Engineers and Mechanics Encyclopedia 1839: Railways: David Gordon
An invention of great singularity, but designed to effect a similar object to Mr. Barry's, inserted a few pages back, was patented in 1822, by the late highly respected and intelligent David Gordon.
Our only information on this matter is derived from the interesting Treatise on Elemental Locomotion, by his son, Alexander Gordon; who, it is to be regretted, has omitted to bestow upon his sketch those details which are essential to give it a practicable form: we are therefore obliged to give the proposition in its crude state.
The machine consists of a large hollow cylinder, about nine feet in diameter, and five feet long; having its internal circumference provided with a continuous series of cogged teeth, into which are made to work the cogged running wheels of a locomotive steam engine, of the kind already described, as will be recognised by the figures. The steam power being communicated to the wheels of the carriage, causes them to revolve, and to climb up the internal rack of the large cylinder; the centre of gravity of the engine being than constantly made to change its position, and to throw its chief weight on the forward side of the axis of the cylinder, the latter is compelled to roll forward, propelling the vehicle before it, and whatever train may be added to the hinder part.
As an example of the utility of this machine, Alexander Gordon states, that he has lately been informed by Samuel Moyle, that at a subsequent date, he had used a large drum of this kind with great advantage, for the transport of heavy goods over a swamp, in South America.
"Having a quantity of plate iron, which was too heavy to carry over otherwise, he riveted the plates together into the shape of a large cylinder, and carried over heavy goods in the inside of it. As the party advanced, this huge machine rolled with them. Having arrived at their destination, the rivets were cut off, and the plates applied to their intended use. Now it will be obvious that a roller of this kind, so far from deteriorating a road, must materially improve it, and it may not inappropriately be termed a movable rail-road."
The next attempt to construct locomotive carriages for the common road, was by the late Mr. David Gordon, whose patent was dated the 18th of December, 1824.
The means proposed by this gentleman for propelling, was a modification of the method invented by Brunton, and described at page 399. But instead of the propellers being operated upon by the alternating motion of the piston-rod, Mr. Gordon contrived to give them a continuous rotatory action, and to apply the force of the engines in a more direct manner.
The cut below affords an external view of one of Mr. Gordon's designs, in which the patented mechanism is introduced. The carriage ran upon three wheels; one in front to steer by, and two behind to bear the chief weight. Each of the wheels had a separate axle, the ends of which had their bearings upon parallel bars, the wheels rolling in a perpendicular position. This arrangement, by avoiding the usual cross axle, affords an increased uninterrupted space in the body of the vehicle; and was the subject of an antecedent patent granted to Mr. Gordon.
In the fore part of the carriage were placed the steam engines, consisting of two brass cylinders, in a horizontal position, but vibrating upon trunnions the piston-rods of these engines gave motion to an eight-throw crank, two in the middle for the cylinders, and three on each side, to which were attached the propellers; by the revolution of the crank, these propellers or legs were successively forced outwards, with the feet of each against the ground in a backward direction, and were immediately afterwards lifted from the ground by the revolution of another crank, parallel to the former, and situated at a proper distance from it on the same frame.
The propelling-rods were formed of iron gas tubes, filled with wood, to combine lightness with strength. To the lower ends of these propelling-rods were attached the feet, of the form of segments of circles, and made on their under side like a short and very stiff brush of whale-bone, supported by intermixed iron teeth, to take effect in case the whalebone failed. These feet pressed against the ground in regular succession, by a kind of rolling, circular motion, without digging it up; and it must be acknowledged that Mr. Gordon, in these contrivances, succeeded in avoiding the injurious effect upon the road that would otherwise have been caused by this mode of propelling.
The guide had the power of lifting these legs off the ground at pleasure, so that, in going down hill, when the gravity was sufficient for propulsion, nothing but a brake was put into requisition to retard the motion, if necessary. If the carriage was proceeding upon a level, the lifting of the propellers was equivalent to the subtraction of the power, and soon brought it to a stoppage; and its making turns in a road, the guide has only to lift the propellers on one side of the carriage, and allow the others to operate alone, until the cure is traversed.
The engraving represents a side elevation of the machine. a the end of the boiler; b the flue; c an apartment for the engineer to attend the fire and regulate the machinery, which apartment contains a store of water, coke, &c.; d external connecting-rod (one on earls side of the carriage), that actuates the driving cranks of the propellers to the small lifting cranks within the carriage; being the axis of the driving cranks, and f the axis of the lifting cranks; g the apartment for the inside passengers, which has glazed windows in front; h the seats for the outside passengers; i the conductor, who guides the carriage by means of four cross levers, turning a small toothed pinion, that works a toothed sector, fixed on a circular frame; p-p propellers, of which the whole six are brought into view; s-s straps by which the propellers are lifted from the ground.
In the experiments that were made with this carriage on the common road, the feasibility of this mode of propulsion was proved, but the steam power provided was found to be inadequate to produce the required velocity of motion; and the patentee, we believe, becoming afterwards convinced that the application of the power to the running wheels (as insisted on by Trevithick in 1802) was fully effective, and therefore preferable in many points of view, the project was given up.
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