IMPROVE- MENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gay Newton Alleyne, of the Butterley Iron
Works, Alfreton, in the County of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES.""
Sealed the 29th September 1865, and dated the 5th April 1865..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gay Newton Alleyne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th April 1865.
I, JOHN GAY NEWTON ALLEYNE, of the Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in-
the County of-Derby, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES," to be as follows:-
One part of my Invention relates to a mode of imparting motion to the
driving wheels of traction engines by means of a worm and worm wheel. For
this purpose I arrange two steam cylinders, one on each side of the smoke
box, to act upon either one and the same crank or two separate cranks of a
crank shaft situated in the longitudinal centre line of the engine. This crank
shaft is connected by means of universal joints and an intermediate shaft to
the worm in gear with the worm wheel fixed on the axle of the driving
wheels, to the axle boxes of which the framing carrying the worm is attached..
The worm is made of such a pitch as just to be capable of being made to
revolve by the worm wheel, so that the engine is not made to stop dead when
the steam is shut off. If, in the above described arrangement, both steam
cylinders are made to work upon one and the same crank, the slide valves to
[Price 8d.1

page_text: both cylinders can be worked by one and the same cam or excentric upon the
crank shaft.
Another part of my Invention has reference to a mode of imparting motion
to traction engines by means of an endless band or chain passing round a
pulley or chain wheel on the crank shaft of the steam engine, and round a
pulley or chain wheel on the driving wheels, arranged in such a manner that
either a fast or a slow motion may be imparted to the driving wheels. For
this purpose the pulley or chain wheel upon the axle of the driving wheels is
made to run loose upon the axle, but is capable of being fixed upon the same
by means of set screws. To this pulley is attached a pinion in gear with a
spur wheel fixed upon a separate shaft, and upon this shaft is also fixed a
pinion in gear with a spur wheel fixed on the axle of the driving wheels. By
this arrangement it will be seen that if it be required to impart a quick motion
to the driving wheels, the pulley or chain wheel upon the axle will have to be
fixed upon the same by means of the screws before mentioned, and the wheel
and pinion upon the separate shaft be slid out of gear," when the driving
wheels will be driven directly by the band or chain. If, on the other hand, it
be required to impart a slow speed to the driving wheels, the pulley or chain
wheel is made to run loose upon the axle of the driving wheels, when the
pinion attached thereto will impart a reduced motion to the spur wheel on the
separate shaft, and the pinion on the latter will impart a still further reduced
motion to the spur wheel. fixed on the axle of the driving wheels.
SPECIFICATION
in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Gay Newton Alleyne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN GAY
NEWTON ALLEYNE, of the Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in the County of
Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Gay Newton Alleyne, Her special licence that I, the said John Gay Newton
Alleyne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Gay Newton Alleyne, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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 TRACTION ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
One part of my Invention relates to a mode of imparting motion to the
driving wheels of traction engines by means of a worm and worm wheel. For
this purpose I arrange two steam cylinders, one on each side of the smoke
box, to act upon either one and the same crank or two separate cranks of a
crank shaft situated in the longitudinal centre line of the engine. This crank
shaft is connected by means of universal joints or other suitable coupling and
an intermediate shaft to the worm in gear with the worm wheel fixed on the
axles of the driving wheels, to the axle boxes of which the framing carrying
the worm is attached. The worm is made of such a pitch as just to be capable
of being made to revolve by the worm wheel, so that the engine is not made
to stop dead when the steam is shut off. If, in the above described arrange-
ment, both steam cylinders are made to work upon one and the same crank
at right angles to each other, the slide valves to both cylinders can be worked
by one and the same cam or excentric upon the crank shaft.
Another part of my Invention has reference to a mode of imparting motion
to traction engines by means of an endless band or chain passing round a
pulley or chain wheel on the crank shaft of the steam engine, and round a
pulley or chain wheel on the driving wheels, arranged in such a manner that
either a fast or a slow motion may be imparted to the driving wheels. For
this purpose the pulley or chain wheel upon the axle of the driving wheels is
made to run loose upon the axle, but is capable of being fixed upon the same
by means of set screws. To this pulley is attached a pinion in gear with a
spur wheel fixed upon a separate shaft, and upon this is also fixed a pinion in
gear with a spur wheel fixed on the axle of the driving wheels.
By this

page_text: arrangement it will be seen that if required to impart a quick motion to the
driving wheels, the pulley or chain wheel upon the axle will have to be fixed
upon the same by means of the screws before mentioned, and the wheel and
pinion upon the separate shaft be slid out of gear, or thrown out of gear, by
an excentric or other suitable arrangement, when the driving wheels will be
driven directly by the band or chain. If, on the other hand, it be required
to impart a slow speed to the driving wheels, the pulley or chain wheel is
made to run loose upon the axle of the driving wheels, when the pinion
attached thereto will impart a reduced motion to the spur wheel on the
separate shaft, and the pinion on the latter will impart a still further reduced'
motion to the spur wheel fixed on the axle of the driving wheels.
Figures 1 to 4, on Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings show the
construction of a traction engine according to the first part of my Invention.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through the engine; Figure 2 shows
a sectional plan; Figure 3 shows a section through the smoke box; and
Figure 4 shows a transverse section in front of the driving wheels. Only such
details of the engine are shown as are necessary to explain the nature of my
Invention.
In this arrangement two steam cylinders A, A, are fixed in a slanting
position, and by preference at right angles to each other, to framework B, B,
inside the smoke box C of the engine. Both cylinders are connected by
means of connecting rods D, D, to one and the same crank E of the crank
shaft F, and their slide valves are both worked by one and the same excentric
P. The shaft F is carried by the strong base plate G, forming the bottom of
the smoke box, and bolted to the framing B, B. The crank shaft F is con-
nected by means of a universal joint H to a shaft I, the other end of which is
connected by another universal joint H¹ to the shaft J, carried by a framing K
fixed to the axle boxes of the driving wheels L. The shaft J has a worm M
fixed or formed upon it, which is in gear with a worm wheel N fixed on the
axle O of the driving wheels. The worm M is formed with a steep thread, so
that it will just run when the steam cylinders are not working, and it is driven
by the rotation of the worm wheel, owing to the traction engines being
dragged along or running with the steam shut off. The universal joints H, H¹,
allow of the crank shaft F driving the worm M notwithstanding the slight
up-and-down motion that the axle O has relative to the crank shaft owing to
its connection to the framing of the engine by means of springs. Although,
for the sake of simplicity, both cylinders are shown connected to one and the
same crank, yet the crank shaft F may also be provided with two cranks at
right angles, in which case the cylinders would not, by preference, be placed

page_text: at right angles to each other. The steam cylinders are protected from the
smoke and flames from the fire-box, as also from the exhaust steam, by means
of a partition plate Q.
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, on Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings, show
the arrangement of a traction engine constructed according to the second part
of my Invention. Figure 5 shows a side elevation; Figure 6 shows a plan;
Figure 7 shows a plan of the driving gear beneath the boiler; and Figure 8
shows a transverse section.
The steam cylinders A, A, are in this arrangement fixed over the fire-box
of the traction engine and impart motion to the crank shaft B. Upon the
end of this shaft is a chain wheel C which imparts motion by means of an
endless chain D to another chain wheel E carried by the framing F. This
chain wheel has a second chain G passing round it, by which it imparts motion
to the chain wheel H on the axle I of the driving wheels J. The chain wheel H
is loose upon the axle I, but is capable of being made to revolve with it by
means of the clutch K. A spur pinion L is fixed to or formed in one with
the chain wheel H, and is in gear with a spur wheel M fixed upon the shaft N
carried by brackets O, O, fixed to or formed upon the axle boxes P, P, of the
driving wheels. Upon the shaft N is also fixed a spur pinion Q in gear with
a spur wheel R loose upon the axle I, but capable of being made to revolve
with the same by the clutch K. From this arrangement it will be seen that
if it is required to drive. the traction engine with a quick speed, then the
clutch K is put in gear with the wheel H, when the axle I and driving
wheels J will receive motion directly from the chain wheel E, and the wheels
M, Q, and R, will simply run loose. But if it be required to drive the engine
with a slow speed, then, by putting the clutch K in gear with the wheel R,
and thus fixing the same on the axle I, it will be seen that, firstly, the chain
wheel E will cause the chain wheel H to revolve loose upon the axle I, that
the pinion L attached to the wheel H will consequently impart a reduced
speed to the wheel M, and that, lastly, the pinion Q will impart a still further
reduced speed to the spur wheel R, and consequently also to the axle I and
driving wheels J. The clutch K is actuated by the bell-crank lever S worked
by means of the rod T and lever U. In place of effecting the change of
speed by means of the clutch K the wheel R may be permanently fixed on
the axle I, and the wheels H and L may be fixed upon the same when
required by means of set screws, while the wheels M and Q are made to slide
in and out of gear with the wheels L and R, so that if it is required to drive
with a quick speed the wheel H is fixed on the axle I, and the wheels M
and Q are slid out of gear with the wheels L and R; while, if it is required to

page_text: drive with a slow speed the wheel H is made to revolve loose upon the axle I,
and the wheels M and Q are slid in gear with L and R. Instead of the quick
speed being transmitted direct by the wheel H to the driving wheels this may
be made to transmit the slow speed, and the quick speed may be transmitted
by the wheels L, M, Q, R, by reversing their proportions, that is, by making
L and the spur wheels, and M and R the pinions.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means
I am acquainted with of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that,
with reference. to the first part of my Invention, I do not claim, generally,
imparting motion to traction engines by means of a worm and worm wheel, as
I am well aware that this has before been proposed, but what I claim is,--
First, constructing the driving gear of traction engines of a worm wheel
upon the axle of the driving wheels, in gear with which is a worm connected
by means of universal joints, or their equivalents, directly to a crank shaft
driven by the steam engine, substantially as herein-before described with
reference to Figures 1 to 4, on Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings.
Second, connecting the steam cylinders directly to the worm shaft, or a
continuation thereof, and placing them at right angles to the longitudinal axis
of the traction engine, and at right angles, or nearly so; to each other..
Third, so arranging the driving gear of traction engines that either a slow
or a fast speed may be imparted to the driving wheels by imparting motion to
the axle thereof, either directly by means of a chain wheel or pulley and belt
upon such axle or indirectly by causing such pulley to. revolve loose upon the
axle, and to impart its motion to a spur wheel. upon the axle by means of
speed-reducing or speed-increasing gearing, substantially as herein-before
described with reference to Figures 5 to 8 on Sheet II. of the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 30th day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. G. N. ALLEYNE. (L.s.)