IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF UTILISING GAS ENGINES FOR LOCOMOTION PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND ALSO IN TOOTHED GEARING
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Fothergill McNay of 41 Parliament Street in
the City of Westminster Civil Engineer and Frederick James Harrison o
Notting Hill in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MEANS OF UTILISING GAS ENGINES FOR LOCOMOTION PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
AND ALSO IN TOOTHED GEARING
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Fothergill M°Nay
and Frederick James Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 29th August 1883.
THOMAS FOTHERGILL MONAY of 41 Parliament Street in the City of West-
minster Civil Engineer and FREDERICK JAMES HARRISON of Notting Hill in the
County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF UTILIZING GAS ENGINES
FOR LOCOMOTION PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND
OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND ALSO IN TOOTHED GEARING"
This Invention has for its object improvements in the means of utilizing gas
Engines for locomotion applied to the propulsion of tram-cars railway trains and
other vehicles also the propulsion of boats or vessels part of which Invention is
applicable to steam and other locomotive Engines and toothed gearing.
It is well known that various attempts have been made to adapt the gas Engine
to locomotive purposes but owing to the fact of the difficulty of restarting the
Engine after stopping it is necessary to employ some means of putting it in and out
of gear without stopping it. This has been sought to be done hitherto by means of
a simple clutch.
The effect of which has been to put a sudden strain on the Engine
and gearing resulting in breakage great wear and tear or straining of the apparatus.
Another objection being that on account of the lightness of the Engine and
apparatus the tractive power has been found insufficient to overcome even slight
gradients and the vis inertia consequent upon first starting.
Now according to the first part of our Invention we employ a suitable
arrangement of pulleys or gearing whereby the strain resulting from starting the

page_text: tiain-car train or other vehicle or boat or vessel is (although the Engine may be
running at a high rate of speed at the moment of starting) applied gradually and
thus all jerk or strain is obviated
According to one method of carrying out this part of our said Invention we
employ a counter shaft fixed to some suitable part of the tran-car or carriage upon
which is placed a loose pulley wheel which for clearness I will call pulley A of sny
double the diameter of the pulley wheel keyed to the driving shaft of the Engine
the speed of the counter shaft being regulated to the speed the vehicle is required
to travel. This pulley A on the counter shaft is fitted with a suitable clutch to
put it in or out of gear. To the same counter shaft two more loose pulleys which
1 also call respectively B and C are attached (the one C being larger than the
other B say double the diameter) these pulleys B and C are also fitted with
suitable clutches to couple them at the proper time to the counter shaft. On the
axle of the vehicle are two pulleys D and E of equal diameter each of which is
connected by bands to the pulleys B and C on the counter shaft the pulley M
being connected to pulley B and pulley E to pulley C. the action of the apparatus
is as follows.
The Engine travels at the rate of say 140 revolutions per minute the pulley A
on the counter shaft is put into action by the clutch this revolves the counter shaft
at say 70 revolutions per minute.. The smaller of the two driving pulleys B is
then clutched into action this acting on the pulley M the driving wheel of the
vehicle is revolved at the rate of 35 revolutions per minuto. As soon as the
vis-inertia is overcome the pulley "C" is clutched, into action (the same notion
releasing the clutch in the smaller pulley B this acts upon the pulley E and the
vel.icle then runs at its full rate of speed. It is obvious that more pulleys may be
employed and the power still more gradually put into action. To reverse the
action of the whole an extra pulley of the same size as pulley A is placed on the
counter shaft the power from the Engine being communicated by a cross band this
is clutched into action and the pulley wheel A is released by the same movement
When pulley wheels are employed we prefer to use a chain band and for the
purpose of causing a grip on the driving pulleys we attach india rubber or other
suitable material to the face of such pulleys made and fixed as follows.
The pulley wheels are cast or other wise formed in two halves vertically having
an annular groove round their periphery we then form a ring of india rubber or
other suitable material of a Tshape in cross section the lower part of the T we
insert in the aforesaid groove the upper part of the T then covers the circumference
of the wheel. The two halves of the wheel are then bolted tightly together thus
gripping the lower part of the T firmly in the groove thereby holding the ring in
its place.
When toothed gearing is used for the above or other purposes we causo one or
more spaces to be cast or otherwise formed round the circumference of such toothed
wheels and the pinions working therein in such a manner as that the spaces in
ench respective toothed wheel and pinion shall not come opposite each other into
these spaces we force indin rubber or other suitable material this has the effect of
causing a smoother working of the wheels from the teeth of the wheel striking
into the india-rubber ring opposite the pinion working into it and preventing the
jarring noise caused by their being revolved at-liigh speed.
According to the second part of our said Invention in order to obtain sufficient
tractive power with gas or other locomotive Engines of light weight we cause the
whole of the wheels of the car or cars attached to the Engine 'to be suitably geared
so as to connect them with the driving wheels of the Engine and convert the
whole of such wheels into driving wheels and thus the distributed weight of the
car or curs assists the tractive power and thus great saving is effected in the prime
cost and wear and tear of the permanent way.
One way of carrying out this part of our said Invention is to key onto each of
the axles of the driving wheels of the locomotive a bevelled tooth wheel working.
into another laced at right angles thereto this latter carries a shaft upon which is

page_text: fixed a sleeve of suitable form the wheels of the car or cars are also fitted with a
similar arrangement of bevelled wheels the shaft of one of which fits into the
sleeves of the shaft of the bevelled wheel of the locomotive and thus the power is
communicated throughout the train. Between the sleeve before referred to and
the bevelled wheel we fix an universal joint or joints which work in movable
bearings so as to accommodate the movement of the car or train to the curves in
the permanent-way. And in order to overcome any steep gradients also in cases
of ordinary Engines or cars where the wheels are not all driving wheels we employ
one or more extra traction wheels so arranged that they may be put in and out of
action when not required. These wheels are so arranged. as to run on the road in
the case of Tram-cars. and in the case of Railways on. a. suitable rail or rails laid
for this purpose. The gas for working, the. Engine may either be compressed into
a cylinder and supplied by means of a valve. which is. regulated. to. supply as much
as may be required or it may be made by any suitable means during the progress
of the car on the vehicle or in connection therewith
In order to prevent the Engine from racing during the time the car or train is
at rest' and usefully employ the same we attach to the gas Engine by any suitable
means an air pump which is thrown into action by the same lever as thiab used for
stopping the car or train so that the gas Engine which continues to run as aforesaid
may during the time the car or train is at rest, compress air into a cylinder to be
used for actuating' a brake which may be applied to all of the wheels of the
locomotive and car or cars This may also be applied to Electric Motive Engines

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Fothergill McNay and Frederick James Harrison in the
Patent Office on the 29th February 1884.
THOMAS FOTHERGILL MCNAY of 41 Parliament Street in the City of West-
minster Civil Engineer and FREDERICK JAMES HARRISON of Notting Hill in the
County of Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF UTILIZING GAS ENGINES
FOR LOCOMOTION PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM AND
OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND ALSO IN TOOTHED GEARING
This Invention has for its object improvements in the means of utilizing Gas
Engines for locomotion applied to the propulsion of tram-cars railway trains and
other vehicles also the propulsion of boats or vessels part of which Invention is
applicable to steam and other locomotive Engines and in toothed gearing.
It is well known that various attempts have been made to adapt the Gas Engine
to locomotive purposes but owing to the fact of the difficulty of restarting the
Engine after stopping it is necessary to employ some means of putting it in and
out of gear without stopping it. This has been sought to be done hitherto by
means of a simple clutch. The effect of which has been to put a sudden strain
on the Engine and gearing resulting in breakage great wear and tear or straining
of the apparatus. Another objection being that on account of the lightness
of the Engine and apparatus the tractive power has been found insufficient
to overcome even slight gradients and the vis inertia consequent upon first
starting.
In order to explain our said Invention more fully v we will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Fig 1 represents an elevation of a Gas Locomotive constructed and arranged
according to our said Invention. Fig 2 plan of bottom of same and Fig 3 end
elevation of the said arrangement as applied to a street car. Fig 4 shews a
detached view of the starting gear employed. The same letters. denote the samo
parts in all the views.
A shews the driving pulley of the Gas Engine. B and C shew the driving
pulleys on countershaft g. B being the pulley for running the engine in one
direction and C that used for running in the opposite direction the power being
communicated from the driving pulley A by a cross band m for running in one
direction.and a straight band n in the other direction. The pulleys B and C are
loose on the shaft g and are clutched into and of action as hereafter described by
the lever b. D. E. F are respectively loose pulleys for varying the speed at which
the locomotive is required to travel and are clutched into or out of action as may
be required by means of the levers and c the power being communicated to
shaft i by means of the pulleys G H I and from thence the power is communicated
from shafts and f by means of pulleys J and K. All the pulleys G. H. I J.
and K are keyed on to their respective shafts. L is a pulley working loosely
on the counter shaft g this pulley is clutched into action when it becomes
necessary to use the traction wheels N N which lutter are keyed on to the shaft h.
M being the pulley for actuating the said traction wheels. These traction wheels
are thrown in and out of use by means of an eccentric o worked by the worm
wheel P. or the same might be effected by other mechanical means. R. R. are bevil
wheels for cominunicating the motion to the wheels of tram-car so as to make
any or all of the wheels driving wheels in order to increase the power of traction
either in combination with the aforesaid traction wheels N N or by themselves
according to the gradients of the line We would here remark that we prefer the
aforesaid traction. wheels to work on the road and not on the rails.

page_text: Fig 2 and Fig 4 shew the arrangement for gradually starting the locomotive
without strain on the machinery. T is a toothed wheel fitting loosely on to either
or both the axles of the locomotive. U is a worm wheel gearing into T. V V are
two ratchet wheels keyed on the axle or axles and having their teeth set in opposite
directions to each other. W is a driving pulley. X and Y are two bevil toothed
wheels fitting loosely on to the shaft p and gearing into toothed wheel z on the
shaft r. The bevil wheels X and Y are clutched into and out of action according
to the direction in which it is proposed to proceed; the power is communicated
to W by means of a band s from the fly wheel of the Gas Engine. The action is
as follows.
Supposing the Gas Engine to be running at full speed and we require to run the
engine, forward the lever b is thrown over to the proper direction so as to throw
the clutch into pulley D in order to start the countershaft g which is kept running
during the whole journey in one direction even when the locomotive stops. In
order to start the locomotive the pulley W is clutched into action thus causing the
shaft p and the worm wheel U to rapidly revolve and this gearing into the toothed
wheel T having the pawl or pawls suitably arranged causes the axle to slowly
revolve in the required direction and as soon as the vis-inertia is overcome the
pulleys DE and F are successively clutched into action and the full speed thus
obtained. It will be observed that in consequence of the toothed wheel T being
loose, upon the shaft and only acting by means of the pawl or pawls on the ratchet
wheel that immediately the axle and consequently the ratchet wheel runs at a
higher speed than that of the toothed wheel T it will cease to act although still
revolving and thus prevent any damage to the worm wheel. To overcome
gradients the traction wheels N N are thrown into action by means of the worm
wheels P acting on an eccentric the driving wheel L being clutched into action
by the same motion or these traction wheels may be kept from contact with
the road and brought into action by springs or other mechanical means. To
increase the tractive power of locomotive and tram car or other carriage drawn
by such locomotive we make any or all the wheels of the tram-car carriage or train
of carriages driving wheels by means of the wheels R R as above described
the power being communicated by means of a flexible shaft couplings universal
joints and movable bearings so as to accommodate the movement of the car or
train to the curves in the permanent way.
When pulley wheels are employed we prefer to use a chain band and for the
purpose of causing a grip on the driving pulleys we attach india rubber or other
suitable material to the face of such pulleys made and fixed as follows.
The pulley wheels are cast or otherwise formed in two halves vertically having
an annular groove round their periphery we then form a ring of india rubber or
other suitable material of a T shape in cross section the lower part of the T we
insert in the aforesaid groove the upper part of the T then covers the
circumference of the wheel The two halves of the wheels are then bolted tightly
together thus gripping the lower part of the T firmly in the groove thereby
holding the ring in its place.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature and object of our said invention
and the means for carrying the same into practical effect we would remark in
conclusion that we do not intend to limit ourselves to the precise details herein-
before described or to the use of any particular class of Gas Engine but what we
claim as our invention and desire to secure by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is
Firstly the arrangement of pulleys and gearing substantially as described and
for the purposes set forth
Secondly the use of traction wheels so arranged as to be capable of being put
into or out of action as and when required during the progress of the locomotive
substantially as set forth.
Thirdly the arrangement for connecting the whole or any number of the

page_text: wheels of the tram car carriage or train of carriages into driving wheels
substantially as described and for the purpose set forth
Fourthly pulleys and toothed gearing constructed substantially as described
and for the purposes set forth.
Fifthly the means of utilizing Gas Engines for locomotion substantially as set
forth
In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Fothergill M°Nay one of the parties
hereto have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty seventh day of February
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
TF MONAY (1)