CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE STEAM CARRIAGES, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO ORDINARY CARRIAGES, AND TO STEAM ENGINES EMPLOYED FOR OTHER USES
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
HICK, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Engineer, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighth day of October, in the fifth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto inc, the said
Benjamin Ilick, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Iis especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Benjamin Ilick, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin
Hick, my executors, administrators, or assigns, shall at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, Ilis Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE STEAM CARRIAGES,
PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO ORDINARY CARRIAGES, AND TO
STEAM ENGINES EMPLOYED FOR OTHER USES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that if I, the said Benjamin Ilick, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the sanie to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately ensuing the date
of those Letters Patent, that then those Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and

page_text: become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, as in and by the said Letters Patent, on reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Benjamin Hick, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My said Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the
steam cylinders, in the manner of applying the power to the running wheels,
and in the construction of the running wheels.
The Drawings hereunto annexed represent a locomotive engine fitted with
iny improvements adapted to railroads, which I will proceed to describe with
reference to the several Figures. Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine
and carriage. Figure 2 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the same. Figure 3 is
a longitudinal section, partly in clevation. Figure 4 is a plan partly in section.
Figure 5 is an end view partly in section. Figure 6 is a cross section of the
engine through the centre of the running wheels, shewing one mode of con-
structing those wheels. Figure 7 is a section of the wheels constructed upon
another mode, and represented on a larger scale. The same letters refer to
similar parts in each Figure. a is the boiler containing numerous pipes or
tubes b, placed vertically, and surrounded by water. The lower ends of these
tubes open into the top of the furnace or fire box c, which is supplied with fuel
through the aperture d, covered with the door e. The sides, ends, and top of
the fire box are separated from the exterior shell of the boiler by a space filled
with water. f represents the grate bars. 9 is an inverted frustrum of a cone
or dome opening into the top of the fire box, and rising thence to within a
small I space of the level of the water, for the purpose of exposing a large surface
to the direct radiant action of the fire, and in order to prevent the heated gases
and smoke from passing too rapidly off through the tubes. It serves also to
diminish the weight of the water in the boiler. The chamber h receives the
steam generated in the boiler. This steam chamber is surrounded by the heated
matter which escapes from the upper parts of the tubes, and ascends to the
chimney through the space between the exterior cover of the boiler and
the chamber. The pipe conducts the steam from the boiler to the
valve boxes, whence it is transmitted in succession at proper intervals
The steam
by the valves to the upper parts of the three cylinders l.
is withdrawn from the cylinders after each stroke of the pistons m by the
eduction pipes n, which discharges it in the usual way into the chimney.

page_text: The cylinders are closed at the top, but are open to the atmosphere at the
bottom, so that the steam presses only on the upper surface of each piston.
Each of the connecting rods o is coupled to the under surface of its piston by
a joint, and the pistons are kept steady in their proper positions by the sinall
rods attached to them, which work freely through the guiders 7. The three
connecting rods act upon the cranked axle r, upon which toothed wheels, s, t,
of different diameters, are staked, the crank pins, fixed in the wheels, and
the crank, being respectively placed at an angle of one hundred and twenty
degrees with each other, by which means a very uniform rotary motion will be
communicated to the axle or shaft 2. These toothed wheels work into and
drive two other wheels w, e, fitted so as to turn freely upon the shaft y, on the
ends of which two of the running wheels of the carriage are keyed fast.
A catch box slides laterally upon keys bedded into the shaft y, which keys
prevent the catch box from revolving without the shaft. The lateral sliding
movement may be given to the catch box by a forked lever, or by any other
convenient method. When it is required to impel the carriage with the
greatest velocity, as on a level line of railway, the catch box is to be brought
into gear with the equal wheels s, w; whereas, when greater power is desired
with a diminished speed, as on an ascending road, the catch box is to be disen-
gaged from the equal wheels, and thrown into gear with the unequal pair t, x,
on the opposite side. In the Figures the small wheel is represented to be
only one half the diameter of the larger wheel a, which dimensions would
cause the carriage to be impelled by those wheels with one half the velocity,
but with double the power of that derived from the action of the equal wheels.
The ratio of the unequal pair of wheels may be varied according to circum-
stances, so as to produce greater or less relative velocity and power. In
descending inclined planes or roads, the catch box may be altogether discn-
gaged from the wheels, when it will be in the position represented in Figure 4.
and the carriage will descend the road by its own gravity, the engines and
toothed wheels remaining in a state of rest. It is also evident, that with the
catch box in this last position the engine may be worked whilst the carriage
itself is stationary. It is unnecessary to describe in detail the framework of
the engine carriage, as it is well known that each particular engine requires a
carriage arranged expressly to receive it; nor is it needful to explain in
language the manner of working the valves. The valve mechanism is
sufficiently shewn in the different Figures, and 1 lay no claim to any peculiar
form of valve or mode of working it.
The foregoing description refers specially to the locomotive engine representer
in the Drawings, the several parts of which I consider to be disposed in the most
advantageous manner; but I do not mean to claim the whole as my Invention.

page_text: I claim as my Invention the combination of two or more cylinders, cach
having its lower end open so that the steam presses only upon the upper
surfaces of the pistons, and communicates its power to the crank shaft or
running wheels in a downward direction only. I apprehend that by these
means greater adhesion will be obtained between the wheels and the road, and
that less vibration will be given to the carriage than when the power is
applied to the wheels in an upward and downward or in a forward and back-
ward direction alternately. I do not mean to prescribe the use of three
rather than two or any other convenient number of steam cylinders exceeding
one, though for locomotive purposes and general use three cylinders will be
most suitable. The power of the engine may, if preferred, be directly com-
municated through the connecting rods to a cranked axle placed beneath the
cylinders, and on which the running wheels are staked, instead of being applied
through the medium of toothed wheels. It is also obvious that this
arrangement of cylinders is equally applicable to steam engines employed for
other purposes than locomotion.
I will now proceed to describe the improvements in carriage wheels which I
claim as my Invention, two modes of constructing which are represented in
section in Figures 6 and 7. A is the nave, of cast iron or other metal; B, the
rim or felly, of rolled iron; C, discs of plate iron, which unite the nave with
the rim or felly. Figure 7 shews one method of making these wheels. The
exterior faces of the flaunches D are cast to the required form, the interior
parts E of the felly being turned to receive the discs. The discs are brought
to fit the nave and felly accurately and tightly by being pressed to the exact
shape and size in a block of metal. The discs may also, if the wheels are
destined to carry great weights, be tightly pressed into the recesses of the nave
and felly, or the fellies may be expanded by heat, and then allowed to contract
upon the disc by cooling, as in the usual way. The discs are secured in their
places by four or more bolts or rivets F, according to the size of the wheels,
passing through the flaunches of the nave, and by a few bolts or rivets, which
prevent them from separating from the felly.
Figure 6 shews another method of fitting up this kind of wheel, by which it
will be seen that the nave A has only one flaunch D cast upon it, its outer side
being turned parallel to receive the separate flaunch G, which is accurately
bored to fit it, to which flaunch one of the discs is rivetted or bolted. This
separate flaunch, with its disc, being placed upon the nave, is screwed up by
the tightening bolts H passing through it and the flaunch D, until the
peripheries of the discs are in close contact with the interior surface of the felly
turned to receive them. The separate flaunch and disc may also be tightly
pressed into their place, and then made fast by bolts or rivets, as before

page_text: explained. A small key or pin is introduced to secure the separate flaunch
and disc on the nave.
It will be seen that the wheels in the several Figures are formed with
fellies or tires suitable to railways, but I do not confine myself to this
adaptation. Wheels for carts, waggons, coaches, timber carriages, and
for many other uses, may be advantageously constructed on this principle.
The forms, dimensions, nature, and strength of material of the naves, discs, and
fellies, as well as the mode of uniting the different parts, may be varied in order
to suit the particular purpose for which the wheels are required, and to the
wear and tear to which they are liable. For wheels of very large diameters
discs of iron in entire plates could not be procured, in which case I intend to
compose the disc by rivetting together several plates cut to segments of the
required diameter.
And I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of my said Invention,
and do verily believe that the sanic doth comply in all respects with the said
proviso in the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Hick, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.