Improvements in Traction Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 31st Aug., 1895-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1895
Improvements in Traction Engines.
I FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL of St. Nicholas Works Thetford in the County
of Norfolk, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an arrangement of gearing whereby
traction engines of the usual design and having 2 speeds on the road motion, may
without altering the position of any existing shafts or gear wheels, or
widening the
distance between the road wheels, be fitted with a third speed when required.
For this purpose I place an internally geared spur wheel inside the rim of the
fly wheel and geared into a pinion of as large diameter as possible so as to reduce
friction.
This pinion drives a countershaft running in roller or ball bearings and having
aupon it a pinion which may be brought into gear with one of the spur wheels upon
the countershaft of the road motion, when the ordinary fast and slow gear pinions
are not in action.
In order to prevent noise I may use raw hide or other such material for the
large pinion which is driven by the said internal gear. This arrangement lends
itself to engines constructed with either 3 or 4 shafts, and the 3rd speed can if
necessary be adapted to existing engines without seriously increasing the internal
friction of the gearing, and reduces the loss of power due to thrust upon the
bearings to the lowest possible amount. In order to further reduce the friction of
traction engines and to enable them to compare in efficiency with engines with
fewer shafts, I propose to fit roller or ball bearings to the crank shaft, first and
second countershafts, and if desirable to the main axle, in place of the ordinary
bearings in use, and by this means so reduce the friction of the engine that a much
lower piston speed will be necessary for a given size of cylinder and peripheral
speed of road wheel, and consequently great economy of fuel consumption will be
obtained. The use of roller or ball bearings as applied to a traction engine will be as
important an improvement as the application of the same was to bicycles and will
be a means of preventing the shafts from wearing out of line with each other.
Dated this 8th day of December 1894.
FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL.
Improvements in Traction Engines.
I, FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL of St. Nicholas Works, Thetford in the County
of Norfolk, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of gearing whereby
traction engines of the usual design having two speeds on the road motion, may
without altering the position of any existing shafts and gear wheels or widening
the distance between the road wheels, be fitted with a third speed when required.

page_text: In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I now proceed to
describe the accompanying drawings thereof, reference being had to letters and
figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 an end elevation of the hind portion
of a traction engine constructed in accordance with this invention, Figure 3 is a
plan of same.
In Figure 1A is the crank shaft B the countershaft and C the main axle power
being transmitted from the crank shaft A to the road wheels R by gearing a¹ a²,
bb, b3 b, c¹ c², in the usual manner.
The whole of the gearing is carried by the extension of the horn plates J, J, of
the locomotive type boiler L.
In order to obtain a third speed, I place an internally geared spur ring F inside
the rim of the fly whee! G gearing into a pinion E. This pinion drives a counter-
shaft D running in roller or ball bearings h², and having upon it a pinion H
which may be arranged so as to engage with one of the spur wheels (or 62)
upon the countersha't B of the road motion, when the ordinary fast and slow gear
pinions a, a, are not in action. In order to prevent noise I may use raw hide
or other such material for the large pinion E which is driven by the said internal
gear F.
This arrangement lends itself to engines constructed with either three or four
shafts, and a third speed can if necessary be adapted to existing engines without
seriously increasing the internal friction of the gearing; the loss of power due
to thrust upon the bearings is reduced to the lowest possible amount.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1stly. In traction engines with locomotive type boilers driven by spur gearing
and having either one or two countershafts between the crank shaft and main axle, the
use of an internal spur ring situated in or attached to the fly wheel, driving by
means of a pinion a countershaft through which power is transmitted from the fly
wheel to the ordinary gearing of the road motion when an additional speed is
required, without increasing the width between the driving wheels.
2ndly. In geared traction engine, the combination and arrangement of parts for
the purpose set forth, substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 30th day of August 1895.
FREDERICK JOHN BURRELL.