I PROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, AND IN SPRINGS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edwards Wilson, of Grasmere, Torquay, in
the County of Devon, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edwards Wilson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th July 1865.
I, JAMES EDWARDS WILSON, of Grasmere. Torquay, in the County of Devon,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "I
PROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, AND IN SPRINGS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in locomotive engines, and
in the springs of railway carriages.
In constructing a locomotive engine according to, this Invention four pairs
of wheels are generally employed, but more than four pairs may be used, and
in some cases it will be desirable to do so. Outside,,crank pins are used to
couple the wheels together, and also to couple them with two crank pins' or
cranks at the, ends of a central crank shaft, which is driven by two steam
engines situated between the side framings. The cranks on this the driving
shaft to which the engines are connected are, as usual, at right angles to each
other, and the cranks at the outer ends of this shaft are set opposite to the
crank next them on this shaft, and consequently the two outside cranks will
Price 8d 1

page_text: be at right angles to each other. In order that locomotive engines may,
notwithstanding their length, pass freely round curves, the forward and hinder
axle boxes have a short play between their horns, so that the forward and
hinder axles can move endways with their boxes a short distance. In coupling
the wheels together the crank pins or journals for the coupling rods may be
made spherical, or sufficient play may be provided, in order to allow for the
endway motion of the axles when passing round a
In constructing
the upper parts of the fire-boxes of the boilers of locomotive engines in place
of employing roof stays, as at present practised. I dish the plates which cover
the tops of the fire-boxes so that the pressure on such plates will tend to still
further dish such plates, and to draw in the sides of the fire-box. By such
means sufficient resistance to the internal pressure on the upper or covering
plates of such fire-boxes is obtained.
In constructing springs for railway carriages in order to render them more.
suitable for varying loads, flat straight bars, by preference of tempered steel,
are used, and they are so arranged that when there is a light load in the
carriage only part of the elastic bars come into action, and consequently
present the desired elasticity more and more of the elastic bars coming into
action to support the load as it becomes greater and greater. Between the
succeeding bars constituting the complete spring, and near the ends thereof,
are blocks having between them and the next elastic bars spaces sufficient for
the elastic play of the bars which receive and support the load, but as the
weight of the load becomes greater and greater, the first bars which receive
the load come in contact with the blocks between them and the next elastic
bars, and are supported thereby and by the elastic bars by which the blocks
are supported, and so on till all the elastic bars came into action.
by the said James Edwards Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
EDWARDS WILSON, of Grasmere, Torquay, in the County of Devon, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July. in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said James Edwards Wilson, Her special licence that I, the said James
Edwards Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Edwards Wilson, my executors, administrators, 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 LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, AND IN SPRINGS OF
RAILWAY CARRIAGES." upon the condition (amongst others) that T. the said
James Edwards Wilson, my executors or administrators. by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I. the said James Edwards Wilson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in locomotive engines, and
in the springs of railway carriages.
In constructing a locomotive engine according to this Invention four pairs
of wheels are generally employed, but more than four pairs may be used, and
in some cases it will be desirable to do so. Outside crank pins are used to couple
the wheels together, and also to couple them with two crank pins or cranks at
the ends of a central crank shaft, which is driven by two steam engines situated
between the side framings. The cranks on this the driving shaft to which
the engines are connected are, as usual, at right angles to each other, and the
cranks at the outer ends of this shaft are set opposite to the crank next them
on this shaft, and consequently the two outside cranks will be at right angles
to each other. In order that locomotive engines may, notwithstanding their
length, pass freely round curves, the forward and hinder axle-boxes have a
short play between their horns, so that the forward and hinder axles can move.
endways with their boxes a short distance. In coupling the wheels together.
the crank pins or journals for the coupling rods may be made spherical, or
sufficient play may be provided, in order to allow for the endway motion of
the axles when passing round a curve. In constructing the upper parts of the
fire-boxes of the boilers of locomotive engines, in place of employing roof
stays, as at present practised, I dish the plates which cover the tops of the

page_text: fire-boxes, so that the pressure on such plates will tend to still further dish
such plates, and to draw in the sides of the fire-box. By such means sufficient
resistance to the internal pressure on the upper or covering plates of such
fire-boxes is obtained.
In constructing springs for railway carriages, in order to render them more
suitable for varying loads, flat straight bars, by preference of tempered steel,
are used. and they are so arranged that when there is a light load in the
carriage only part of the elastic bars come into action, and consequently
present the desired chasticity, more and more of the elastic bars coming into
action to support the load as it becomes greater and greater. Between the
succeeding bars constituting the complete spring, and near the ends thereof, are
blocks having between them and the next elastic bars spaces sufficient for the
elastic play of the bars, which receive and support the load, but as the weight
of the load becomes greater and greater the first bars which receive the load
come in contact with the blocks between them and the next elastic bars, and
are supported thereby and by the elastic bars by which the blocks are
supported, and so on till all the elastic bars come into action.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 shew a side elevation of a locomotive engine having four
pairs of wheels, which are coupled together and to a central cranked shaft a. a.
I prefer to employ four pairs of wheels, but locomotive engines may be
similarly driven when using other numbers of wheels. Figures 3 and 4 shew
a longitudinal section, and Figures 5 and 6 shew a horizontal longitudinal
section of the same locomotive engine. The central cranked shaft a, a,
receives motion from the piston rods of two steam cylinders or engines b, b.
I have not considered it necessary to shew the whole of the connecting rods
or the valve gearing. they being well understood. and they form no part of
my Invention. The several pairs of wheels of this locomotive engine are
geared together on both sides of the locomotive engine by crank pins outside
the wheels, and by connecting rods c, c, in the manner shewn in the Drawings
on one side. In Figures 5 and 6 it will be seen that the axle boxes of the
fore and hinder wheels have with their axles an endway movement to facilitate
the passage of the locomotive engine round curves, and this is effected by
means of the axle boxes being able to slide a short distance within their
horns. In Figure 4 the fire-box roof is shewn to be dished downwards, and
it is made without the usual stays. The pressure interior of the boiler when

page_text: acting on the roof of the fire-box will tend to depress or dish the roof further,
and such pressure will further tend to draw the sides of the fire-box inwards.
By these means the requisite strength of the roof is insured, and its durability
increased, whilst its construction is rendered more simple and less expensive
in its first cost.
Figures 7 and 8 shew respectively a plan and side view of my means of
constructing springs for railway carriages in which a number of similar steek
plates are used, which are kept apart by blocks or distance pieces in the
middle of their length, and their ends are also thickened, or have blocks or
distance pieces between them, so that they are somewhat separated, and they
come successively into action to sustain the greater and greater. weight, whilst
they are capable of affording a free elasticity with lesser and lesser loads.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, the node herein described of giving motion from a cranked shaft to
a series of axles, the wheels on which are coupled, and the locomotive engine
is facilitated in passing round curves by the means described.
Secondly, I claim the mode herein described of constructing the roofs of
the fire-boxes of locomotive engines.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode herein described of constructing the springs
of railway carriages.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edwards Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. EDWARDS WILSON. (L.S.)