IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Naylor, of the City of Norwich, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
Sealed the 6th October 1854, and dated the 7th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Naylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
April 1854.
I, WILLIAM NAYLOR, of the City of Norwich, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the heating of the feed water in locomotive engines
and high pressure engines generally, and consists in admitting the water into
a heating vessel, in which is fitted a perforated pipe through which a supply
of steam is admitted for heating the water. Should the steam thrown into the
heater be much in excess of what is required to heat the water, it is carried off*
and passes through a pipe a little below the hand rail of the foot plate. The
water carried off with the uncondensed steam passes with that steam into a
spitting box," when it drops by its own gravity into the supply pipe, finding
its way back again to the heater, to which are attached the feed pumps. The
supply of steam is regulated by opening or closing a valve in communication
with the blast pipe. When this valve is closed, the steam passes up the blast
pipe in the ordinary manner, and no steam is allowed to enter the heater; but

page_text: when the valve is opened, the steam is diverted and runs up a pipe in the
smoke box above the level of the top of the tender; this pipe descends again
and conveys the steam direct to the heater. This heater may be attached to
the under side of the barrel of the boiler, or to any portion of the framing of
the engine. The "spitting box" may be carried by the foot plate of the
engine, between the fire box part of the boiler and the hand rail. The top of
the "spitting box" should stand above the top of the tender, in order that the
water may not run off to waste.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Naylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NAYLOR, of the City of Norwich, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the said
William Naylor, Her special license that I, the said William Naylor, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said William
Naylor, executors, administrators, or 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 LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Naylor,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Naylor, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:―
My said Invention relates to the heating of the feed water in locomotive
engines, and consists in admitting the water into a heating vessel, in which is

page_text: fitted a perforated pipe through which a supply of steam is admitted for
heating the water; should the steam thrown into the heater be much in excess
of what is required to heat the water, it is carried off by a pipe situated a little
below the hand rail of the engine foot plate. The water carried off with the
uncondensed steam passes with that steam into a "spitting box," where it drops
by its own gravity into the supply pipe, and finds its way back again to the
heater, to which are attached the feed pumps. The uncondensed steam still
remaining in the spitting box, passes off by a waste pipe and snifter valve to
the atmosphere. The supply of steam is regulated by opening or closing a
valve in communication with the blast pipe. When the valve is closed, the
steam passes up the blast pipe in the ordinary manner, and no steam is allowed
to enter the heater; but when the valve is opened, a portion of the steam is
diverted and runs up a pipe in the smoke box, above the level of the top of the
tender; this pipe descends again and conveys the steam direct to the heater.
This heater may be attached to the under side of the barrel of the boiler, or to
any portion of the framing of the engine; the "spitting box" may be carried by
the foot plate of the engine, between the fire box part of the boiler and the
hand rail. The top of the spitting box should stand above the top of the
tender, in order that the water may not run off to waste.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings represents a side eleva-
tion and partial section of the water heater and perforated pipe for conveying
the heated steam therein; Fig. 2 is a corresponding elevation at right
angles to the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the heating apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a plan of part of the blast pipe and the valve and valve seating,
which regulates or cuts off the supply of steam from the heater; and Fig. 5 is
a side elevation, of the same. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the "spitting box;"
Fig. 7 is a corresponding plan of the under side or bottom of the same; and
Fig. 8 is a half sized elevation of the nozzle of the escape steam pipe with
the snifter valve attached. The feed water is heated in the vessel A, (Figs. 1,
2, and 3); it enters by the pipe B and rises up round the perforated steam
pipe C, which is fixed inside the vessel A. When heated, the water flows down
the side pipes D, D, and through the cocks D', D', into the feed pipes and
pumps which are attached at E, E; any uncondensed steam which might
impede the proper working of the feed pumps is carried off by the passage F,
which is connected by a suitable pipe with the tube F, in the top of the
"spitting box," Fig. 6. The water, which is invariably carried off with the
uncondensed steam, passes with it to the "spitting box" G, where it drops by
its own gravity through the pipe H at the bottom of the "spitting box," and
thence passes into the feed pipe, and consequently finds its way back again to

page_text: the heater through the pipe B. Should the steam admitted into the heater be
much in excess of what is required to heat the water, it is allowed to escape
from the "spitting box" by the pipe I, which is continued on a little below the
hand rail of the foot plate. The waste steam makes its escape into the
atmos; here through the snifter valve J (Fig. 8), which is fitted to the end
of the escape pipe I, such escape pipe being brought down underneath the
tender, so as to be out of the way of the engine driver. By placing his hand
upon this pipe, the engineman may always know when he is getting a maximum
temperature of feed water; thus, if the pipe is cold, more steam will be
required; if rather warm, the apparatus is working effectively; but if the pipe
is very hot, the steam should be shut off partly, as otherwise the pumps will
soon stop working; should the engine driver, however, neglect occasionally to
feel the pipe I, the excess of steam issuing from the valve J will make itself
seen, and will consequently draw his attention to the regulation of the steam
valve, which supplies the apparatus. The supply of steam to the water heater
is regulated by opening or closing the valve K (Figs. 4 and 5). This valve
is attached to the spindle K', fitted to the side of the short pipe L, which is
seated on the breech pipe, and upon it is fitted the ordinary blast pipe, of
which it forms a part. When the valve K, which is entirely under the control
of the engineman, is closed, as represented in the Drawing, the wliole of the
exhaust steam passes up through the blast pipe L in the ordinary manner, and
no steam is allowed to pass off to the heater; but when the valve K is opened
by the engineman, it not only affords a passage for some of the exhaust steam
into the side pipe M, but, by its projecting partly across the mouth of the
exhaust pipe, the steam strikes against the under side of the valve, and is to a
certain extent thrown or forced up the side branch M, on the top of which is
bolted a steam pipe, the opposite end of which pipe is attached to the heater,
as shewn at N, (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). To prevent the entrance of water
therein, this pipe must run up the smoke box above the level of the top of the
tender. The perforated pipe C is connected with the steam pipe N by a
conical joint at O, which is kept tight by the aid of the pressing or tightening
screw P, (Fig. 2). The heater may be attached under the cylindrical part
of the locomotive or other boiler to which it is to be applied, or to any part of
the framing, as may be found most convenient in differently constructed engines.
The "spitting box" may rest upon the foot plate, between the fire box part of
the boiler and the hand rail.
The top of the spitting box must stand a little
above the level of the water in the tender, so that such water may not rise up
through the bottom pipe H in the "spitting box," and run off to waste through
the steam exit pipe L.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of apparatus for heating the
feed water of locomotive engine boilers previous to its entering such boilers, as
herein-before described.
Second, the peculiar construction and arrangement of water heater used in
combination with a perforated steam pipe, as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of a "spitting box," for the purpose herein-
before described.
Fourth, the construction and arrangement of steam valve, herein-before
described.
Fifth, the application and use of a steam pipe in the smoke box for conveying
the waste steam to the heater, when such pipe is carried up above the level of
the top of the tender, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Naylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
WILLIAM NAYLOR. (L.S.)