IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RETARDING OR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS; WHICH MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE AS A SIGNAL OR COMMUNICATION FROM ONE PART OF A TRAIN TO THE OTHER
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Walmsley, of Failsworth, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Silk Manufacturer, and
Thomas Critchley, of the same place, Machine Maker, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
RETARDING OR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS; WHICH MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE AS A SIGNAL OR COMMUNICATION FROM
ONE PART OF A TRAIN TO THE OTHER.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Walmsley
and Thomas Critchley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 24th February 1858.
We, HENRY WALMSLEY and THOMAS CRITCHLEY, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR RETARDING OR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS; WHICH MA-
CHINERY OR APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE AS A SIGNAL OR COMMUNICATION
FROM ONE PART OF A TRAIN TO THE OTHER," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in breaks for railway car-
riages, and in the method of communicating signals between the engine-

page_text: driver and the guard; and in a new apparatus for preventing the wheels
jumping off the rails; and consists of,-firstly, of a communication from
one carriage to another under the body of the carriages, by which a
continuous connexion is made throughout the whole train, and the
breaks worked on any convenient number of carriages, as may be
required. We propose the guard to work the breaks, wheel, and
lever as now generally adopted; but in applying them to all the
wheels we introduce a double screw, such as is now used in the con-
necting links of railway carriages. This double screw, acting upon a
strong spring extending from one break to the other, under and across
the carriage frame, forces each break on its respective wheel simul-
taneously. To form and maintain the connexion of the said breaks
from one carriage to another we have compound universal joints,
working in slots. This mechanical arrangement allows free action
when the train is turning sudden curves, and makes allowance for the
different heights of the carriages. Thus communication continuing
from one carriage to another throughout the train, enables us to use
it for the purpose of communicating signals to the engine-driver,
which we accomplish by merely fixing an upright shaft to the engine
or tender, and connect it to the aforesaid continuous horizontal shaft
or apparatus under the carriages by mitre wheels or other contrivance,
in the same manner as the upright shaft which the guard uses to put
on the breaks. To this upright shaft on the engine or tender wo fix
a spring lever, so that when it is moved it shall strike a bell or other
convenient signal. It is obvious from this explanation that when the
guard turns his wheel to put on the breaks he will also turn at the
same time the upright shaft or the engine or tender, by which the
spring lever will be moved and the signal given.
To prevent the wheels jumping off the rails, we propose to fix or
attach to the sides of each carriage a bar or lever to touch the rails,
the bottom end of which we turn in the form of a hook, so as to clip
the curved under edge of the rail so as to effectually keep the carriage
on the line on all occasions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas Critchley, in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on the 24th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
HENRY WALMSLEY, of Failsworth, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Silk Manufacturer, and THOMAS CRITCHLEY, of the same
place, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas
Critchley, Her especial licence that we, the said Henry Walmsley and
Thomas Critchley, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas Critchley, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RETARDING OR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS;
WHICH MACHINERY OR APPARATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE AS A SIGNAL OR COM-
MUNICATION FROM ONE PART OF A TRAIN TO THE OTHER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas
Critchley, by an instrument in writing under our hands and scals or
under the band and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas
Critchley, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):

page_text: Our Invention relates to an improved method of constructing, fixing,
and working the breaks of railway carriages, and in the mode of com-
municating signals between the engine driver and the guard, or other
persons in charge of the train. Our said Invention consists of a com-
munication from one carriage to another, by which a continuous con-
nexion is made throughout the whole train, and the breaks worked
on any convenient number of carriages, as may be required. We can
adopt the breaks now in general use, or of any improved construction;
but, in applying them to all the wheels, we use a double screw, such as
is used in the ordinary breaks of railway carriages; or an ordinary
single screw, acting upon a strong spring extending from one break to
the other, under and across the carriage frame, forces each break on
its respective wheel simultaneously. To form and maintain the con-
nexion of the said breaks from one carriage to another, we fix a rod
or shaft longitudinally under each carriage, with slots at each end, into
which work compound universal joints. This mechanical arrangement
allows free action for the connecting rods when the train is turning
curves, and makes allowance for the different heights of the carriages.
This communication continuing from one carriage to another, through-
out the train, enables us to use it for the purpose of communicating
signals to the engine driver, which we accomplish by merely fixing a
vertical shaft to the engine or tender, and connect it to the aforesaid
continuous longitudinal shaft or apparatus under the carriages by mitre
wheels, or other similar contrivances, in the same manner as the
vertical shaft is connected, which the guard uses, on the present plan,
to put on the breaks. To this vertical shaft on the engine or tender
we fix a spring lever, so that when it is moved by turning the shaft
round, it will strike a bell, or other convenient signal: the said vertical
shaft will be turned round whenever the guard, or person in charge of
the train, turns his wheel to put on the breaks, and thus the lever will
be moved to strike the signal. These improvements will be clearly
understood by reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in
which the same letters of reference are used to represent similar
parts where different views or diagrams are shown. Fig. 1, is a side
elevation of two railway carriages, showing our improved method of

page_text: working or applying the breaks; Figure 2, is a plan of the same; and
Figure 3, part of a sectional elevation thereof. a, represents a
wrought-iron shaft fixed under the centre of the carriage, with a socket
at each end, each carriage carrying its own length. 6, represents bearings
attached to the bottom of the carriages, for sustaining the shafts or
rods. a, c, connecting rods with round ends, which work in the sockets
of the rods a, and form a kind of compound universal joint. d, are
strong pins which go through the ends of the connecting rods c, and
work in the slots of the sockets, to allow for the depression and exten-
sion of the buffer rods, in case of concussion or meeting of the car-
riages. e, is a handle fast on the vertical rod or shaft f, in the guard's
van. g, is a guide bracket for the rod f. h, is a bevel pinion on the
bottom of the rod f, working a larger bevel wheel i, keyed on the rod
or shaft a. k, is a screw upon the rod a, working the spring 1, which
is seen more clearly in Fig. 2, the ends of which are attached to the
top break-bars m, on which are the breaks n. On the bar m, is a
short rack o, working a pinion p, which works another rack q, on the
lower break-bar r, to which are attached the breaks. s, t, are slides
attached to the axle boxes, through which the bars m, and r, slide.
u, is a bell fixed in the guard's van, and is struck by the hammer v.
It will be readily seen by the drawing, that by turning the handle e,
upon the vertical rod or shaft f, upon which is the bevel pinion h,
working in a larger bevel wheel i, motion will be given to the lon-
gitudinal shaft a; consequently the screw k, will draw the spring 1,
which will pull the top break-bars m, thereby putting on the breaks n;
by means of the rack s, the bar m, will turn the pinion p, which also
works in the rack q, thus giving motion to the bottom break-bar r, and
putting on the breaks s. In Fig. 3, k, is a screw upon the shaft a,
as in Fig. 1; w, is a nut worked by the screw k; x, is a very strong
piece of india-rubber tube, which forms a spring; y, is a lever with a
forked end, keyed on the shaft, similar to those used under break-
carriages at present. a¹, is a round piece of wood, iron, or other
suitable metal or material, which the forked end of the lever y, clips,
and against which the india-rubber tube x, presses; so that by turning
the shaft a, the screw k, works the nut w, which, pressing against the

page_text: india-rubber spring a, and the piece of wood or iron a', draws the
lever Y, which turns the shaft z, and puts on the breaks in the ordinary
way.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of our said Inven-
tion, wo desire it to be distinctly understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the precise details herein described, as such may be varied
or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but wo
claim as of our invention,―
Firstly, the method of forming a continuous connexion from one
carriage to another;
Secondly, the method of applying the breaks to wheels of carriages;
and,-
Thirdly, the method of communicating signals by means of the said
continuous connexion; as all of which improvements are herein de-
scribed and illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Walmsley and Thomas
Critchley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
third day of August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HENRY WALMSLEY. (LS.)
THOMAS CRITCHLEY. (L.s.)
Signed, scaled, and delivered by both the said parties hereto, in the
presence of E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent, Manchester.