CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR, OR A NEW METHOD OF, PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS AND COMMON ROADS, AND VESSELS ON RIVERS AND CANALS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PILBROW, of Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Victoria, by Her Let-
ters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventeenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-four, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Pilbrow, my exors,
adiors, and assigns, Her special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said James Pilbrow, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Pilbrow, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MACHINERY FOR, OR A NEW METHOD OF, PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS AND
COMMON ROADS, AND VESSELS ON RIVERS AND CANALS;" to have, hold, exercise,
and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein granted
unto me, the said James Pilbrow, my exors, admors, and assigns, for the term
of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent: And whereas, in
the said Letters Patent is contained a proviso; that I, the said James
Pilbrow, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
nvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument

page_text: in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six 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 appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Pilbrow, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, of
"Certain Improvements in the Machinery for or a new Method of Propelling
Carriages on Railways or common Roads, and Vessels on Rivers or Canals,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, and the annexed Drawings
on three Sheets A, B, and C.
This Invention has reference to certain arrangements for propulsion by
atmospheric pressure; and one principal feature is the obviating the necessity
of the "continuous valve" along the pipe, tube, or main employed in the
propelling of carriages, in the manner now known as the atmospheric principle.
Another important feature of my Invention is the avoiding the discontinuance
of the tube or main, and the construction of bridges, &c. when the line of
railway is crossed by any other railway or road. Fig. I. (Drawing A),
represents part of a pipe or tube (in sections), supposed to be lying along
a railway between the rails, similar to the tube so well known in the various
plans hitherto devised for the propelling of carriages or trains on the "atmo-
spheric principle;" but in carrying out my Invention it is proposed that this
tube should be in a hollow or channel dug in the earth, and be fastened also
in any convenient manner to the sleepers. At intervals (say, at thirty feet or
nearer,) along this tube there are inserted or affixed spindles with rollers or
pinions, or small cogged wheels, as shewn at a and b, and better described by
reference to the larger Drawing of one such pinion, Fig. XII, made or cast in
one solid piece of iron, the upper portion c having cogs or teeth around it, any
convenient number, say, ten or twelve, and the lower portion d being made the
same so that the cogs or teeth may correspond both in situation and size, and
number; the portion e, between those cogged portions, forms a spindle or
axis of connection between them, and projecting, as shewn at each end, top
and bottom, as at f and g, forming centres or pivots to work in bearings, as
after explained; by reference now to Fig. X., which represents the tube or
pipe in section, it will more easily be seen how the spindle with its pinions
is placed, and how it acts; the tube has projections, cast or otherwise made
upon it at the places proposed to place these pinions, and also has an opening
in it, to allow of the lower portion of the pinion d to enter, and project a short
distance into the hollow of the tube, as shewn at d, the upper and lower ends

page_text: of the spindle, or the pivots of the pinion, working in holes or bearings made
for that purpose in this projecting case or box, as at h, i, the box having a
support carried up, as at a; but that part of the spindle or axis between the
toothed portions does not touch, but passes through a hole or passage made in
the tube and box, which is larger than the spindle, as at j, but there is a flat
or conical part, as at k, which is allowed to touch, as will be explained
hereafter; these pinions are therefore free to turn when acted upon in any
proper manner for that purpose, and are partly inside the tube and partly out.
I propose then a piston to be made (which shall hereafter be more parti-
cularly described) to fit as nearly air-tight as possible into this tube, and
having attached to it behind a long bar or piece or pieces of iron, or some
other suitable material having cogs or teeth along its edge or edges to corre-
spond and fit the cogs or the teeth of the pinions. Figs. II. and III. represent
such a piston and appendage, which I term the "piston rack," here shewn
as a double one, that is having cogs on both edges. Fig. II. shews a side
view, and Fig. III. a plan or top view; 1, 1, represents the piston head, and
from thence to m, the line of cogs or teeth; n is a wheel or roller placed near
the centre of the rack to support it in its proper place and to obviate friction
in its progression. Fig. IV. represents the end front view of the piston, and
Fig. V. a section of the rack portion cut through the dotted line p, . The
cogs do not pass quite through or entirely down, but along the lower part
there is a plain piece, as shewn at o, o, which at the piston end declines or
approaches the bottom, forming a small inclined plane, as shewn at p', p, there
being no cogs at the very commencement p'; this piston rack is to be suffi-
ciently long to reach two or more of the pinions in the tube, that it may never
be entirely free; that is, will touch one before it leaves another; the pinions
being then so arranged that they project at about the middle or horizontal
diameter of the tube, and the rack being arranged in the same position as
to the piston, so that when the piston is placed in or allowed to pass along the
tube, the "rack" or cogged edges will act upon and be in gear with that part
of the pinion at d; and if a vacuum be formed by pumping out or exhausting
the air from the front of the piston in the usual and well-known inanner, by
air-pumps worked by steam engines or otherwise, the pressure of the natural
atmosphere will urge this piston onward towards the vacuum, if permitted so
to do, and consequently the "rack" with it, and that being in gear with the
pinions cannot advance without turning them as it passes, and therefore that
portion of the spindle and pinion which is outside the tube, as at q, q, Fig. I.
There may be pinions on each side of the tube opposite each other, as shewn
in Fig. VI., if advisable, which will render it necessary that the "rack" should

page_text: n
66
be double or cogged on both edges, as shewn; and hereafter I shall describe
and consider this to be the case throughout the following descriptions as being
the most comprehensive form, although single "racks" and "pinions" may be
found generally the better plan in practice, where the difference is merely the
use of one pinion instead of two, as before described, and the "racks" being
cogged only on one side, the " carriage rack" in this case having a guide to
keep it to the pinion, which guide may be a plain upright or a plain or
uncogged pinion, in place of the pinion so removed. Fig. VI. is a top view of
the tube, and shews two pairs of pinions q, q, q, q, which pinions must be kept
as nearly as possible at equal and the same distances laterally. To the under
part of a railway carriage in any convenient manner will be attached a similar
"rack" to the "piston rack," (but without the piston or plain part, as at o, o,
Fig. II.,) which I call the "carriage rack;" such a rack is shewn in plan by
Fig. VII., the front end r being tapered or pointed to render easy its entrance
between the pinions, and being made, as also the piston rack, as light as
consistent with the necessary strength by being in the form of frame work or
hollowed, as represented; s, s, are places where it is attached to the carriage,
as after described. Fig. IX. represents the front view. This "carriage rack" is
made precisely to correspond with the "internal or piston rack," and will
be the exact width the pinions are apart, so as to be in gear like the " piston
rack" with the two opposite pinions at one and the same time; this rack
is also the length of the other, so that it may reach two or more of the pinions
or pairs of pinions at once. Fig. VIII. represents a side view of the "carriage
rack," and Fig. XI. a transverse section of the tube (with opposite pinions,
supposed to be taken through the dotted line 2, 2, of Fig. VI.), shewing also a
section of the "carriage rack" at t, t, (as cut through the dotted line S, S,
Fig. VIII.), and a section of the "piston rack" at u, both racks being in gear
respectively with the pinions at V, V, V, V; therefore by placing the rack, as
represented by Fig. VII., upon Fig. VI. in the position they are there sepa-
rately shewn, and in such a manner as to place the pinions in gear with the
cogs on each side of the rack, and that the ends of the "piston rack" inside
the tube and the "carriage rack" outside shall correspond, will be the relative
position in which it is intended to place them. The boxes or projections
W, W, W, W, which contain the lower part of the pinions, will have a hollow
or chamber to permit the said pinion to revolve freely, but to be made and put
on to the tube air-tight, having but one opening into the inner part or chamber,
videlicet at j, (Figs. X. and XI.) through which the spindle of the pinion
passes. To admit of the pinion being put into its place, the box must be made
to separate, and to go together at the dotted lines X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X,

page_text: by bolts, shewn by the letter y, and air-tight, Figs. VI., X., and XI.) To make
the passage of the spindle from exterior to interior of the tube air-tight when
required to be so, I make or turn upon the spindle (below the upper cogged
part) a flat shoulder or a conical or bevelled shoulder at an angle of
about 45°, as shewn at k, Fig. X.; and on the upper edge of the passage
through which the spindle passes, j, I form also bevelled, and truly grind the
conical part of the spindle to this part, so that when down in its place the
conical part of the spindle fits and becomes air-tight in the manner of
the common valve known by the name of the "spindle or conical valve," and
thus prevents the passage of air through or by this passage, or instead of
making the part conical I make a cupped or a simple flat shoulder ground
true to the edges (horizontally) of the upper part of the passage. Another
method is a combination of these two, as shewn by Figs. XI. and XII., where
instead of the flat shoulder is a flat plate or disc, through which the spindle
passes, having a conical part ground to a corresponding surface in the plate,
as at z, Fig. XII. This modification is for the purpose of diminishing tho
friction when the passage is required to be large, in case of the pinions turning
round when pressure is upon them, thus permitting the smaller circumference
of the two (the conical) turning instead of the larger flat one at its outer
edges, where it will be upon the "pinion box" at 2, 2, 2, 2, Fig. XI. That
the spindle may be lifted up, and therefore the valve part also, from its seat (as
shown by the pinions in Fig. XI.), the pivots are made long enough, and the
"chamber" in the tube and "box" large enough to permit of it.
pinions are lifted up a free passage is allowed for the ingress of
tube; and to make this passage under these circumstances as large and free as
possible, several side passages may be made also, as shewn at 3, 3, 3, 3,
Figs. X. and XI. When the "piston rack" is within the tube in its desired
situation, and the cogs of the pinions in gear with those of the rack, the lower
surface or end of the pinion cogs 4, 4, Fig. XI., will rest upon the plain piece
(before explained) on the "piston rack," which makes a kind of shelf or ledge
for the cogs or teeth; and thus if this rack is so arranged as to move in a lino
rather higher than the pinions are placed when down (as in Fig. X.), it will
cause them to be lifted up when it passes them, thus avoiding the friction of
the air-tight shoulders, and permitting as much air to enter into the tube
during this action as may be essential to the efficacy of the apparatus, as will
be further explained hereafter. If preferable the upper pinion may be
constructed shallower and therefore lighter than is shewn at c, Fig. XII., in the
manner represented by or in Fig. XI.; but in this case the edges or cogged
part of the "carriage rack" must be made deeper, as shewn by the section,
When the
air into the

page_text: Fig. XI., at t, t, to allow for the rising of the pinions, and any small irregularity
of the level in working or of the carriage or rails of the railway. The "carriage
rack" may be attached to the under part of any railway carriage (the first
carriage of a train) by any suitable means; but I prefer the following mode of
doing it, which will be understood by reference to Figs. VII. and VIII.,
Drawing A. The two parts 5, 5, Fig. VIII., I firmly fasten to the under part
of the carriage or to a piece of timber, supported by and suitably attached to
the axles of the carriage. See also the dotted Drawing, Fig. I. In the under
part of these supports is formed a groove or slot 6, 6, Figs. VII. and VIII.,
and upon the rack are fixed suitable projections 7, 7, through which bolts 8, 8,
are passed, going also through the slot in the support, these bolts then resting
at the bottom of the slots support the rack in the horizontal position shewn, a
little lateral play being allowed. By this arrangement the rack, if meeting with
any resistance suddenly in any of the pinions in passing them, (the momentum
of the carriage urging it on,) would cause it to be pushed up these slots, and
thereby getting above the pinions, if made sufficiently effective for this purpose),
and so enable it to pass the obstruction without concussion to any part of the
apparatus outside the tube.
Another arrangement and modification of this method of propulsion, and the
one I give the preference to, being more simple, I will now describe, reference
being had to the Figs. on Drawing B. The general principle has been explained
in the foregoing description, &c. The tube or main in this arrangement being
cast or formed with a square hollow channel or passage on its upper part, as
shewn in section at a, Fig. IV., as cut through the line, e, Fig. I., and
running its entire length, having an opening or slit of communication (6)
between the square hollow and the interior of the main c, as before described.
This main is to have at intervals of twenty or thirty feet spindles and pinions,
but not to reach lower than the square hollow upon the main, and fixed and
enclosed, as will be understood by the following, and reference to Figs. I., II., III.
The main will be formed, as usual, of lengths of pipe joined together by socket
joints and cement, except that I here propose to cast upon one end of a certain
and convenient number of these lengths a more solid portion, which will form
one-half of the enclosure for a pair of pinions with their supports, &c. Such
an end is represented in end view by Fig. II., with the pinions, &c. in their
places; and two such ends, when brought together, are represented in top view
by Fig. III., and in section of main by Fig. I. Through this more solid part
the square hollow and the main passage pass, as through the other portions;
this simply being for the placing and enclosing the pinions, and therefore in
it are made two hollows, d, d, Fig. II., for the reception of them, as shewn,

page_text: having also bearing holes at e, e, for the lower pivots or centres to work in (but
deeper than the pivots are long, that the pinions may rest upon the shoulders
at f, f.) and a passage to permit the spindle or axis of the pinions to pass
through, as at ff; also the supports g, g, having bearing holes for the upper
pivots, as at h, h. All these will be in each portion a half of the necessary
whole as cut through their diameter, as by the lines o, o, o, o, Figs. I. and III.;
so when two are brought together, as in Figs. I. and III., they will form a
complete whole, and enclose the pinions as desired, the parts being bolted
together by screw bolts as at i, i, i, i, Fig. 3, and made air-tight by cement or
by a little packing laid in a hollow, which may be made to run round, as shewn
at j, Fig. I. All the other joints of the main may be the common socket
joint; and I propose there should be one or two such joints between every two
of these "pinion joints," when, if each length of pipe be ten feet, it will make
the pinions twenty or thirty feet apart). It will be seen, then, that the lower
pinions here are not to enter the "main" tube at all, but to project in a similar
manner into the square passage, as at k, Fig. II., and therefore the pinions
both top and bottom will approach each other more nearly. A sufficient space
is to be allowed at d, d, and 1, 1, to permit the lifting up of the pinions; and
the passages through which the spindles pass, as at f, f, are to be made suffi-
ciently large that when the shoulders or conical parts are thus lifted away, a free
passage may be made for the ingress of the air. The spindles and pinions are
formed, as before described, with the exception that the under part of the upper
pinion is circularly formed, as represented at m, m, Fig. II. Between each
pair of pinions are fixed by hinges on the top of the pinion chamber two pieces
of iron, in the manner and form as represented by the sections at n, n, Fig. II.,
and side and top views as at n, n, n, Fig. I. and III., which are so made and
arranged that their centre of gravity will be on the side nearest each other, so
causing them to fall and touch together at top, as shewn Figs. II. and III., and
having a stop at the bottom near the joint at o, Fig. II., to prevent either of
them falling past the centre of the tube. The upper part of these, which I will
call "guides," are circularly formed in two ways, as shewn in section at m, m,
Fig. II., and longitudinally, as at n, n, Fig. III. These guides, then, having
liberty of movement backwards or towards the spindles, if any substance or
body be forced in between them, they will separate, and the part m, m, Fig. II.,
would be pressed against the circular part of the pinions, and would therefore
lift them up. Their action and situation is shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. II.,
of one pinion, only the part p being a sectional representation of the substance
or body between the pinions, that is, the carriage rack, as after described.
These guides, then, serve two purposes; they project, diverging from each other

page_text: I
on either side of the pinions, as q, q, Figs. I. and III., forming guides for the
entrance of the point of the carriage rack between the pinions, and also by being
pressed back by the same, will lift the pinions up. In Fig. I. is represented
the piston in section, having attached to it the rack or cogged part, and how
I propose to make it, which I will now proceed to explain:-Upon a strong
iron bar r, having shoulders and screws at each end, as shewn, I place in the
order represented several discs of iron, wood, and leather, thus:-I form the disc
s, as shown by the sectional figure given, of iron, having a hole through the
centre to fit to the smaller part of the bar r, and to go home to the shoulder;
this disc is made at the extreme edge or point, the diameter of the main, or
nearly so. Next to this I place a disc of thick leather or other suitable
material t, of rather larger diameter. Again to this I place another disc of
iron u, formed in the shape shewn in section, that is, dished or concave on the
inner side, to correspond with the convexity of the disc s, which also having a
hole in the centre, and being placed upon the bar and pressed up will cause the
leather or other material t to take the form shewn; this disc will be nearly the
diameter of the hollow of the main. Before this may be placed a conical block
of wood v, and when all screwed up together by the nut w, will form the one
part of the piston, the leather expanding against the inside of the tube, and
rendering it air-tight, or nearly so. At the other end of the bar the same
arrangement is repeated in the manner shewn, making a double piston,
for greater security in passing the pinions and steadiness of travelling.
(In the piston in the former plan, as represented at Figs. II. and III.,
Drawing A, the leathers and discs are so arranged as to form and only
occupy the space of a cog of the rack, so being capable of passing the projecting
pinions in the main.) This arrangement of parts and general form is shewn at
1,1, 9, 9, 1, 1, where there are intended to be four leathers to the complete
piston, and two bars and nuts to keep them all steady together, but I prefer
the plan above described. Returning now again to Drawing B, the manner
in which I here form the "piston rack" and attach it to the piston is thus:-
I have a rod of iron or steel of suitable strength, rather longer than the space
between two pairs of the pinions on the "main," so that it may be between or
in contact with one pair before leaving the other, this rod having a strong "eye"
formed at one end, and bent down, as shown at a, Fig. I. (Drawing B), and
the eye placed upon the end of the bar r, and fastened up firmly to the wooden
cone by the nut w. The principal part of the rod itself will be in the square
channel upon the main, passing up through the slit or opening. Upon this rod
I place a number of pieces of iron, wood, and caoutchouc, or other material
(to fill up its entire length), of the shape shewn by three views in Figs. VII.,

page_text: VIII., and IX., each having a hole through it the size of the steel rod, which,
when placed regularly against each other, as shewn by Fig. V. (side view) and
Fig. VI., (top view), will form a double line of cogs, being made the proper
size and shape to match with the pinions. When a sufficient number of these
are placed upon the rod to make the required length, they are all secured en
and kept up tightly together by a nut screwed on and secured to the extreme
end of the rod, which then forms the "piston rack;" the same being very nearly
the size of the square channel on the main, will pass along when dragged by
the piston, and will come into contact and gear with the lower pinions as it
passes between them. The first few cogs (say, six,) at the end y, Fig. 1, I would
make of caoutchouc or other elastic and tough material (unless a plain surface
in advance should be found preferable), to prevent concussion, &c., and rather
larger than the others, so that they might fit the square channel filling it,
making, as it were, a piston to this channel, the first one or two having a part
projecting downwards through the slit, as at y, to fill up the slit, and resting
upon the top of the piston, as at y. The same may be repeated over the hinder
part of the piston at z. Next to these six elastic cogs I would place about
nine cogs of tough wood, and then fill up the rest of the rod with iron ones
(unless wood or other material should be found preferrable). This, then, forms
what I call my "piston" and "piston rack," as represented in its place at
Fig. I., so much of the "rack" 2, 2, being shewn as the Drawing would allow.
The manner I form my "carriage rack" (for this plan) is shewn by Figs. X.
and XI. (Drawing B), Fig. X. being a side view of a portion of it, and Fig. XI.
a top view. 3, 3, 3, is a plate or thin bar of iron or other material, of suitable
width and thickness, being pointed and rounded at its ends, and being long
enough to reach at least two pairs of the pinions on the "main" at once.
each side of this plate are to be riveted pieces of iron or other suitable material,
in the form and manner shewn at 4, 4, at equal and proper distances apart,
which will, when done along the length of both sides of this plate, form a line
of cogs on each side, being made the suitable size and distance apart, to corre-
spond to the pinions. The rivets are represented by the dotted lines at 4, 4, as
running through and fastening two opposite cogs at once. This forms what I
call my "carriage rack," and may be attached to the under part of the railway
carriage or axles in a similar manner as before described (having, Lowever, two
portions beneath at cach place, instead of one with the slot or channel 6,
Fig. VIII., Drawing A, so that the carriage rack may ascend between them
when necessary, the "rack" being here too narrow to admit of the other
arrangement), or in any other convenient manner. The Figs. I. and X.
(Drawing B) shew the intended relative situation of the "piston rack" and
On

page_text: "carriage rack," the piston being a little in advance of the latter. If desirable,
every carriage in a train behind the first one may have a suitable bar of wood
attached in a similar manner as the "rack" is upon the first carriage, to act
like it upon the "guides," and so to keep up the pinions a longer time, thereby
giving greater access to the atmosphere behind the piston. This arrange-
ment also may be made with single pinions and "racks" (though here
explained as double), and in many cases with the advantages of simplicity and
cheapness, when the only difference will be, as before explained, in the former
arrangement.
The arrangements herein-before described and referred to for rendering the
motion of a piston driven by atmospheric pressure available for propulsion will
admit of various modifications; as, for instance, ropes or bands of leather or of
other material may be employed, acting on plain pinions or rollers in place of
the "racks" and pinions, or in connection with a rack and pinion, the motion
of the spindle about its axis being occasioned and employed for the purposes
of propulsion either by adhesion and friction altogether, or by adhesion and
friction conjointly with a rack and pinion; but under ordinary circumstances,
for general purposes, I prefer that the motion of the piston should be trans-
mitted by the agency of racks and pinions, as herein-before particularly
described. It will also be obvious that instead of the spindle rising and forming
a valve for admitting the air behind the piston, the spindle might be fixed
(turning only about its axis) in air-tight sockets, and the air might be admitted
behind the piston through openings at intervals, as the piston and train passed
on; but I prefer the arrangements herein-before particularly described. I
have though it unnecessary to give any directions respecting the production of
the vacum by pumping, this and other practical details forming no part of my
Invention, and being well known to persons conversant with the present system
of atmospheric propulsion.
The operation of this Invention, or manner of its working, is as follows:-
A pipe or tube, as before described, of sufficient diameter being laid along in
a hollow between the rails of a railway, and being exhausted of air, and having
the spindles and pinions arranged as described at intervals throughout its
length, the piston, with its "rack " attached, is placed in this tube, in the
manner before explained, at the farther end from where the air has been or
is being exhausted or withdrawn, the "piston rack" being in gear with the
pinions inside the tube; a railway carriage, having a "carriage rack" attached
to it as described, being placed upon the rails, as shewn by the dotted Figure
Fig. 1, Drawing A, this "carriage rack" being also in gear correspon-
dingly with the pinions on the upper part of the same spindles (that is to

page_text: say, the relative position of each rack being the same, the "piston rack"
being precisely under and matching end to end with the "carriage rack,"
(unless, as in the latter plan, the "piston rack" being longer than the other
is a little in advance of it,) the one rack cannot then move backwards or
forwards without turning the pinions and spindles; these being also in gear
with the other rack, that must move also, and in the same direction. There-
fore if the vacuum has such an effect upon the piston that it advances, then
will the "rack" upon the carriage be effected in the same way by and
through the medium of the spindles and pinions, and will advance also, and
keep its relative situation exactly with the other; the racks being long enough
to reach, as described, at least two pairs of pinions at one time; the next in
advance is acted upon before the one acting has ceased, and therefore as
long as the power applied continues and the piston advances, the carriage
will do the same to the end of the tube, neither arriving before or after the
other, but together, as they cannot separate, nor can one move or stop
without the other; thus would the carriage be propelled, and others if
attached to it.
As it is necessary and important that the atmosphere should be admitted
as nearly behind the piston as possible, the spindle and pinions are lifted up
by the advance of the "piston rack" in the first plan, and by the "carriage
rack" in the second plan, as described before, and the air will enter through
the space allowed by the lifting of the conical or flat portion of the spindle
or axis of the pinions as described; thus would there always be at least two or
more such passages open, as the rack acts upon the one before it leaves the
other. After the rack has passed by, the spindles by their own weight fall
into their original places, and thus make an air-tight tube ready for the next
exhaustion, when, if an air pump be set to work at the other end, and the
direction of the piston and "rack" changed, and placed again as before into
proper gear, the carriage would return in like manner.
Drawing C represents at Fig. 1 a plan or bird's-eye view of a portion of
an atmospheric railway of this description, crossed on a level by a roadway
and another line of atmospheric railway; and Fig. II., a longitudinal elevation
and section of such an arrangement, by which it will easily and plainly be
seen, that there is plenty of space between the pairs of pinions for the
crossing, and that the mains being sunk beneath the surface of the ground
or under the sleepers of the rails, they are entirely out of the way, the car-
riage rack passing on from one pinion to another over such roads without
interfering; shewing also, that where it may happen that two tubes are
required to cross each other, one will pass beneath the other, the upper one

page_text: keeping its level course, the lower one taking a gradual descent or dip under
it, the pinions keeping their necessary level at the upper part, by being
lengthened at such a locality in the spindles or axis and supports, as shewn
at a, Fig. II. The first or "rack carriage" of a train, is shewn advancing
upon this cross line, as it would appear just previously to its taking the pinions
at a. This Drawing represents the first plan described; the latter would differ
in having the "channel" along the top of the "main," and having the pinions
closer together (laterally) &c., &c. As there will not be required by this
plan (even in a single line of rails) any discontinuance of the main tube, but
at a place arranged for trains to meet and cross, which will always be at a
station (and for general purposes not less than twenty miles apart), it would
be only at such places that the main will require any kind of valve to close
its open end. (Fig. XIII., Drawing B,) represents such a crossing; a and b
are the mains, connected with the air pumps by pipes under ground, as it c, c;
d is the situation of the engine, &c. The mains being discontinued at e and f,
and the rails made to take the direction, as shewn, that the trains arriving
here would each take one of the sidings g or h, and thus pass cach other.
The end of the main would simply requiro a disc of iron or wood placed
against the open end, with a little composition to make an air-tight joint
when the vacuum is to be made by the air pump at (d), which disc or valve
will fall or be pushed aside when the piston arrives at the end, and will
require no more attention, excepting being replaced or closing, by the time
this engine (d) is again required to work. The piston would when it arrives
here either partially or wholly leave the tube after displacing the disc or
door at e, f, by its remaining momentum, and the train with the "carriage
rack" will pass on and take one of the sidings g or h, and be stopped by the
attendants by "brakes" as usual; but the operation of stopping would have
been begun before arriving here, the train now only moving slowly and with
sufficient momentum to carry it to the place required, or middle of the siding.
When the piston and rack reach the end of the main, and are out or with-
drawn, I propose there shall be placed at each of the two ends of the
mains e and f (and all similar ends), a receptacle or trough mounted upon
four wheels or rollers, so that the piston coming on to it could be imme-
diately removed for inspection, &c., and another piston newly greased, &c.,
brought and placed (by the same means) with its head in the tube ready for
the next returning train. The trains having both arrived, each train would
be (by any suitable means) urged on to the commencement of the opposite
main, where the fresh pistons having been already inserted (and held by any
convenient contrivance) and the vacuum formed, the carriage rack coming

page_text: into gear with the first pair of pinions near e or f, and the piston released, the
train would start on its journey. Thus, the pistons would never leave the main
or enter another but at a very slow pace, and at a place for stopping; and
also, that the same piston is not required to go on the whole journey, but a fresh
one every twenty miles, leaving the other to be examined, &c. The dotted
lines from e to i and from f to j, represent the continuance of the hollows or
channel in the ground turning to one side, running under the rails, and
ascending to the surface level by which the pistons are removed and replaced.
Several other arrangements might be adopted for the foregoing purposes, but
the one here described may be as good as any. I also should prefer that the
spindles and pinions situated near the crossing stations should not be lifted
up for admission of the air as the others, and therefore they would not
require the apparatus or parts u, u, Figs. I., II., and III., (Drawing B), for
that purpose. By this arrangement the piston would have less force impelling
it, as the air not continuing to enter, that which is in would be rarified or
attenuated, thus not only assist in stopping, but would be so much done
towards the next exhaustion which is immediately to be made (if a valve were
introduced to shut off for this purpose), thus economizing time and power.
When this method of proulsion is used upon common roads, the tube will be
sunk or buried along the side or centre of the road, and its operation would
be as before described, there merely being the absence of the rails. When
used as a means of propulsion upon rivers or canals, the tube may be smaller,
and laid either at the edge of the water or upon piles or posts along its
centre, the "rack" being affixed to the bows or side of the vessel to be
propelled, to which may be attached any others that are intended to be drawn
with it, thus making, as it were, a train of vessels; the general operation in
other respects would be the same as described for carriages upon railways.
Along the line of railway, road, or canal there may be laid down a small tube
or tubes such as are used for gas, about half an inch diameter in the bore,
and put together air tight; these tubes would terminate in any suitable place
at each station, by having their ends brought up and bent round, having a
portion of glass tube fitted on, and that made to dip into a vessel containing
mercury; near the end or part where the glass portion is affixed there will
be a branch pipe leading to a receiver or air-tight vessel, this branch pipe
having a cock or valve, so that communication could be made to shutt off at
pleasure between this receiver and the long tube; this receiver would be
connected with the air pump by a pipe or valve, so that a vacuum would
always be easily procured and maintained in the receiver. Fig. XII., Drawing
(B,) represents such an apparatus, a, a, being pipes leading to the next

page_text: 66
go on."
station Y, and b, b, being the branch pipes leading from the pipes or tubes
a, a, to the exhausted receiver; (c, c,) are the cocks, and (d, d,) the glass
portions dipping into the mercury contained in the vessel (e). These glass
parts I call the "indicators," as each of them will show if the mercury rise
within it, (which will be the case if the air in the tube connected with
either be rarefied, by opening the cock or communication between it and the
receiver at the other station, within which is to be preserved a vacuum or
nearly so. The operation of or manner of using this apparatus, which I term
my pneumatic telegraph," is simply for a person to make the communi-
cation between the vacuous receiver and the tube at a station Z, when almost
at the same instant the same would be indicated at the station Y, whither
the tube is carried by the mercury rising in the glass portion, as shewn at f
so that if one or more of these tubes were laid from station to station, and
any particular meaning agreed upon for the action or rising of the mercury of
any one or more tubes, as "stop," and "
In Fig. XII., a signal can
be conveyed as to the stopping or setting on of the engine, &c., &c. (for which
use it is intended); the tube may be attached to the sleepers, if necessary,
along the line, or buried. Two tubes I consider all that would be necessary
upon an "atmospheric railway," one to indicate by its action "stop," the
other "go on;" these tubes could be made to permit of being acted upon in
any part of the line between the stations, by having places where a pipe could
be attached, and a vacuous vessel carried by the train having a pipe to fit
on, &c. If preferable or necessary, a small float connected with an alarum
or bell may be inserted in the mercury at the foot of the glass tube, (when
it would be necessary for each tube to have a separate vessel, the rising of
the mercury in the tube would lower it in the small vessel, and thus the
float sinking might be made to act upon the "detent" of the alarum, and so
enable it to give notice by a sound or strike upon a bell, in case of the
person not looking at the indicator, &c. I have mentioned these arrange-
ments for a pneumatic telegraph, as a convenient appendage to my method
of propulsion; but I do not claim any exclusive right thereto, the same being
altogether independent of the Invention which I claim to be secured to me
by the above in part recited Letters Patent.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I make
no claim to, and I hereby disclaim as of my Invention, the propulsion of
carriages or vessels by atmospheric pressure on a piston through a continuous
tube, except as herein-after particularly mentioned; but what I do claim as
my Invention is,―

page_text: First, the arrangement and application of air-tight spindles, pinions, or
plain rollers applied to the main tube, and in combination with a piston
travelling by atmospheric pressure for the propulsion of carriages and vessels,
as herein described.
And, secondly, the arrangement and application on the main tube of spindles
having a flat, cupped, on conical seat, acting as valves in combination with a
piston travelling by atmospheric pressure, for the propulsion of carriages and
vessels, as herein described.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, and Her said Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be
my Spefication of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said
Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise
with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention of "Improvements in the Machinery for, or
a new Method of, Propelling Carriages on Railways or common Roads, or
Vessels on Rivers or Canals."
In witness whereof, I, the said James Pilbrow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-four.