The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
BRAKES ON STREET CARS.
EFFORTS or INVENTORS IO hHAr
PACE WITH MODERN NEEDS
Many Attempts to Produce q .N.N".
Electric None Espeeiany Ss..
full Objections to Air Brakes-rhe "e,
poiitan's Improved Form OF Hano nrAA

s'u ANtCHDLN I'd -
Electric Rrst.- Nonc Especially Success
ful Objections to Air Brakes -rhe ne'!o-
p%oiitan's improved Form OF Hand BRAKE
The Introduction Of electricity as the motive
power on street railroads and the 'ohseuuen'
increase In m. si,e and weight Of cars ana IN
the speed at which they are run have mace I'M
proyemen,s necessary in the brakes used
improvements in the brakes have been mace
from time Ia time. but they have not kept pace
with the requirements, and nearly all street
railroads are on the lookout for better brakes.
Not many wears ago, hand brakes with which
pressure Shoes were drawn against the car
wheels by n chain wound upon a spindle were
in almos, universal use, and gave satisfaction,
but they would have very little eject on n
twelye-,on modern electric car running at n
eight miles an hour. II Is pretty generally
held that no hand brake can be counted on 10
control such n car satisfactorily, and nearly
all present eyperiments are looking toward
the perfection Of some sort of a power brake.
Electrical devices naturally receive the first at
| %tention. and several electric brakes are on the
| market, One of the most successful types
uses a secondary current collected from the
| motors as they run, TO operate friction discs
on the car axles, II gives general satisfaction
. VII btI hHtS wv NV 'Db
| frequent, for the further the car runs the
more power is gathered to stop it quickly.
| For this reason this form Of brake is not so
| efficient as it should be in a crowded city street.
where a car must be stopped, or at least slowed
down, every few feet. Brakes of this kind have
been tried by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
| pany, but have not been adopted. Some Of
the cars running out Of Weehawken are equipped
until than, md tbov .riya sntisfnptiop
! The air brake, TO Ito development: Of which
so much Of the progress of stea m railroading is
| due, i, generally recognized as the best form
of power brake; but It's adaptation to the Use
of street cars has been a difficult problem.
The new cars of the Third Avenue system in
| this city are equipped with air brakes of one
ofthe most modern forms, which are very salts
factory, They are, however, very expensive
10 operate, for which reason they have been
condemned, after trial, by several street rail-
| road companies, The great problem with
air brakes on street cars Is to supply the air.
In the systrm in Use on the Third Avenue road,
each car carries n compressor run By an auxil-
larry electric motor taking is current from the
same source a. the car motors. In another
type the compressors are driven from the car
ayles. The same objections are made TO both
types, II is said that they are unduly expensive,
| and that they get out of order easily. When
carried under the cars, the comprrssors are
particularly liable TO be injured by dust. One
Of the airbnke companies is now trying TO
perfect n system Of air brakes TO use
stored compressed air, The system will be
tried by the BROOKLYN Rapid Transit Company.
If II is found that enough air can be stored on
n car TO operate It's brakes for one day. the trial
will probably be regarded "a successful.
In the meantime, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company is giving "A very thorough trial 10
another power brake, the cheapest and. 50
far, the most successful Of the countless forms
Of power brakes worked by other means than
electricity and air that have been suggested
small lever similar 20 the reversing lever on the
le'trical controller. Turning this lever
through about n quarter of a cirtl" throws a
| loose friction disc on the car axle into contact
with another die which reyolves with the axle
| The loose disc j. thus set rotating, and winds
| up chain which draws the presSer shoes against
! the wheels. There j. enough slipping between
I the two friction discs. which are of soft cast
iron, u prevent an unpleasant shock ~ the fir I
full power Of the brake Is applied, and ~ the
car comes To n -tand~till the pressure on the
wheels is reduced automatically. This f. The
| chcanest and most effective brake which the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company has found IN
| n long series Of tests. Fifty cars Of tho Flnthush
nvenuo line have been euuinred with this brake
| eyperimentally, and the test has been very sue
| cessful 50 far. The old hand brakes arc also
| retained on these cars, but the motor men are
becoming a"CUs toned 10 the new brake and
| prefer it 10 the old.
Last September the state Railroad Conmis-
| sion conducted n series of tests of several d fer-
ant types of patent brakes on a stretch or the
! IHnoN avenue line in this city. The results o.
| these tests have not Vet been made public, and
IL NAV be assumed that they were not positive
enough in charHCterto warrant Tho
| ton Of any Of the brakes tested h, the cOmwi--
sion The Metropolitan Street Railwa, Com
panv's officers watched all these fnstS and have
made ~ further cypcr'mcnts with anv Of the
power brakes tested. Instead. they have kent
| imnroving on the old hand brake until now they
have il in a form which they regard rs equal to
any of the powor brakes on the market Instead
Of winding m III" brake chain directly on tho
snindle which is turned bv the handle il il passed
over n heavy sprochet wheel. which j. Ceared to
| the snindle, thus increasing the Leverage and in
| stend OF one chain there are two, so thai If one is
/ broken a second sprocket wheel immediately
takes IN the LITTLE slack, lass than half an inch.
On the second chain and onerateS the BRAVO.
| There il also n ratchet in tho brake handle.
SO that tho motorman NAV ALWAYS DO able 10
plac" the handl" IN a post lon 10 avert his great-
est strength on II TO set the brakes tIgM Tho
' officers Of tho COMPANY are we'll satisfied with
| this brake, although they are perfectly villing TO
| test ANYTHING better which is offered 10 them for
trial Nothing better in their estimation has
yet been offered, however.
! There IL on all electric cars n powerful auvil-
| lars to the brake in tho reversing lever whom
| properly used. The fact thar It's use is so sell
dom necessary IL probably tho reason that so
try To reverse. MANY passengers. and fro
Cuentlv the motorrnen themselves. come some
| times to think that the reversing lover doesn't
work, and notwithstanding tho tedious repeti-
tormen, whom the sudden necessity for a quick
revorsal NJ the motor comes. throw the levers
back with n recklnssness that makes the wheels
spin without effect, while their cars slide on.