Safety device to actuate railroad car air brake

A safety device for automatically actuating the air brake system for an entire train of railroad cars when any one or more of the cars becomes derailed includes a derail wheel on its own axle attached to the truck frame between the wheels both on the front and rear set of wheels which are nearest to the train line and normally, such derail wheel is spaced slightly above the rail but will engage the ground in a derailment causing it to rotate. A flexible cable is secured at one end to the axle of the derail wheel so as to be windable thereon when such wheel rotates and has its other end preferably connected to the nearest air hose coupling that is attached to a like coupling on an adjacent car. The winding up of the cable on the derail wheel assembly in a derailment acts to pull the air hose coupling loose from its coupling with the air hose on an adjacent car and the resulting breaking of the train line sets the brakes for all cars in the train. In a second embodiment, one end of the cable is detachably connected to an air valve placed in the air pipe of the train line whereby the winding of the cable opens the valve to break the train line and is then automatically disengaged from such valve to avoid damage thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a safety device for automatically actuating the 
air brake system for an entire train of cars when any one or more of the 
cars becomes derailed. 
With the railroad industry long beset by the deteriorating condition of 
road beds and equipment and the lack of funds for the proper maintenance 
and repair of the same, the number of train derailments that occur each 
year has reached alarming proportions causing not only disruption of 
services to shippers and customers but tremendous financial losses in 
damage to equipment, road beds, loss of goods and injury or death to 
persons in many instances. I have observed that, particularly, in a long 
train of cars, the onset of derailment of a single car may not immediately 
become apparent to railroad operating personnel so that the brakes can be 
promptly actuated to stop the train and in such situations, before the 
train is finally stopped, it will have traveled a considerable distance 
during which time many additional cars will be pulled into derailment to 
materially add to the damages and losses which could have been avoided if 
the train had been stopped immediately upon derailment of the first car. 
Accordingly, it one of the important objects of the present invention to 
provide a safety device which will automatically actuate the air brakes on 
the entire train of cars at the time that any one of the cars becomes 
derailed and with such actuation being wholly independent of any action by 
railroad operating personnel. 
Another object herein is to provide a safety device as characterized which 
is applied to the trucks at both ends of a railroad car and which acts 
automatically in response to the derailment of either of said trucks. 
Further objects herein are to provide a safety device of the above class 
that is simple and economical to manufacture, can be installed either on 
new trucks or trucks presently in use and which is highly efficient for 
its intended use. 
SUMMARY 
A derail wheel on its own axle is attached to the truck frame between the 
wheels thereon both on the front and rear trucks and on the side nearest 
the train line so as to normally be spaced slightly above the rail but 
engageable with the ground in a derailment so as to be caused to rotate. A 
flexible steel cable is secured at one end to the axle of the derail wheel 
so as to be windable thereon when such wheel rotates and has its other end 
preferably connected to the nearest air hose coupling that is attached to 
a like coupling on an adjacent car. The winding up of the cable on the 
derail wheel assembly in a derailment acts to pull the air hose coupling 
loose from its coupling with the air hose on an adjacent car and the 
resulting breaking of the train line sets the brakes for all cars in the 
train. In a second embodiment, one end of the cable is detachably 
connected to an air valve placed in the air pipe of the train line whereby 
the winding up of the cable opens the valve to break the train line and is 
then automatically disengaged from such valve to avoid damage thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, the important features of this invention include 
what I have called a derail wheel 10 with a windable flexible steel cable 
12 attached thereto as best seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and which will be later 
referred to in more detail. Wheel 10 with cable 12 is designed to 
automatically actuate the air brake on a train of railroad cars when any 
one of such cars becomes derailed and for purposes of more clearly 
illustrating the arrangement and operation of this invention, 
representative components of a train of railroad cars, for which no 
invention is claimed, are shown and generally described as follows. 
A train of railroad cars of an indeterminate number of cars is represented 
by cars 14, 14a, 14b, each supported at both forward and rear ends on a 
four wheel truck frame 16 that carries the parallel spaced axles 18, 18a 
with a wheel 20 secured to the end of each axle for travel over a rail bed 
22 in a well known manner. Each car as seen in the center car 14a, is 
suitably coupled to an adjacent car, both front and rear, by a coupling 
means 24. As a part of the air brake system on a train as illustrated, a 
rigid air conduit 26, generally of steel and known as the train line, is 
suitably mounted to the underside of each car so as to extend over the 
length thereof and each end of the train line carries an angle cock or air 
valve 28 (FIG. 4) to which there is attached a flexible air hose 30. The 
free end of each hose 30 is provided with a coupling member 32 so that 
such members between adjacent cars can be detachably connected in a well 
known manner as best seen in FIG. 3. The train line 26 at the ends of each 
car are traditionally on the right hand side of the car as one faces such 
end so that between car ends, such line will cross the car from one side 
to the other as seen in FIG. 2. It will be understood that in the 
operation of the air brake system on a train of cars, which system per se 
is not a part of this invention and is thus not shown in detail, 
appropriate air pressure is maintained in the train line 26 and coupled 
hoses 32 and that the operation of the air brakes is effected by release 
of pressure in the train line in a well known manner by well known 
controls available to railroad operating personnel. The present invention, 
as will appear, is effective to automatically release the air in the train 
line 26 immediately upon derailment of any wheel 20 on any truck frame 16 
to actuate the brakes on the entire train independently of any action by 
railroad personnel. 
Derail wheel 10 is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 7 and assembled and 
mounted in FIG. 5. Such wheel has the axial bore 33, is preferably of 
steel and is approximately one foot in diameter although such material and 
size may be varied, if desired. Wheel 10 assembly includes a separate axle 
34 which is threaded 36 on one end for mounting in a suitably threaded 
recess 38 on the inner side of each respective truck frame 16 closest to 
the train line 26. While I preferably use threads 36 as described, it will 
be understood that axle 34 can also be welded to frame 16. A washer 40 is 
placed on axle 34 adjacent frame 16 and wheel 10 is mounted on axle 34 
adjacent such washer. On the side of wheel 10 opposite to washer 40, there 
is welded a sleeve 42 concentric with bore 33 and on which there is the U 
loop 44. A second washer 46 is placed on axle 34 against sleeve 42 and a 
cotter pin 48 extends through hole 50 in the free end of axle 34. Thus 
mounted, wheel 10 will normally be positioned slightly above the rail 22 
(FIG. 5) so as to be free of contact therewith when all wheels 20 are in 
proper rail engagement for normal railroad car travel and such spacing of 
wheel 10 above the rail 22 may be on the order of one fourth to one half 
inch. 
Cable 12, in the preferred embodiment, (FIGS. 3,4), is suitably secured at 
one end to loop 44 on sleeve 42 attached to wheel 10, then extends 
substantially pependicularly therefrom a short distance to and around a 
first pulley 52 secured on the brake beam 54, then upwardly to and around 
a second pulley 56 secured to the underside of the car and then to 
attachment with the nearest hose coupling 32. Normally, couplings 32 are 
provied with convenient eyes 58 to which cable 12 can be secured. It will 
be understood that a like cable arrangement extends from each wheel 10 to 
the nearest coupling 32 so that each of the connected coupling members 32 
are separately connected to a different respective cable 12. 
OPERATION 
As seen in FIG. 2, a separate derail wheel 10 as described is associated 
with each front and rear truck frame 16 on each railroad car in the train 
and in normal travel will all wheels 20 on the rail 22, wheels 10 will be 
slightly elevated from such rail as seen in FIG. 1. However, whenever any 
wheel 20 on any truck frame 16 becomes derailed, wheel 10 on such frame 
will move downwardly sufficiently for contact with the ground 60 and 
thereby be caused to rotate so as to wind up cable 12 on sleeve 42 and 
pull one of the couplings 32 loose as seen in the broken line position in 
FIG. 4. Separation of couplings 32, of course, breaks the train line 26 so 
as to immediately actuate the air brakes on the entire train and this 
immediate actuation of the brakes at the onset of derailment substantially 
reduces potential damage to goods, equipment, road beds as well as 
disruption of services and even injury or death to persons since in long 
trains particularly, the onset of a derailment of a single truck frame may 
not immediately become apparent to those who normally apply the brakes and 
in such situations, the train will travel a considerable distance pulling 
additional cars into derailment before it it finally stopped. 
With reference now to FIG. 6, I have shown a modified form of breaking the 
train line 26. Here, wheel 10 and cable 12 are mounted and arranged on a 
truck frame 16 as described above but instead of separating couplings 32 
as described, cable 12 is passed around pulley 52 and has a bight 62 on 
its free end that is looped over one arm of an upwardly extending 
bifurcated lever 64 operably connected to a normally closed air valve 66 
in the train line 26. By this arrangement, when wheel 10 rotates by ground 
engagement in derailment of an associated wheel 20, the winding up of 
cable 12 as described acts to move valve lever 64 to open position seen in 
broken lines in FIG. 6 to thereby break the train line 26 and actuate the 
air brakes. With lever 64 open, the bifurcated arms are extended 
downwardly so that cable 12 is pulled free therefrom to prevent any damage 
to such valve or the train line from further winding up of such cable. 
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, it is thought a full understanding 
of the construction and operation of this invention will be had and the 
advantages of the same will be appreciated