Improved System for Heating Railway Coaches.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1893—Accepted, 15th July, 1893
COMIDELE DI BUITRATION.
Improved System for Heating Railway Coaches.
I, JAMES FINNEY MELROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the
City and County of Albany, State of New York, by occupation a Manufacturer,
carrying on business at No. 936 Broadway, in the City of Albany, N.Y., do
hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to railway car heating systems; and the object of my
invention is to provide a system for heating railway cars, more particularly those
which are divided into compartments similar to those used in Great Britain and on
the European Continent, by means of which steam and hot water are employed.
I attain this object by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which
Fig. 1 is a plan of a car with a part broken away.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.
Fig. 3 is a detail view of the jacket, and
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the drip trap.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
I show a part of two compartments of a car, A and B. C represents the steam
supplying pipe which passes along the bottom of the car and at the end of each car
is provided with a vertical section c, which in turn is connected with a similar pipe
on the adjoining car. On the vertical section c I usually arrange a valve D
adapted to open or close the pipe C and thus regulate the admission of steam there-
through.
place about the pipe C a jacket J arranged in such a manner as to leave a
space between the exterior of the pipe C and the interior of the jacket J for water
of circulation, thus forming a water drum. I usually place a corrugated copper
pipe E within the jacket J securing the same to the pipe C at each end, as shown
in Fig. 3; instead of running the pipe C through the jacket J. The object I have
for constructing this pipe of copper and corrugating the same, is to provide for
the expansion and contraction of that portion of the pipe within the jacket and
also to bring as large a surface as possible in contact with the water within the
jacket.
For the purpose of draining the jacket, I sometimes arrange a drip valve j
therein and construct the jacket in such a manner that the drip valve will be at the
lowest portion of the jacket. For the purpose of draining the pipe C, I construct
a drip valve therein arranged in the following manner: connected with the pipe C,
I place the connecting pipe f opening into the valve F connected with the
cylinder G. Within the cylinder G and extending to near the end opposite the
valve F, I arrange a brass pipe g, which connects with the valve F. In the bottom
of the cylinder G is the drip port g'.
When the steam is passing through the pipe C and enters the valve F coming in
contact with the brass pipe g, the brass pipe will expand and come in contact
with the end block G' of the cylinder G, preventing the exhaust of steam or water
from the pipe. When, however, the steam has ceased to enter the pipe C and it is
then desired to drain the pipe, the contraction of the pipe g will cause the contents
of the pipe to pass out into the cylinder G and drip from the port g'.
Within each compartment A and B and adjacent to the partition separating them
and beneath the seats, I arrange suitable radiators consisting of a series of pipes R.
I connect the jacket J by means of the vertical pipe S to the radiating pipes R in
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the compartment A. The pipe S connects with the jacket J at its top or highest
portion thereof and entering the car connects with the pipe r running to one end of
the car, where it connects with a pipe s which extends parallel with the side of the
car and into the adjoining compartment and is provided at each end with a valve S' S
by the operation of which the circulation of water may be stopped. The pipes is
connected with the radiating pipes R and as many radiating pipes may, be placed
within the compartment as is deemed advisable.
Beneath the seats of the car, I arrange an expansion drum H, which is usually
placed very near the seat of the car and above the radiating pipes. I connect the
radiating pipes with the expansion drum by means of the pipes k k¹ k*. The
expansion drum is for the purpose of receiving air that may lodge in the circulating
pipes and also for holding a small surplus of water to replenish the heating pipes.
The expansion drum may be placed as above set forth, or it may be placed on
the roof of the car, or at any other convenient point and the air pipes connected to
the different radiators may be then connected into a pipe which leads to the expansion
drum, so that under all circumstances, air in the radiating pipes may be carried to
the expansion drum.
The expansion drum and radiating pipes are connected by means of the
pipes K, K with the jacket J, which pipes K, K' connect with the horizontal pipe L
which enters the jacket J at the bottom or lower part thereof.
As thus arranged, the steam from the locomotive passing through the pipe C
heats the water of circulation in the jacket J, which passes up through the pipe S
into the pipe s at the end of the adjoining compartments, from whence it circulates
through the radiating pipes in the adjoining compartments and passes back to the
bottom of the jacket J, where it may be heated again and continue to circulate.
The temperature within the car may be regulated by operating the valve S¹ at
the end of the pipes, which is usually provided with a hand wheel for convenience
of operation. The valve S¹ may be placed in any other position in the line of
water circulation, its object being to prevent a movement of water through the
radiating pipes when but little heat is required.
I preferably use one jacket for two compartments providing a flow of water,
as shown in the drawings, although I may make different combinations if desired.
Instead of making the corrugated pipe in the heating drum a part of the train
pipe, it is evident that this drum may be placed in such a position that when
one end of the drum is connected to the train pipe and the water of condensation
be allowed to return either to the train pipe, or it may be connected with a
separate pipe to a trap placed under the body of the car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A system for heating compartment cars consisting of a circulation of water
within a car said water heated by means of steam from the locomotive, sub-
stantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. A system for heating compartments of a railway car, consisting of a
circulation of hot water within suitable radiators placed in the car, in which the
heating agent is steam from the locomotive brought into contact with a receptacle
containing the water of circulation for the car, substantially as described and for
the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a car heating system, the combination of a system of water circulating
pipes within the car, of a suitable radiator in contact with said circulating system,
mechanism for supplying said radiator with steam as a primary means of heating
said circulating system, mechanism for returning the water of condensation from
the steam supplying system, substantially as described and for the purpose set
.forth.
4th. In a car-heating system, the combination of hot water circulating pipes
within a car, a suitable radiator in contact with said circulating system or branch

page_text: thereof, mechanism for supplying said radiator with steam as a means of heating
said circulating system, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
5th. A system for heating railway cars, consisting of a steam supplying pipe, a
jacket having a surface heated by means of the steam passing through said steam
supplying pipe, a water circulating system which is connected with said jacket, an
expansion drum, radiator pipes connected with said expansion drum, substantially
as described and for the purpose set forth.
6th. In a system for heating railway cars, a steam supplying pipe, a jacket,
a pipe placed within said jacket connecting at each end with said steam supplying
pipe, said jacket communicating with radiating pipes placed within the car,
radiating pipes placed within the car connecting with an expansion drum, a com-
munication between said expansion drum and said radiating pipes with the lower
portion of said jacket, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
7th. In a system for heating railway care, a water circulating system having its
source of heat steam from the locomotive passing through a suitable chamber, with
means for regulating the circulation of water by the operation of a valve placed in
the line of water circulation, substantially as described and for the purpose set
forth.
8th. In a system for heating railway cars, a drip mechanism consisting of a
cylinder, a brass pipe therein, connections between said brass pipe and the steam
supplying pipe arranged in such a manner that the heat of the steam shall cause
the brass pipe to expand and abut against the end of the cylinder or a block placed
in said cylinder, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
9th. In a system for heating railway cars, the combination of a steam supplying
pipe, a water drum or a jacket provided with a corrugated copper pipe of smaller
diameter than said drum, said pipe connecting at each end with a steam supplying
pipe, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
10th. In a system for heating railway cars, the combination of a steam supplying
pipe, an enveloping jacket, communication from the top of said enveloping jacket
with radiators placed within said car, an expansion drum connected with the end of
each radiator and with the lower portion of said jacket by the operation of which
the water of circulation will be heated within said jacket and circulated through
said radiators, the air from the radiators passing into said expansion drum, said
radiators connected with the lower portion of said jacket, with a means for
regulating the circulation of said water within the car, substantially as described
and for the purpose set forth.
Dated thin 10th dow of Mar 1902
JAMES FINNEY MCELROY.
Cruikshank & Fairweather,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.