Improvements in Locomotives Worked by Compressed Air.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOSHUA KAMES, of No. 29, Broadway, New
York, in the County of New York and State of New York, United States
of America.]
Improvements in Locomotives Worked by Compressed Air.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved compressed air locomotive as I shall
describe referring to the annexed drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a street car provided with my
improved motor.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with a portion of the car fence broken
away.
Fig. 3 is a plan partly sectional of the two compressed air reservoirs.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the reservoirs.
Fig. 5 is a section of an automatic pressure regulating valve, or governor.
Fig. 6 is a section of the air expanding chamber heater and fuel magazine.-
Fig. 7 is a plan of a compressed-air brake mechanism.
Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, I designates compressed-air reservoirs of
which two are supported preferably beneath the car body as shown in Figs. 1
and 2 but they may be carried in or upon the upper part of the car or beneath
the seats or elsewhere.
Each reservoir I has a valved air inlet 2, to which can be temporarily attached.
a pipe supplying compressed-air when required.
Each reservoir I has also an exit pipe 3 with valve 4 by which the flow of air from
the reservoir can be regulated or cut off. The reservoir should have sufficient
capacity to contain all the air required during one course to and from the destina-
tion, one reservoir serving for the out trip, and the other for the return trip.
In each reservoir 1 a partition or piston 5, Fig. 3 with a suitable packing 6 is
mounted on a screw shaft 7. One end of which projects through a stuffing box 8
at one end of the reservoir. On the one of these screw shafts is fixed a sprocket.
wheel 9 which is connected by a chain 10 with a sprocket wheel 11 loose on the
other screw shaft, this sprocket wheel 11 having clutch teeth 12 on its face. Other
clutch teeth 13 are fixed on the screw shaft which carries 11, a clutch 14 can, be
made to slide between the teeth jaw 12 and 13 so as to engage with either by means-
of a pedal lever 15 projecting through the car platform, within reach of the
operator's foot, as shewn in Fig. 1. To the clutch 14 is fixed a sprocket wheel 16.
connected by a chain. 17, Figs. 1 and 2, with a sprocket wheel 18 mounted on a
standard 19 on the car platform. This sprocket wheel 18 can be turned by a hand
wheel 20 so as to rotate the clutch 14 and either of the screw shafts 7 according as
the clutch is engaged by the pedal 15 to the one or the other of the toothed jaws-12
or 13. The partition 5 in either compressed-air reservoir can thus be moved,
periodically to reduce the space occupied by the compressed air so as to maintain
an approximately constant pressure in the reservoir notwithstanding the with-,
drawal of compressed-air for supplying the motor. In the rear end of each.
reservoir is a vent 21, opening to the atmosphere allowing air to enter or leave the
space behind the piston 6 as it is moved.
This
The compressed-air is taken from either reservoir 1, by its pipe 3 to a heating,
chamber 22 in which the air is heated before passing to the engine.
chamber 22 is preferably dome shaped and supported over a fire place 23. This
1

page_text: fire place has a grate 24, a fire door 25. Fig. 1 and an ash pit door 26, Figs. 2
and 6, that may have suitable dampers. Surrounding the upper part of the
heater 23 and extended above the same and a dome shaped metal shelf 27 incloses.
an annular space that serves as a fuel magazine 28 from which fuel is fed into the
fire place 23, as required, the fuel being introduced through an opening 29 provided
with a hinged lid 30. The shell 27 is surrounded by an outer casing 31 of wood or
other suitable material which may be secured by bands 32 at convenient intervals,
and covered at the top by a dome metal cover 33. Between the shell 27 aud its
casing 31 there is a filling 34 of asbestos or other non-conducting material. A
chimney 35, extends above the car roof.
From the heating chamber. 22 the air is taken through a pipe 36 to an air
engine 37 Figs. 1 and 2, of any suitable or well known construction. This pipe 36
having a throttle valve 38 for regulating the supply of air.
For automatically controlling the pressure in the chamber 22 a pressure regulating
valve 39 such as is shewn in Fig. 5, may be placed in the pipe 3 leading from the
reservoir to the chamber 22. This valve 39 is pressed to its seat by a spring 40
adjusted by a screw 41.
Any other known form of pressure regulator may be employed.
The piston rod 42 of the air engine is linked by a pitman 43 to a crank on a
shaft 44 to cranks on which are jointed the driving rods 45 that connect with cranks
on the front and rear axles or with crank pins on the front wheels from which power
may be transmitted by rods 46 to the rear wheels.
On the car platform, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, may be arranged a brake lever 47
connected with any suitable hand brake mechanism. As shewn in Fig. 7 the brake
rigging 48 may be connected with a piston in a cylinder 49 which can be supplied
with compressed air by a pipe 50 from the heating chamber, on opening a valve 51
when it is desired to put on the brakes.
For the purpose of warming the car, when required, heated air can be taken from
the heating chamber 22 through a pipe 52 to a heating coil 53, Fig. 1, arranged
beneath the car seats or in any other suitable position within the car, the heated
air, after circulating through the coil returning to the heating chamber by a
pipe 54. Either or both of these pipes 52 and 54 may be provided with a valve 55
by which the heating of the car can be regulated.
The heating chamber 22 may be provided with a pressure-gauge 56, Fig. 1, as a
guide for the engineer or driver in manipulating the valve for supply of compressed
air from either of the reservoirs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: -
1. The combination of a compressed air reservoir provided with an adjustable
partition or piston and means for operating it to vary the space and maintain a
uniform pressure in the reservoir, a heating chamber, a pipe leading from the
reservoir to the heating chamber, with a hand valve and an automatic pressure
regulating valve and an air engine supplied from the heating chamber by a pipe
provided with a throttle-valve, substantially as described.
2. The combination of two compressed air reservoirs, having adjustable partitions
or pistons, screws shafts for moving them and gearing and clutch mechanism for
driving either screw shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination of a compressed air reservoir, a heating chamber and heater,
a casing enclosing the heating chamber, and an air engine supplied from the heating
chamber, substantially as described.
4. The combination of a compressed-air reservoir, a heating chamber, and heater,
a fuel magazine surrounding the heating chamber, a casing inclosing the magazine
and heating chamber, and an air engine supplied from the heating chamber,
substantially as described.
5. In a compressed air car locomotive motor, the combination of a compressed

page_text: air reservoir, a heating chamber connected with the reservoir by a valved pipe, an
automatic pressure regulating valve in the pipe, an air engine supplied from the
heating chamber by a pipe provided with a throttle valve, mechanism for trans-
mitting power from the air engine to the running wheels of the car, and an air
brake mechanism supplied from the heating chamber, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of February 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.