AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sutherland, of Paddington, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sutherland at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1856.
I, JOIN SUTHERLAND, of Paddington, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY
BREAK," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to breaks employed on railways for retarding
and stopping the motion of trains, and has for its object to dispense with the
ordinary break blocks with their accompanying apparatus, and to substitute in
their stead a simple and effective arrangement for wholly or partially stopping
the revolution of the wheels of the carriage to which it is attached, at the
same time affording to the guard or breaksman an opportunity, by means of
an index, of ascertaining the amount of friction imparted. For this purpose
I make use of friction drums or barrels, one of which I securely attach
(between the wheels) to each of the ordinary running axles of a carriage.
These friction drums are so placed on the several axles as to be situated in a
direct line with each other, and each of them is acted upon by a friction strap
or band of metal, which encompasses a greater portion of its circumference,
and has one of its ends attached to the framing of the carriage, the other
ond being fixed to a square or other suitable rod or bar running parallel to
the line of drums. At one end or other part of this rod or bar is formed or
attached a screw, which passes through a corresponding nut formed in a worm
wheel (confined from moving endwise but free to revolve), actuated by a

page_text: worm or endless screw fixed on a vertical shaft, having on its upper end an
ordinary lever or winch handle, to be worked by the guard or breaksman in
the ordinary manner. When the guard or breaksman desires to bring the
break into action he works the before-named handle, thereby causing the
worm and worm wheel to revolve, and the rod or bar to be drawn backward
through the nut of the latter, and consequently to tighten the friction straps
upon their respective drums, and thus to retard or stop the revolution of the
axles and wheels. The rod or bar before mentioned is connected by means of
a lever or otherwise with an index or pointer, showing the extent of its motion
and the consequent tension put upon the straps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Sutherland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SUTHERLAND, of Paddington, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Пler
reign, did, for Herself, Wer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Sutherland, Her special licence that I, the said John Sutherland,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Sutherland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agreo 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 "AN IMPROVED
RAILWAY BREAE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Sutherland, 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 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Sutherland, do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-

page_text: This Invention has reference to breaks employed on railways for retarding
and stopping the motion of trains, and has for its object to dispense with the
ordinary break blocks with their accompanying apparatus, and to substitute in
their stead a simple and effective arrangement for wholly or partially stopping
the revolution of the wheels of the carriage to which it is attached, at tho
same time affording to the guard or breaksman an opportunity, by means of
an index, of ascertaining the amount of friction imparted. For this purpose
I make use of friction drums or barrels, one of which I securely attach
(between the wheels) to each of the ordinary running axles of a carriage.
These friction drums are so placed on the several axles as to be situated in a
direct line with each other, and each of them is acted upon by a friction strap
or band of metal, which encompasses a greater portion of its circumference,
and has one of its ends attached to the framing of the carriage, the other end
being fixed to a square or other suitable rod or bar running parallel to the
line of drums. At one end or other part of the rod or bar is formed or
attached a screw, which passes through a corresponding nut formed in a worm
wheel (confined from moving endwise but free to revolve), actuated by a
worm or endless screw fixed on a vertical shaft, having on its upper end an
ordinary lever or winch handle, to be worked by the guard or breaksman in
the ordinary manner. When the guard or breaksman desires to bring the
break into action he works the before-named handle, thereby causing the
worm and worm wheel to revolve and the rod or bar to be drawn backward
through the nut of the latter, and consequently to tighten the friction straps
upon their respective drums, and thus to retard or stop the revolution of the
axles and wheels. The rod or bar before mentioned is connected by means of
a lever or otherwise, with an index or pointer, shewing the extent of its motion
and the consequent tension put upon the straps.
In Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section
of so much of the under framing of a railway carriage as is necessary to
explain the mode in which my said Invention may be applied; and Fig. 2, a
corresponding cross section of the same. a, a, represent the running axles of
the carriage, upon which are secured the friction drums b, b, each of which is
formed in two halves, in order to afford facility for attachment or removal.
The drums b, b, are partially encompassed by the friction bands of metal c, c,
the ends d, d, of which are jointed to the brackets e, e, fitted loosely upon the
bar f, but confined from moving endwise by the two adjacent cross bearers g, g,
attached to the framing. The ends h, h, of the friction bands c, c, are attached
by adjustable. brackets i, i, to the bar f, supported by and capable of moving
endwise through the cross bearers g, g, as shown. The holes in the bearers g, g,

page_text: and cross bars m, m, through which the bar f passes, are elongated vertically,
in order to allow for the action of the springs. The bar f (which is not free
to revolve) has formed upon it the screw j, passing through a corresponding
nut formed in the worm wheel k, confined from moving endwise by the blocks
1, 1, fitted between the cross bars m, m. The worm wheel k is actuated by a
corresponding worn n taking into it, and fixed upon an upright shaft o, sup-
ported in bearings p, p, and carrying the cross lever 7, whereby a rotary
motion may be given to the shaft by the guard or breaksman. The link r
connects the end of the screw ; with the lever s, fixed upon the shaft t,
carrying a pointer u, whereby the amount of longitudinal movement imparted
to the bar is indicated. The revolution of the shaft o by the guard or
breaksman, as before described, causes the bar f to be moved in the direction
of its length, and to tighten the bands c, c, upon the drums b, b, or to relieve
them therefrom, as required. I would here remark, that if found desirable the
friction bands may be lined with wood or other suitable material.
Fig. 3, of Sheet 2, is a longitudinal section, shewing another method of
giving motion to the longitudinal bar; and Fig. 4, a cross section of the same,
taken through the line A of Fig. 3. In this arrangement the end of the
bar is jointed by links n, n, to the shorter arm of the bell-crank lever v,
working on a fulcrum w, attached to the framing of the carriage, and having
its longer arm connected by links x, x, with the nut y, fitting upon a screw
formed upon the vertical shaft o, the revolution of which in either direction,
as required, raises or depresses the nut y, which, carrying with it the links a, a,
and lever v, imparts a corresponding backward or forward movement to the
longitudinal bar f, tightening or slacking the friction bands, as necessary.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I would wish it to be observed that I do
not confine myself to the precise arrangement or details represented, so long
as the leading and distinctive features of my Invention herein described are
maintained.
In witness whercof, I, the said John Sutherland, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this 14th day of May, in the year of our Lord
JOHN (L.B.) SUTHERLAND.