IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, AND IN RAILWAYS
Year: 1846

page_text: GALLOWAY'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIJAH
GALLOWAY, of 14, Buckingham Street, Strand, Civil Engineer, 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 at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Elijah Galloway, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Elijah Galloway, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Elijah Galloway, my
exors, admors, or 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, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROTARY ENGINES AND IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, AND IN RAILWAYS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Elijah Gal-
loway, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled 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 and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Elijah Galloway, do hereby describe the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon, it being understood that similar letters indicate similar parts of the
machinery represented by the Figures.
My Invention, as regards the rotary engine, is represented by the Figures 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13; but, in order to explain the principle
thereof, I will begin by referring to the Figures 1 and 2, but firstly to
Figure 1.
The figure here represented consists of segments of circles constructed by
striking them from points in the polygonal dotted figure a, b, a, b, the centres
being at the angles of the polygon, and the centres bat intermediate points
between the angles «. These centres being determined, it is required to
construct the blue and red figures so that the space between the figures should
be parallel. This is done by striking two concentric segments from each of
the centres a and b, the junction taking place in the dotted lines of the
polygon. Having explained the method of constructing the figures, let us
suppose ethered figure cut out of a flat piece of metal of some substance and
uniform thickness, and the blue one to be shaped in a similar piece of metal,
that is to say, the red figure represents the external form of the inner piece of
metal, and the blue figure a recess or aperture. This being done, if we
insert a pin into the centre of the inner figure, and describe therewith the
dotted circle (Figure 2), beginning by placing the parts as shewn at
Figure 2, we shall find that there will be several points of the two figures in
contact with each other in every part of the movement produced by describing
the circle c; and if the pieces be truly formed, several of the intermediate
spaces, as d, e, f, g (caused by the contact of the segments), will be found
successively to be enlarging or contracting during the movement of the inner
piece. If we now conceive the pieces to be enclosed between flat surfaces
fitting accurately, it will be seen that any fluid contained in cavity dcould not
get into cavity e, nor that in f into cavity; and it will be found, that in
whatever part of the circle c the centre of the inner piece be placed, if it be
pressed outwards there will be several insulated cavities like d, e, f, and g.
Now let us suppose steam be admitted by some suitable arrangement so as to
be entering into the cavities e and g, and that the cavities and have a
passage open to the atmosphere, it would follow that the inner piece, which I
shall henceforth call the piston, would have a tendency to move in the direction
of the arrows (Figure 2). If now we conceive that the pin of a crank, whose
radius is equal to that of the dotted circle, be inserted in a suitable hole in the
centre of the piston, by arrangements hereafter to be explained, the pistou

page_text: would turn the crank round in the direction of the arrow. By this motion
enlarging and diminishing cavities would successively result, and we have only
to conceive that steam be supplied to the enlarging cavities at proper intervals,
and that the diminishing cavities be successively opened to the atmosphere or
to a condenser, and it will be readily conceived how a rotary motion will be
communicated to the axis of the crank referred to.
I now proceed to describe the practical construction of an engine em-
bodying the principle here described, the axis of which is here supposed to
work in a vertical position.
Figures 5 and 6 are horizontal and vertical sections of the engine, and
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13 are various views of the parts thereof. 1, 1
is an external case in which the working parts are enclosed; me is the piston,
and n the receiver, which performs the office of the cylinder of an ordinary
engine. These parts, the general form of which will be seen by referring to
the various Figures, are constructed of the form shewn in Figure 1, being of
the same shape for their entire depth. This form is given to them before the
end plates o and are attached to them, and may be obtained by a shaping
machine or other known means, and perfect contact will be ensured by sub.
sequent grinding. The flat plates o and pare bolted to the piston and receiver
respectively, and when working the end contact of the surfaces is secured by
the lower surface (m 1) of Figure 8 rubbing on the upper surface (p 1) of the
lower plate p, while the under side of the plate o rubs on the upper surface
(n 1) of the receiver. The receiver is fitted into the case by its upper flange,
forming a metal joint,q, therewith, and securely bolted thereon. The crank>
has a groove along the outer edge of its pin, into which a segmental pieces,
Figure 10, is fitted and forced outward by a spring lying in the bottom of the
groove, all which will be readily understood by referring to the Drawings.
The crank pin is, as it will be seen, inserted in a corresponding hole in the
piston (see Figures 5, 6), and is somewhat smaller than the hole in the
piston, and the object of the spring is to ensure the necessary contact between
the segmental surfaces of the piston and those of the cylinder or receiver. It
will now be readily comprehended, that if steam be admitted by the steam
pipe t, through the cover ", which carries the crank (Figure 6), it would fill
the space above the piston, but could not get to the eduction passage v without
passing through the engine; that is to say, the space above the piston is
charged with steam, while the space between the case and receiver are open to
the eduction passage. To effect the proper admission and emission of the
steam there are five holes w, w, w, w, w, through the plate o, as seen in the
plan views of the piston (Figure 8). The centre of these holes must be on

page_text: the lines forming the polygon (Figure 1), and just touch the points of junc-.
tion between the segments forming the piston. There are also five similar
holes,,,, through the upper plate of the receiver. It will be seen
that no steam can escape to the eduction pipe except through the holes, a..
To regulate the eduction there are five grooves y,y,y,,y, cut or recessed in
the under or working side of the upper plate o of the piston; and it will be
manifest, on a little examination, that the piston, on performing its circuit,
will bring the curved part of each of the grooves or recesses successfully over
its particular hole a, and thus open channels of communication for a period
between each diminishing cavity and the eduction passage by the curved
portion of the recess passing over the hole. Referring to Figure 2, there-
fore, it will be seen that the cavity (2) is just about to become insulated from:
the induction way, and that at about the same instant the curved groove,
coming over the hole a of that compartment, allows the inclosed steam in z to
escape; and the communication thus formed will continue open until the
cavity z is closed up by the onward motion of the piston, all which will be
understood by well considering Figure 2 and its principle of action.
- >
Figures 3 and 4 represent other modifications of the same principle of
generating the segments, Figure 3 having flat ends to the three piston arms.
In all cases the essential property depends on the making the space between
the piston and receiver parallel, which is secured by the uniform expansion of
the outer figure or receiver, whatever may be the form andsize of the inner one.
1 shall now proceed to describe the improvements in locomotive engines
secured to me by the present Letters Patent; and it is necessary to state, that
on or about the Eighteenth day of April, 1846, I obtained Letters Patent for
improvements in locomotive engines, in which I proposed to propel loco-
motive engines by the use of horizontal driving wheels being pressed towards
each other by means of springs, such wheels acting simultaneously on a middle
rail laid midway between the ordinary rails of a railway; and what I am now
about to describe is proposed to be used as a modification of that principle;
that is to say, instead of the horizontal position of the driving wheels described
and shewn by the Specification of that Patent, I now propose to incline the
wheels at an angle, as shewn in the Diagram, Figure 14. The object of this
modification is to keep more clear of the ground than the horizontal wheel
permits, and that there should be less liability to come in contact with snow or
articles left or falling on or near the line; and lastly, the object is, that the
arrangement will be more convenient for crossings, switches, and turnsout.
Figure 14 represents the inclined wheels, which, however, do not require
description as regards the springs aud adjustment, as, except the inclining

page_text: of the wheels, the details will be much the same as those of my Patent of
April, 1846, referred to, and to the Specification of which I generally refer.
And, lastly, in reference to my improvement in railways comprised in this
Patent, I hereby declare such improvement to consist in making the working
faces of my middle rail, Figure 14, of steel, by having thin layers of steel
welded on the surfaces, on which the nipping or biting wheels act. This can
be doue by piling or uniting thereon bars of steel at a welding heat, or by
some one of the usual methods followed when iron is covered with steel, such
processes being well known to iron manufacturers.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the details as therein described, so long as the peculiar character of either part
of iny Invention be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the mode of constructing rotary engines herein described;
Secondly, I claim the application of inclined wheels as driving wheels of
locomotive engines, such wheels being pressed towards each other, and against
a rail, as herein described; and
Thirdly, I claim the applying steel to the side surfaces of a central rail,
against which driving wheels press, as described.
In witness whereol, I, the said Elijah Galloway, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
ELIJAH (L.S.) GALLOWAY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid Elijah Galloway came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chaucery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-