The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-07
how AIR BRAKE WAS INVENTED
GEORGE UESTINGHOf ~ TELLS
WEGHtNT ENGINEFPS
rhat Gau,,nosiore Nansirrbsh Yarn u
t.aasi Yarn. bni rhat's IA Got Idea
ef 4 sing ton pressed Mir From Rraai-
inx aboui the Tunnelling OF VT. trnis.

/ George W.s, tnghnuse told the Ntn"ri-
can society of Me- hanlCal Engineers, OF
! which he was president, how he invented
the air brake ~ The society annual
meet ing. held in m" Engineering Socie-
ties building on West Thirty ninth street.
last M shr Thu. famous an'-CCiot" of Nr
West ing hOIi~., and Commodore Wander
bllr having "A discussion about h. applira-
/ ton OF air brakes 10 New York Central
trains was slam hv Mr. Westinghouse.
who said
NV first idea of brakinE apparatus
10 h" applied 20 81! 81 the cars of "A tram
came To IN" III 'hI> Way. \ train upon
which was passenger he'w"en Sch"'
nectldy and Troy in 1865 was DELAYED u
, couple ut hours by collision between
two freight trains
The first idea " hiCn came mt u my mind
which | afr"rward found had been IN tn"
minds OF MANY others. was TO connect
the brake levers OF each car TO its draught
gear. so that an application OF the brakes
TO the locomotive. which would cause the
cars 20 close up toward the engine. would
thereby apply "A braking force through
tn. Couplers and LEVERS to the wheels of
each car. Although IN" crudeness OF
this idea became apparent upon an at
temp; 70 devils" an apparatus 70 carry
the sChem. INTO effect. nevertheless tn.
idea % applying power brakes 10 "A tram
wa- firmly planted IN my mind.
Mr. W.-tinEhous. then told Of attempts
thai ""Tr made to discourage HIM in
pushing his scheme. and how hc persisted
in spit" III them II was an article III
nagahln" To which h" WAS induced To
eub-Crih. bv TWO charming Young ladies
that Void Of the runn"lhng nf Mount Gems
bv machinery driven bY compressed air
conveyed through 1000 feet Of pipes tina,
convinced the young inventor that IA
brake apparatus could be operated by
compressed AR upon any length of train
He Immediately started drawings III that
apparat w. and filed "A cavcaf in 1856, with
rh" Patent once 10 protect IN" invention
Ia Pitf-hrIrS h" met Ralph Baggaley,
who volunteered ~ defray IN" cost Of
cons ruCiInR thu apparatus. and IN 1888
a Cr1Gdc apparatus "mbodying Mr. West
InghOus,. = idea WAS pui on u train Of the
old Panhandl" Railroad Dn the very
first run II hor-" and wagon were standing
across III" track when the train Numbered
out nt th. tunnel near III" Union station
IN Pit'sburg IN" new brdl. ayertei al
accident
That success ri the ait brake made a
sensation among progressive railroa q
men ANA IN "a short time u Vas being used
on trains all over rhr country
OF IN" Vanderbilt interview Mr. West
Inghou-e SAID
The story A. told seems to appeal TO
III. imagination If many y,.ople As n
matter Of fact Their. - no foundation what
ever for that story From the moment
when the prl"tIcabIiltV of AIR brakes was
demonstrated to- IN" present hour there
ha- been nothing hut ~ar sfaCtIon and
pl"asIr" IN beng associated with an in
VeniIon which has contributed 30 much
70 m" safety and comfort of travellers
and 80 greatly ~ th. prosperity of rail
WAYS
Al IN" conclusion rf Nr WH~tinEhous"'-
speech an election rl officers was held a.
which COL T. u Meier was mad" presl.
dent Of 'h" 80, '"fv avn " Rice con
rnutd 49, SECRETARY and William n Wiley
WAS elected treasurer Among ihos,,
who applatloi"d Mr. WrsLnghous" " r"
Harrington Emerson. Frederick " Tay-
Tor Fr"d"rick Il Low John " Li"b. Jr
Webster Mcfarland. Sa!,:p II Marshall.
Frederick j Miller Alfred Nohl". r II
Stlirnan and Henry Towne