway traction of the motive power produced by the successive
and alternate expansion and condensation of a liquid; this expansion
and this condensation being the effect of the circulation of a liquid or a
gaseous current alternately and successively hot and cold in small tubes
plunging into the aforesaid liquid.
Also the use of compressed air as intermediary between the aforesaid
motive power and the driving wheels of the carriage in order to change
the powerful but relatively slow movement of this motive power into a
movement of the wheels more accelerated, although proportionally less
powerful.
Lastly. For the purpose of keeping up the heat of the liquid con-
tained in the boiler of ingots of metal heated to a white heat, and
plunged into tubes closed at bottom and filled with oil, said tubes
plunging into the liquid, the heat of which is to be maintained. The
oil simply serves as intermediary between the ingot and the tube in
order that the heat of the ingot may be ceded little by little to the
liquid, into which this tube is plunged.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ferdinando Tommasi, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five
PAUL PERROT,
JEAN BAPTISTE GIRARD.
FERDINANDO TOMMASI. (L.S.)