CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES INTENDED TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
SPEID LIVINGSTONE, of Bridge Place, Lewisham, the County of Kent, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-third day of August, in the eleventh year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Speid Livingstone, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Alexander Speid Livingstone, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Alexander Speid
Livingstone, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any 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, the Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and
also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES INTENDED
TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters Patent there is, amongst
others, contained a proviso, that if I, the said Alexander Speid Livingstone,
shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in Her said

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as by the said Letters Patent,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said recited proviso, I, the
said Alexander Speid Livingstone, do hereby declare the nature of my In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, and the Drawings
hereto annexed (that is to say)
"My Invention consists in employing two steam cylinders so constructed
and arranged that the action of the steam shall be exerted upon a single crank
pin fixed in the eye or nave of the driving wheels; and in order that my In-
vention may be clearly understood, I will describe the Invention by reference to
the three following particulars:--First, the arrangement of the steam cylin-
ders; secondly, the pistons, and position of the piston rods; thirdly, the crank
pin fixed in the eye or nave of the driving wheel, and the auxiliary crank upon
the same pin. I employ the ordinary steam cylinders of locomotive engines,
two being arranged on each side of the locomotive engine. These two may be
cast together, that is to say, there may be two distinct cylinders in one casting,
or the two cylinders may be bolted together or fixed to the frame of the engine
independently of each other. These cylinders are placed at such an angle with
each other that the connecting and piston rods shall be in the same line at the
top and bottom centres, in the same manner as if the cylinders were inde-
pendent of each other, as will readily be comprehended by the annexed Drawing.
If the two cylinders on each side of the locomotive engine are of the same size,
I place the piston rod out of the centre of the piston, and consequently out of
the axis of the cylinders, so that the length of the crank pin and its auxiliary
may be as short as possible, or stand out and project beyond the eye or nave
of the driving wheels to as small a distance as possible. If instead of the two
cylinders being of the same size, the one be smaller than the other, the piston
rods may be placed in the centre of the pistons, or in the line of the axis of the
cylinders. The two cylinders on each side of the engine, and the connection of
the piston rods with the crank pins, are similar in construction, and so arranged
that the piston of one cylinder on cach side should act on its crank pin simul-
taneously, thereby obviating the tendency which exists to direct or turn the
engine towards the opposite sides of the road, as when the action takes place
on each side successively, and not simultaneously. By this arrangement and

page_text: application of four steam cylinders to one locomotive, one on each side always
acting in the same direction or simultaneously, the oscillating or irregular
motion to which all engines, but especially those with outside cylinders, are
subject, may be obviated. The crank pin is placed outside in the eye or nave
of the driving wheel, and has one piston attached to it. To this pin is affixed
an arm having a pin upon it, and to which the connecting rod of the piston of
the other cylinder is attached, so as to constitute an auxiliary crank. By these
arrangements I am enabled to dispense with the cranked axle of the locomotive
engine, and apply an equal amount of force to the driving wheels on each side
of the engine at one and the same time, and not alternately, as is the case with
engines at present in general use.
"I will now proceed to describe the annexed Drawings. Figure 1 is an
elevation of the cylinders and driving wheel, and shewing the crank pins C
and C 1; Figure 2 is a plan of the cylinders and driving wheels, shewing
the pins C and C 1. It has not been thought necessary to mark the
cylinders on more than one side; Figure 3 is an end view of the cylinders;
Figure 4 is an end view of a pair of cylinders, one being external, and the
other internal. In all these Figures, except the last, the letters A denote
the cylinders; the letters B, the connecting rods; the letters C, the crank
pin fixed in the nave of the driving wheel; and the letters C 1, the auxiliary
crank pin fixed in the end of the arm; the letters D denote the driving wheels;
and E, the eye, nave, or boss of the driving wheels. In Figure 3 are shewn
the piston rods out of the centre of the piston, as above mentioned. These
pistons should be fitted each with a rod, which should pass through a stuffing
box on the end cover of the cylinders, which will tend to obviate any unequal
pressure on the cylinder by the piston rods being placed out of the centre. In
Figure 4 is shewn another plan of making the cylinders, one external and the
other internal. The letter L denotes the internal; the letter L 1, the external.
The annular piston to L 1 will have two piston rods a, a; these may be
attached to a cross head, from which the connecting rod may be attached, and
this cross head should be so formed that the connecting rod of the internal
cylinder should freely pass. It will be obvious that by means of the crank pin
fixed to the eye or nave of the driving wheel, and the auxiliary crank, as
already described, if one of the two cylinders on each side were placed at oppo-
site ends of the engine, the equal action on each side would be obtained.
"Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim as
of my Invention, or the exclusive use of two cylinders on each side of the loco-