Improvements in Railway Brakes.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Brakes.
We, MAX BERNSTEIN, Proprietor of the Firm of Joh. Friedr. Wallmann & Co.,
of Blumen Strasse, No. 74, in the City of Berlin, in the German Empire, Patent
Agent, and JOSEF EICK, of Augusten Strasse, No. 109, in the City of Munich, in
the German Empire, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The subject of the present invention is a rail brake for railway trains and has
for its purpose the braking of trains running into through (or intermediate) or
terminal stations, in cases where the ordinary brake fails to act; or the signal
to stop is run by, or not followed on account of false switching of the crossing on
a single line; or in case that the wheels slide, by reason of the rails being wet.
The rail-brake is so arranged that when the signal shows the line clear, the
brake automatically opens and allows the train to pass unhindered, whilst when
the signal indicates "stop," the brake automatically closes and stops the train.
The rail-brake consists in the arrangement of rails, or iron of any suitable
profile, on the inside or outside of the ordinary track-rails. These side rails
are by means of compressed air caused to bear against the wheels of the loco-
motive and carriages, so that the train is brought to rest, or caused to move more
slowly; the guard naturally also applying his brake,
The accompanying drawing illustrates one form of carrying out the invention.
Fig. 1 shows the general arrangement of the rail-brake for a through station
on a single line.
Fig. 2 the general arrangement of the apparatus for compressing the air.
Fig. is a cross section and
Fig. 4 a plan view of a terminal station, and
Fig. 5 similarly a plan view of a through station, furnished with rail-brake.
Fig. 6 shows a cross section, and
Fig. 7a part plan view, to a larger scale, of the rail-brake for a double line,
with compressed air cylinder and signal-post.
Fig. 8 is a section through the compressed air cylinder.
Fig. 9 a plan view of same. partly broken away.
Fig. 8 is an elevation and
'
Fig. 9 a cross section of a signal-post showing part of the signal-arm.
Fig. 10 is an elevation.
Fig. 11 a cross section, and
Fig. 12 a plan view of the rail-brake for a terminal station with double line.
The apparatus used for compressing the air is of ordinary construction, as
shown in Fig. 2. It consists of a petroleum or gas motor, with air-compressor,
or other air-pump A, from which the compressed air is conducted to an air
reservoir B, where the water of condensation is trapped. From here the com-
pressed air passes through a cooler C to the main chamber D, from which it
.

page_text: enters the compressed air cylinder F. The main chamber D and cylinder F in
through stations are located at the signal-post d' (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) stopping
incoming trains (Fig. 5) and in the case of terminal stations at the buffer-blocks
(Fig. 4).
The arrangement consists essentially (1.) in the case of through stations with
double track of the above mentioned air compressor plant, by means of which the
compressed air cylinder is supplied with air. In the latter is contained a
piston a (Fig. 8), the motion of which is controlled by the slide-valve b.
This valve, with valve rod c, is operated by the signal-arm which stops the
incoming traffic, by means of the rod d of the signal-arm, and the lever g.
The piston-rod h of the piston a is prolonged to form the rod i (Figs. 6 and 7)
to which, at suitable distances apart, are attached the levers . These are
pivotally mounted upon the pedestals bolted to cement blocks. These levers k
carry the draw and force rods mm of the brake-rails n resting upon the sliding
chairs o.
The extent of movement of these brake-rails n is limited on the one
side by the controlling-screw p coming against the track-rails, and on the other
side by the ledge r cast on the chairs.
Suppose now a train is entering the station, in spite of the signal being against
it. The operation of the signal-arm will at the same time automatically dis-
place the slide-valve b, whereby the compressed air in front of the piston a
escapes, and compressed air entering, behind the piston operates the rail-brake.
The train rushing into the brake arrangement is thus stopped by the brake-rails,
which brake on nearly every wheel. By reason of the pressure exerted by the
wheels, there is a tendency for the brake-rails to be forced away laterally from the
track-rails again, but they are held in position by the compressed air now behind
the cylinder. This air acts as a kind of buffer.
(2) For through stations with single line (see the plan Fig. 1) the arrange-
ment is the same, except that here there are two slide valves 6 lying one beside
the other. The one valve is operated by the signal-arm d¹ stopping the incoming
train's and the other by that for the outgoing trains, a similar pulley (or it may
be lever) being used in operating the valves b as in operating the respective
signals themselves. Since the pulley (or lever) employed in operating the
valves is quite the same as that for the respective signals, and is connected with
them by a draw-rod, both will make the same motion simultaneously. This
double arrangement of valves is obviously necessary, in order to enable the brake,
closed by the signal stopping incoming trains, to be opened by the signal for the
outgoing train, as otherwise the train could not leave. In the plan (Fig. 1),
1 represents the track, the two rails being here represented by one line for con-
venience on the drawing. 2 is the engine house and 3 the air-pipe..
(2.) For terminal stations with an air compressor plant as described under (1)
the compressed air enters as before into the compressed air cylinder in front of
the piston, in which position the rail-brake is opened. The movement of the
piston a is regulated by the slide-valve b, as in the other cases.
This valve is rigidly connected with the long angle iron f (Figs. 11 and 12)
by means of the valve-rod c (Figs. 10 and 12) and rod d, the angle iron f being
pivoted at a to pedestals and pressed upwards by the strong springs g¹.
If now the engine driver in running into the terminal station (through failure
of the brake, or sliding of the wheels on wet rails), presses down the rod (Figs. 3
and 11) the angle iron will be turned downwardly about its pivots and the slide-
valve operated in consequence, whereby the compressed air will enter behind
the piston, that before the piston escaping. The brake rails n (Fig. 12) are
thus applied and the train stopped. Whenever the driver raises the rod
(Fig. 11) the angle iron f is lifted by the springs g¹ contained in the casings v
on the pedestals e, the valve 6 is therefore again operated, and the brake-rails
removed, so that the wheels are free to run.
The use of the angle iron f enables the driver to apply the brake-rail at any
place on the track whilst entering the terminus.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our saiq
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A brake for railway trains for use at through stations with double track,
comprising longitudinal rails (n- n) or iron of any suitable profile, suitably
supported on sliding chairs (o) or the like, lying directly inside or outside the
track-rails and pressed towards or withdrawn from the latter by the action of
the signal-arm which stops the incoming traffic, which arm operates a suitable
system of rods, levers, pulleys, or the like (d, g, c) actuating the slide-valve (b)
of a compressed air cylinder (F) and accordingly admitting the compressed air
(supplied by any suitable air compressor) to enter before or behind the cylinder
piston (a), the rod of which piston by means of a system of rods and pivoted
levers (i, k, m, m) forces the brake rails (n,n) against, and withdraws them from,
the wheels of the train, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before set
forth.
2. A brake for railway trains for use at through stations with single track,
comprising longitudinal rails (n, n) or iron of any suitable profile, suitably sup-
ported on sliding chairs (o) or the like, lying directly inside or outside the track
rails and pressed towards, or withdrawn from the latter, in the case of entrance
of trains into the station by the action of the signal-arm which stops such
incoming traffic; and in the case of exit of trains, by the pulley of the signal
which stops such outgoing traffic, which said arm and pulley operate suitable
systems of rods, levers, pulleys or the like (d, g, c) actuating two slide-valves (b)
of a compressed air cylinder (F), and accordingly admitting the compressed air
(supplied from any suitable air compressor) to enter before or behind the cylinder
piston (a) the rod of which piston by means of suitable systems of rods and
pivoted levers (i, k, m, m) forces the brake rails (n,n) against, and withdraws
them from the wheels of the train, all substantially as and for the purposes here-
inbefore set forth.
3. A brake for railway trains for use at terminal stations, comprising longi-
tudinal rails (m, n) or iron of any suitable profile, suitably supported on sliding
chairs (o) or the like, lying directly inside or outside the track rails and pressed
towards or withdrawn from the latter by the action of a rod (r) on the engine,
which when depressed pushes down a pivotally mounted angle bar (f), (which
is ordinarily elevated by springs (91), said angle bar by a suitable system of rods
and levers (, c) actuating the slide-valve of a compressed air cylinder (F) and
accordingly admitting the compressed air (supplied by any suitable air compressor)
to enter before or behind the cylinder piston (a), the rod of which piston by
means of a system of rods and pivoted levers (i, k, m, m) forces the brake-
rails (n,) against and withdraws them from, the wheels of the train, all sub-
stantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
1 111. 04th day of October 1898.