IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, SAMSON Fox, of the Leeds Forge, New Wortley, Leeds, in the county of
York, Engineer and Ironmaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention'
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement.
The object of the invention is to obtain a less rigid length of wheel base than is
found in ordinary forms of locomotives, to adapt the engine for use on roads
having steep grades and sharp curves, to decrease flange friction, and to increase
the tractive or adhesive power of the engine without injuriously affecting the rail.
The advantages derived from increasing the number of bearing points of the
engine upon the rails, and distributing the weight of the engine over a large extent
of rail by employing a number of pairs of drivers, are well known.
The effective and economical tractive power or adhesion of the engine must
depend upon the proper distribution of the weight over or upon the rail, and this
weight can be increased without danger of deflecting the rail, in proportion to the
number of the drivers, or the bearing points which support the weight of the
superstructure.
For this and other reasons, it has been for many years the practice to employ
three, four, five or more pairs of driving wheels coupled together by a rod
connection.
My invention relates to a locomotive engine having three, four, five or more
pairs of driving wheels, and a truck under each end of the boiler, the rear drivers
having plain or flangeless tires. Where five pairs of drivers are employed, one or
more pairs located between the front pair and that pair situated under or near the
front end of the fire box, may be also plain, but it is essential to my invention
that in all cases the rear pair of drivers shall be plain. Where five or more pairs
of drivers are used the front pair may be plain. In all constructions under my
invention, the overhang at each end of the boiler is supported by a truck, the
truck being constructed to have any of the known sliding, swinging and rotary
motions, and suitably equalized with the front and rear driving wheels. The
invention is not intended to be restricted to the use of any special style of truck,
which may consist of one to four pairs of wheels, with or without a radius bar.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a locomotive
engine having five pairs of drivers, Fig. 2, is a similar view of an engine having
four pairs of drivers.
Figure 3, is a similar view of an engine having three pairs of drivers. Each
figure shows an embodiment of my invention. Similar letters of reference indicate
similar parts in the respective figures.
A, is the locomotive boiler, B, shows one of the cylinders, C, and C¹, represent
respectively the forward and rear trucks, the wheels of which are flanged, D, shews
the rear pair of driving wheels, which occupy a position about midway of the
length of the fire box, and which in all modifications of my invention are plain
or without a flange, D¹, is the front pair of drivers.
Referring particularly to Figure 1, the front pair of drivers D', are flanged.
The intermediate pairs of drivers D2, and D³, are plain, while the pair D4, which
are under the fire box or near its end are flanged. If desired, the front drivers D¹,
may be plain, in which case the intermediate pair D2, will be flanged, the pair D³,
plain, and the pair D', which are under the fire box or near its end, flanged.
In Figures 2, and 3, the front pair of drivers D', are flanged, as, also, are the
intermediate pair D³.
I am aware that, heretofore, engines have been constructed with a flat driver
at the front of the engine in connection with a front truck, but the results
accomplished by such construction are not the same as are effected by my invention.
The distance from the centre of the front truck axle to the centre of the second
driver from the front (said second driver. having a flanged tire) is greater than the
distance, in my construction, from the centre of the rear truck axle to the centre
of the nearest driver having a flanged tire, and the distance in the latter case
can be at least, as much less as the length of the cylinder.
Where a flanged driver is used in front and a plain driver and a truck in the
rear, in accordance with my invention, one truck helps the other to guide the
engine, the rigid wheel base being shorter between the centre of flanged drivers
than where flanged drivers are used front and rear, which is the usual practice on
the ordinary "Consolidation" engines; and no longer than where the front
driver is plain on the said class of engines. Experience has demonstrated that
in the Consolidation engines having flat drivers in front; the flanges of their
drivers are worn in curving on account of the distance being too great from thie
centre of the front truck axle to the centre of the second. front or nearest flanged
driver. The Consolidation engines having flanged front and rear drivers also
wear the flanges and rails on account of the length of rigid wheel base, which
will be obviated by the use in accordance with niy invention; of flat drivers in
connection with a truck at the rear end of the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
A locomotive engine having three, four, five or more pairs of driving wheels
and a truck at each end of the boiler, the rear driving wheels having plain or
flangeless tires substantially as set forth.