IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN LOCOMOTIVES FOR ROAD or RaiÏ
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Girdwood, of Edinburgh, in the County
of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN LOCOMOTIVES FOR ROAD or RaiÏ.”
Scaled the 11th April 1871, and dated the 4th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Girdwood at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th February 1871.
I, ROBERT GIRDWOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN LOCOMOTIVES FOR ROAD OR RAIL,"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an arrangement of and improvements in
steam boilers primarily designed with the view of obtaining certain
advantages by their application in the construction of locomotives for
road or rail; but boilers made with the improvements are also applicable
for stationary and marine purposes.

page_text: It is the object of one part of the Invention to dispose the boiler
element of a locomotive for road or rail so that whilst a vertical arrange-
ment is adopted to enable the locomotive to run on an incline without
materially affecting the water level, a greater power is obtainable with a
given width of carriage than in ordinary vertical arrangements; and
this object is effected by composing the boiler of two or more vertical
cylindrical parts of comparatively small diameter, and connected
together in the longitudinal line of the carriage. These boilers may be
independent of each other as regards their fires, flues, and the like, but
it is preferred to construct and combine them in the improved manner
herein-after described.
The improvements in the steam boilers and which improvements are
applicable to various kinds of boilers, consists in having the main fire
or furnace in or applied to only one of a set of two or more boilers, and
in constructing the flues to lead the fire gases from the first boiler into
chambers or flues in the second boiler, and thence into the others if
there are more than two boilers. Assuming that the gases may not be
completely burnt on issuing from the first boiler it is purposed to admit
into the flues or chambers of the second or other boilers what air may
be requisite to complete the combustion and to ensure ignition of the
gases by keeping a small quantity of incandescent coke in the flue or
chamber wherein the ignition is desired.
An important advantage of these arrangements will be the easy
prevention of smoke by regulating the secondary combustion of the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Girdwood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th August 1871.
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
GIRDWOOD, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in, the thirty-
successors, give
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and

page_text: and grant unto me, the said Robert Girdwood, Her special licence that.
I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
BOILERS, AND IN LOCOMOTIVES FOR ROAD OR RAIL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Girdwood, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of my 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Girdwood, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an arrangement of and improvements
in steam boilers, primarily designed with a view of obtaining certain
advantages by their application in the construction of locomotives for
road or rail, but boilers made with the improvements are also applicable
for stationary and marine purposes.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet with
an explanatory Drawing, to be herein-after referred to, and showing
the application of my improvements to a road locomotive or traction
engine.
It is the object of one part of my Invention to dispose the boiler
element of the locomotive so that whilst a vertical arrangement is
adopted to enable the locomotive to run on an incline without materially
affecting the water level, a greater power is obtainable with a given
width of carriage than in ordinary vertical arrangements, and I effect
this object by composing the boiler of two or more vertical cylindrical

page_text: parts of comparatively small diameter, and connected together in the
longitudinal line of the carriage.
The Drawing is a vertical section, as taken longitudinally as regards
the carriage, and through the centres of the boilers, of which there are
two, 1, 2, in this delineated example. It will be obvious that for a given
aggregate power or capacity of boiler, and with a given height, a less
width will be occupied by two or more longitudinally disposed cylindrical
boilers or parts than by a single cylindrical boiler. These boilers or
parts 1, 2, may be independent of each other as regards their fires,
flues, and the like, but I prefer to construct and combine them in the
improved manner shewn in the Drawing, and herein-after described.
My improvements in the steam boilers, and which improvements are
applicable to various kinds of boilers, consists in having the main fire or
furnace 3 in or applied to only one, 1, of a set of two or more boilers, and
in constructing a flue 4 to lead the fire gases from the first boiler 1 into a
chamber 5 (or it might be flues) in the second boiler 2, and thence into
others if there are more than two boilers. The chamber 5 of the second
boiler 2 is represented as having a grating 6 at the bottom, and this
grating is intended for the admission of some air to complete the com-
bustion of the fire gases should they not be completely burnt on leaving
the first boiler 1. To insure ignition of the gases in the chamber 5 a
small quantity of incandescent coke may be kept on the grating 6.
A vertical uptake or chimney 7 is shewn as fitted to the second boiler 2
for leading the fire gases away from the chamber 5 and the exhaust
pipe 8 of the engine, as shewn as applied to increase the draught by
directing the exhaust steam up the chimney 7,; whilst to prevent the
fire gases from proceeding from the inlet flue 4 by too direct a course to
the chimney 7, a fire-brick slab 9 is placed in the chamber 5, so as to
cause the gases to first pass down to the lower part of the chamber. A
common ash-pan 10 is fixed beneath both boilers 1, 2, and is fitted with
inlet valves 11, 12, at both ends, and with a central valve 13, the last
being for regulating the proportion of air entering each boiler.
An important advantage of these arrangements will be the easy pre-
vention of smoke by regulating the combustion of the gases in thè
chamber 5 of the second boiler, or in the chamber or chambers of other
boilers when more than two are similarly used in connection.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not

page_text: restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
1. The combining together of two or more steam boilers with the
main fire or furnace in one of such boilers, and with a fluc or flues
leading thence through the other boiler or boilers, substantially in the
manner herein described and delineated.
And, 2. The combining together of two or more vertical cylindrical
boilers in a locomotive for road or rail, such boilers being arranged
longitudinally as regards the locomotive, and either fired separately or
fired as otherwise herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Girdwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.