US1788064A - Locomotive terminal - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 6, 1931. G. E. MURRAY 1,788,064

' LOCOMOTIVE TERMINAL Filed April 19. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ("NOE 160A? HIGH P/FESEUEL" STEM MARY 5 Ben/vol WM W MW%J Jan. 6, 1931. G. E. MURRAY LOCOMOTIVE TERMINAL Filed April 19, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M my;

Jan. 6, 1931. G. E. MURRAY LOCOMOTIVE TERMINAL Filed April 19, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheets 5 Jan.'6, 1931 G. E. MURRAY LOCOMOTIVE TERMINAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 19, 1929 games? Patented Jan. 6, 1931.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I E. MURRAY, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGN OB TO RAILWAY ENGI- INEERING EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS Application filed April 19,

' tion of smoke and gas from the engine house, all of'the routine locomotive operations in and around the terminal which require the use of steam pressure in the locomotive, such as parking or holding overwith maintained steam pressure, shifting from place to place, re-establishing steamed condition after washing out, testing of the popvalve or other boiler accessories, and dispatching the locomotive to its assigned duty.

More specifically, the invention relates to the provision, in the operation of such a locomotive terminal, of an improved method of and means for floating locomotive boilers from a direct steaming line, under sufficient steam pressure to maintain their self propelliug condition while they are being held over or parked.

Heretofore, in the practice of the direct steaming system, the stationary boilers constituting the extraneous source from which steam has been supplied to the locomotives have generally been operated at pressures materially below pressures at which locomotives are normally operated, the purpose be ing merely to bring the locomotive to self propelling condition and to. maintain it at a pressure just suflicient to permit it to move from place to place in and around the terminal. as required. But with the increasing use of this direct steaming system, the need of higher stationary boiler pressures has become important, not only as a means of speeding up the filling of boilers with water at steaming tenum-atui'c and developing the necessary pressure over the water by the time the boiler is filled, but also to enable the testing of safety valves at locomotive working pressures, without. the use of locomotive fires.

Locomorivn TERMINAL 1929. Serial No. 356,454.

boiler pressures, in the direct steaming system, introduces a new problem, particularly during the time that such a high pressure extraneous steam supply is left open to the boilers of incoming and outgoing locomotives, for keeping up locomotion pressure, at their storage stations, without fires on the locomotives; such problem having to do mainly with the tendency of thehigh pressure extraneous source to overcharge the locomotive boiler and lift the safety valve,'thereby causing waste of steam and developing an obj ectionable working environment.

The presentinvention meets the aforesaid problem by taking into account certain economic factors that have been gathered in the course of experience with the direct steaming system. Higher'steam pressures mamtamed 1n the locomotive boiler that is being. held under steam without locomotive fire, cause greater radiation heat losses from the locomotive. @pening the locomotive freely to a. high pressure steam source increases the hability to overcharge through an excessive admission of steam from the ex-- of: these conditions make for less economical direct steaming operation.

The above conditions are particularly true where the capacity of the-direct steam supply.

boilers is limited. Under the origiualdirect steaming practice, difliculty was often eucou'ntered in maintaining a high working pressure on the extraneous boilers, where a considerable number of locomotives were being supplied with steam'during the holdover period, because the locomotives were left free to respond immediately to fluctuations in pressure of the 'directsteam supply boilers. This in turn made it very difficult to re-establish full working pressure on the direct steam supply boilers following an overload or other conditions that caused the pressure to fall. In other words, where pressures rise and fall in locomotives, which are being floated on the steam line from the extraneous source, in response to the rise and fall of pressures in the extraneous stat-ionary boilers, high pressures can be, gained in the extraneous boilers only at the expense of unnecessarily high and wasteful pressures on the locomotive.

Another important factor gathered from experience with the direct steaming systemis that when a locomotive is maintained at a pressure relatively low but still high enough to provide for self propulsion in and about the terminal, the radiation losses are so far reduced that the drag on the extraneous boiler becomes economically low; and by gov-, erning the admission of steam while the locomotive boiler is floated from the steam line, so that there is just suflicient steam to compensate for condensation occurring at the low pressure employed in the locomotives, extraneous boiler pressures may be built up rapidly and maintained at high efiiciency'.

without diflFiculty. While the pressure in the locomotiveboiler will fall and be replaced by the extraneous source as the loss is increased by radiation, pressure in the extraneous steam main Willbe maintained, by the recuperating capacity of the extraneous boiler, substantiaL 1y constant at the high pressure needed in caring for a considerable number of incoming and outgoing locomotives at the hold-- over or parking'stations,

The object of the present invention is to provide suitable apparatus for and a practi cable method of applying the direct steam,- ing system in fireless locomotive terminals which; While adapted to economically and quickly establish steamed condition 011 locomotives appropriate for testing'safety valves at locomotive working pressures and facilitating a quick get away when leaving for assigned duty, will admit of holding locomotives under steam at a. substantially constant pressure or pressures within certain practical limits materially reduced from that of the -extraneous source during the lay-over period at the terminal, either after the'locomotive has been refilled and steamed up or when brought to the storage station from the fire dumping station; and to have these conditions apply to any number of locomotives,

; within the capacityof the terminal, standing under connection with the direct steaming high pressure source, without charging the locomotive to the point of popping; Without undue drop of locomotive pressure belowthatwhich is desired for fireless terminal practice; without such drain upon the extraneous boiler plant as will complicate the'ma-intenanc of the latter at proper working presflow through a passage large capacity extraneous steam source, is

the proper design of what is termed the connection for floating the. locomotive boiler 011 the main steam line. \Vhile this is a matter that must be determined by expert knowl edge, it is important that it be available to unskilled operators; hence, the. invention contemplates not only introducing into the direct steaming system a new method ot floating locomotive boilers from an extraneous high pressure steam source, but a novel so-called boiler floating connection to and from which the locomotive boiler may be shifted-by merely selecting one or 'another of two appropriate valves, namely, a floating valve preadjusted to maintain the described relatively low and economical steaming pressure, and the main steaming valve adapted for use in rapidly restoring the locomotive to steamed condition after washing out its'boiler, or for running up the locomotive pressure efiiciently to the pressure at which its safety valves are set, when it is desired to test su'ch valves, or to a pressure appropriate for dispatching the locomotiv'e from the hold-over station to its assigned duty.

The present invention proceeds upon the principle of supplying, from a steam source having the capacity to I materially higher than those required for fireless operation of terminals, to a locomotive or locomotives, steam that is caused to capacity that it will transmit steam to the locomotive boiler only at a rate which will I be sufiicient to keep the locomotive pressure up to the relatively low degree that is commensurate with a low rate of radiation loss, and which rate of steam supply will be so low with relation to the capacity of the steam source as to permit the prompt building up or constant maintenance of steam pressure in the extraneous source.

In the preferred practice of this invention, the-restricted steam supply passage bearing the described relation to extraneous boiler capacity. locomotive boiler heat losses and required fireless terminal operation will be embodied in one or more by-passesaround the main valve that supplies steam at the time ofrefilling, so that in holding a locomomaintain pressures of such restricted tive at self propelling pressure without fire,

steaming method before lighting its fire, it

will simply be necessary to open a designated by-pass valve and leave the rate of steam flow into the locomotive entirely to the controlling influence of'the by-pass in order to achieve the objects above explained.

To cite an example, in actual practice with this system, it has been found that by main- I taining a steam pressure of 200 pounds in the supplied through the same -inch by-pass connection under the same conditions. This shows the practical importance of this relationship, since it enables the use of one bypass ofa uniform size at each locomotive storage station at a terminal, to serve as a means for holding under reduced self propelling pressure, locomotives of a considerable range in size, all supplied by steam from a direct steaming main in which a relatively high constant pressure is maintained.

While it is conceivable that thepresent invention could be realized to a measurably advantageous degree through "skillful operation of .the main valve that controls the supply of steam in volume necessary to the jfilling operation of the boiler, as by carefully graduating'a degree of opening equiv? alent to the restricted passageway of a bypass, it is better to employ, and a preferred embodiment of the present invention consists in employing, the described separately controlled individual 'assages for these two stages of steam supp y, namely, the main passage, with its own individual valve, of proper capacity for supplying the volume of steam appropriate for boiler filling and initial development of steam pressure or iquickly running up pressure, and a secondcarrying capacity when the valve is wide ary or by-pass passage or passages, withindividual controlling valve or valves, havmg a open that admits a volume of steam just suflicient to maintain the deslred reduced pressure 'on a locomotive held thereby in float-- ing connection-with ,the main steam supply, so that in changing from one stage of steam supply to the other it is merely necessary to fully open and close these valves.

Aside from the greater convenience afforded by full opening or closure of these valves to efiect the desired result in placeof a partial or graduated opening required with the original arrangement, this original arrangement is open to the more serious ob ec tion that restriction of steam flow by such partial opening or closure, if practiced, would cause the valve seats and disks so operated to rapidly deteriorate due to the cutting or scoring action of the steam drawn 'be-' tween them at high velocity. Such damage would soon cause these valves to leak and become inoperative.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a schematic plan of a fireless enginehouse or locomotive terminal of the direct steaming type.

Figure-2 is a plan view 011 a greatly enlarged scale of one of theunits of the terminal through the medium of which a locomotive maybe serviced in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of one ofthe servicing units, shown in Figure 2, as viewed in a plane parallel with the locomotive stall; and

Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, a top plan and a side elevation on a still larger scale of that portion of the means shown in Figures 2 and 3 which automatically establishes asteamsupply appropriate to one or the other of two stages of the servicing oper-.

Referring to Figure 1, A represents a section of the roundhouse of a locomotive terminal constructed with a plurality of locomotive servicing stalls B, and C represents a series of parking or hold-over stalls at said terminal; all of these stalls being related to a conventional type of turn-table D. E rep- I resents the so-called drops or servicing apparatus at the servicing stalls B, and F -repre-' sents similar drops at the hold-over stalls C. These drops may be so located in relation to the stalls that each drop is adapted to serve a stall on either side of it. As shown in the majority of the stalls illustrated, or as shown in the-first two stalls, there may be one drop for service of each stall. (Jr represents stationary boilers which are intended to have suflicient capacity to generate a volume of steam sufficient to supply locomotives occupying any or all of the stalls B and C, in accordance with the principle of operating locomotive terminals of the fireless or direct the condensate thereof to the water rcservoir H.. i a

1 and 2 represent pipes or mains so connected that they will, respectively, supply high pressure steam and filling water to the stalls; and 3 represents a blowback pipe through which may be delivered, indirectly over at stations C or other stations by the proper supply of steam under the presentinvention which prevents drop in pressure from radiation during the Waiting period; Pipe 3 may also be, and in accordance with the present showing is, the standard blowoff pipe through which solids, liquid, and volatiles pass from the locomotive to the separator K in the step of the servicing operation (when it-has to be performed) having to do with the washing out of the boiler.

In addition to the pipes or mains referred to, the terminal may be equipped with the usual pipe 4, with a drop 4a at each station, supplying water at reduced temperature for boiler washout purposes, and pipe 5, controlled by valve 5a and its handle 56 and supplying the flexible connector 50;which has a locomotive stack blower connection in case the same should be needed (see Figs. 2 and 3); but these additional connections 4 and 5 have no particular bearing upon the present invention.

'At each drop or station E, there is a branch 1a from the high pressure steam pipe 1, connected at 6 to the automatic steaming equipment 7, 7a, 8, 8a, in which, in combination with the direct steaming terminal equipment in general, the present invention mainly lies; 7 being a main steam supply passage controlled by valve 7a which, when open, releases for delivery to a locomotive boiler, steam at a temperature and pressure suflicient to rapidly bring a locomotive to a desired pressure and corresponding temperature, for instance, bringing the locomotive to a pressure appropriate for holding it or moving it under its own power from place to place around the terminal; or in the case of a locomotive that has been held over, bringing its pressure up to a degree appropriate to the dispatching of the locomotive from the terminal, to which end the stationary high pressure steam supply will be capable of supplying steam at a temperature and pressure at least equal to and preferably materially in excess of normal operating temperature and pressure of the locomotive. The high pressure steam source and the connection 7, 7a are such that when the connection is opened simultaneously with the filling ot' the boiler, it will cause the filling water to enter the locomotive boiler at a temperature that is above the steaming temperature, and, upon attainment of the desired water level, will quickly thereafter develop" a desired pressure for rendering the locomotive self propelling. -In addition to the steam supply controlled by valve 7a, there 1s a bypass pipe 8 of materially less dimension than the upper end of a drop pipe 10, which is adapted to connect through flexible coupling sectionsll, 12, with the filling cock of alocomotive boiler in a known manner. Valves 7 a and 8a are adapted to be controlled at will, respectively, by extension rod; 13, having handle 13a and indicator plate 136, and extension rod 14, having handle11-1a and indicator plate 14 p 1 Interposed in the drop pipe 10 are means,

preferably in the form of a cast steel booster 15, for mixing filling water with steam and lending impetus to the filling Water entering the locomotive boiler when the latter is being refilled, besides raising the temperature of the filling water to a degree th' 1: will heat the boiler uniformly during the fi ling operation and cause the locomotive; to be at steaming temperature by the time the complement of water has accumulated. ater to be mixed with steani coming in through pipe 7 is supplied to the booster 15 through a pipe 16 leading from the filling water main 2, said pipe 16 being controlled by valve 16a having an operating lever'ltib.

Also connected with the booster 15 is a pipe 17 controlled by valve 17a, operated by chain handles 17 b which leads to a branch 18" leading to the blow-back line 3. The effect of this is to adapt the system, upon periodic opening of the valve'17 a, to blow back from the locomotive boiler sulficient water to reduce the level to the desired showing in the gauge tubes. This will generally be done periodically while the locomotive is standing at the hold-over station, and is necessitated by the condensation'of the compensating steam supply delivered through pipe 8 to make up for What would otherwise be a drop in pressure resulting from heat lost by radiation while the locomotive is waiting to be moved. As already stated, the blow back connection 17 leading from the drop 10 with which it connects through the booster 15, serves equally well for blowing off the entire contents of the locomotive, boiler as a step preliminary to washing out and refilling the boiler. i

It will be observed that the stations F- are not equipped with water supply connections, but only with the connections 7 and 8 leading to high pressure steam supply main 1 and the connection 17 leadingto the blowback pipe 3.

I claim:

1. In alocomotive terminal of the direct steaming type, means for supplying steam from an extraneous source to a locomotive, including a relatively large boiler-charging passage and a relatively small pressure maintaining passage. adapted to be selectively opened and closed. for determining the flow of steam supplied to the locomotive.

2. A locomotive terminal as described in claim 1. in which the extraneous steam source is adapted to furnish steam at or above the;

normal working pressure of the locomotive.

2%. A locomotive terminal as described in claim 1. in which the extraneous steam source is adapted to furnish steam at or above the normal working pressure of the locomotive,

,iirc and at an approximately unvarying preslocomotive, a high pressure steam main, a-

flow-back main, and valve connections between said pipe and said mains; the valved connectionsbetween the pipe and the high pressure steam main including a primary passage adapted to establish approximate equalization of steam pressure between the steam main and the locomotive, and a by-passage adapted to automatically establish delivery to the locomotive of only sutficient steam to compensate for pressure losses incident'to holding the locomotive under steam without fire at a relatively unvarying pressure that is materially less than that of the high pres sure steam main.

7. A locomotive terminal as described in claim 6, in which the valves which control the passages between the steam main and the locomotive, when moved from closed to full open position, leave their respectivepassages in control of the steam flow forthe purposes stated.

8. A locomotive terminal ,as described 'in claim6, in which there is also, in control communication with said pipe, a filling water main adapted to be opened to said pipe simule taneously with the opening of the steam main thereto. I

9. In the operation of locomotive terminals of the tireless or direct steaming type, the improvement which consists in supplying steam to a locomotive boiler from a stationary.

boiler plant steam supply, through a passage of such fixed dimensions as to restrict the flow of steam intothe locomotive to a quantity just sufficient to ,maintain the locomotive boiler, without fire on the locomotive, at a constant steam pressure and with corresponding water temperature materially lower than the pressure and temperature at which the stationary boiler lant is operated.

10. n the operation of locomotive terminals of the fireless or direct steaming type, the improvement which consists in supplying steam to a locomotive boiler from a stationary boiler plant steam supply, through a passage of such fixed dimensions as to restrict the flow of steam into the locomotive to a guantityjust suflicient to maintain the locomotive boiler, without fire on the locomotive, at a constant steam pressure and with corresponding water temperature materially lower than the pressure and temperature at which the stationary boiler plant is operated; then connecting the locomotive boiler to the same stationary steam supply through a larger passage of such fixed dimensions as to permit steam to flow into "the locomotive boiler at a rate suflicient to build up locomotive boiler pressure and water temperature, without fire on the locomotive, to approximate equalization withthe steam pressure and water temperature at .which the stationary steam supply plant is operated. 1 7

11. In the operation of a locomotive terminal of thedirect steaming type, the improvement which consists in first discharging fire from a locomotive, then moving the locomo- I there li supplying steam from the stationary boiler plant to the locomotive boiler through an en larged steam passage until the pressure of the locomotive boiler and corresponding water temperature have been boosted to a degree appropriate to rendering the locomotive self propelling without fire thereon, and then moving the locomotive to a station at which its fire is ignited and dispatching it forservice.

12. In the operation of locomotive termi nals of the direct steaming type, the improvement which consists in first discharging the fire from a locomotive, then'moving the lpcomotive under its residual steam to a parking v position, there discharging the contents of the boiler and utilizing the volatiles thereof for heating filling water, filling the locomotive with such heated water, together, with live steam from an extraneous stationary boiler plant until steam pressure, corresponding water temperature, and water level have been built up in the locomotive boiler sulficient for holding the locomotive at a relative- 1y constant pressure that is materially below that of the extraneous boilergplant, holding the locomotive with its boiler at such steam pressure, water temperature, and water level for a desired period, then supplying the locomotive boiler With steam from the extraneous plant until its boiler pressure and Water temperature have been boosted to a degree appropriate for rendering the locomotive self propelling without fire, then moving the locomotive from the storage station by its own steam energy to a fire lighting position, and ghtingthe fire and dispatching the lOOOlIlOtlVG for service.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 10th day of April, 1929.

GEO; E. MURRAY.

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