IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cowper Baker, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF WARMING RAILWAY CARS AND OTHER
VEHICLES."
Scaled the 20th September 1878, and dated the 10th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cowper Baker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1878.
WILLIAM COWPER BAKER, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF WARMING
RAILWAY CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES."
This Invention is made for heating vehicles by steam. Usually steam pipes
become too hot for garments to be brought into contact with them, hence in railway
cars and other vehicles there is a risk of injury to the person or to the clothing by
the use of steam pipes. I remove that risk, and at the same time render the
temperature more uniform by surrounding the steam pipe with a tube or case, and
filling the intermediate space with sand or particles of other materials that will
act in a similar manner to the sand. The steam passing through the pipe imparts
its heat to the sand rapidly, and the sand gives off the heat, but detains the samo
sufficiently to render the heat very uniform.
In consequence of this improvement I am able to charge the sand and vessel
with heat while the car or other vehicle is at rest, and the sand vessel becomes a
caloric storage radiator that gives off the heat gradually and serves the purpose of a
car or vehicle heater, long after the supply of steam has been cut off.
By my improvement I can employ steam from the engine or locomotive to heat
the cars, and such steam can be turned on when the train is at rest or when it is
running down an inclined track so as not to lessen the effective power of the engine,
or steam from a stationary boiler can be connected at stations for heating the cars.
Each car is to be provided with pipes and couplings, by which it may be connected
to the adjacent cars. These couplings should be made to slip into each other and

page_text: lock together, and a flexible tube allows of the movement between one car and the
next.
There is connected with each heating apparatus an escape valve that allows air
to blow out of the pipes as the steam passes in, and there is also an expansion
device that acts to close the valve when the steam coines in contact therewith. 5
This valve also allows the water of condensation to escape when the parts become
sufficiently cool to contract and open the valve. With elevated railways in cities
there should be a vessel to receive the water of condensation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Cowper Baker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th October 1878.
WILLIAM COWPER BAKER, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF WARMING
RAILWAY CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES."
This Invention is made for heating vehicles by steam. Usually steam pipes
become too hot for garments to be brought into contact with them, hence in railway
.cars and other vehicles there is a risk of injury to the person or to the clothing
by the use of steam pipes. I remove that risk, and at the same time render the
temperature more uniform by surrounding the steam pipe with a tube or case, and
filling the intermediate space with sand or particles of other materials that will act
in a similar manner to the sand. The steam passing through the pipe imparts its
heat to the sand rapidly, and the sand gives off the heat, but detains the samo
sufficiently to render the heat very uniform.
-
In consequence of this improvement I am able to charge the sand and vessel with
heat while the car or other vehicle is at rest, and the sand vessel becomes a caloric
storage radiator that gives off the heat gradually, and serves the purpose of a car
or vehicle heater long after the supply of steam has been cut off.
By my improvement I can employ steam from the engine or locomotive to heat
the cars, and such steam can be turned on when the train is at rest or when it is
running down an inclined track so as not to lessen the effective power of the engine,
or steam from a stationary boiler can be connected at stations for heating the cars.
Each car is to be provided with pipes and couplings, by which it may be connected
to the adjacent cars. These couplings should be made to slip into each other and
lock together, and a flexible tube allows of the movement between one car and the
next.
There is connected with each heating apparatus an escape valve that allows air
to blow out of the pipes as the steam passes in, and there is also an expansion
device that acts to close the valve when the steain comes in contact therewith; this
valve. also allows the water of condensation to escape when the parts become

page_text: sufficiently cool to contract and open the valve. With elevated railways in cities
there should be a vessel to receive the water of condensation.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of one of the caloric
storage reservoirs; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same.
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the connections of the pipes in the cars.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the expansion valve.
Fig. 5 is a section of the coupling employed between the pipes of adjacent cars.
The vessel a is preferably cylindrical, and through it passes the steam pipe b.
Around the said pipe b and within the vessel a the space is filled with sand or other
material that will absorb and retain heat from the pipe b and give the same off
gradually by the radiating surface of the vessel a.
The steam pipe, where it passes from one radiator to the other, should be enclosed
with non-conducting material such as mineral wool or felt to prevent the steam
condensing when passing from one radiator to the other.
The radiators may be placed in any desired position in the car. For elevated
railways where the seats are at the sides of the car the radiators are placed beneath
or adjacent to the seats; the radiators may be boxed in so as to provide for tho
admission of air into the box to be warmed by the radiator, and pass out into the
car.
There may be but one radiator beneath the seat oxtending the entire length of the
car, or there may be soveral, as illustrated in the diagram, Fig. 3. The steam pipe
b passes through all the radiators, and the steam pipe of one car is connected to the
steam pipe of the next by elastic tubing provided with a suitable coupling. I
prefer the device shown in Fig. 5, in which a metallic tube h, secured to one of the
flexible tubes i, enters a tubular socket fupon the other flexible tube, and the two
parts are kept together by the hooked lugs 1, b, taking behind cam projections m, m.
The flexible tubes should be wound or covered with non-conducting material to
prevent the steam condensing when passing through these tubes.
The steam is admitted to the pipe b of the first car of the train by a pipe t that
is connected with the boiler or some convenient steam pipe on the locomotive, and
the steam by the pipes 6 passes through all the radiators in the train, and there
should be a valve in this pipe t within easy reach of the engineer or fireman, so that
the heat in the cars can be controlled.
The steam may be allowed to pass to the pipe b when the engine is at rest or
when it is travelling down-grade, or at any time when the steam is in excess of the
wants of the engine, and by heating the radiators at these times there will be no
loss in the power of the engine. I make use of an expansion. or.trap valve
connected to the pipe b of each car, this is made as shown in Fig. 4 of a tube
w connected to said pipe b, within which tube v there is a tube w, of copper or
other metal easily affected by change of temperature; one end of the tube wis
secured to the tube v and the other end is free and adjacent to the valve p.
When the steam or hot water is in contact with the tube w the same is
expanded, and its end presses tightly against the valve p, and prevents the
escape of steam or hot water, but when the tube w becomes cool it contracts
and draws away from the valve p, and allows the water of condensation to
freely pass away until the bot water or steam again expands the tube.
The steam of the valve passes through the adjusting nut e that is within tho
screw head. This adjusting nut is used to set the valve nearer to or farther from
the end of the expansion tube, so that the same may be regulated to blow off at the
desired degree of temperature, and the valve is free to be rotated for clearing any
obstruction without changing the adjustment of the valve.
When the apparatus is used upon elevated railways I employ a vessel at q to
catch the water of condensation and prevent it falling upon the street beneath the
road, or fine perforations may be introduced in the top of a small vessel to deliver
the water of condensation in a spray directed upwardly.
I place atr an automatic valve that closes when steam is admitted to the pipe b,

page_text: but allows the air to pass into the pipe as the steam condenses to prevent a
vacuum.
By the use of radiators made as aforesaid there is no danger from fire, and there
is no risk of the person or clothing being injured by contact with hot pipes; and I
have found by practical tests that the cars will be heated with great uniformity,
and that it requires but a short time to charge the radiators with heat sufficient to
warm the cars for an hour or more after the steam is shut off.
Usually the flexible connection i hangs down between the cars, and water may
accumulate therein; the valve r allows the water to blow out under the pressure
steam because the spring a around the stem of tho valve is sufficient to keep the
valve open against the pressure, but when the steam comes in contact with the lever
springs the same is increased in power sufficient to close the valve, because the lever
spring is made of two layers of metal that expand unequally, such as brass and steel,
and the power of the spring is increased by the heat.
I claim as my Invention,-
First. The method herein specified of heating railway cars, which consists in
supplying steam heat by a pipe to a heat radiating apparatus within the cars while
the latter is at rest; absorbing the heat from the steam by a bath of sand or
equivalent material surrounding the steam pipe, and in contact therewith, and
radiating the heat from the sand into the cars, substantially as set forth.
Second. The caloric storage radiator formed of a metallic case surrounding a
steam pipe, and having the intermediate space filled with sand or equivalent
material for the purposes and as set forth.
Tbird. The combination with the caloric storage radiator of a steam trap to
allow for the discharge of air and water of condensation, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The valve p upon a stem passing through tho adjusting nut e in combina-
tion with the expansion tube w and its surrounding case or tube, substantially as
set forth.
Fifth. An escape valve in a steam-heating apparatus provided with a spring to
close the valve when the heat is increased, said spring being composed of two
layers of metal that expand unequally by heat, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cowper Baker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 16 day of September, A.D. 1878.
Witnesses,
WILLIAM COWPER BAKER. (L.S.)
CHAS. H. SMITH, 76, Chambers St., New York.
WILLIAM G. MOTT, 76, Chambers Str., New York.