IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Arthur Paget, of 1, Seymour Chambers,
York Buildings, Adelphi, W.C., London, in the County of Middle-
sex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
BRAKES." A communication from abroad by Charles Schoubersky,
of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, Engineer.
Sealed the 25th November 1873, and dated the 31st May 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Arthur Paget
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st May 1873.
I, FREDERICK ARTHUR PAGET, of 1, Seymour Chambers, York
Buildings, Adelphi, W.C., London, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES," (a communication from Charles
Schoubersky, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, Engineer), to
be as follows:
1
This Invention relates to improvements in brakes for railway carriages.
The ordinary brake blocks are replaced by excentric discs, which are so

page_text: '
arranged that as soon as they touch the wheels the motion of the train
itself brings them automatically into a position corresponding with the
maximum resistance required for stopping the train. The braking
therefore takes place without the direct action of hand labour on the
excentric disc. The excentric discs are keyed to a suspension shaft
slung in front of the wheels and parallel to the axle. On the ends of
this axle nearly horizontal connecting rods are fixed, which are con-
nected to nearly vertical levers. The latter are fixed to the same shaft
as a counterpoising lever, which by its weight constantly tends to turn
this brake shaft with the levers, and consequently to push the suspension
shaft towards the wheels and so to press the excentric discs against the
same. A projection on the brake shaft acts against this tendency by
locking against a stop on another shaft, which is arranged at right angles
to the brake shaft, and serves for putting the brake into action, and
which shall be called here the locking shaft.
In order to prevent the excentric discs from accidentally turning with
their shaft and so coming into contact with the wheels they are provided
with counterweights, which preserve them in the proper position with
their shortest radii towards the wheels until they are put into action.
As soon as the before mentioned projection on the brake shaft is freed
from the stop on the locking shaft by the latter being turned, the
excentric discs are pressed into contact with the wheels by the action
of the counterpoising lever. These discs are then drawn round by the
friction of the moving wheels until a locking lever fixed on the axle
disc strikes against a stop on the locking shaft, which stop has been
brought into the proper position by the before mentioned turning of this
shaft. The excentric discs have then assumed a position with their
longest radii directed against the wheel. By the rotation of the excentric
discs the disc axle is pressed away from the wheels, so that two pivoted
bars connected at each end of the axle therewith are pushed against
coiled springs, which by their resistance produce the pressure required
for braking.
The brake can be at once put out of action by turning the locking
shaft so far as to free the locking lever from the stop fixed on the
locking shaft The excentric discs. are then turned further round hv

page_text: For working the brake a hand lever is provided fixed to the locking
shaft, which lever can be very easily moved by the guard.
Compressed air may be employed for putting all the brakes used in
one train into action from any one suitable place in the train. For this
purpose an expanding air receiver of india-rubber or similar material is
provided, contained in a cylindrical case, and communicating by means
of a piston and piston rod with a lever fixed to the locking shaft. All
the air receivers of all the carriages are connected with air conducting
tubes suspended along the carriages. Compressed air being let into the
tubes the air receiver expands, and consequently pushes the piston and
piston rod out of the cylindrical case, and so moves the lever connected
therewith. By this motion the locking shaft is turned into a position
corresponding with the distance of the excentric discs from the wheels,
but as soon as the air is let out of the tubes the pressure in the
expanding air receivers ceases; the piston and piston rod return and
the locking shaft is turned by the action of a counterweight on a lever
arranged outside the carriage, and the braking then immediately takes
place in the manner described. The escape of the air from the tubes
can be effected by any of the valve cocks provided on each carriage.
Another brake of the same construction and with a separate expanding
air receiver and tubes is arranged on the other side of the carriage in
connection with its second axle.
In order to make the brakes self-acting in case of the train running
off the line the buffers may be so constructed that they will be unusually
powerfully compressed when such an accident takes place, thereby
causing a buffer rod to pass so far into the carriage that a lever fixed on
the locking shaft is moved by means of a wedge arranged on the end of
the buffer rod, thus turning the locking shaft and causing the braking
to take place in the manner described. In this case it is of importance
to make the buffer so as to act even when not struck straight; a peculiar
construction of buffer is employed. The buffer head consists of an iron
convex disc, underneath which embossed india-rubber rings separated by
metallic washers are arranged. The connection of the buffer head with
the parts for working the brake takes place by means of a chain link
passed through an eye connected with a bar, which is supported by a
back plate. By this construction the buffer is made capable of resisting
any side thrust, as the buffer head and consequently also the bar con-
nected with the chain link has a universal motion.

page_text: The excentric disc which forms an essential feature of the improved
brake may be either a full disc or a block provided with a double arm
supporting a ring. On such an excentric being brought against the
wheel for the purpose of braking, the ring is turned round, the circum-
ference of the circular block thus transferring the braking friction from
the circumference of the wheel to the inner surface of the ring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Arthur Paget in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
ARTHUR PAGET, of 1, Seymour Chambers, York Buildings, Adelphi,
W.C., London, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Frederick Arthur Paget, Her special licence that
I, the said Frederick Arthur Paget, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Arthur Paget, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, 1
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY BRAKES," a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Schoubersky, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, Engineer, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Arthur Paget,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the ย
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Arthur Paget, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in brakes for railway
carriages. The ordinary brake blocks are replaced by excentric disks,
which are so arranged that as soon as they touch the wheels the motion
of the train itself brings them automatically into a position corresponding
with the maximum resistance required for stopping the train. The
braking therefore takes place without the direct action of manual power
on the excentric disk. The excentric disks are keyed to a suspension
shaft slung in front of the wheels, and parallel to the axle. On the
ends of this axle nearly horizontal connecting rods are fixed, which are
connected to nearly vertical levers. The latter are fixed to the same
shaft as a counterpoising lever, which by its weight constantly tends to
turn this brake shaft with the levers, and consequently to push the
suspension shaft towards the wheels, and so to press the excentric disks
against the same. A projection on the brake shaft acts against this
tendency by locking against a stop on another shaft, which is arranged
at right angles to the brake shaft, and serves for putting the brake into
action, and which shall be called here the locking shaft.
In order to prevent the excentric disks from accidentally turning
with their shaft, and so coming into contact with the wheels, they are
provided with counterweights which preserve them in the proper
position with their shortest radii towards the wheels until they are put
into action.
As soon as the before-mentioned projection on the brake shaft is freed
from the stop on the locking shaft by the latter being turned the
excentric disks are pressed into contact with the wheels by the action
of the counterpoising lever. These disks are then drawn round by the
friction of the moving wheels until a locking lever fixed on the axle disk
strikes against a stop on the locking shaft, which stop has been brought
into the proper position by the before-mentioned turning of this shaft.
The excentric disks have then assumed a position with their longest radii
directed against the wheel. By the rotation of the excentric disks the
disk axle is pressed away from the wheels, so that two pivotted bars
connected at each end of the axle therewith are pushed against coiled

page_text: springs, which, by their resistance, produce the pressure required for
braking.
The brake can be at once put out of action by turning the locking
shaft, so far as to free the locking lever from the stop fixed on the
locking shaft. The excentric disks are then turned further round
by the motion of the wheels, and leaving the wheels assume their first
position.
For working the brake by muscular force a hand lever is provided
fixed to the locking shaft, which lever can be very easily moved by
the guard.
Compressed air may be employed for putting all the brakes used in
one train into action from any one suitable place in the train. For this
purpose an expanding air receiver of india-rubber, or similar material,
is provided, contained in a cylindrical case, and communicating by
means of a piston and piston rod with a lever fixed to the locking
shaft. All the air receivers of all the carriages are connected with air-
conducting tubes suspended along the carriages, compressed air being
let into the tubes. The air receiver expands, and consequently pushes
the piston and piston rod out of the cylindrical case, and so moves the
lever connected therewith. By this motion the locking shaft is turned
into a position corresponding with the distance of the excentric disks
from the wheels, but as soon as the air is let out of the tubes the
pressure in the expandible air receivers ceases, the piston and piston rod
return, the locking shaft is turned by the action of a counterweight on
a lever arranged outside the carriage, and the braking then immediately
takes place in the manner described. The escape of the air from the
tubes can be effected by any of the valve cocks provided on each
carriage. Another brake of the same construction, and with a separate
expanding air receiver and tubes, is arranged on the other side of the
carriage in connection with its second axle.
In order to make the brakes self-acting in case of the train running
off the line the buffers may be so constructed that they will be unusually
powerfully compressed when such an accident takes place, thereby
causing a buffer rod to pass so far into the carriage that a lever fixed on
the locking shaft is moved by means of a wedge arranged on the end of
the buffer rod, thus turning the locking shaft, and causing the braking
to take place in the manner described. In this case it is of importance

page_text: to make the buffer so as to act even when not struck straight; a peculiar
construction of buffer is employed. The buffer head consists of an iron
convex disk, underneath which embossed india-rubber rings separated
by metallic washers are arranged. The connection of the buffer head
with the parts for working the brake takes place by means of a chain
link passed through an eye connected with a bar, which is supported by
a back plate. By this construction the buffer is made capable of
resisting any side thrust, as the buffer head, and consequently also the
bar, connected with the chain link, has a universal motion.
The excentric disk which forms an essential feature of the improved
brake may be either a full disk or a block provided with a double arm
supporting a ring. On such an excentric being brought against the
wheel for the purpose of braking, the ring is turned round the circum-
ference of the circular block, thus transferring the braking friction from
the circumference of the wheel to the inner surface of the ring.
Having as above described my Invention, I will now proceed to do the
same more fully by the aid of Drawings.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 is a side view, Fig. 2,
a front view, and Fig. 3, a plan of a four-wheeled carriage provided with
this brake.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are separate views of the apparatus in different
positions.
Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are separate views of details on a larger scale.
The excentric disks a, keyed on an axis 6, carried by the bar c next to
the wheels. On the ends of the axis 6 the bars d are fixed and connected
with the levers e. The latter are fixed to the same shaft ; as the weight h,
which, by its weight, constantly tends to turn the shaft j with the levers,
and consequently to press the eccentric disks against the wheels.
projection i acts against this tendency by bearing against a stop k on the
shaft n.
The brackets fixed to the frame of the carriage serve to
support the shaft j.
The
In order to prevent the excentric disks from accidentally turning with
their axis, and so coming into contact with the wheels they are provided
with the counterweights g, which keep them in the positions shewn in
Figs. 1 and 4. As soon as the projection i is freed from the stop k by the

page_text: shaft n being turned, the disks are pressed into contact with the wheels by
the action of the weight , as shewn in Fig. 5. The excentric disks are
then drawn round by the motion of the wheels until the lever P, fixed
on the axle b, strikes against the stop o, which has been brought into the
proper position by the before mentioned turning of the shaft n. The
excentric disk has then its longest radius directed against the wheel, and
assumes the position shewn in Fig. 6. By the rotation of the excentric
the axle is pressed away from the wheels, which produces, by means of
the bar d and the buffer bar f, a compression of the springs n, thus
producing the pressure required for braking.
The brake can be at once put out of action by turning the shaft n
so far as to free the lever p from the stop o fixed on the shaft. The
excentric disks are then turned further by the motion of the wheels, and
leaving the wheels, assume their former position.
For working the brake by muscular force the lever D is provided,
which can be easily moved by the guard.
Compressed air may be employed for putting all the brakes used in
one train simultaneously into action from any one suitable place in the
train. For this purpose an expanding air receivers is provided which is
held in the case q, and communicates, by means of the bar 8, with the
levert fixed to the shaft u. All the air receivers of all the carriages are
connected with the air conducting tubes r suspended along the car-
riages. Compressed air being let into the tubes the air receiver S
expands, and consequently moves the lever t. By this motion the shaft
u is turned into a position corresponding with the distance of the
excentric disks from the wheels, but as soon as the air is let out of
the tubes the pressure in the air receivers ceases and the shaft u is turned
by the action of a weight E on the lever outside the carriage, so that
the braking immediately takes place in the manner described. The
escape of the air from the tubes can be effected by any of the valve
cocks provided on each carriage. Another brake of the same construc-
tion and with a separate expanding air receiver and tubes is arranged on
the other side of the carriage on its second axle.
0
The expanding air receiver for acting upon the brakes by means of
compressed air is shewn separately in Figs. 8 and 9. It consists of an
india-rubber cylinder one-eighth of an inch in thickness closed at the
ends and fixed in a cast-iron case 2 screwed on to the carriage. In the

page_text: open end of the case a piston and rods are fitted; compressed air is filled
in by means of the tube r. After the escape of the compressed air the
air receiver assumes the position shewn in Fig. 9.
. In order to make the brakes self-acting in case of the train running
off the line, the buffers H are so arranged that they will be unusually
powerfully compressed when such an accident takes place, thereby
causing the buffer bar y to pass so far into the carriage as to incline the
lever w by means of the wedge x, thus turning the shaft u and causing
the braking to take place in the manner described.
As in this case it is of importance to make the buffer so as to act even
when not struck straight, a peculiar construction of buffer, shewn in
Fig. 7, is employed. The buffer head consists of an iron convex disk,
underneath which the embossed india-rubber rings 4 separated by
washers 3 are arranged. The connection of the buffer head with the
parts for working the brake takes place by the chain link 6 passed
through the eye 5, connected with the bar 7, supported by the back
plate 2. By this construction the buffer is made capable of resisting
any side thrust, as the buffer head, and consequently also the bar y
connected with the chain link, has a universal motion.
The essential feature of the improved brake, the excentric, may be
either a full disk, or as shown in Fig. 10, a block 11 provided with the
double arm 12 supporting a ring 10. On such an excentric being
brought against the wheel for the purpose of braking, the ring is turned,
thus transferring the braking friction from the circumference of the
wheel to the inner surface of the ring.
I now declare that I claim as novel,-
1. A railway brake in which excentric disks are drawn against the
circumference of the carriage wheels by the rotation of the latter,
essentially as described and shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
2. Bringing such brakes into action by manual power, essentially as

page_text: 5. The two different constructions of the brake disks, essentially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Arthur Paget, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.