US2467703A - Ballast system for locomotives - Google Patents

Description

April 19, 1949. c. K. STEINS BALLAST SYSTEM FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed March 25, 1946 Patented Apr. 19, 1949 BALLAST SYSTEM FOR LOCOMOTIVES Carleton K. Steins, Merion, Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 25, 1946, Serial No. 656,911

This invention relates to locomotives, and has reference more particularly to steam locomotives of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,- 338,212 granted to me on July 4, 1944. In this patented locomotive the fuel is carried in a compartment at the front end of the locomotive body,

3 Claims. (Cl. 105-73) ing wheels of the rear truck, the load onthe between a ballast compartment in the fuel carrying end of the locomotive and a Water storage compartment in a coupled tender, and a pump with valve means and controls whereby ballast water may be transferred in one direction from the tender to the ballast water compartment on a locomotive from time to time as may be required to compensate for the weight loss there due to fuel consumption, and whereby at other times when the locomotive is being re-fueled, the

flow may be reversed to return water from the ballast compartment on the locomotive to the tender.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a locomotive with a ballast system conveniently embodying my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views respectively of the locomotive and its tender taken as indicated respectively by the angled arrows IIII and IlI[III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation drawn to a larger scale and showing certain details of the pump and control means employed; and,

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 showing an alternative embodiment of my invention.

The locomotive herein illustrated has an elongate body It with a fuel compartment H at the front end, and with a horizontally arranged boiler l3 at the rear end. Between the fuel compartment H and the forward or fire box end I5 of the boiler i3 is a space or cab It for the engine crew. The body I0 is supported at opposite ends by trucks I1 and I8 which underly the fuel compartment ll and the boiler l3, and which, it is to be understood, are pivoted for independent swivelling movement to the body. It is moreover to be understood that the trucks I1 and I8 are separately powered after the manner disclosed in Patent No; 2,338,212 previously referred to herein and have associated with them smaller individual leading guide trucks l9 and 20. Coupled with the locomotive at the rear end is a tender 2| with a storage compartment 22 for water.

In carrying out my invention I provide the locomotive at the front end of its body with ballast water compartments 24, one at each side of the fuel compartment II. To these Water compartments 24 are connected branches of a conduit 25 which extends rearwardly to the tender 2| as shown in Fig. 1, where it, is connected to the water compartment in the latter. Interposed in the conduit 25, as 'best shown in Fig. 4, are two by- passes 21 and 28, a unidirectional rotary pump 29 and a number of hand valves 30, 3|, 32 and 33. The pump is arranged to be driven by a turbine indicated at 35 which is supplied with steam from the boiler l3 through a pipe 36 under control of a hand valve 31. The parts just described are all preferably located in the cab so as to be conveniently accessible to the engine crew.-

" Operation With the construction shown in Figs. 1-4, compensation can be made from time to time by the 46 engine crew for the decrease in weight on the:

driving wheels of the forward powered truck I! due to fuel consumption, so that a substantially uniform load may be maintained on said drivers commensurate with the fixed load on the drivers of the powered rear truck to prevent wheel slippage. This is accomplished by closing the valves- 30 and 33 and opening the valves 3| and 32 and then starting the pump 29. Under these conditions, water will be drawn from the tender 2| and. delivered to the ballast tanks 24 on the locomotive, the flow being then as indicated by the full line arrows in Fig. 4. Upon transfer of the necessary amount of the water (which may be determined by a depth gauge, not illustrated) to the ballast compartments 24, the pump 29 is stopped and the valves 3| and 32 closed until another compensating operation is required, which is effected by repetition of the above procedure. When the fuel storage compartment II on the locomotive is being subsequently recharged, the ballast water may be returned to the tender from the ballast water compartments 24 by keeping the valves 3| and 32 closed, opening the valves and 33, and their starting the pump 29, when the flow: will be as;irugiicated;by the dotted arrows in Fig. 4, i. e. clockwise through the by-pass 28, then through the pump 29, andi then counter-clockwise through the by-pass 21.

In the alternative embodiment of'fmyinvention shown in Fig. 5, separate rotary-pumpsiaaand,

39 respectively are interposedin, the Icy-P3556815;

21 and 28a together with hand valves; li and? 32a, the pump turbines 35a,and being oppor sitely rotative and respectively supplied with steam from the boiler through pipes 36a:an d;4l; under control of hand valves 31a and 4m. Also interposed in. thelay-pass, pipes;2Ja, and, ZBai r check valves.42 andfiarespectively. When water is tobe transferred from thetender to the ballast water compartments 24 on, the locomotive with this alternative arrangement, the, valve 31a. is opened, the valve-32a closed'ancltheI pump zfia alone used, when; the flow will be as indicated bythe solidarrows inl-Efig, 5 through the by,-.pass 2]a, with the check valve 43 acting tocpreyent flow through the lav-pass,- 28a. On the, other hand, for transfer of water, fromthe ballast, com; partments on the, locomotive to the tendcrsthe valve 32a is opened, the valve,3la, closed, andthe pump 39 employed,alone when the flowcvvill be as. indicated by, the, dotted arrows in. Fig, 5 through the bYrPQSSZBG, witha checkvalve 42 preventing flow through the by-pass 2m,

Having thus described myinvcntion, I claim:

1. A ballast system fora, steam, locomotive having a body with a fuelzcqmpartmentat one end and a boiler at the other, end, separately powered drive whee1trucksupp0r ins. the; ody at opposite ends respectively, beneath, the fuel compartment and, the, boiler, and a coupled tender with a Waterstorage compartment; aid system including. a Water ballast; compartment on the locomotive in theregionof thefuelcome partment, a single conduit extending between the tender and said ballast water, compartment, a y q escent: unidirectional, pump, inter.- posed in the conduit, meansfor. driving; the pump, by-pass piping incorporated, in, the conduit around the pumnand, valve means forcontrol;- li e he y-pass piping to determine. ire tional flow of the water through the conduit under pro? pulsion of the pumpeitherrfrom the tender to the ballast water compartment on the locomotive to compensate forweight-decrease-on t-hedrivers under the f uel compartment as" the fuel is consumed, or from the ballast-watercompartment on the locomotive to the tender to compensate for weight'increase on thedrivers-underthefuel compartment during re-fueling.

2. A ballast system for a steam locomotive having a body with a fuel compartment at one end and a. boiler at the other end, separately powered drive Wheel trucks supporting the body at opposite ends respectively beneath the fuel compartment and the boiler, and a coupled tender with a Water storage compartment; said systemincluding a Water ballast compartment on,the locomotive in the region of the fuel compartment, a single conduit extending between the tender and said ballast water compartment, a normally quiescent uni-directional pump interposed in the conduit, means for driving the pump, a, by-pass pipe shunting the pump, another" by-pass pipe extending between the inlet of thepump, and that end portion of the conduit whichleads from the ballast Water compartment of the boiler,- and valves respectively in the bypasses adapted to be closed to permit pumping of water from the tender to the locomotive to compensate for, decrease in weight on the truck under the, fuel compartment due to fuel con,- sumption, and valves respectively in the conduit at the inlet and, outlet sides of the pump adapted to, be closedto permit pumping of water from the ballast water, compartment on, the locomotiveto he, tender, during recharging of the fuel compartment- 3. A ballast system, for a steam locomotive having a body with a fuel compartment. at one end, and a boiler, atv the other end, separately powered drive wheel trucks supporting the body at opposite ends respectively beneath the fuel compartment and the boiler, and a, coupled tender, with a Water storage compartment; said system, including a, Water ballast compartment on the locomotive in the region of the fuel com.- partment, a. single conduit extending between the tender, and said ballast Water, compartment, tnorrnally quiescent pump interposed in the con.- duit andv adapted to induce flow. fromthe tender to, the ballast, water, tank onthe locomotive to compensate for decrease of the weight on the truck, beneath, the fuel compartment as the fuel is. bein consumed, at biz-pass pi e, around the pump, a normally quiescent reversely operative pump in the by-pass adapted to induce flow from the ballastwater tanlconthe locomotive to the tendenandahand valvein theby-pass adapted to. be closed when the first mentioned pump is u s,ed,and a hand valve in the conduit adapted tobe closed, when the secondpump is used.

CARLETON K. STEINS.

REFERENCES CITED The,following references are'of record in, the file of this patent:

UNITED 1 STATES- PATENTS Number Name Date 129,231v Hudson July 16, 1872 830,046. Bole, Sept. 4, 1906 2,413,119 Steins Dec. 24, 1946

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