IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."-A communication.
Sealed the 8th April 1859, and dated the 29th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th November 1858.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," (a communication from foreigners
residing abroad), to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
locomotive engines intended for running over steep gradients and sharp curves,
and consists, principally, of a novel combination of the axles with the
locomotive framing, and of an improved construction of framing whereby a
transverse or lateral play is allowed to the hind axles and wheels, whilst the
leading axles and wheels are stationary, as regards lateral motion, in their
bearings. Any convenient number of running wheels may be used, but eight
are preferred, arranged in two pairs between the smoke box and the fire box.
The axles of the two leading pairs of wheels are carried in suitable boxes in

page_text: the fixed framing of the engine, whilst the axles of the hinder pairs or trailing
wheels are carried in boxes in internal frames, connected by sliding pivots to
transverse beams secured to the outer or rigid framing. The front axle is the
driving axle; it is fitted at each extremity with a single crank outside the
wheels, and may also be formed with two intermediate double cranks; but
these latter may be, dispensed with in some cases. When constructed with
the intermediate cranks, the motion of each piston, the cylinders of which are
placed beneath the smoke box, is transmitted to the axle by means of two
connecting rods jointed to the opposite ends of a cross head on the piston
which works in suitable guide bars; one of these rods is connected with the
outside single crank, and the other with the corresponding intermediate crank.
The whole of the wheels are coupled, and the feed pumps are worked from the
crank of the trailing wheels. The eccentrics for working the slide valves and
gear are disposed in the centre of the front or driving axle between the double
cranks. A suitable water tank is placed across the barrel of the boiler, and a
second one is fitted beneath the axle of the trailing wheels with which latter
the feed pumps are connected. A coke receptacle is carried by the foot plate,
and an ordinary tender is added to the whole. The frame of the front part
of the tender extends beneath the frame at the hind part of the engine, and
below this junction is fitted the axle of the leading pair of wheels of the
tender. Two vertical buffers are fitted to the front end of the framing of
the tender and bear against the under sides of the hinder overlapping part
of the locomotive framing, so that on ascending inclines, or when the load
of the hinder part is increased, 'this load will be borne partly by the vertical
buffers and bearing springs of the leading wheels of the tender.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the 'conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein 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 LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES," a communication from
foreigners residing abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement
of locomotive engines intended for steep gradients and sharp curves, and
consists principally of a novel combination of the axles with the locomotive
framing and of an improved construction of framing, whereby a transverse
or lateral play is allowed to the hind axles and wheels, whilst the leading
axles and wheels are stationary, as regards lateral motion of their axle boxes.
Any convenient number of running wheels may be used, but eight are pre-
ferred, arranged in two pairs between the smoke box and the fire box. The
axles of the two leading pairs of wheels are carried in suitable boxes in the
fixed framing of the engine, whilst the axles of the hinder pairs or trailing
wheels are carried in boxes in internal frames connected by sliding pivots to
transverse beams secured to the outer or rigid framing. The front axle is
the driving axle; it is fitted at each extremity with a single crank outside
the wheels, and may also be formed with intermediate double cranks, but
these latter may be dispensed with in some cases. When constructed, with
the intermediate cranks, the motion of each piston, the cylinders of which
are placed beneath the smoke box, is transmitted to the axle by means of two
connecting rods jointed to the opposite ends of a crosshead on the piston
which works in suitable guide bars; one of these rods is connected with the
outside single crank, and the other with the corresponding intermediate crank.

page_text: The whole of the wheels are coupled, and the feed pumps are worked from
the cranks of the trailing wheels. The eccentrics for working the slide valves
and gear are disposed in the centre of the front or driving axle between the
double cranks. A suitable water tank is placed across the barrel of the
boiler, and a second one is fitted behind. the axle of the trailing wheels, with
which latter tank the feed pumps are connected. A coke receptacle is
carried by the foot plate, and an ordinary tender is added to the whole. The
frame of the front part of the tender extends beneath the frame at the hind
part of the engine, and below this junction is fitted the axle of the leading
pair of wheels of the tender. Two vertical spring buffers are fitted to the
front end of the framing of the tender and bear against the under sides of
the hinder overlapping part of the locomotive framing, so that on ascending
inclines, or when the load of the hinder part is increased, this load will be
borne partly by the vertical buffers and bearing springs of the leading wheels
of the tender.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
figures.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal external elevation of a locomotive and
tender constructed according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a detail vertical
section of two of the trailing axles, shewing the wheels, axle boxes, and
internal framing; Figure 3 is a half sectional plan of the engine corre-
sponding to Figure 1; Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken partly
through the smoke box and partly through the cylinder; and Figure 5
is another transverse section taken through the pivots of the internal frames.
On each side of the boiler C upon the external and internal frames d and e
respectively (the inner frame pivotting at P and the two frames being con-
nected by the transverse bars S) are arranged the two cylinders K, the con-
necting rods m, m', from which are attached to a crosshead on the piston rod
and are jointed, the one with the double inner crank i, and the other with the
outside crank V; or, if desired, three cylinders may be used, two being placed
outside, and one inside the engine. The four axles f, g, h, i, are divided into
two groups or pairs, the two trailing axles or the three hind axles, if desired,
being free to move transversely by means of the internal frame e centred on
the pivots P in the cross bars S, so that the axle boxes T and H may move
slightly in a transverse direction to the. roadway without disturbing the
parallelism of the axles. For this purpose the boxes T. of the internal

page_text: moveable frame e which support the main weight of the engine are uncon-
trolled by guard irons, being solely connected with the internal frame and
their springs by vertical sliding bearing rods or spindles, whilst the boxes H
in the rigid frame d, which have no weight to carry but serve merely to pre-
serve the parallelism of the axles may play with slight friction in their guides
so as to allow for the transverse displacement required. The coupling of the
four axles f, g, h, i, is accomplished by means of the outside cranks V and
ordinary coupling rods n, n', o.
a, a, are the feed pumps, connected with the lower water tank; and worked
from the crank of the hind axle through the rod b and lever c; p represents
one of two vertical spring buffers carried by the tender and bearing against
the under side of the hind portion of the engine, as shewn, so as to cause a
portion of the weight of the engine when running over gradients to be trans-
ferred to the leading axle of the tender. The principal advantages to be
derived from the use of this engine are the obtainment of great tractive
powers, combined with lightness, that although the eight wheels are coupled
the engine is capable of traversing the sharpest curves; the absence of dead
weight, as the whole of the parts co-operate to increase the adhesion of the
eight wheels; the avoidance of oscillation by the perfect balancing of all the
working parts; the absence of counterweights and the non-rigidity of the
axles, thereby greatly reducing the wear and tear of the tyres; facility in
separating the parts, the inner and outer frame being taken asunder by simply
removing two nuts; greater ease in passing over sharp curves, and oscillation
reduced by the peculiar arrangement of the various parts, but especially by
the spherical form of the crank pins of the coupling rods.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,—
First, the general construction and arrangement of locomotive engines, as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second, the peculiar mode of mounting the trailing axles of locomotive
engines, whereby they are free to move transversely to the roadway in passing
over curves, as herein-before described.
Third, the combination in locomotive engines of an inner moveable frame

page_text: with an outer fixed or rigid frame, in the manner and for the purpose herein-
before described.
Fourth, the peculiar arrangement of crossheads, connecting rods, and
cranks for communicating the motion of the piston rods in locomotive engines
to the driving axle, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the coupling of the four axles of eight-wheeled locomotive engines
when the trailing axles of such engines are allowed to play freely in a trans-
verse direction to the roadway, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)