We show in the accompanying engravings the mode of installation that
the inventor has finally adopted for railway purposes. Each car
is furnished, perpendicularly to its length, with a reservoir, a,
containing the supply of gas under a pressure of 6 or 7 atmospheres. The
gas is introduced into this reservoir by means of a valve, which is
put in communication with the mouths of supply pipes placed along a
platform. The pipes are provided with a stopcock and their mouths are
closed by a cap. To fill the car reservoir it is only necessary to
connect the mouths of the supply pipes with the valves of the cars by
means of rubber tubing--an operation which takes about one minute for
each car.
[Illustration: LIGHTING OF RAIWAY CARS]
When it is necessary to supply cars at certain points where there are
no gas works, there is attached to the train a special car on which are
placed two or three accumulators, which thus transport a supply of the
compressed gas to distances that are often very far removed from the
source of supply.
The reservoir of each car, containing a certain supply of gas,
communicates with a regulator, b, the importance of which we scarcely
need point out. This apparatus consists: (1) of a cast-iron cup, A,
closed at the top by a membrane, B, which is impervious to gas; (2) of a
rod, C, connected at one end with the membrane, and at the other with
a lever, D; (3) of a regulating valve resting on the lever, and of a
spring, E, which renders the internal mechanism independent of the
motions of the car. The lever, acting for the opening and closing of the
valve, serves to admit gas into the regulator through the aperture, F.
This latter is so calculated as to allow the passage of a quantity of
gas corresponding to a pressure of 16 millimeters. As soon as such a
pressure is reached in the regulator, the membrane rises and acts on the
lever, and the latter closes the valve. When the pressure diminishes,
as a consequence of the consumption of gas, the spring, E, carries the
lever to its initial position and another admission of gas takes place.
Communication between the regulator and the lamps is effected by means
of a pipe, z, of 7 millimeters diameter (provided with a cock, d, which
permits of extinguishing all the lamps at once, and by special branches
for each lamp. The lamps used differ little in external form from those
at present employed. The body is of cast-iron; the cover, funnel, and
chimney are of tin; and the burner is of steatite. The products of
combustion are led outside through a flattened chimney, t, resting at o
on the center of the reflector. The air enters through the cover of
the lamp and reaches the interior through a series of apertures in the
circumference of the cast-iron bell which supports the reflector. There
is no communication whatever between the interior of the lamp and the
interior of the car, and thus there is no danger of passengers being
annoyed by the odor of gas. By means of a peculiar apparatus, f, the
flame may be reduced to a minimum without being extinguished. This
arrangement is at the disposition of the conductor or within reach of
the passengers. For facilitating cleaning, the lamps are arranged so as
to turn on a hinge-joint, m; so that, on removing the reflector, o, it
is only necessary to raise the arm that carries the burner, r in order
to clean the base, s, without any difficulty.
On several railways both the palace and postals cars are also heated by
compressed oil gas; and lately an application has been made of the gas
for supplying the headlights of locomotives (see figure), and for the
signals placed at the rear of trains. But one of the most interesting
applications of oil is that of