IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES AND CARRIAGES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Burrell, of Thetford, in the County of
Norfolk, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION
ENGINES AND CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 11th February 1859, and dated the 27th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by. the said Charles Burrell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
November 1858.
I, CHARLES BURRELL, of Thetford, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION
ENGINES AND CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in traction engines and
carriages. For these purposes, in constructing the wheels which run on the
portable railways, trough or double angle iron is used in such manner that
there are two rows of iron spokes to each wheel, the outer ends of which are
fixed to the trough iron or double angle iron ring,and there are openings or
spaces through the trough or double angle iron for the passage between the
two rows of spokes of the A-formed bars or projections which connect the
shoes constituting the portable railway with the wheel, the shoes being each
formed with two parallel rails on their upper surfaces on which the tyre of the
wheel runs, the A-formed bar or projection being fixed to the shoe between
such parallel rails, and the guide irons for such projections are fixed. to the
trough or double angle iron so as to come on each side of the projections. In
order more advantageously to gear the main or driving shaft with.the driving

page_text: wheels, pinions are affixed (one at each end of the driving shaft) which when
in action gear into the cog wheels on the driving wheels of the carriage, and
the boiler and engines are so carried by the axle of the driving wheels, that
they may be raised or lowered thereon by means of screws and levers, by
which means both or either of the pinions on the main driving shaft may be
put in gear with the cog wheels of the driving wheels of the carriage, or both
the pinions may be out of gear with their cog wheels according as the end of
the boiler is raised or lowered in respect of the main or driving shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Burrell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
BURRELL, of Thetford, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me,the said Charles Burrell, Her special licence that I,the said Charles
Burrell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charies Burrell, 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
TRACTION ENGINES AND CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
thesaid Charles Burrell, 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 the 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 Charles Burrell, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 traction engines.and

page_text: carriages. For these purposes, in constructing the wheels which run on the
portable railways, trough or double angle iron is used in such manner that
there are two rows of iron spokes to each wheel, the outer ends of which are
fixed to the trough iron or double angle iron ring, and there are openings or
spaces through the trough or double angle irou for the passage between the
two rows of spokes of the A-formed bars or projections which connect the
shoes constituting the portable railway with the wheel, the shoes being each
formed with two parallel rails on their upper surfaces on which the tyre of the
wheel runs, the A-formed bar or projection being fixed to the shoe between
such parallel rails; and the guide irons for such projections are fixed to the
trough or double angle iron so as to come ou each side of the projections.. In
order more advantageously to gear the main or driving shaft with the driving
wheels pinions are affixed (one at each end of the driving shaft), which when
in action gear into the cog wheels on the driving wheels of the carriage, and
the boiler and engines are so carried by the axle of the driving wheels, that
they may be raised or lowered thereon by means of screws and levers, by which
meaus both or either of the pinious on the main driving shaft may be put in
gear with the cog wheels of the driving wheels of the carriage, or both the
pinions may be out of gear with their cog wheels, according as the end of the
boiler is raised or lowered in respect to the main or driving shaft.
Having thus described the nature of iny said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side clevation of a traction engine, having my improve-
ments applied thereto; Figure 2 is a plan thereof; Figure 3 is an end view
thereof; and Figure 4 shows three sections of wheels such as may be used in
carrying out the first part of my Invention, where the shoes have each two
parallel rails fixed thereou for the wheels to run on when the shoes are on the
ground, the object being that the A-formed bars or projectious and their
guides may come between the two sets of spokes, of which each wheel is
composed. I would here state, that the system of employing shoes with
A-formed bars to construct. portable railways for the wheels to run on in other
respects is similar to that known as Boydell's; I do not, therefore, claim the
system, but only the improvements herein described.
a, a, are the two running wheels, each carrying shoes or bearing surfaces
b, b, with rails c, c, thereon, one rail on either side of the A-formed bars or
projections, which are fixed in a central position in respect to the rails c, c
The periphery of each wheel is preferred to be made of wrought iron, though

page_text: cast iron or other strong material may be resorted to so long as the A-formed
bars or projections are arranged to pass up. in a central position in place of
outside of the wheels. And it is not essential that the tyre or periphery
should be single, and have slots through it as shown, as each wheel may con-
sist of two sets of spokes, each having its own tyre or outer ring,the A-formed
bars or projections to the shoes passing between them, whilst the two tyres or
rings run on the two rails fixed or formed on each shoe, as will readily be
understood on examining the Drawings: The A-formed projections, their
guides, and their shoes, in other respects are like those now used in Boydell's
traction engines. The boiler and engines are so mounted on the main or
hinder wheels and the fore wheels that the pinions d,d, on the main or cranked
shafte may, by being raised or lowered, be caused to gear with or be separate
from the teeth of the cog wheelsf, f, fixed to the anain or hinder wheels of the
carriage; the object in the arrangement being to avoid the use of sliding
pinions audvsliding clutch boxes, and to use. pinious fixed on the main or
driving shaft...
The fore part of the carriage and boiler with the engines are raised and
lowered by means of an upright screw.g, the lower or spherical end of which
rests in a bearing over the axle of the fore wheels, as shown, and the fore part
of the carriage is raised or lowered by turning the screw-nut h, which is done
by the screw shaft i and hand wheelj.. By these means as heretofore the
position of the boiler, when on an uneven road or land,may be kept horizontal,
in order that in going up and down hill, the water level in the boiler may be
kept correct. The steering of the carriage is effected by means of the semi-
circular,rack, the axis and pinion 7, and the steering wheel m. The boiler
and engines are mounted on the hind wheels by means of two levers n, n
which turn on axes or necks n', fixed to the boiler. These levers have each
at one end a neck or axis for one of the hinder wheels, aud the other ends of
these levers are acted on by upright screws o; o, which are turned by hand
wheels p, p, on the upper ends of the screws. By this arrangement one only
of the levers may be, pressed on so as to lift one side of the boiler and one
pinion into gear; or both levers may be raised and both pinions put into gear,
or both may be lowered; or the pinions.gearing with the cog wheels outhe
hinder wheels may be raised into and lowered out of action by any other con-
venient means, and thus dispense with the use of sliding pinions.and sliding
clutches in giving motion to traction carriages.
It is not necessary to describe the other parts of the mechanism, as they
form no, part of my Invention, and the Drawing shows them sufficiently
clearly for a workman to understand the arrangement. of the several parts.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of p per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately; but what I claim is,-
First, the mode of constructing and combining the shoes and wheels of
traction carriages, as herein described.
And, secondly, I claim the arranging of the pinions which
pinions which gear into and
drive the cog wheels on the main or hinder wheels of traction carriages in
such manner that they may be raised into and out of action in place of being
slid, or having sliding clutch boxes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Burrell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
CHARLES BURRELL. (L.S.)