IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Matthews, of No. 109, White Ladies' Road, Clifton,
in the County of Gloucester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY
AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Matthews at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1879.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of No. 109, White Ladies' Road, Clifton, in the County of
Gloucester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
According to one part of my present Invention I construct tramway and other
locomotive engines with four or more coupled wheels situated inside the frame-
plates, and I arrange the whole of the driving mechanism, that is to say, the steam
cylinders with their slides, slide rods, eccentrics, link motion, slide bars, coupling and
connecting rods outside the frame-plates, the axles having outside cranks or crank-
plates for this purpose. The whole of these moving parts are covered by a close
casing to exclude the dust and dirt, which casing is provided with suitable doors
for oiling and gaining access to the parts. The above described arrangements may
be applied to locomotive engines, as also to a combined engine and carriage, worked
either by steam or compressed air. In engines with inside cylinders I arrange the
wheels outside the framing, with the driving mechanism inside the framing as usual,
and I enclose the whole of such mechanism by a close casing provided with doors
for gaining access to the parts.
According to another improvement I effect the condensation of the exhaust steam
of such engines by causing it to pass into a closed box or receptacle situated by
preference inside the water tank, which box is partly filled with water supplied
from the tank through an equilibrium or balanced valve. From the lower part of
this box a pipe extends upwards, terininating in a nozzle at right angles, or nearly
so, to another nozzle situated close to it, and communicating with the upper part of
the box, which is filled with steam. Thus, on the exhaust steam entering the box,
it will issue through the last named nozzle, while by the pressure of the steam a
jet of water is forced through the first named nozzle, so as to impinge on the jet of
steam in the form of spray, whereby the steam is condensed,

page_text: For coupling the said locomotive engines to the carriages or trucks, I employ
the following arrangement:-I provide the locomotive engine or other rolling stock
with ordinary coupling chains, and below the buffer beam, in line with the coupling
chains, I binge with a suitable joiut a forked curved lever or carrier, having near
its free end a T or cross piece, beyond which it has an eye connected to a light
chain passing through the free end link of the coupling chain to either side of the
carriage, where it may be attached some height above the buffer beam, such chain
being sufficiently long to allow the lever to hang down loosely.
When it is desired to couple the coupling chain on to the draw hook of the
opposite carriage, the light chain is pulled up, so as to draw the eye of the lever
through the free end link of the coupling chain, and to raise the lever, whereby the
end link of the coupling chain resting upon the T head of the lever will be raised
up, so as to pass over the opposite draw hook. In order to cause the link to project
forward as it is being raised, it may either be provided with a cross bar near its
rear end, against which the eye of the rising lever bears, or the latter may be pro-
vided with a forked shoulder at the back of its T head, which is made to bear
against the rear end of the link.
Instead of raising the lever by light chains as described, it may be connected to
a transverse shaft extending to each side of the engine or carriage, where it is
provided with hand levers, by which the shaft can be turned so as to move the
raising lever upwards.
For uncoupling the chain the lever is raised so as to lift the end link off the draw
hook.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Matthews in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
October 1879.
JAMES MATTHEWS, of No. 109, White Ladies' Road, Clifton, in the County of
Gloucester. “IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAY AND OTHER LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
According to one part of my present Invention I construct tramway and other
locomotive engines with four or more coupled wheels situated inside the frame-
plates, and I arrange the whole of the driving mechanism, that is to say, the steam
cylinders, with their slides, slide rods, eccentrics, link motion, slide bars, coupling
and connecting rods outside the frame-plates, the axles having outside cranks or
crank-plates for this purpose. The whole of these moving parts are covered by a
close casing to exclude the dust and dirt, which casing is provided with suitable
doors for oiling and gaining access to the parts. The above described arrangements
may be applied to locomotive engines, as also to a combined engine and carriage,
worked either by steam or compressed air. In engines with inside cylinders
arrange the wheels inside the framing, with the driving mechanism inside the

page_text: Fig. 1 shews a side elevation partly in section; (and Fig. 2, a plan) of a locomotive
engine having my before described improvements applied thereto. In this arrange-
ment the steam cylinders A, with their connecting rods B, crank plates C of the
axles D, as also the slides and slide rods, eccentrics, and link motion are all arranged
outside the frame-plates E, and are enclosed by a casing F, provided with suitable
doors for oiling and examination. The wheels G are inside the frames. When the
cylinders are situated inside the framing, I arrange the wheels also inside the
framing, but with outside cranks or discs for coupling the wheels on the outside of
the frames, and I enclose the cylinders and driving gear inside the frame, as also the
coupling rods and cranks outside the frames, with close casings such as I have
described above, provided with doors.
The exhaust steam passes from the cylinders A through pipes H into closed boxes
I, situated inside the water tanks J, the water of which enters the boxes at bottom
through a valve J¹, so as to partly fill the same. From the upper and lower part
of the boxes I lead respectively pipes K and L, terminating in flat broad nozzles
K¹, L', situated close to and at an angle to each other. Thus the exhaust steam
issuing through the nozzle K' will be met by a jet of water propelled through the
nozzle L' by the pressure of steam in the box, and the steam will thus be con-
densed. The nozzles may either be constructed as shewn, detached in a side

page_text: front view at Figs. 3 and 4, being arranged as just described, or they may be con-
structed as shewn at Figs. 5 and 6, where the perforated water nozzle L¹ enters the
steam nozzle K¹, so that the water issues in a number of small jets into the narrow
annular space of the nozzle K¹ through which the steam is escaping.
For coupling the engine to a carriage I employ the arrangement shewn at z, Figs.
1 and 2, and to an enlarged scale in side and front elevation at Figs. 7 and 8. M, M¹,
are the ordinary coupling chains and hooks; N, N, are levers or arms fixed to
transverse shafts O carried below the beams P, and capable of being both partly
rotated and slid somewhat longitudinally by means of side hand lovers Q. The
arms are formed at their ends with four horns n, n, n¹, n¹, and a crossbar n², so that
when they are turned up they will grasp and raise the end link of the chain M, as
shewn on the right hand side of Fig. 7, the shaft with the arm and link being first
slid somewhat to one side, so as to pass the hook of M¹, and then slid back again,
so as to bring the link over the hook, so that on then allowing the arm to drop the
chain will be coupled on to the hook. The shaft O may have eccentric bearings, so
that the reach of its arm may be more or less extended. My above described
improvements, except the arrangement for condensing exhaust, are applicable to
locomotive engines or steam carriages worked by steam, compressed air, or other
elastic fluid, the cylinders being arranged either in the ordinary manner or radially
round the axles, in which case the coupling rods might bo dispensed with, and each
driving axle provided with its own cylinders.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim,―
First. Constructing locomotive engines or steam carriages with the whole of the
driving gear arranged outside the framing and wheels, and covered by a close
casing, having doors for oiling and inspection, substantially as described.
Second. Constructing locomotive engines or steam carriages, having inside cylin-
ders with close casings covering both the driving gear within the engine frame, and
the coupling cranks and rods outside the frames, substantially as herein described.
Third. The use for locomotives or steam carriages of condensing apparatus,
consisting of a close receptacle partly filled with water, into which the exhaust
steam passes, and from which it issues through a nozzle, in close proximity to which
is a second nozzle placed at an angle thereto, and through which water is forced
by the steam pressure inside the said receptacle, substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of the Drawings.
Fourth. The use in combination with the ordinary coupling chains and hooks of
a locomotive or steam carriage, of an arm or lever on a. transverse shaft, having
horns or projections so arranged as to embrace the last link of the coupling chain
and raise it for coupling on to the hook, substantially as herein described with
reference to Figs. 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Matthews, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
JAMES MATTHEWS. (L.S.)