IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Edward Newton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd February 1879. A communica-
tion from abroad by Orson Branch Kendall, of Buffalo, in the State of New
York, United States of America, and Peter R. Miller, of Toronto, in the
Province of Ontario, Canada.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
[A communication from abroad by Orson Branch Kendall, of Buffalo, in the State
of New York, United States of America, and Peter R. Miller, of Toronto, in the
Province of Ontario, Canada.]
The object of this Invention is to produce a brake which while it can be put on
or thrown off by one man locks simultaneously all the wheels throughout the train,
so as either to stop it almost instantaneously or to retard its motion to any desired
extent.
Its construction and operation may be thus briefly described.
In suitable bearings secured under each carriage is carried a shaft of somewhat
greater length than the carriage itself, to this being attached the ends of the brake
chains, which, when wound on it, operate through levers or other mechanism to
bring the brake shoes in contact with the wheels.
These several shafts or sections of shafting are, when the carriages are coupled
together to make up a train, connected so as to form one continuous shaft by means
of loose couplings into which are slipped the ends of the several sections, these
being provided with universal joints, and the couplings being of sufficient length to
allow of the longitudinal play of the cars, i. e., their receding from and approaching
each other.
The means by which this continuous line of shafting is rotated so as to wind up
upon it the several brake chains and apply the brakes is by an apparatus placed
preferably, though not necessarily, beneath the tender of the locomotive, so as to be
under the control of the driver, and may be thus described.
At right angles to the axles of the wheels is carried in suitable bearings a short
counter shaft, receiving motion either through a worm gear mounted on one end,
with which intermeshes a worn on a vertical shaft rotated by a wheel lever or
other device within reach of the driver, or any other suitable means may be adopted
for the purpose.

page_text: The other end of this shaft carries a cam in which works one end of a lever
pivotted at any suitable point, its other end operating to give forward and back-
ward movement to a clutch mounted on the continuous brake shaft above described,
which is at this point square, or of such section that it shall revolve with the
clutch, the end of the lever being attached to a loose collar set in the clutch, or in
such a manner as to allow of its free rotation.
Upon the continuous-shaft is mounted a loose clutch, arranged to intermesh with
the one-just-described, and-having-made-in one with it a sleeve carried in proper-
bearing, upon which is mounted a worm gear interineshing with and driven by a
worm on the axle of any one pair of the wheels, the continuous brake shaft running
preferably through these, and the worm, worm gear, and clutch all revolving
loosely when the brakes are off.
Upon the brake shaft is mounted rigidly a friction disc surrounded by a ring
made in two parts, hinged together, the free ends being brought together so as to
clasp the disc and prevent it turning by an arm or rod operated by a subsidiary
can on the counter shaft.
The operation of this mechanism is as follows:--
When the brakes are to be put on the rotation of the counter shaft (by the
means described, or any other which may be found suitable) will through the
pivotted lever operated by the cam throw the sliding clutch into gear with the
loose clutch rotating with the worm gear.
The revolution of the axle, which when the clutches are not intermeshing with
each other simply rotates the worm gear and loose clutch, now through the sliding
clutch set on the square part of the shaft rotates the several sections forming the
continuous shaft, winding up upon it the brake chains and applying all the brake
shoes and thus stopping the train instantaneously.
If it be merely desired to retard the speed of the train, such as when going
down a grade, the brakes can be put on in the way above described to the required
extent and then thrown off, so that the worm, worm gear, and loose clutch shall
again revolve without rotating the shaft, which, however, with the brake chains
wound up upon it is retained in that position by the friction ring clasping the disc
secured on it, the mechanism for operating this being timed to act later than the
device for throwing the clutch in and out of gear.
Instead of placing this apparatus under the locomotive tender, it may be secured
to a special brake van, and the several details of mechanism through which the
motion of the worm on the axle is communicated to the continuous brake shaft
may be varied in different cases.