Improvements in Brake and Coupling Mechanisms Applicable for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brake and Coupling Mechanisms Applicable for
Railway Vehicles.
We, JOHN FOTHERGILL of Ings Road, Wakefield in the County of York, Cattle
Dealer, THOMAS SWALE of Friar Gate, Wakefield aforesaid, Millwright, ARTHUR
SWALE of Friar Gate aforesaid, Pattern Maker and TOM WALKER of Carris Street,
Hunslet near Leeds in the same County, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
It relates to improvements in brake and coupling mechanisms applicable for
railway vehicles and consists of arranging and constructing the parts forming these
mechanisms in such a manner that they shall operate more efficiently than those
heretofore employed.
Respecting the brake mechanisin the object of our invention is attained by
arranging said brakes so that by suitable spring or other power same shall always
be in operation or in contact with the wheels or parts in connection therewith,
when the vehicles to which they are applied are not required to be in motion or
whenever the motion of said vehicles is required to be arrested. In order to relieve
said vehicles from the brake, the spring or other power is arranged to be operated
and overcome by the power exerted through the draw-hook or bar which attaches
the vehicle to its motor. The connections, which are employed for this purpose,
being extended from the draw-bar on one end of the vehicle to those on the other
end thereof so that whichever of these draw bars is being used all the brakes on
the vehicle are raised or moved out of their operating positions.
Provided that this arrangement of mechanisms is employed in connection with
any vehicles, the brakes applied to which are operated by any of the well known
methods using pneumatic or other similar power, it is only necessary to join the
draw bar to operate or control the operations, of a similar power for counteracting
same, as for instance supposing that the brakes were forced into contact with, their
respective wheels by means of air pressure it will readily be seen that if the draw
bar was joined to means for allowing a portion or all of this air to escape the
wheels would be relieved or entirely freed of their brakes.
In order to meet the requirements of relieving the vehicles from their brake
actions for the purpose of allowing same to be moved in a contrary direction to
that in which they are moved when drawn by their draw bars, their brakes are
coupled, in a similar manner to the one above described, to their spring-buffers and
if said buffers are not of this (springing or yielding) kind, then a supplementary
spring buffer is employed at each end of the vehicle.
Respecting the coupling mechanism our invention consists of making use of a
somewhat tubular projecting piece and mounting same, in a suitable position on
one end of the vehicle, the outer end of this piece is also of bell-mouth shape so
as to act as a guide for any extending piece that might be brought to pass into
same as will be well understood..
Vertically intersecting this bell-mouthed projection, is a suitably shaped pin, the
lower end of which has an opening made through it and the upper edge of this
opening is made of a suitable bevilled or inclined shape so that an appropriately
formed coupling link or bar that is mounted on the end of another vehicle, may
enter this opening by its outer end being also of bevilled shape coming in contact
with the bevilled edge of the pin and raising it in order to bring the opening
made in said pin in line with said link, which after passing for a desired distance
through said opening, presents notches or a passage to allow the descent of the
above described pin into its original position and so couple the link to the bell-
mouthed piece.

page_text: Appropriate lever and rod connections are made use of for operating the pin above
described when the vehicles are required to be uncoupled.
Dated this 1st day of June 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brake and Coupling Mechanisms Applicable for
Railway Vehicles.
We, JOHN FOTHERGILL of Ings Road, Wakefield in the County of York. Cattle
Dealer, THOMAS SWALE of Friar Gate, Wakefield aforesaid, Millwright, ARTHUR
SWALE of Friar Gate, aforesaid, Pattern Maker, and TOM WALKER of Carris Street,
Hunslet near Leeds in the same County, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of
this 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 :-
It relates to improvements in brake and coupling mechanisms applicable for
railway vehicles and consists of arranging and constructing the parts forming these
mechanisms in such a manner that they shall operate more efficiently than those
heretofore employed.
Hereunto appended are sheets of drawings illustrative of our invention, to which,
by figures and letters, reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a railway vehicle shewing the
application of our improved coupling and brake mechanisms. Fig. 2 is a sectional
top view of a similar portion of said vehicle.
Fig. 3 is a similar view to fig. 1 but illustrates the buffer mechanism in connection
with our improved brake_mechanisms. Fig. 4 is a top view further illustrating the
parts shewn by fig. 3. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are front and side sectional elevations and
top view, respectively, of our improved coupling mechanism, while fig. 8 is a top view
shewing a modification thereof.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several
views.
Respecting the brake mechanism, the object of our invention is attained by
arranging the parts that operate said brakes so that by suitable spring or other power
same shall always be in operation or in contact with the wheels or parts in connection
therewith when the vehicles to which they are applied are not required to be in
motion or whenever the motion of said vehicles is required to be arrested. In order
to relieve said vehicles of the brake actions the spring or other power is arranged to
be operated and overcome by the power exerted through the draw-bar which couples
the vehicle to its motor.
As an arrangement of laminated spring and other parts is most commonly and
extensively employed in the well known manner as yielding means for the draw-bars
of railway vehicles, we have shewn our improved mechanism in connection with
this laminated spring mechanism, a being the draw-bar and the laminated spring
as usually employed.
To the spring b is coupled the lever c by means of the rod d. This lever c is
rigidly attached to the shaft e which is mounted in bearings so that it may rotate.
Rigidly attached to the shaft e are the lever arms ff¹, which are coupled by
rods g g to the levers h h¹, these levers h¹ being coupled by the rods kl, k¹¹
to the brakes m and m¹ respectively.
Now when sufficient power is exerted through the draw-bar a to overcome the
spring b (which will be necessary if the vehicle has to be moved) the shaft will
be partly rotated and in the direction of the arrow n, and so the brakes m and m¹

page_text: will be drawn from contact with the wheels o and o¹ respectively, while when the
power exerted through the bar a is discontinued then the spring b assumes its normal
position as shewn by figs. 1 and 2, whereby the brakes m and m¹ are forced into
contact with their respective wheels and o¹.
Another lever arm p is mounted upon the shaft e and is coupled by the rod s to
the lever arm pl mounted upon the shaft e¹ carrying the several parts, as the lever
arms and which are joined by their respective coupling rods d', g² and g³ to
the spring b and the brake operating mechanism on the other end of the vehicle, so
that whether the hawling power is exerted through the draw-bar on one end of
the vehicle or that on the other, the brakes are removed from contact with all the
wheels.
Provided our improved method of utilizing the draw-bars of vehicles for controlling
or operating the brakes attached thereto is to be employed in connection with
vehicles having brakes operated by pneumatic or other similar power, it is only.
necessary to join the draw-bar to operate or control the operations of a similar
power for counteracting same, as for instance supposing that the brakes were forced
into contact with their respective wheels by means of air pressure it will be readily
seen that if the draw-bar was joined to means for allowing a portion or all of this
air to escape or was joined to any other means for counteracting such air pressure,
the wheels would be relieved or entirely freed of their brakes.
In order to meet the requirements of relieving the vehicles from their brake actions
for the purpose of allowing same to be moved in a contrary direction to that in which
they are moved when drawn by their draw-bars, their brakes are coupled, as by the
lever arm t mounted upon the shaft e and the rod u (which lever t and u are used on
both ends of the vehicle) to the spring buffer vin such a manner that when the vehicle
is moved by the power exerted through its said buffers the shaft e is partly rotated in
the direction of the arrow n as it is when the draw-bar a is moved.
If the ordinary buffers of the vehicle are of the old rigid style then a supplementary
small spring buffer is mounted on each end of said vehicle for the purpose of effecting
the result above described.
Respecting the coupling mechanism our invention consists of making use of a
somewhat tubular projecting piece w which is mounted on the end of the vehicle, the
outer end w¹ of this piece w is of bell-mouth shape so as to act as a guide for any
extending bar or piece that might be brought to pass into same as will be well
understood.
Vertically intersecting this piece w is a suitably shaped pin x (see fig. 9) the lower
end of which has an opening made through it, the upper edge of this opening being
made of bevilled or inclined shape as at ¹ so that a coupling link or bar y
(see fig. 10), that is or may be mounted on the end of another vehicle, may enter this
opening by its outer end y¹ being of wedge shape coming in contact with the bevilled
edge of the pin x and raising it, by overcoming the pressure of the spring z, in
order to bring the opening made in said pin x into line with said link y, which after
passing for a desired distance through said opening, presents notches y³ to form a
passage to allow the descent of the above described pine into its original and normal
position and so couple or join the link y to the bell-mouthed piece w.
To permit the link y to pass further within the opening when the pin x has
descended into its lowest position, while the vehicles are being moved through pressure
on their buffers, the notch y³ is made longer as shewn in broken lines fig. 10.
The mounting of the bell-mouthed piece w upon the end of the vehicle is accom-
plished by hinging it at w² to the outer end of the draw-bar a by which means this
piece is allowed to yield or move so as to accomodate itself to the requirements of
the link y, while the vehicles, joined or coupled by these parts are moving around a
curved or any slightly irregular line of railway, and in order that the said piece w
may be always brought or held when free in a normal position, the springs w³, 20³,
wo, wo and w together with their respective bolts, are mounted and arranged to operate
in their several varied directions upon said piece w.

page_text: To obviate the disadvantages of having a loose link y for joining two of the parts w
together, the part w and the link y may be mounted upon the extremities of a lever z¹
as shewn by fig. 8, this lever ' being hinged at about its central part to the draw-
bar a.
The adjusting spring arrangements hereinbefore described in connection with
the part w may be employed with equal advantage when said part w is mounted upon
the lever as they are when said part w is attached directly to the draw-bar a.
Any well known lever and rod connections may be made use of for operating the
pin & when the vehicles are required to be uncoupled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. The operating of the brakes of railway vehicles by their draw-bars substantially
as herein specified
2. The draw-bar a, the spring b, the brakes m and m¹ and the parts connecting
these said brakes to the said draw-bar a and spring bas herein specified, in com-
bination, all said parts being arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
3. The operating of the brakes of railway vehicles by their buffers substantially as
herein specified.
4. The spring buffer v, the spring b, the brakes m and m² and the parts connecting
these said brakes to the said spring buffer vas herein described, in combination, all
said parts being arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
5. The construction and general arrangement of the parts forming the coupling
mechanism for railway vehicles substantially as specified.
6. The part w, the pin x, the spring and the coupling link y, in combination, all
these several parts being formed constructed and arranged to operate substantially as
set forth.
7. The parts w and y mounted upon the lever z¹, the same being attached to the
draw-bar a substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1890.
JOHN FOTHERGILL.
THOS. SWALE.
ARTHUR SWALE.
TOM WALKER.
Per Samuel Heys,
Agent.