IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCO- Desen
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Sir James Caleb Anderson, of Fermoy, in the
County of Cork, Baronet, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCO-
Desen
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir James Caleb Anderson'
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st June 1858.
I, Sir JAMES CALEB ANDERSON, of Fermoy, in the County of Cork, Baronet,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOCOMOTION, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
A locomotive engine capable of taking 40 tons 15 miles an hour on a level
by the adhesion of its wheels on the rails will only draw by the same adhesion,
18 tons 1 cwt. up an inclination of one in one hundred, nor will a locomotive
engine by the adhesion of its wheels on a rail & without a load, ascend an
inclination of one foot in fifteen; the driving wheels of a locomotive slip
on inclined rails while they hold well on a stone or timber tramroad or on a
common road. This decrease of surface resistance purchased at the immense
cost of a railway is a source of great difficulty on a very moderate inclination.
Thus when a train on a railway comes to ascend, the advantage of a railway
is lost; it is therefore of great importance to adopt a more facile and less
expensive system for making lines of roads better adapted to the economical
working of locomotive engines.

page_text: No. 1. My improvements in making a permanent way for locomotives to
work on is not to use edge rails or adopt the costly plans followed in con-
structing railways. On a good firm pitching of large stones having their
broad sides downwards, the chinks to be filled in with chips of stone strongly
driven home, and concreted to form a solid and smooth foundation to receive
the upper surface of cut stone blocks, or stone or wood pavement, or well
baked bricks, or small broken stones well cemented together, or timber plated
with flat iron furnished with any of the above materials procurable in the
district thro' which a railway may pass, I form my compound tramroad of the
requisite breadth for the wheels of the locomotives and other carriages to run
on. Equidistant I fix between my compound tramway a Trail of iron or
timber, and to each locomotive engine or other carriage I attach two pair
of horizontal wheels, two wheels to run on each side of the guide rail and
under its horizontal top; by this arrangement a train can be guided round
curves, and cannot run off the line.
No. 2. To counteract the gravity of a train on steep hills I fix another
I guide rail at the side of the compound tramway or common road to guide
a small carriage, which is to be loaded with a weight sufficient to overcome the
gravity of the ascending train. To one end of a rope working in a pulley
wheel fixed on the top of the hill, & extending to the bottom of the hill, the
train is to be fastened, and to the other end of the rope on the top of the hill
the small carriage containing the counteracting weight is to be attached; thus
arranged the small descending carriage will counteract the gravity of the
ascending train. It is quite evident, therefore, that the same power which
will draw a train at any given speed on a level will cause it to ascend a steep
gradient at the same velocity, provided the counteracting weight equals the
gravity of the train.
No. 3. I form the wheels of my steam carriages in such a manner as to
run upon my compound tramway, common road, or railroad. The wheels are
to be made conical, as used on railways, but in place of having the flanges
narrow as railway wheels I make them 3 to 4 inches broad; by this arrange-
ment the conical parts of the wheels will run on the rails, and the cylindrical
on the compound tramroads or on common roads.
No. 4. For the purpose of ascending gradients where the counteracting
weight, as described in No. 2, is not used I form the driving wheels of my
steam carriages thus:-On the insides of the locomotive driving wheels I

page_text: build cylindrical wheels of a smaller diameter than the larger wheels; from
the top to the bottom on each hill I lay a timber tramway. As soon as a
locomotive carriage reaches a hill its smaller wheels will run on the timber
tramway, when the periphery of the larger wheels no longer resting on the
ground, the engine power will act on the smaller wheels, and thus as speed is
lost power is gained. Should it be necessary, in order to prevent the wheels
from slipping, they can be cogged, as also the tramway. The guiding rail,
as described in No. 1, will prevent lateral friction.
No. 5. It may sometimes be necessary to run the train off the common.
tramway on to the common road, I therefore fix to each of my locomotive
carriages a suitable arrangement for steering the fore wheels.
No. 6. Upon edge rails used on railroads a force of 10 lbs. or th part will
move a ton weight on a level. In order to convey heavy loads it has been
found necessary to increase the weight of the locomotives from 8 tons.to
28 tons, the rails first laid being too light, heavier ones have been substituted
at a great outlay. To secure the friction of any number of the wheels of the
train that may be required by their friction on the rails to draw a load, I
place the wheels of the carriages so as to revolve on the concave surfaces
of larger wheels, each wheel of the respective carriages to work in a larger
wheel, as above described; each of the larger wheels is to have a separate
axle to revolve in a box fixed to a frame placed outside of the large wheels.
The side frames are to be united by cross pieces, to hold. each pair of the
outside frames together, and vertical slots of iron are to be attached to
the frames of the carriages to keep the large wheels equidistant, so as not
to rub against the sides of the carriages; thus arranged the small wheels of the
respective carriages can be moved either forward or backward on the concave
surfaces of the larger wheels. To the locomotive engine I attach the first
carriage, and to the hinder part of the frame of the first carriage I attach
the second carriage, and this arrangement I continue with all the other
carriages in the train, using the large wheels. As soon as the locomotive
moves it will draw the first carriage forward by its wheels having advanced
beyond the point of contact where the large wheels touch the rails, when the
weight of the carriage will instantly cause the larger wheels to rotate in
the direction of the power and to draw after it the second carriage connected
to the hind part of the frame of the first carriage, and so on in succession all
the other carriages; thus I cause the weight of each carriage to become
a propelling power, and I obtain the friction of all the large wheels used on a
tramroad, railroad, or common road; consequently heavy loads can be taken

page_text: up gradients which cannot be ascended by means of the arrangements now in
use. Much smaller locomotive engines will effectually do the work, as the
only power required will be to keep the first carriage wheels a little in advance
of the points; its larger wheels touch the tramroad, railroad, or common
road. The weight of the first carriage then becomes a propelling power, and
so on in. succession a propelling power will be obtained by all the other
carriages in a train, using the large wheels as before described. For railways
the large wheels will have to be made conical with flanges, such as the wheels
In order to obtain this new propelling power, videlicit, the weight
carried carriages with the large wheels can be built to convey luggage or goods,
and thus I obtain a propelling power without cost.
No. 7. For manufacturing purposes I use a circular cogged tramroad or
railroad. To an upright shaft I.fix a horizontal beam, to which carriages
using the large wheels, as described for locomotion, are to be attached. To
the fore part of the first carriage I hook on a small locomotive; as soon
as the steam carriage moves it will draw after it the first carriage, when its
weight will become a propelling power, which may be increased to any
extent; thus the horizontal beam will be made to revolve, and consequently
to give motion to the upright shaft, from which the power can be by gearing
conveyed to work machinery of all descriptions.
No. 8. To create a powerful blast for locomotive carriages and other
purposes I fix horizontally a pipe of at least twelve inches diameter, extending
from the front of the steam carriage to the front of the ash-pit under the
fire-place of the boiler; the pipe is to be open at both ends. Into the front
opening of the horizontal pipe a small pipe of about an inch in diameter is to
be inserted for a short distance; air being forced by a fan through the small
pipe, it will retain its velocity for a considerable distance within the large pipe
without expanding, and will draw along with it a great volumn of air, by
which an intense blast can be obtained by a comparatively small power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 30
by the said Sir James Caleb Anderson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th December 1-858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Sir
JAMES CALEB ANDERSON, of Fermoy, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Baronet,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our.
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second.
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant.
unto me, the said James Caleb Anderson, Her special licence that I,.
the said James Caleb Anderson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as I, the said James Caleb Anderson, my. executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,.
from time to time and at all 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 LOCOMOTION, PARTS OF WHICH-
ARE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Caleb Anderson, 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 James Caleb Anderson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say:-
A locomotive engine capable of taking forty tons fifteen miles an hour on a
level by the adhesion of its wheels on the rails, will only draw by the same
adhesion thirteen tons one hundredweight up an inclination of one in one
hundred, nor will a locomotive engine by the adhesion of its wheels on a rail
and without a load ascend an inclination of one foot in fifteen. The driving,
wheels of a locomotive slip on inclined rails, while they hold well on a stone
or timber tramroad, or on a common road. This decrease of surface resistance,
purchased at the immense cost of a railway, is a source of great difficulty on a
very moderate inclination. Thus when a train on a railway comes to ascend,
the advantage of a railway is lost; it is therefore of great importance to adopt
a more facile and less expensive system for making lines of roads, better
adapted to the economical working of locomotive engines.
(No. 1.) My improvements in making a permanent way for locomotives to
work on is not to adopt the costly plans followed in constructing railways."
On a good firm pitching of large stones, having their broad sides downwards,

page_text: the chinks to be filled in with chips of stone, strongly driven home, and con-
creted to form a solid and smooth foundation to receive the upper surface of cut
stone blocks, or stone or wood pavement, or well-baked bricks, or small broken
stones well cemented together, or timber plated with iron. Furnished with
any of the above materials, procurable in the district through which a railway
may pass, I form my compound tramroad of the requisite breadth for the
wheels of locomotives and other carriages to run on. Equidistant, I fix
between my compound tramway a Trail of iron or timber, and to each
Jocomotive engine or other carriage I attach two pair of horizontal wheels, two
wheels to run on each side of the guide rail, and under its horizontal top.
By this arrangement a train can be guided round curves, and cannot run off
the line.
(No. 2.) To counteract the gravity of a train on steep hills, I fix another
I guide rail at the side of the compound tramway or common road, to guide
a small carriage, which is to be loaded with a weight sufficient to overcome.
the gravity of the ascending train. To one end of a rope, working in a pulley
wheel, fixed on the top of the hill, and extending to the bottom of the hill, the
train is to be fastened, and to the other end of the rope on the top of the hill
the small carriage containing the counteracting weight is to be attached.
Thus arranged, the small descending carriage will counteract the gravity of
the ascending train. It is quite evident therefore that the same power which.
will draw a train at any given speed on a level will cause it to ascend a steep
gradient at the same velocity, provided the counteracting weight equals the
gravity of the train or retarding resistance.
(No. 3.) I form the wheels of my steam and other carriages in such a
manner as to run upon my compound tramway, common road, or railroad.
The wheels are to be made conical, as used on railways, but in place of having
the flanges narrow, as railway wheels, I make them three to four inches broad.
By this arrangement the conical parts of the wheels will run on the rails, and
the cylindrical on the compound tramroads, or on common roads.
(No. 4.) For the purpose of ascending gradients where, the counteracting.
weight, as described in No. 2, is not used, I form the driving wheels of my
steam carriages thus:-Against the inside of the locomotive driving wheels, I
build cylindrical wheels of a smaller diameter than the larger wheels. From
the top to the bottom, on each hill, I lay a timber tramway, raised above the
ground; as soon as a locomotive carriage reaches a hill, its smaller wheels

page_text: will run on the timber tramway, when the peripheries of the larger wheels no
longer resting on the ground, the engine power will act on the smaller wheels,
and thus as speed is lost power is gained. Should it be necessary, in order
to prevent the wheels from slipping, they can be cogged, as also the tramway.
The guiding rail as described in No. 1 will prevent lateral friction.
(No. 5.) It may sometimes be necessary to run the train off the common tram-
way on to the common road, I therefore fix to each of my locomotive passenger
or luggage carriages a suitable arrangement for steering the fore wheels.
(No. 6.) Upon edge rails used on railroads a force of ten pounds or one two-
hundred-and-twenty-fourth part will move a ton weight on a level. In order to
convey heavy loads, it has been found necessary to increase the weight of the
locomotives from eight tons to twenty-four tons. The rails first laid being,
too light, heavier ones have been substituted at a great outlay. To secure
the friction of any number of the wheels of the train that may be required by
their friction on the rails to draw a load, I place the wheels of the carriages
so as to revolve on the concave surfaces of larger wheels. Each wheel of
the respective carriages is to work in a larger wheel, as above described.
The large wheels are to have a separate axle for each pair of wheels, the
axles to revolve in grease boxes fixed to the frame, to be placed outside the
large wheels. The side frames are to be united by cross pieces to hold
each pair of the outside frames together, and a vertical slot of iron is to be
attached to the centre of the front and back pieces on the outside frame,
through which the poles of the carriages with small wheels are to pass, in
order to keep the small wheels in their places. Thus arranged, the small
wheels of the respective carriages can be moved by their poles either forward
or backward on the concave surfaces of the large wheels. I also sometimes
form the concave surfaces of the large wheels into polygons; by this form I
obtain a series of incline planes for the small wheels to revolve on. To the
locomotive engine I attach the fore part of the frame of the first carriage with
small wheels, which as before stated are to revolve on the concave surfaces of
the large wheels, and to the hind part of the frame of the first carriage with large
wheels I attach the second carriage with the small wheels; and this arrange-
ment I continue with all the other carriages in the train, using the large
wheels and small wheels as described. As soon as the locomotive moves, it
will draw the first carriage forward by its small wheels, having advanced
beyond the point of contact, where the large wheels touch the rails, tramroad,
or common road, when the load and weight of the carriage, by gravitating,
will instantly cause the larger wheels to rotate in the direction of the power,

page_text: and to draw after it the second carriage connected to the hind part of the frame
of the first carriage, and so on in succession all the other carriages. Thus, I
cause the weight of each carriage to become a propelling power, and I obtain
the friction of all large wheels that may be used on a tramroad, railroad, or
common road; consequently heavy loads can be taken up gradients which
cannot be ascended by means of the arrangements now in use.
Much smaller locomotive engines will effectually do the work, as the only
power required will be to keep the first carriage wheels in advance of the
points; its larger wheels touch the tranroad, railroad, or common road. The
weight of the first carriage then by gravitating, becomes a propelling power,
and so on in succession, a propelling power will be obtained by all the other
carriages in a train using the large wheels and small combined, as before
described. For railways the large wheels will have to be made conical, with
flanges, such as the wheels now used. In order to obtain this new propelling
power, the power carriages can be built to convey luggage or goods, and thus
I obtain an economical propelling power.
As the small wheels are to revolve on the internal concave surfaces of the
large wheels, it is evident, so soon as the small wheels are moved back, the
weight carried on them by gravitating behind the points of contact of the large
wheels, either on rail, tram, or common roads, will at once become a retarding
force. In order to obtain a more powerful drag or break, I place as large
a segment of a circle of iron, with or without being lined with wood, as can be
obtained to act as a drag or break on each of the large wheels of my power
carriages; one end of each drag or break is to move in a joint to be fixed on
the frame of the large wheels, when the large and the small wheels are worked
together. Across the frame of each carriage a shaft is to be placed in plum-
mer blocks, on each end of the two shafts, inside the large wheels, a lever of
sufficient length to raise the drag or break off the wheels is to be fixed. The
levers are to be jointed, one at each end, to 2 flat pieces of iron placed
longitudinally, one on each side of the carriage; in each flat piece of iron two
slots are to be cut at a proper angle, into which a projecting pin from each
drag or break is to be inserted. To bring the drags or breaks into action a
lever is to be fixed on either of the horizontal shafts to be moved by manual or
steam power. Thus arranged, on motion being given to the lever, the angular
slots will press down the drags or breaks or raise them off the wheels as may
be required. By this plan any number of carriages can be dragged at once,
and a train stopped almost instantaniously.
No. 7. For manufacturing purposes, I use a circular cogged tramroad or

page_text: railroad. To an upright shaft I fix a horizontal beam, to which carriages
using the large wheels as described for locomotion are to be attached. To the
fore part of the first carriage I hook on a small locomotive; as soon as the
steam carriage moves it will draw after it the first carriage, when its weight
by gravitation will become a propelling power which may be increased to any
extent; thus the horizontal beam will be made to revolve, and consequently
to give motion to the upright shaft, from which the power can be by geering
conveyed in any direction.to work machinery of all descriptions.
(No. 8.) To create a powerful blast for locomotive carriages, ventilation,
and other purposes, I fix horizontally a pipe, of at least twelve inches diameter
extending from the front of the steam carriage to the front of the ash-pit
under the fire-place of the boiler, or to fixed boilers. The pipe is to be open
at both ends, into the front opening of the horizontal pipe a small pipe of
about an inch in diameter is to be inserted for a short distance; air being
forced by a fan through the small pipe, it will retain its velocity for a con-
siderable distance within the large pipe without expanding, and will draw
along with it a great volumn of air, by which an intense blast can be obtained
by a comparatively small power.
CLAIMS.
1st. I claim the plan described in No. 1 for forming my permanent way.
2nd. I claim the T guide rail and horizontal wheels for preventing
locomotives and other carriages from running off their lines, as described
in No. 1.
3rd. I claim the T guide rail and counteracting weight to be used on
hills, as described in No. 2.
4th. I claim the plan for the wheels of locomotives, as described in No. 3.
5th. I claim the plan for ascending hills, as described in No. 4.
6th. I claim my T guide rail to be fixed on common roads, by means of
which a high velocity can be obtained with my locomotives and my power car-
riages, and by which the outlay for the purchase of land for steam roads can
be saved, and on all mail coach roads steam power can be advantageously used
with perfect safety.
7th. I claim the arrangement of my power carriages, and I also claim the
plan by which I cause part of the weight of my locomotives and power
carriages to become a propelling power. I likewise claim the break or drag
and slots, as described in No. 6; but I do not confine my claim for using

page_text: slots alone in the above drag or break, as I claim the use of slots for any
other drag or break.
8th. I claim the use of my locomotives and power carriages for manu-
facturing purposes, as described in No. 7.
9th. I claim the plan for obtaining a powerful blast for locomotive carriages,
blast furnaces for ventilating mines, manufactories, all descriptions of houses
and ships, as described in No. 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir James Caleb Anderson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JAMES CALEB ANDERSON, BART. (L.S.)