US309279A

US309279A - Car-heater

Info

Publication number: US309279A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1884-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1901-12-16

Description

* (No Model.)

J. ZIMMERMAN.

GAR HEATER.

No. 309,279. Patented Dec. 16, 1884.

or chamber serving the purpose of an airllniTn STATES PATENT Tricia.

JOHN ZIBIMERMAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CAR-HEATER.

EVPECIPICATION forming part of Letters P Application filed January 10, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, JOHN ZIMMERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heaters for railwaycars, its object being to produce a simple, cheap, and practicable heater for streetrailway cars, adapted to the exigencies of such service, which can be readily attached to existing cars and easily operated.

To this end it consists in a containing box heating conduit, in which is removably placed astovc or firepot holding the incandescent fuel, by means of which the air received into the containing chamber is first heated, and thence delivered,through an upper opening or register through the floor, into the body of the car.

One of the main objects of my invention is to obviate certain practical objections to streetcar heaters as heretofore constructed and used, such as the difficulty of disposing of the smoke in using bituminous fuels, and also of carrying a supply of fresh fueland replenishing the fire while on the trip. These I overcome by using a removable fire-pot, which allows me to replace the spent fuel at the end of each trip by a duplicate fire-pot ready prepared for use by the stable attendants, thus'relieving the conductor and driver of the carof all care and responsibility, by using charcoal, coke, or hard coal brought to incandescence by means independent of the car, and discharging the gases of combustion beneath the car.

The nature andconstruction of the apparatus employed will be more readily comprehended by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective .view of my heater in position beneath a car-platform, the latter being partly broken away to exhibit the apparatus more fully. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection of the containing -boX or air heating conduit. Fig. is a detached perspective 0 view of the containing-box. Fig. 4 is a de gases of combustion. perspective view of the fire-pot.

atent No. 309,279, dated December 16, 1884.

(No model.)

vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus complete. Fig. 7 is a detached view of the hood used to conduct air to the fire-pot for maintaining combustion.

The several parts hereinafter described are designated in the drawings by letters of reference.

The air-heating chamber A, constructed, preferably, of sheet-iron, is of substantially rectangular form, pierced at the front and sides near the bottom for admission of air. and provided at the top with large openings, one of which, B, is a vertical conduit for discharging the heated air into the car, and the other is provided with a hinged lid, 0, and used for removing and replacing the fire-pot. The chamber A is preferably of suitable width to be retained between the two central sills, a, of the carframe, and is provided with flanges b, which extend laterally over upon said sills, thus sustaining the chamber in position. The vertical conduit B .is eX- tended upward sufliciently to pass through the car-floor, and is similarly flanged to be held upon and from'said floor. An ordinary hot-air register may be provided for such opening; but in general the removable floorgrating of the car will answer all purposes. The rear wall of the chamber A is slanted to the rear upward to aid the discharge of air rearward in the car, the chamber A occupying such a position that its front opening is beneath the forward platform of the car, and the conduit B opens into the car immediately in rear of the front door.

At the rear end of the chamber A is at tached a short horizontal pipe, D, for the escape of the spent gases of combustion, and is preferably provided with two wings or hoods, (1, opening forward to catch the air and assist the draft of air through the incandescent fuel. The fire-pot E is also abox approximately rectangular in form, and having a portion of its tophinged as a lid, e, to permit access for replenishing the fuel. From its rear end projects a short section of pipe, 0, adapted to fit and engage with the pipe D. At the front of the firepot is an opening, 0, for admission of air, corresponding with a similar opening, 0, in the containing-box, the two being 3' oined by a removable hood, f, when in use, as in Fig. 6, by which the draft generated by the motion of the car forward is applied to the incandescent fuel.

From the construction just described it will be seen that the fire-pot E is in fact partly suspended at front and rear within the airheating chamber A, the weight of the fire-pot being supported on the bottom of the containing-chamber, whereby an annular airspace is formed, surrounding the fire-pot on the sides and top. The air is thus heated on all sides and the useful effect of the fuel largely increased.

The operation of the device is obvious, the fire-pot being removed and a similar one freshly prepared being inserted at the end of eacl f trip. In practice I prefer to use ordinary charcoal; but coke or anthracite coal may be used. Suitable gratings are applied to the openings to prevent access of dirt, and also afoot-grating to cover the opening in the car-platform upon which the driver stands.v

I have thus described and illustrated my invention in simplest form; but it is obvious that many improvements in constructive detail may be introduced without departing from its spirit. 7

I am aware that car-heaters have been constructed similar to mine, having, a heatingspace exposed to the heating -surface at all sides, at the top, and at the bottom of an immovable fire-pot, and that suchheaters were immovably fixed to the car-frame. My construction, however, allows the heater to be taken off at pleasure, and permits the fire-pot to be removed when exhausted and a newlyprepared one inserted. Moreover, by providing the pipe E easy connection with the hooded smoke pipe D is secured, which fea tures, so far as I am aware, are not met in other devices.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 7 In combination with a street car, an elongated air-heating chamber and conduit provided with flanges adapting it to be suspended between the longitudinal sills of the carframe, having'an opening in the top forward beneath the car platform for the insertion of a fire-pot, and an opening in the top in the rear for the discharge of the heated air into the car, and a short pipe extendingrearward for the escape of the gases of combustion'beneath the car, the latter pipebeing provided with a funnel-hood opening forward to stimulate the draft, constructed and arranged to rest beneath the front platform, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

In testimonywhereof I have hereuntoset my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN Z IMMERMAN.

' Witnesses:

L. M. HOSEA, G. SHAPPELL.