VARLEY VALVE GEAR

[Stanley]

Stanley,
            This governor gear was introduced by W. & J. Yates around 1880 as a retrofit for beam engines.  Within a couple of years they were advertising it for fitting to horizontal engines and fitted it to their own in conjunction with their cross cut-off valve gear. By 1885 the same advertisements also promoted Corliss valve gear which rapidly overtook their slide valve gear.  Somewhere, and its nagging me cos I don't remember where, there is a description of the Varley gear which may have been called Varley-McNaught gear at one time.  In any event the gear was short lived.  See pic.
 
Geoff 


25 February 2008