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Arang M AzealINVENTOR. 2s. 2.-- 1aorney Patented Nov. 25, 1952 2,619,043 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,619,043 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Franz J. Liebl, Bad Weilbach, near Wiesbaden, Germany Application May 12, 1949, Serial No. 92,887 5 Claims. (Cl. 105-33) 1. 2 This invention relates to new and useful in and 8c. The steam turbine 3 (Fig. 1a) is pref provements in steam locomotives. erably Centrally mounted on the lead truck 3a. Steam locomotives are principally of two kinds. and is drivingly connected by way of a conven In the first, the driving mechanism is of the con tional gear train in housing 9 to the turbine drive ventional steam cylinder and piston type. In s shaft 10, supported in bearings 3i and 3 a se the second, the driving mechanism is of the con cured to the frame 30 by way of the supports 32 ventional steam turbine type. Steam cylinder and 32d. and piston driven locomotives operate quite ef Conical gear 33 (Fig. 1b) covered by housing ficiently at lower speeds. They operate, however, 33d meshes with the plate gear 34 to form a less efficiently within higher speed ranges by rea Conventional bevel gear drive for the set of loco Son of various factors including relative con motive drive wheels 2, gear 34 being secured to plexity and relatively large mass of component the axle 35 of the drive wheels. A conical gear parts, as well as other limiting factors inherent 36 covered by gear housing 37 co-acts with gear in steam cylinder and piston type engines, as is 34 to form a bevel gear to drive the drive shaft well understood in the art. On the other hand, a Secured to conical gear 36 and supported steam turbine driven locotives operate most ef in the bearings 3b, 3c and 3d respectively ficiently within higher speed ranges by reason secured to the sides of frame 30 (Figs. 1b, 1c and of the fact that Steam turbines aS Such require 1d) by the supports 32b, 32c and 32d. A conical a relatively high R. P. M. in order to Satisfac gear 38 (Fig. 1d) is secured to the end of the torily and efficiently function. It is then neces 20 shaft ea and covered by gear housing 39. Con sary for steam turbine driven locomotives to in ical gear 38 meshes with plate gear 40 to form a clude relatively complex, heavy and expensive bevel gear drive for the set of driving wheels (2a, reduction gearing to enable the same to operate the gear 40 being secured to the axle 4 of the Satisfactorily at lower Speeds Such as for Start Set of wheels 2d. ing or for yard and Switching operations. 25 Specifically referring to Figs. 1c and 2, a small One object of the instant invention comprises tWO cylinder steam engine 3 is mounted onto an improved driving construction permitting the the frame 30. It is a conventional type reversi combination of the advantages of steam turbine ble steam engine, having the cylinders 4 and and steam engine pistOn type drives. 40, pistons 5 and 5a carrying piston rods 6 The invention will be more fully understood, SO and 6d. Connection rods fib and 6c are se and further objects thereof will appear, from the cured in the usual manner to crankshaft 8 ex following description read in conjunction. With tending to both sides of the steam engine 3 and the drawings in Which: being supported in the bearing blocks 7 and Figs. 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d collectively represent a .a. Crankshaft 8 carries at each end a worm cross Sectional side view With portions cut away 35 meshing With the worm gears 20 and 20 re. of an arrangement showing a substantially com Spectively within gear housings 42 and 42a. One plete locomotive under-carriage provided with a Such Worm 9 meshing with worm gear 20 is construction in accordance With the invention, in shown on Fig. 2. the plane I-I of the diagrammatic representa The driving wheel sets 8 and 8a are mounted tion shown in Fig. 3; 40 in the conventional manner with the axles 43 Fig. 2 represents a front view of part of the and 43d in wheel hubs 44 and 44a mounted in construction shown in Fig. 1c with portions bearing blocks 45 and 45a secured to frame 30 thereof in cross section; and by Way of the studs 46 and 46a mounted in the Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic top view illustration slots 4 and 41a. Bearing blocks 45 and 45a of the principal elements of the structure, a 45 carry Wedge recesses 48 and 48d. cross Sectional side View portion of which is Worm gears 20 and 20a are mounted with their illutSrated in Fig. 1. inner threads 49 and 49a, on the spindles 2 Referring to the drawings, a frame 3 carries and 2id provided with the outer threads 50 and the conventional steam cylinder piston type drive 5d engaging respectively the threads 49 and 49a. arrangement (Figs. Ib and 1c) Such as the steam 50 Spindles 2 and 2? a carry at their lower ends cylinder , piston 2, piston rod 4, connecting rod preferably Square lug extensions 5 and 5 a se 4a, Crosshead 5, main driving rod 6, and side or curing the spindles to their respective bearing parallel rod 7, driving in the conventional man blocks by Way of the wedges 52 and 52a remov. ner the two sets of driving wheels 8 and 8a by ably Secured in wedge recesses 48 and 48a. Way of the conventional cranks or excenters 8b 55 In the practical operation of the invention, 2,619,043 3 4. a locomotive provided with my improved driving to the auxiliary unit. When then actuating arrangement will normally use the steam engine the auxiliary cranking unit 3 for downward Cylinder-piston drive when starting, in Switch cranking, shaft 8 Will now turn in a direction ing operations, in yard work, or when otherwise opposite to that controlled by the previously de Operating at a relatively low speed, i. e., a speed scribed lifting operation of the auxiliary unit. preferably below about 45 to 50 miles. In this Consequently, the Worms carried at the ends case, the wheel sets 8 and 8a, act as the driving of Crankshaft 8 turn the Worm gears 2 and wheels in the conventional manner. In that 28a in the opposite direction, thereby causing event, no steam is supplied to the turbine, and spindles 2 and 2 cl to be screwed downwardly, the turbine drive shafts and 8a turn idle 0. thus lowering the assemblies of the drive. Wheels with the motion of the wheel sets 2 and f2a. 8 and 8a until they are again brought into firm (FigS. 1b and 1d). At higher speeds, and par contact with the tracks. The steam to the tur ticularly speeds above 45 to 50 miles per hour, bine is shut off and Switched to the steam engine the steam Supply is switched from the Steam cylinders , whereupon the locomotive Once more engine cylinder to the turbine 3, thereby driv 15 is driven as a conventional steam engine cylin ing the sets of driving wheels 2 and 2a, by der piston type vehicle. Way of the drive shafts 9 and a (FigS. id., 1b, When Switching from turbine drive to engine 1c and 1d) and the plate gears 34 (Fig. 1b) cylinder piston drive, or reversing this opera and plate gear 40 (Fig. d) of the bevel gear tion, the actuation of the two drives may be suc drives for the driving wheel sets 2 and 2d re 20 cessive, With the One taken out of operation be spectively. Switching of the steam supply from fore the other is actuated, or the switching op the steam cylinder to the steam turbine 3 may eration may be carried on in a manner permit be accomplished from the engine cab in any ting a certain overlap to the extent that, for conventional manner such as by way of a lever a short period, both drives are operating before or key controlling, for instance, a three-way 25 One of them is cut out. Steam conduit in the conventional manner. In order to minimize the magnitude of the Once the locomotive is steam turbine driven, lifting force required for the lifting of the wheel the set of steam cranking engines 3, at each sets 8 and 8a, and their assemblies, it is pre side of the locomotive frame 38 (Fig.