A STEAM CRANE AND LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE COMBINED
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Dubs, of the City of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of
"A STEAM CRANE AND LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE COMBINED."
Sealed the 17th October 1868, and dated the 8th August 1868.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Dubs at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 8th August 1868, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
5 TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DUBS, of the City of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A STEAM CRANE
AND LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE COMBINED," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that
I am the first and true Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Dubs, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement
in writing, reference being had to the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings, and to the letters and numerals marked thereon, the same
letters and numerals having reference to the same parts in the several
Figures, that is to say :-
The nature of my said Invention consists in the construction and
use of a new or improved "crane locomotive" or a locomotive steam
engine and self-acting or steám jib crane combined for general pilot
work or purposes, and for removing or for lifting and lowering and
transporting heavy bodies at or along the sides of rails on which the
locomotive traverses in goods depots, termini, and other large or
public works, where the sets or lines of rails are conveniently arranged
for the particular trade or purpose where such work is required, all
substantially in the new or improved manner herein stated, and to
be herein-after described and shown in connection with and by the
accompanying Drawings, and which will be a great convenience and
saving of labor over the means and apparatus heretofore employed for
the same and like purposes.
Having thus so far described in general terms the nature of my
said Invention, I will now proceed to describe the same, and also the
best mode of performing the same which I am at present aware of, all
particularly by describing the modification shown in the several Figures
on the two Sheets of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for
that purpose.
"
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 is a side elevation of a "crane locomotive
constructed in accordance with and illustrative of one modification of
my said Invention showing the crane and part of the boiler in section,
so as to illustrate more clearly the novel features of the construction
and arrangement of the mechanism for actuating the crane and its
connection to the boiler.
.
Figures 2 and 3 on Sheet 2 are respectively an end view and
transverse irregular vertical section of the same, corresponding to
Figure 1 on Sheet 1; and Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of
the head of the crane detached corresponding to Figure 1 drawn to a
larger scale showing the stuffing boxes, links, and stop valve by which

page_text: the crane is actuated in an improved manner through the centre of
the pillar, all in accordance with my said Invention.
The nature of my said Invention and, manner of performing the
same consists in the new or improved construction and arrangement
of the parts, as shown in these Figures 1 to 4 (under one modification
or adaptation as a whole), in erecting a jib swing crane A, so as to
rotate on vertical supporting and horizontal steadying antifriction
rollers B, B, and B" respectively, upon a strong vertical pillar C, by
preference formed hollow of malleable iron with strong broad flanges
C¹, C, at top and bottom. The pillar C is firmly secured by the lower
flange C steam tight to an extra thick strong cylindrical central
plate D of the boiler E, which thus does not strain the general shell
of the boiler, but transmits all the strain of the crane A to the main
framing F direct, to which it is attached by strong binding and
supporting flanges D', and by angle iron D" to the cross beam F¹ of
the frame F below. The boiler E and locomotive F is preferred to
be of the small tank engine class much of the usual construction, but
having the whole hung and balanced with the centre of gravity exactly
below the pillar as low as possible by the wide frame F and platform F
on it all round level with the foot plate on four springs G equally
disposed from and round the centre of gravity above the side frame F
and platform F", which latter carries the tanks H along the two sides
and covers in the wheels I, side cylinders, connecting rods, and
mechanism below, and also on the outsides by plates F³ secured to
and projecting out and down from the side frames and platform F
and F" respectively, and turned up at the lower edges F made con-
venient as well as that of the platform F for carrying or transmitting
moderately heavy articles when lifted on to them by the crane A, in
addition to the heavier articles which may be carried and removed
hanging on the chain J' and crane A as lifted by them. The crane A
is by preference constructed of two strong side plates or cheeks A¹
of malleable iron secured together by the upper and lower, swivelling
and carrying cross frames or beams A2 and A, the latter of which is.
formed in two parts to pass over the column C, both frames A² and A*
having the antifriction swivelling rollers B, B', and B" mounted in.
them by axial pins respectively further secured by the light cross stays
and angle iron A" at the jib A", the lower part of which carries the
chain barrel J, and the hoist pulley at the top all on one side; and an

page_text: the other side the cheeks A' are secured by the heavy cast-iron frame K
carrying the cylinders K', which with the double right-angled crank
shaft L and the intermediate shaft M, both working in long journal
bearing blocks L' and M' respectively secured in and carried by the
side frames A¹ on this side of the crane, while the two pair of wheels L'
L", and M, M", for transmitting motion to the chain barrel J, which
is of the spiral groove form for winding and unwinding the chain J¹
regularly (forming the actuating engines and gearing of the crane) are
all disposed so as to balance the weight of the jib A" and "lift"
on it and the chain J¹ passed from the barrel J over the hoist pulley J*
The crane A
at its extreme end on the opposite side of the crane.
is carried and steadied in turning on and by the rollers B and B¹
working on their axial pins in the top frame A2, and rolling or bearing
on the outside of a strong swivel centre or head piece C³, with a
stuffing box C³ in its upper axial end and jointed steam tight on to
the top flange C of the pillar C, which thus forms the close steam
chamber E' of the boiler E for conveying the steam to the engines K', K',
of the crane A. The lower part of the crane A is secured and guided
by the four horizontal rollers B₁ set on vertical pins round a large
eye in the lower cross rail or frame A³, and working round a broad
ring C fixed round near the lower part of the pillar C.
steam pipe and chamber N with the stop valve O in it and branch O
for conveying the steam to the slide valve casing K" of the crane
engines or cylinders K' is carried by the brackets P on the top of the
upper cross frame A², so as to turn round with the crane in the stuffing
box C in the top end C of the stationary pillar C; and the bell-crank
lever Q for working the rod Q³ of the reversing link motions Q", which
control the crane engines for lifting and lowering, is also carried in
a bracket P¹ to the moving head frame, so as to turn round with the
érane A and have its horizontal forked end Q always in gear with a
collar boss R screwed or otherwise secured to the upper end of the
light vertical reciprocating rod or spindle R' worked up through the
áxial line of the pillar C, and out through a small stuffing box N¹
in the lid of the revolving steam pipe N, and also loosely through the
hollow collar boss O" in the eye of the stop valve O, which is held
against its working face by the spring o, and worked by the said
hollow boss O" from its two short lateral journal arms O* jointed to
the upper ends of the two long light connecting rods or links S, worked
from below on each side of the central spindle R' for working the link
The small

page_text: motions O, and so that the upward and downward motion of the
links S and valve O puts on and shuts off the steam from the crane
engines K'. These vertically reciprocating rods S are guided and
prevented from turning during their reciprocatory motion by the slotted
guides S¹, S', near the top of the column C and in the saddle bracket T
across its lower end inside the boiler, which bracket also carries the
journal bearing brackets T of the inner ends of the two long horizontal
actuating spindles U and V, having the collar bosses U¹ and V on them
for actuating the pendant arms of the bell cranks W and X, carried in
bearings in the saddle or cross bracket T. The shorter horizontal
arms W' and X' of these levers are directly connected to and work the
two links S, S, of the steam valve O, and the axial spindle R' which
actuates the bell crank Q, Q', outside of and for controlling the lifting
and lowering action of the crane A all respectively. The front end of
the horizontal spindles U and V work out through two screw stuffing
boxes U and V" in the front of the fire-box end of the boiler, at
the top on each side of the hand lever a of the locomotive steam valve
and spindle, and are fitted with hand wheels U2 and V2 for the steam
and the lifting and lowering action of the crane, all convenient for
the driver to work both the crane A and the locomotive. Although
the spindles U and V have been described as screw spindles and
as passed through the inside of the boiler E yet still it will be
evident they could also be made to actuate their respective rods by a
partial turning of their spindle in the same manner as the spindle
for actuating the steam valve of the locomotive, and that they could
pass along outside of the boiler through stuffing boxes in the bottom
of the pillar C in either case when desired. When desired the screw
ring wheel Y or it might be a spur or bevel wheel may be secured
on the lower cross guide frame A³ so as to swivel the crane A by
the attendant through the screw shaft Y¹ (or pinion shaft when a
bevel wheel is employed) fixed so as to revolve in journal brackets
on the top of the boiler E fitted with the hand wheel Y' on the end
for actuating it near the other hand gearing before described; or
otherwise the ring wheel might be fixed stationary on the lower
flange C of the pillar C or to the crown of the boiler at the bottom
of the crane, which could in this case be swivelled automatically by its
own engines, through a pinion or screw spindle and disengaging gearing
carried round on the lower frame of the crane, such as are used in
ordinary steam cranes for the like purpose, having a hand turning or

page_text: reciprocating spindle from the lower part of the pillar C placed on the
top of the boiler, as Y', and fitted so as to couple the swivelling gear
and uncouple the hoisting or winding gear at the same time and
movement in one direction, and vice versa by its movement in the
opposite direction.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as my Invention is,
First. The construction and arrangement of the parts generally of
a steam crane and locomotive engine combined and the use of the
same, all substantially in the new or improved manner herein described
and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.
Second. The construction and arrangement of the parts generally for
actuating the supply steam valve and link motion of the engines of the
crane through its axial pillar in combined steam crane and locomotive
engines, all substantially in the new or improved manner herein described,
and shown in the accompanying Drawings or any mere modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Dubs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
20, Buchanan Street,
Glasgow.
HENRY DUBS. (L.S.)