This invention describes various improvements in gear for starting, stopping, and reversing.
The starting, stopping, and reversing gear of the engine is so arranged that a cam bar actuated by a single operating lever suffices to put the levers of the air, exhaust, needle, and starting valves into and out of engagement with their respective operating cams, to put the valve-operating cams - both the ahead set and the astern set - into and out of operative positions, and to open or close the by-pass valve as required.
A movement of the above-mentioned lever from its central position to the right or the left then accomplishes the starting of the engine in one or the other direction, the necessary supply of fuel and of compressed air being available; and a movement of the lever from its extreme left-hand to its extreme right-hand position, or vice-versa accomplishes the reversal of the engine.
A hand-operated valve is usually provided on the pipe between the compressed-air reservoir and the starting valve, and this hand operated valve is independent of the above-mentioned mechanism.
The invention consists essentially in the above-mentioned cam bar arranged to be activated by a lever, and adapted to put the engine valves and levers into and out of their operative positions, and to open and close a fuel by-pass valve which controls the fuel supply of the engine.