IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS, MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO THE BURNERS OF RAILWAY AND TRAM CARRIAGES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham, of Oxney
Villas, Saint John's Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS, MORE ESPECIALLY
APPLICABLE FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO THE BURNERS OF RAILWAY
AND TRAM CARRIAGES."
Scaled the 15th February 1876, and dated the 18th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Alexander
Frederick Duckham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 18th August 1875.
I, HENRY ALEXANDER FREDERICK DUCKHAM, of Oxney Villas, Saint
John's Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS REGULATORS,
ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO
BURNERS OF RAILWAY AND TRAM CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
MORE
THE
These improvements consist in introducing a special pneumatic
apparatus in the interior of the regulator, by which means the guards
of railway trains or their attendants are enabled to reduce the light to a

page_text: minimum, and thereby effect a very large saving in the consumption
of gas (as during the time the trains are travelling in daylight or out of
tunnels).
The mode by which this is accomplished is by means of a reservoir
of air (in the guard's van for instance), and which is forced by a pump
or other means into tubing, so as to inflate a chamber with a flexible
diaphragm, which is thereby raised and drives a valve into its seat in an
outlet pipe, thereby preventing the gas flowing to the burners, with the
exception of only a sufficient quantity to retain enough light to prevent
its going entirely out, so that the pressure upon the air reservoir being
released by the guard or attendant the pressure of the gas in the
regulator will at once act upon the diaphragm of the chamber, open the
valve to the outlet pipe, and allow the lights in the train or tram
carriage to burn with their proper brilliancy, either in passing through a
tunnel or at nightfall, the lowering or raising of the light being
perfectly under the control of the guard or attendant, and not requiring
any attention except such momentary attention as is necessary for raising
or lowering the light.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 18th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ALEXANDER FREDERICK DuckhAм, of Oxney Villas, Saint John's Road,
Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham, Her
special licence that I, the said Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: 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 GAS
REGULATORS, MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF GAS
TO THE BURNERS OF RAILWAY AND TRAM CARRIAGES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Alexander Frederick Duckham,
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 immc-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Alexander Frederick
Duckham, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
These improvements consist in introducing a special pneumatic
apparatus in the interior of the regulator, by which means the guards
of railway trains or the attendants are enabled to reduce the light to a
minimum, and thereby effect a very large saving in the consumption
of gas during the time the trains are travelling in daylight or out of
tunnels, said improvements being specially adapted for use in combination
with the other arrangements described in Letters Patent granted to me
June Twenty-third, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, No.
1922, although my present improvements could be used with any suffi-
ciently similar arrangements; or my present arrangements may be used
alone contained in a suitable case.
The mode by which this is accomplished is by means of a reservoir
of air (in the guard's van for instance, which is forced by a pump or
other means into tubing, so as to inflate a chamber with a flexible
diaphragm, which is thereby raised, and drives a valve into its seat in a
suitable chamber, thereby preventing the gas flowing to the burners,
with the exception of only a sufficient quantity to retain enough light to
prevent its going entirely out, so that the pressure upon the air reservoir
5 being released by the guard or attendant the pressure of gas in the
regulator will at once act upon the diaphragm of the chamber, open the
valve to the outlet pipe, and allow the lights in the train or train
carriage to burn with their proper brilliancy, either in passing through a

page_text: G, inlet pipe for the regulator.
The mode by which I carry out my improvements is accomplished
by means of a reservoir of air in the guard's van, and which is forced by
a pump or other means into tube A, which inflates the chamber B,
raising the flexible diaphragm fitted to top of said chamber B, and
driving the valve C into its seat C₁in chamber D. By this action the
supply of gas is cut off from the small chamber D, and the only supply
for the burners is admitted through small inlet G, and this small supply
thus introduced passes through the outlet pipe E to the burners. Upon
the guard relinquishing the pressure upon the air in the reservoir the
pressure of the gas in the regulator will at once by acting upon the
diaphragm of chamber B release the valve C from its seat C¹, and admit
the gas to chamber D, the gas then passing to the outlet pipe E, allowing
the light in the train to burn with their proper brilliancy cither in
passing through a tunnel or at night time. Thus, the lowering or

page_text: raising the light is it will be seen perfectly under the control of the
guard.
In some cases the apparatus may be used alone in a case in place of
the regulator.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my improvements enclosed in a suitable
case. The same letters as is Figs. 1 and 2 indicate like parts. In
Fig. 3 a is inlet of gas, which may or may not be fitted with valve. The
action of the apparatus is similar to that as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the
Invention of "Improvements in Gas Regulators, more especially
Applicable for Regulating the Supply of Gas to the Burners of Railway
and Train Carriages," as the same is herein-before set forth and described
in this Specification by the words preceding the "Description of the
Drawings," such Invention being illustrated for the better exemplifica-
tion thereof by the accompanying Drawings herein-before descriptively
referred to, it being understood that I do not claim nor do I limit myself
to the use of the mere constructive details herein-before described, as the
same may be varied without substantially departing from the nature and
character of my said Invention, as the same is herein-before set forth
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Alexander Frederick
Duckham, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
T. MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Ass"., L.,
21, Cockspur Street,
S.W.
HY. A. F. DUCKHAM. (L.S.)