Improved Means of Heating Railway Carriages by Steam.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Heating Railway Carriages by Steam.
I, JOHN HENNEY junior, of 170 Orange Street, New Haven in the County of New
Haven and State of Connecticut, United States of America, Railroad Superintendent
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:
This Invention relates to an improvement in heating railway cars, having for its
object to derive the heat from the locomotive, and whereby the presence of fire in the
several cars of the train may be avoided. Attempts have been made to utilize the
exhaust from the cylinders of the locomotive, but this for obvious reasons, has been
found impracticable. By my invention I utilize the exhaust from the air pump which
is applied to work the brakes of the train. This pump works constantly and with
substantially a constant or continuous supply of exhaust steam, and the application of
the exhaust from this air pump to heating purposes, does not to any appreciable extent
impede or interfere with the proper working of the air pump. The supply of steam
is maintained the same, whether the train be in motion or stationary.
To illustrate my invention, I shew so much of a locomotive as is necessary to a clear
understanding of my invention.
A represents the steam cylinder of the air pump B, to which cylinder the steam is
admitted for operating the piston in the cylinder in the usual manner. From the
exhaust passage of the steam cylinder a tube C leads to a suitable connection D
between the locomotive and the tender, the connection D joining the tube C with a
leading tube E which extends rearward to the rear end of the tender where a flexible
connection F is applied by which the tube E may be coupled with the heating steam
pipes of the next car. The heating coils may be such as in common use in railway
cars at the present time and which derive their supply from a boiler in the car, it being
understood that in place of the boiler in the car, the heating tubes are to be extended
through the car to a point where the coupling F may be conveniently joined.
air pump cylinder A being supplied with steam, the piston works back and forth in the
usual manner, and the exhaust passes through the tube D rearward through the coils
of the several cars of the train, giving a sufficient supply of steam for heating the
The

page_text: cars. By utilizing the exhaust from the steam cylinder of the air pump the supply of
steam for heating purposes costs nothing, as the air pump necessarily works
continuously whether the train be standing or moving. The movement of the piston
of the air pump cylinder is so slow that no difficulty is experienced in sending the
exhaust through the circuitous passage of the heating coils of the car, nor is the
resistance so great as, to any practical extent, to interfere with proper working of
the air pump. By thus utilizing the exhaust steam from the air pump for heating
purposes, the disagreeable puffing which attends the working of this pump when
the locomotive is stationary, under the usual arrangement of the exhaust, is
avoided.
To provide against the possibility of interruption in the working of the steam
pump I introduce an auxiliary steam supply tube G which leads direct from the
boiler into the exhaust tube, this auxiliary tube being provided with a valve, so
that should direct steam at any time be desirable, it may be admitted direct from the
boiler.
I am aware that the exhaust steam from the cylinders of the locomotive has been
employed for heating cars, and therefore, do not wish to be understood as claiming
broadly the employment of the exhaust steam for such purpose; however in the use of
exhaust steam from the cylinders of the locomotive, two objections arise, so serious as
to make such method of heating entirely impracticable. First, that the heat is only
applied when the train is in motion or when the cylinders are supplied with steam, the
heat being cut off whenever the train stops, or the supply is cut off. Again, the
resistance which the exhaust, steam meets counteracts to that extent the power applied
to the piston, and consequently takes from the cylinders that amount of power,
but by combining the steam cylinder of the air pump of the locomotive with a
tube extending by connection through the train, a continuous supply of steam is
permitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
In combination with the steam cylinder of the air pump of a locomotive, a tube
leading from the exhaust passage of said cylinder rearward, said tube being provided
with connections adapted to couple the corresponding tubes of the cars of the train,
substantially as described, and whereby the exhaust steam cylinder of the air pump will
be conducted through the tubes in the car.
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