US4812A - Improvement in locomotive-carriages - Google Patents

Description

R. WINANS.

Locomotive.

4 Sheets- Sheet I.

No. 4,812. Patented 0m. 14, 1846.

AM. .PROTD- l-JITHO-CO. N.Y. (OSBOR NE'S PRO C255.)

' Q 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. WINANS.

' Locomotive.

' No. 4,812. v Patented Get. 14. 1846.

v 4 Sheets-Shet 3. R. WINANS.

Locomotive.

No. 4,812. Patented Oct 14, I846.

AM-PHO'I'O-LITHQCQNX. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) R. W| NANS.

Locomotive.

No. 4,812. Patented Oct. 14, 1846' AM. PHOTO 'LITH 0. C(LNN. (USBDRN E'S PRO CES S.)

4 Sheets-Shet 4.

name STATES PATE T Games;

ROSS \VINANS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCOMOTtVE-CARRIAGES,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4l,}12, dated Ocfoh r 1!, [$43.

To ELZZIZUZLOIH/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Ross WINANs, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, civil engineer. have made an improvement in the manner of constructing locomotive steamengines to be used on railroads with six or eight driving-wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

In the combination and arrangement-of some of its parts-my improved locomotivesteamengine resembles one that was built by Mr. Hopkins Thomas with the six driving-wheels, and which was used on the Beaver Meadow Railroad; but his engine was found to be objectionable on account of its too great tendency to run off the road, to obviate which and to increase the number of drivin avheels and points of bearing on the rail from four to six or eight are among the objects of my improvement.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented my improved engine under two different modifications or modes of construction.

Figure 1 is an engine with six wheels, all of which are driving-wheels, two pairs of driving-wheels being in front of and one pair behind the fire-box. Fig. 2 is a similar engine with all the driving-wheels before the fire-box. Fig. 3 is an engine with eight wheels, all of which are driving-wheels, with the cylinders in an inclined position. Fig. 4: is a similar engine drawn to a larger scale, with the cyl inders in a horizontal position, which position is preferred.

The motive power from the steam-cylinder A (in the accompanying drawings) is communicated directly to the pair of dri'vingwheels B by means of connecting-rods 0 operating on crank-pins 011 one pair of the said drivingwheels or cranks on their axles, the connecting-rods D D operating upon cranks on the other axles in a manner well understood, so as to make all six or eight wheels driving-wheels.

The axles of the respective pairs of wheels are placed permanently parallel to each other, and to enable the wheels to arrange themselves in a position to pass readily around curves on the road or through. switches a lateral or end play is allowed the axles when all the wheels are furnished with flanges. This lateral play of the axles and wheels may be obtained in various ways; but the mode which I prefer is facility upon curves of short radius and through switches, one of the two following devices may be allowed: First, a lateral play of about an inch to each axle may be allowed, or double that play on the middle axle or axles if the end ones have only the usual play; or, secondly, this lateral or end play may be dis pensed with and the capacity of adaptation be still retained by forming the middle pair or pairs of wheels without flanges. To equalize the pressure 011 the respective drivingwheels, and consequently to distribute the weight or bearing of the locomotive on the rails on six or eight points, and the better to preserve the'proper distribution 'of the weight on each of the wheels when passing over the uneven parts of the road, a vibrating spring such as is shown at a a in the respective drawings may be used. This vibrating spring turns 011 a fulcrum, 1), below its center, and the rods 0 0 bear 011 its ends and upon the upper boxes of the two contiguous driving-wheels. A device analogous to this, consisting of a vibrating lever and spring-has been used by lfIessrs. Eastwick and Harrison on alocomotive-engine for which they obtained Letters Patent. A similar device was also used by Mr. Hopkins Thomas. The axles of the respective pairs of wheels of Mr. Thom'ass engine were also arranged permanently to each other, and lateral play was allowed to the axles and wheels, as herein described, for the purpose of promoting the easy passage through curves and turnouts, and the steam-power was transmitted from the cylinder to the respective drivingwheels by means of cranks and connectingrods, as herein described.

The above devices mentioned as having been used by Mr. Hopkins Thomas I do not consider as new, either taken individually or in their combination with each other, they having been used and combined with each other, as above remarked, by that gentleman in the construction of an engine with six propellingwheels, but without producing thereby a ma chine possessing the advantages obtained by myimprovement or capable of passing through the curves and turn-outs of the road with the requisite ease, facility, and safety. By combining with the said devices the use of wheels with flanges of chilled cast-iron, a new and original combination isobtained, and the difficulty of using six or eight driving-wheels with their axles parallel to each other will be obviated without danger from running off the track and with the requisite facilityof passing through curves and turn-outs, as I have experimentally ascertained. With the ordinary drivingwheels with wrought-iron flanges this would not be the case.

I do not intend to claim the use of drivingwheels for engines with flanges of chilled castiron as new when taken alone; but wheels with chilled cast-iron flanges'are an element which, when combined with the'other devices enumerated or with devices substantially the same and with six or eight driving-wheels, forms a new combination, which is a new and useful improvement. Chilled cast-iron flanges to the wheels which guide an engine on the track promote a more easy and safe transit through curves and turn-outs and along the entire road than would be the case were wheels with wrought-iron flanges used-an advantage which is valuable and important in pro portion as the distance between the front and hind axles of an engine having its axles parallel is increased. The extreme hardness of the chilled cast-iron flange causes it to preserve its original and proper shape much better than a wrought-iron flange. This better preservation of the form, together with the extreme hardness and the smoothness of the chilled cast-iron flanges, insure their gliding off the rails instead of mounting them, and the engine is thereby guided along the track with greater safety and with less resistance to the moving power than could be done by wheels having wrought-iron flanges, all other things being equal.

Having thus fully set forth the nature of my improvement, what I claim, and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

Theemployment of wheels with chilled castiron flanges, in combination with an engine having six or eight driving-wheels with axles parallel to each other, and accommodating itself to curves and turn-outs by any of the devices or modes herein described for that purpose, and having the power applied to all the axles by connecting-rods and cranks.

ROSS XVINANS.

Vit n esses:

J NO. H. B. LATROBE, EDWIN L. B'RUNDAGE.

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