IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVES USUALLY CALLED TRACTION ENGINES, TO BE USED ON COMMUN ROADS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Arthur Biddell, of Ipswich, in the County
of Suffolk, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
LETTERS PATENT to George Arthur Biddell, of Ipswich, in the County
of Suffolk, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCOMOTIVES USUALLY CALLED TRACTION ENGINES, TO BE USED ON COMMUN
ROADS."
of Suffolk, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCOMOTIVES USUALLY
CALLED TRACTION ENGINES, TO BE USED ON COMMUN
ROADS."
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 21st March 1863.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Arthur Biddell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st March 1863.
I, GEORGE ARTHUR BIDDELL, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Mecha-
nical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCOMOTIVES USUALLY CALLED TRACTION ENGINES, TO BE USED ON COMMON
ROADS," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in the application and use of a friction clutch
or clutches in combination with suitable driving and disengaging gear. The
piston rod of the steam cylinder gives motion to the main or crank shaft, on
which the friction clutches are by preference placed, although they may be
placed on an intermediate shaft, one part having a sliding motion thereon, but
always turning with it, whilst the other part, which carries a toothed wheel, is

page_text: capable of turning thereon freely when the two friction clutches are not pressed
together. On the main or crank shaft is a fly wheel. The toothed wheel
carried by the friction clutches gives motion to another toothed wheel fixed on
a second shaft, on which second shaft are two toothed pinions, which turn with
but can slide on that shaft; these pinions are coupled together by a double crank,
connecting rods, and forked levers, or other suitable contrivance, in such manner
that when one is moved out of gear with its wheel the other is moved into gear
with its wheel. The crank by which these two pinions are slid is on a separate
shaft having a lever handle thereon, by which it can be turned in one or other
direction at pleasure, and by the interposed mechanism slide the two pinions.
One of these toothed pinions works in the teeth of an internal wheel, whilst
the other works in the teeth at the periphery of a wheel of lesser diameter,
but both these wheels are fixed on the same shaft. There are also two toothed
pinions on this axle or shaft, which rotate with but are capable of sliding on
the ends of this shaft or axle, so that either or both of such pinions may be in
or out of gear with spur wheels carried by the two main road wheels.
These improvements give increased facilities in working; they do away
with the usual reversing slide gear, and admit of a single cylinder engine being
as efficiently used as one with a double cylinder, thus giving greater simplicity
and economy, as also less wear and tear.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Arthur Biddell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ARTHUR BIDDELL, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Mechanical Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Arthur Biddell, Her special licence that I, the said George
Arthur Biddell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Arthur Biddell, 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

page_text: make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVES USUALLY CALLED TRACTION ENGINES, TO BE USED ON
COMMON ROADS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Arthur Biddell, 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 George Arthur Biddell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
These improvements consist in the application and use of a friction clutch
or clutches in combination with suitable driving and disengaging gear. The
piston rod of the steam cylinder gives motion to the main or crank shaft, on
which the friction clutches are by preference placed, although they may be
placed on an intermediate shaft, one part having a sliding motion thereon, but
always turning with it, whilst the other part which carries a toothed wheel is
capable of turning thereon freely when the two friction clutches are not pressed
together. On the main or crank shaft is a fly wheel. The toothed wheel
carried by the friction clutches gives motion to another toothed wheel fixed on
a second shaft, on which second shaft are two toothed pinions which turn with
but can slide on that shaft; these pinions are coupled together by a double
crank, connecting rods, and forked levers, or other suitable contrivance, in such
manner that when one is moved out of gear with its wheel the other is moved
into gear with its wheel. The crank by which these two pinions are slid, is
on a separate shaft having a lever handle thereon, by which it can be turned
in one or other direction at pleasure, and by the interposed mechanism slide
the two pinions. One of these toothed pinions works in the teeth of an internal
wheel, whilst the other works in the teeth at the periphery of a wheel of lesser
diameter, but both these wheels are fixed on the same shaft. There are also
two toothed pinions on this axle or shaft, which rotate with, but are capable of
sliding on the ends of this shaft or axle, so that either or both of such pinions
may be in or out of gear with spur wheels carried by the two main road
wheels.
These improvements give increased facilities in working; they do away with

page_text: the usual reversing slide gear, and admit of a single cylinder engine being as
efficiently used as one with a double cylinder, thus giving greater simplicity
and economy, as also less wear and tear.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a steam traction engine, combined or
arranged in accordance with these improvements; Figure 2 is a plan of the
same; Figure 3 shews on a larger scale a vertical section taken through the
friction clutch; and Figure 4 shews an elevation, also on a larger scale, of the
double crank and rods for moving the intermediate reversing pinions in and
out of gear. In all the Figures the same letters refer to the same parts.
a is the steam cylinder of the engine firmly attached to the boiler and con-
nected with the crank shaft brackets b, b, by the two stay bolts c, c. Motion is
communicated to the crank shaft d from the piston by its rod and connecting rod
in an ordinary manner, there being guide bars, cross head, slide valve, eccentric,
and parts in connection therewith, also a governor, throttle valve, starting valve,
and feed pump, all which are arranged as heretofore. The starting gear worked
by a man at the back of the engine, is of the usual kind and needs no descrip-
tion. e is the fly wheel on the engine shaft; f is a small pulley fixed at the
end of the crank or engine shaft, both of which can be used for driving suitable
machinery when required, as by an ordinary portable engine; g is the external
part of the cast-iron friction clutch, having a cog wheel h securely bolted to it.
Upon the largest diameter of this part of the clutch a wrought-iron hoop is
shrunk to give additional strength. This portion of the clutch, with its cog
wheel h, is free to turn upon the engine shaft, except when the other portion of
the clutch is pressed into it, when it must revolve with that shaft. The whole
clutch is kept in its position endways on the shaft by fixed collars. i is the
internal part of the clutch with its six sets of radial knuckle joints and screws k
and adjusting nuts l. This portion of the friction clutch is always obliged to
rotate with the crank shaft of the engine, being carried round by a key, but is
capable of sliding endways. The hand wheel m gives motion to a screw
through the small pair of bevil wheels n, which screw acts directly upon a
forked lever, which receives two projections of a collar (made in halves)
spanning the recess o in the boss of the part i of the friction clutch. The
details of this arrangement are more clearly shewn in Figure 3. By these
means the friction surfaces of the clutch at p and q can be brought into

page_text: powerful contact or released with perfect command, thus communicating
motion to the gearing at pleasure, whilst the engine is running, and without
the necessity of stopping the engine shaft and piston. The black dots or
marks in Figure 3 shew the positions of centres of the knuckle joints when
the clutch is forced into contact; the Drawing Figure 3 shews parts of the
clutch out of contact.
I would remark that the friction clutch above described is the one preferred,
as taking little room and giving great command in starting and stopping, but
it will be obvious to engineers that conical or other friction clutches may bo
used without affecting the principle of this Invention.
ris a cog wheel fixed to its shaft s, gearing into the wheel h. The shaft s
carries two pinions t and u, which always turn (by means of proper keys) with
the shaft s, but are capable of sliding upon it, so as to be put in and out of
gear with their respective wheels v and w, by means of the handle and rod x,
and a proper arrangement of levers, cranks, and rods, such as is shewn clearly
in detail at Figure 4, which arrangement is to be such that the two pinions t
and u shall not possibly be both in gear or in action on their respective wheels
at the same time. By one action of the handlex and double crank y, one
pinion is always fairly withdrawn from acting on its wheel before the other
pinion enters into gear or acts on its wheel. The wheel v and internal wheel w
are both firmly fixed to the shaft, upon which also there are two pinions a*, a*,
which are made to turn with this shaft, but are capable of being moved end-
ways upon it by means of forked levers 6, 6*, so that they can at pleasure be
easily engaged or disengaged with their respective wheels c, c, which are
firmly attached to the main road or driving wheels d, d. Upon the exterior
circumference of the internal wheel wa single clip break is arranged, which
is operated upon by means of a hand wheel e, and a right and left hand
screw f*.
It will be readily seen that by means of the friction clutch and the arrange-
ment of the gearing and the disengaging levers and rods as described, that
whilst the engines, piston, and crank shaft are running, the forward or back-
ward motion of the entire machine can be started, stopped, or reversed at
pleasure without stopping or reversing the motion of the engine shaft and its
fly wheel, thus giving increased facilities and obvious advantages in using the
power of the engine.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the mechanical parts separately, but what I claim is the combined arrange-

page_text: ment of mechanism herein described for transmitting the power of the engine
to the road or driving wheels of a traction engine.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Arthur Biddell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 4th day of June, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE ARTHUR BIDDELL. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN FOREMAN,
of Ipswich, (Accountant).