IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE SAFE ASCENT OF STEEP INCLINES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE PASSAGE OF SHARF CURVES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Handyside, of Saint John's Wood, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE SAFE
ASCENT OF STEEP INCLINES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE PASSAGE OF SHARF
CURVES."
Sealed the 29th August 1873, and dated the 5th June 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Handyside at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th June 1873.
I, HENRY HANDYSIDE, of Saint John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR
ACCOMPLISHING THE SAFE ASCENT OF STEEP INCLINES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE
PASSAGE OF SHARP CURVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions and arrange-
ments of locomotive engines and apparatus to be applied thereto, and to

page_text: the carriages or wagons of a train whereby the safe and easy ascent of
trains up steep inclines is accomplished and their passage round sharp
curves is facilitated.
According to this Invention the locomotive engine is coupled to the
train or other load to be hauled up an incline by a rope or chain which
is wound on a drum mounted in the framing of the engine. The axis of
this drum is placed horizontally and is driven or rotated direct or by
gearing from a separate pair of cylinders distinct from the cylinders
which propel the engine along. On each side of the engine framing
& on each side of one or more carriages or wagons of the train, there
is or are suspensed one or more self-acting gripping struts which when
let down on to the rails by the driver or other person in charge of the
train will firmly grip the sides of the rails and hold the engine or train
or portion of the train stationary on any part of a steep gradient. I
prefer to construct these struts each of two steel arms connected together
at their lower ends by two curved cross plates which are hinged together
in the centre, and are also hinged to the ends of the steel arms. On
lowering the free end of the strut which should project downwards at an
angle contrary to the direction in which the train is travelling, the jaws
of the struts which should be roughened on their inner surfaces
immediately grip the opposite sides of each rail and effectually prevent
any retrograde motion of the engine or carriages when on a steep
gradient. On arriving at the foot of a steep incline the engineer will
release the hauling drum on the engine, and will without stopping or
retarding the engine run it up the gradient to any desired distance,
having previously lowered the arresting struts. On stopping the engine
the struts immediately come into action and maintain the engine firmly
in its place. The hauling drum is now started (the rope or chain
having been paid out as the engine ascended), and the entire train or any
part of the train is hauled up by the sole power of the cylinders which
work the winding drum. The struts on the train act as before described
to prevent any retrograde motion thereof when required, or in case of an
accident to the hauling apparatus they also allow the engine to start
again without the train and completo the ascent of the incline, the train
being then hauled up after it by the winding drum as herein-before
described.

page_text: arrangement of hauling drum and separate winding engine carried on
the framing of the locomotive will also be found most serviceable in
facilitating the hauling of heavy trains by light locomotive engines
round sharp curves.
In order to prevent exposure and consequent injury to the tubes and
fire-box roof by reason of the displacement of the water level, when
ascending or descending steep inclines I provide two steam domes or
chambers on the top of the boiler at or near the opposite ends thereof,
and I connect these two chambers by what I call an “equalizing" steam
pipe opening at both ends into the said chamber. The water level should
stand sufficiently high in the said chambers to admit of the displacement
caused when ascending or descending the steepest gradient without
uncovering the mouth of either chamber. The steam as fast as it is
generated enters either or both these chambers, and its pressure in both
is equalized by the before-mentioned equalizing pipe.
The steam pipes for supplying the cylinders of the locomotive engine
and of the winding engine may be connected with either or both the
said chambers, as found most convenient in practice.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Handyside in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HANDYSIDE, of Saint John's Wood, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Henry Handyside, Her special license that I, the
said Henry Handyside, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry Handyside, my 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

page_text: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
AND IN APPARATUS FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE SAFE ASCENT OF STEEP INCLINES, AND
FOR FACILITATING THE PASSAGE OF SHARP CURVES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Handyside, executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Henry Handyside, 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 certain peculiar constructions and
arrangements of locomotive engines and apparatus to be applied thereto,
and to the carriages or wagons of a train whereby the safe and easy
ascent of trains up steep inclines is accomplished and their passage
round sharp curves is facilitated.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation, partly in
longitudinal section, of so much of a locomotive engine as is requisite to
illustrate the application of my Invention thereto; Figure 2 is a
sectional plan of a portion of the same corresponding to Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a rear end elevation of the engine with a portion shown in
section; and Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of a self-acting gripping strut
constructed in accordance with my said Invention.
According to my Invention I couple the locomotive engine to the
train or other load to be hauled up an incline by a rope or chain A
which is wound on a drum B mounted in the framing C, C, of the
engine. The axis or shaft D of this drum works horizontally in bearings

page_text: at a, a, in the main framing, and is driven or rotated direct or by gearing,
as found most convenient, from a separate pair of cylinders E, E, distinct
from the usual cylinders which drive the locomotive in ordinary cases.
These cylinders E, E, may be secured to any convenient part of the
locomotive and transmit a rotatory motion to the shaft of the hauling
drum by connecting rods F, F, coupled to cranks G, G, secured to the
ends of the hauling drum shaft, as clearly shown in Figure 2, or
coupled to the shaft of separated or intermediate gearing. The drum or
windlass barrel is loose upon its shaft and is coupled therewith when
required for hauling purposes by means of a sliding clutch H, provided
with projections or teeth by preference inclined or bevilled off at the
back, which teeth engage into corresponding holes or recesses in the end
of the drum.
A clutch lever not shewn in my Drawings but which should be
conveniently placed to the hand of the driver is provided for throwing
the hauling drum into or out of action as required.
The circumference of one or both flanges or end plates b, b, of the
drum have ratchet teeth formed thereon, and into these teeth engage the
detent or detents c, c, which are mounted on the rocking shaft I working
in suitable bearings in the inner framing d, d, of the engine. These
detents when engaged with the ratchet teeth hold the drum stationary
during the time the engine is running with the train attached behind it;
e is a lever handle forming part of one of the said detents for the
purpose of enabling the driver to instantly release the drum when
required; f, f, are the eccentrics and eccentric rods for working the
valves of the cylinders E, E; these eccentrics being mounted on the
shaft of the drum or on the gear shaft; K is a guide roller fitted in the
rear end of the inner framing for guiding the hauling rope or chain A on
to and off the drum; this guide roller may be constructed only sufficiently
broad to carry the rope or chain and be provided with a lever or screw
purchase to receive a horizontal motion for guiding the rope or chain in
the case of going round sharp curves. On each side of the engine
framing, and also on each side of one or more of the carriages or wagons
of the train, there is or are suspended one or more self-acting gripping
struts L (see Figure 4), which when let down on to the rails g by the
driver or other person in charge of the train will firmly grip the sides of
the rails and hold the engine or train or portion of the train stationary
on any part of a steep graidient; I prefer to construct these struts each

page_text: of two steel arms h, h, hinged at their upper ends at i, i, to the main
framing and connected together at their lower ends by two curved cross
plates or jaws k, k, (Figure 4), which are hinged together in the centre
at 1, and are also hinged at m, m, to the ends of the steel arms h. To
the arms h, h, of each strut there are jointed at n, n, the rods o, o, which
are jointed at their upper ends to short lever arms p, p, on a rock
shaft q. This rock shaft carries a lever arm r convenient to the hand of
the driver for the purpose of enabling him to instantly raise or lower the
struts on both sides of the engine simultaneously. On lowering the free
end of the strut which should project downwards at an angle of rather
less than 45°, and in a direction contrary to the direction in which the
train is travelling, as shewn in Figure 1, the jaws k, k, of the struts
which should be roughened and hardened on their inner surfaces
immediately grip the opposite sides of cach rail, and effectually prevent
any retrogade motion of the engine or carriages when on a steep
gradient. On arriving at the foot of a steep incline the engineer will
release the hauling drum on the engine by disengaging the detents c, c,
and will without stopping the engine run it up the gradient to any
desired distance, having previously lowered by means of the lever
handler, the arresting struts L, L. On stopping the engine the struts
immediately come into action as shewn in Figures 1 and 4, and maintain
the engine firmly in its place. The hauling drum B is now started by
throwing the clutch (H) into gear therewith (the rope or chain A having
been paid out as the engine ascended), and the entire train or any part
of the train is hauled up by the sole power of the cylinders E, E, which
work the winding drum. The struts on the train similar to those shewn
at L act as before described to prevent any retrograde motion thereof
when required, or in case of an accident to the hauling apparatus they
also allow the engine to start again without the train to take another
length of the incline, and so on until the complete ascent of the incline
has been effected, the train being hauled up by the engine by the aid of
the winding drum as herein-before described.
On level sections or on comparatively light gradients the locomotive
acts precisely as an ordinary locomotive engine. It is obvious that this
arrangement of hauling drum and separate winding engine carried on
the framing of the locomotive will also be found most serviceable in
faciltating the hauling of heavy trains by light locomotive engines
round sharp curves.

page_text: In order to prevent exposure and consequent injury to the tubes and
fire-box roof by reason of the displacement of the water level when
ascending or descending steep inclines, I provide two steam domes or
chambers M, M', on the top of the boiler at or near the opposite ends
thereof, and I connect these two chambers by what I call an equalizing
steam pipe N (Figure 1) opening at both ends into the said chambers,
but I make no claim separately to the said equalizing steam pipe. The
water level should stand sufficiently high to admit of the displacement
caused when ascending or descending the steepest gradient without
exposing the boiler tubes or roof of the fire-box as shewn by the dotted
lines 8, 8, in Figure 1. The steam as fast as it is generated enters either
or both these chambers, and its pressure in both is equalized by the
before-mentioned equalizing pipe N.
The steam pipes for supplying the cylinders of the locomotive engine,
and of the winding engine may be connected with either or both the
said chambers as found most convenient in practice.
In my Drawings I have shown the steam pipe O for supplying the
winding engine as connected with the dome M', whilst the steam pipe P
for supplying the ordinary driving cylinders of the engine are shewn as
connected with the dome M, each pipe being provided with the usual
regulator valve inside the dome.
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 in conclusion that I am aware it
has been proposed to employ a locomotive carriage or traction engine on
common roads fitted with a winding drum which derives its motion from
a worm and worm wheel, the worm being driven by a strap or band
from the fly wheel of the locomotive carriage or traction engine, and the
winding gear thrown into or out of action by shifting the strap from a
loose to a fast pulley for the purpose of allowing the locomotive carriage
or traction engine to ascend a hill or pass a difficult place in the road
without its load, and having made itself fast (no suggestion however
being given as to how that was to be performed) to wind its load forward
by the drum, but the arrangement in question was impracticable and
has consequently never been put into actual use, 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,-

page_text: First. The combination with any ordinary railway locomotive engine
of a separate and distinct cylinder or pair of cylinders for driving, either
direct or through the intervention of gearing, a winding drum mounted
in the framing of the locomotive engine in conjunction with self-acting
gripping struts, the whole being arranged and caused to operate together
substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Second. The construction and use of self-acting gripping struts made
with hinged jaws which grip the top and two sides of a rail, substantially
in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated
by Figure 4 of the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Handyside, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
HENRY HANDYSIDE. (L.S.)