IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Sir JOHN
MACNEILL, Knight, of Dublin, and THOMAS BARRY, of Lyons, near Dublin,
Mechanic, in the County of Dublin, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the twelfth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Sir John Macneill, Knight, and Thomas Barry, our exors,
admors, and assigns, Her special license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said Sir John Macneill, Knight, and Thomas Barry,
our exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Sir John
Macneill and Thomas Barry, our exors, adññors, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
provisoe, that we, the said Sir John Macneill and Thomas Barry, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Sir John Macneill, and Thomas Barry, do hereby declare the nature of our
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
marked thereon, that is to
say:
Our Invention consists, firstly, in the construction and method for working
steam valves of locomotive engines by means of two eccentrics instead of
four; secondly, in the construction of iron sleepers with flexible cross bars so
as to preserve a uniform inclination of the rail to suit the head of the wheel,
and possessing the advantages herein-after described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet-1 represents the method for working steam valves of locomotive engines,
by means of two eccentrics in place of four as now in use.
Suppose the
centre of crank shaft at A, and the centre of crank at B; D, the eccentric
wheel; c, the connecting rod; L, the link; F, the valve rod in backward
gear; e, centre that the link revolves on; the length of the valve rod
forms the radius of the valve link in forward gear, united at S with the valve
spindle; then we have the path of the valve at cight points, described by the
black line H; and in like manner the red line G, represents the backward motion
and the path of the steam described by the red line K. Hence it is evident
that, whenever the valve rod is put into the straight line passing through
S, e, A, there is no motion on the steam valve, and the engine may be reversed
at pleasure at any point of the stroke, by shifting the valve rod from the centre
of the link to either of the points For G; this valve link may be made to
work at any angle that may be required.
The advantages to be gained by this method are, first, considerable saving
in friction; and second, in oil and tallow; third, in workmanship and ma-
terials, and the first cost of the engine; fourth, in weight of materials, and
less liability to accidents; fifth, a correcter application of working the steam
valves, and hence a saving of fuel, and an additional power gained by the
arrangement.
The second part of our Invention consists of the application of metallic
sleepers to the construction of railways.
Sheet 2 of the Drawings shews, in Figures 1 and 2, one of the methods

page_text: in which the metallic sleepers are to be used, and being composed of
maleable iron, flexable cross bars, and cast-iron plates, cast to the proper
angle required to make the rail stand at the suitable position for the tiers
of the wheels. The joint sleepers are made strong and large, for the purpose
of making the rail as near as possible to one solid bar, and at the same
time, by means of the cross tiers of maleable iron united to the cast iron
(as shewed hereafter), the way or road acquires the necessary elasticity,
and all the rigidness of the longitudinal sleeper also. The cast-iron sleepers,
being thin at the edges, are much easier packed or beat up, and being thinner,
The manner
require considerably less ballast on the lines they are laid on.
of uniting the rails to the sleepers by revits or screw bolts, makes tlie lines
secure, so that it is almost impossible to remove a rail, or any portion of
rails from the line, and the advantages to be gained by this description of
sleeper are, First, a strong, rigid roadway, and a saving of iron in rails.
Second, a more uniform road, always in guage, and rigid at the joints, con-
sequently a saving of engine power, and wear and tear of engines, carriages,
waggons, and trucks. Third, a safer road, as no rail can be in any way
removed out of its place. Fourth, a saving in sleepers. It is computed that
the cast-iron sleeper will last at least fifty years. Fifth, a saving of expence
in keeping up the permanent way, the cast-iron sleepers being much easier
beat up. Sixth, a saving of about one-third of the ballast now used.
I will now proceed to describe the manner of casting the sleepers in guage,
as shown by Figures 3 and 4:-A. is a rigid bar of cast iron, on which is
bolted two blocks of cast iron, previously strengthened on the faces, having
holes bored into them to receive the prints for the revit holes; or, all this may
be cast in one piece, and planed up to the angles in which the rail is required
to stand in the road. On the centre of each sleeper lengthways is cast a
feather, to go up into the hollow of the rail, and also a feather on each side of
the rail, to keep it in guage, as shewn, by the sleeper c and its iron bar D
cast into the sleepers c, c. This method has the following advantages,
First, the sleepers when cast on the face of the chilled bars, having all its
parts adjusted to the guage of the line, every sleeper must be alike. Second,
the sleepers, being cast on hard faces, must be more durable. Third, the
sleepers having the holes made in them by cores previously placed in
the chills, each will have the same division, which will allow the rails to
be punched at the iron works, or before they come on the line. Fourth, the
ends of the malable iron bar being cleaned and prepared with holes, as

page_text: metal, and the sleepers cannot be separated from the iron bars, or from each
other.
Having now described our said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be carried into execution, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that what we claim is,-
First, the construction, and method of working steam valves of locomotive
engines by means of two eccentrics instead of four, as described.
Second, the construction of iron sleepers, such as described, that will
possess all the advantages of the longitudinal sleeper with that of the cross
sleeper, so as to prevent oscillation of engines and carriages by preserving a
uniform inclination of the rail.to suit the head of the wheel.
In witness whereof, the said Sir John Macneill, has hereunto set his
hand and seal, this Second day of March, One thousand eight hundred