IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustin Morel, of Roubaix, in the Department of
the Nord, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRACTION ENGINES."
Sealed the 10th May 1864, and dated the 23rd March 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Augustin Morel, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on
the 23rd March 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTIN.
MOREL, of Roubaix, in the Department of the Nord, in the Empire of France,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention. for." IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRACTION ENGINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me; my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same;.
and have made solemn declaration that I verily believe myself to be the true
and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW. YE, that I, the said Augustin Morel do hereby declare
that, the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully

page_text: describes and ascertains the nature of my said Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the Sheet of Draw-
ing hereunto annexed and forming part of this Specification, and to the figures
and letters of reference placed thereon, similar letters being placed upon
and denoting similar parts, red lines denoting toothed gearing, and green ones
straps or bands, where such parts appear or may be seen in each of the
Figures respectively.
.
The improvements, the subject of this Invention, apply to the traction engine
or "automaton horse" for which I obtained Letters Patent No. 1588, and dated
the Nineteenth day of June, A.D. 1863, and consist, firstly, in the addition of
a second steam engine mounted on the hind part of the arrangement and
provided with the steam reversing gear used in ordinary locomotives to effect a
backward movement. This said engine gives motion simply to the two wheels
of the hind part of the traction engine or "automaton horse" by means of
bands and pulleys so arranged that the wheels may be rendered loose and
independent of each other during the progress of the traction engine.
Secondly, the steam engine indicated in the Specification of my aforesaid
Letters Patent, No. 1538 A.D. 1868, instead of being placed in the centre of
the arrangement and giving motion to the four wheels is carried on to the fore
part and gives motion only to the two 'fore wheels. This engine turns always in
the same direction, and is not like that first mentioned provided with reversing
gear, but it is so arranged that it may work without acting on the fore wheels
by loosening the bands, which then slide on the pulleys, the result being that at
the will of the driver the engine causes the fore part to turn to the right or
left without it being necessary that the entire arrangement change its place.
This engine receives its steam direct, and is the first set in motion when its
traction power is sufficient, the hind part follows without being directly acted
upon, the two fore wheels guiding the entire arrangement, as their traction
power and their speed being greater than those of the hind part they compel
this latter to follow their direction.
.
Thirdly, although this pair of engines may each take their steam direct
from the generator by working the steam cocks with the same transmission of
motion, that of the fore part being in front of that of the hind part, yet to use
the steam in the most rational manner it first leaves the generator by a pipe
passing through the centre of the working pin and is in communication by a cook
with the two cylinders of the fore engine which it leaves after working the
istons and repasses the working pin in a jacket pipe going into a small
reservoir furnished with an escape cock, which permits the steam to be let off
into the air, or shuts the passage so that it goes into the cylinders of the after

page_text: engine to be a second time usefully employed, but as the escape cock is not
always entirely closed, the steam in the cylinders of the after engine is much
less compressed than in those of the fore engine. When it is desired to work
the four wheels at a greater speed the cylinders of the fore part become
almost simple measurers of steam to transmit it to the cylinders of the hind
part, and thus the certainty is assured that the fore part will always work first
and stop last, in one word that it is always the governor of the hind part as well
by its traction power as its transmission of motion.
Fourthly, in a novel combination of boiler which permits the burning of any
solid or liquid fuel or combustible together or separately, that is to say, when
it is desired to use liquid combustible only it is sufficient to place in the furnace
the hollow bars and air distributing pipes indicated in the Specification of my
aforesaid Letters Patent, No 1538, A.D. 1863, and in case it should bo
desired to burn liquid and solid fuel together it suffices to place a. pipe for
injection of liquid in communication with a reservoir and the interior of thẻ
fire-place, in which pipe the liquid is forced by a pump, the working of which is
in relation to the quantity of combustible liquid it is desired to inject on to thō
burning fuel. This arrangement of boiler is also essential to its installation
on the traction engine so as to bring the major part of its weight beneath the
axle and thus lessen the possibility of an upset:
Fifthly, in the installation of the seat on the fore part in such a way that
the conductor always finds himself turned in the direction in which he is to
proceed.
Sixthly, in the arrangement of the circular and conical brakes fitted on the
axle and acting on the pulleys of the hind wheels.
" Seventhly, in an arrangement for transmission of motion specially adapted to
traction. engines intended to draw heavy loads at the usual speed of a walking
horse, and which consists in replacing the pulleys fitted on the axles by toothed
wheels acted upon by pinions mounted on pulleys in direct working with the
steam engines. These pulleys may be rendered loose when required equally as
if they were mounted on the axles.
Eighthly, the tension pulleys are placed on the upper part of the bands and
near the pulleys mounted on the axles, so that when the traction engine' in its
march describes a circle the wheels which travel the greatest distance turn
more rapidly than the others, and by this action the tension pulley is taken off
and the bands on this side slide on the pulleys.
Ninthly, the wheels are mounted on long metal sockets acting as boss or
nave and at the same time carrying the pulleys on which the bands pass and
the brakes act. The two wheels mounted on the same axle are not arranged

page_text: in the same manner in order to render them independent, the one is fast and
.the other loose.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of my
improved traction engine, or "automaton horse?; Figure 2 a plan view; Figure
8, a sectional elevation through the axle of the hind part; and Figure 4, view of
the toothed gearing and the pulley placed on another shaft parallel to the axle,
being the arrangement for drawing heavy loads; f, fire-place in the lower part
of the generator e; 1, 7, horizontal parts of the generator; 2, chimney for
smoke and escape of steam; 1, steam escape pipe; d and du, hind wheels;
1, 1, springs; a', a', cylinders of the steam engine; h, h, and h, h, h, h¹ and h², h²,
pulleys working with the bands; h", tension pulleys; b¹; driving shaft of the after
steam engine; ¹, reversing gear; c, d, braking gear; s, s, under part and
covering of the machine; 711, axle ; r, rod working the steam inlet cock; r³, main
cock; 9, pipe conducting the steam to the fore engine; f^, intermediate steam
reservoir between the fore and aft engine; s", cock for letting off steam or for
conducting it into the cylinders of the hind part; A, balance lever, which
moves the cock 8"; f", pipe for escape of steam from the fore engine into the
reservoir f; n', lever for reversing steam; m¹¹, working pin; d, Z111111
pulleys and tension bearers on the bands of the fore part; c', pulleys mounted on
the axle; P, P", balance beam gear serving to work the toothed directing
wheels tied to the rod 9", which is attached to the guide lever n; b, driving
shaft of the forward steam engine c, c, c, c, c, c, c¹, c', c¹³, c¹³, c¹, c¹, pulleys
working with the bands of the fore part; K³, K", fore wheels; a,a, cylinders
of the fore engine; s³, connecting rod of the engine; h, joint of the steam
escape pipe in the working pin; ", joint and cock of the pipe for entrance
of steam into the forward cylinders, set in motion by the rod P. attached to
the main lever n; d", pedal in connection with the brake gear by means
of the rod 9; and levers g³, J, J, t, t, u, u, and u¹ arrangement of toothed gearing
for directing the fore part; P, joint of the directing gear placed at the bottom
of the main lever n; m, joint of the lever n; P¹, seat of driver t; part of the
arrangement of the machine above the fore part also forming part of the
working pin m, m". Figure 4 arrangement of toothed gearing for slow
traction engines.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the means by
which I carry it into practical effect, I would observe that although I have
accompanied the above description of the arrangements constituting my
"Improvements in Traction Engines" by illustrations necessary to their
comprehension, I do not confine myself to the relative dimensions therein
shewn either as regards the entire combination or its separate parts, and that the

page_text: mechanism and gearing used to produce certain movements may be modified
or changed without departing from my-Invention, and I claim the system or
principle upon which my several improvements are based, as well as the
mechanical means by which I carry them into practical effect, substantially as
described and illustrated by this Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustin Morel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.