Improvements in Railway Brakes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left 2nd Nov 1896-Accepted 23rd Jan.
1897
Improvements in Railway Brakes.
I, WALTER SCOTT WHITNEY, resident of 7 Vanderheyden Street, in the
City of Glen Falls, in the County of Warren, and State of New York, United
States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to car brakes, and the object thereof is to provide a
device of this class which operates upon the track or the rails thereof, and by
means of which a car may be quickly checked or stopped regardless of the speed
at which it may be moving, or the grade of the track.
In the practice of my invention, I provide a cam block which is secured to the
truck frame directly over the rails of the track, and my improved brake is
arranged so that it may be operated regardless of the direction in which the car
is moving, a separate cam block and brake being provided for each set of
wheels.
The body portion of the cam block may be of any desired form, and is provided
with an outer and downwardly directed, inclined surface, and with side wings and
which enclose said inclined surface.
The side wings are of the general form of the inclined surface of the block, the
outer portions or sides thereof being curved from the top downwardly and
backwardly so as to correspond with the form of the curved or cam surface of
the block, and each of said side wings is also provided with a notch or recess by
means of which a shoulder is formed thereon.
Each block is also provided near the lower end of the cam or curved surface
with a roller; and a link is also preferably pivotally connected with the lower
portion thereof.
The side wings may be formed separately and bolted to the block or blocks, if
desired, or said block and wings may be formed integrally, and the cam or curved
surface of the block or blocks may be formed by cutting a groove in the outer side
thereof, as will be readily understood.
I also provide a brake shoe which is irregular in form being approximately
wedge shaped, the upper side thereof being straight or inclined, and the sides
thereof being cut away to form curved surfaces on each side, which correspond in
general form to the curved or cam surfaces of the side wings of the cam block, and
said surfaces are also each provided with a shoulder or projection which
corresponds with the shoulder or projections on the side wings of the cam
blocks.
Secured to each side of the brake shoe are segmental plates which are of the
general form of said shoes, and each of which is provided with segmental,
reversely curved slots through which pass pins secured to, or formed on the cam
block.
When the shoes are placed in position adjacent to the curved or cam surfaces of
the cam blocks, the wider ends thereof are directed upward and the wedge shaped
ends downward, and the side plates enclose the sides of the cam blocks, and said
shoes are free to slide on said blocks, in which movement the inclined flanges at
the upper side thereof rest upon the cam surface of the cam block, and the curved

page_text: sides between said inclined flanges rest upon the curved sides of the side wings
which are secured to the cam block and the downward movement of the shoes in
the operation of braking or stopping the car is limited by the shoulders formed
thereon, which operate in connection with the shoulders formed on said side
wings.
The brake shoes are held in position on the cam blocks by means of pins which
extend through the reversely curved slots which are formed therein, and said brake
shoes being also provided with chains by which they are connected with the truck,
and which may also serve to limit the movement thereof.
Connected with each of the brake shoes is a cord or chain which passes over a
pulley, and one end of which is carried to each end of the car, and is under the
control of the motorman or the operator of the car.
In the normal position of the parts, the brake shoes are held above the tracks
and out of operation by means of said cords or chains, and whenever it is desired
to lower the brake shoes, and allow them to operate, said cords are operated or
released and the shoes at once drop into the desired position.
In this position, the inclined surface thereof slides downward under the roller
connected with the cam block and the curved surface of the said block, and is
wedged between the rail of the track, and said block, and this, operation is such
that if the car is under considerable momentum, the entire truck may be raised
from the track and the car be gradually but quickly stopped.
The movement of the brake shoes downwardly is limited by the shoulders or
projections formed thereon, and the corresponding shoulders formed on the blocks
or on the side wings connected therewith, and the liuk connected with said blocks
also serves to facilitate this operation.
My improved brake apparatus or the separate parts thereof may be made of any
desired material, and the brake shoes may be formed of three pieces, or of a single
piece, and the cam blocks may also be similarly constructed.
I also prefer to form the bottom of the brake shoes so that they will correspond
in cross-section with the form of the rails, and the principle of the operation of my
improved brake is that of the wedge, and the power exerted thereby is much
greater than is possible with any of the existing forms of brakes.
My improved brake is reversible, and may be applied to either side of the
wheels by turning the entire apparatus on its supports or bearings, and it is evident
that, various changes and modifications thereof may be made without departing
from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing its advantages.
Dated this 1st day of February 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
improvements in Railway Brakes.
I, WALTER SCOTT WHITNEY, residing at 7 Vanderheyden Street, Glen Falls,
in the County of Warren and State of New York, United States of America,
Gentleman, 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:-
This invention relates to car brakes, and the object thereof is to provide a device
of. this class which operates upon the track, or the rails thereof, and by means of
which a car may be quickly checked or stopped regardless of the speed at which
it is moving, or the grade of the track.

page_text: The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the
accompanying drawing forms a part, in which similar letters of reference
designate the same parts wherever found throughout the several views, and in
which :-
Fig. 1, is a side view of a section of a car frame or the trucks thereof showing
the application of my improved brake; and,
Figs. 2, 3, and 4, represent details of the construction.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown my invention as applied to an
ordinary tramway car, and the wheels on one side of the car being shown together
with the frame or trucks in which they are mounted.
In the practice of my invention, I provide a cam block A, which is secured to
the truck frame B, directly over the rails of the track, and as shown in the drawing
my improved brake is arranged so that it may be operated regardless of the
direction in which the car is moving, a separate brake being provided for each set
of wheels.
The cam block A, is of the form and construction shown in Fig. 2, the outer or
inclined cam surface of which is shown at C, The block A, is also provided with
wings D, but one of which is shown in Fig. 2, the other being broken away to
better show the construction. The side wings D, are of the form shown in Fig. 2,
the outer portion thereof being curved from the top downwardly and backwardly
so as to correspond in general form to the cam surface C, of the block and each
of said side wings D, is also provided with a notch or recess d, by means of
which a shoulder d 1, is formed thereon.
Each block is also provided near the lower end of the cam surface C, with
a roller E, and pivotally connected with the lower portion thereof is a link F.
The side wings D, may be formed separately and bolted to the blocks A,
if desired, or said block and wings may be formed integrally and the cam
surface C, be formed by cutting a groove in the outer side thereof as will be
readily understood.
I also provide a brake shoe G, which is of the general form shown in Fig. 3,
said general form being approximately that of a wedge, the upper side being
straight but inclined as shown at y, and the sides thereof being cut away to form
curved surfaces g 1, on each side, which correspoud in general form to the curved
surfaces of the side wings D, of the cam block and said surfaces g 1, are also each
provided with a shoulder or projection 9 2, which corresponds with the shoulders
or projections d 1, on the side wings D.
Secured to each side of the brake shoe G, are segmental plates H, which are of
the general form shown in Fig. 4, each of which is provided with segmental,
reversely curved slots h, through which pass pins 1, secured to or formed on
the cam block.
When the shoes are placed in position as shown in Fig. 1, the wider ends thereof
are directed upward and the wedge shaped end downward and the side plates H,
enclose the sides of the cam block and said shoes are free to slide on said block, in
which movement the inclined flange g, rests upou the cam surface C, and the
curved sides g 1, rest upon the curved sides of the side wings D, as will be readily
understood, and the downward movement of the shoes in the operation of braking
or stopping the car is limited by the shoulders g 2, formed on the sides thereof, aud
the shoulders d 1, formed on the side wings D, of the cam blocks.
As will be understood, the brake shoes are held in position on the cam blocks by
means of the pins h 1, which extend through the slots h, and said brake shoes are
also provided with chains L, by which they are connected with the truck and which
may also serve to limit the movement thereof.
Connected with each of the brake shoes is a cord or chain or similar device M,
each of which passes over a pulley N, and one of which is carried to each end of
the car and is under the control of the motor-man, or the operator of the car.
The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description, when
taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. In the normal position of

page_text: the parts the brake shoes are held above the tracks and out of operation, by means
of the cords M, and whenever it is desired to lower the brake shoes and allow them
to operate said cords are operated or released and the shoes at once drop into the
position shown at the right of Fig. 1. In this operation the inclined surface g, of
the brake shoes slides downward under the roller E, and the curved cam surface C,
of the cam block and is wedged between the rail of the track and the cam block
and this operation is such that if the car is under considerable momentum, the
entire truck may be raised from the track, and the car may be gradually but
quickly stopped. The operation of the cam surface C, of the cam block and the
roller E, on the inclined surface g, of the shoe is such that when the car has been
stopped, it will more backwards and the truck shoes when released may be again
raised to the position shown at the left of Fig. 1.1
In this operation the movement of the brake shoes downwardly is limited by the
shoulders g2, formed thereon and the shoulders d 1, formed on the side wings of
the blocks and the link F, which is pivotally connected with the block may also be
used for this purpose.
The rollers E, in the cam blocks, as will be readily understood, facilitate the
operation of the brake shoes hereinbefore described, and by means of these rollers
the car is forced to move backward so as to relieve the brake shoes if the truck
should be raised from the track in the operation thereof, this operation being
effected by the weight of the car and the operation of gravity.
In practice, I prefer to form the brake shoes of a single piece and to form the
inclined surface g, by cutting out the sides so as to form a spline g 3, and on the
outer side of which is formed the inclined surface g, and by thus cutting out
the sides, the curved surfaces g 1, are formed thereon as are also the shoulders g 2,
and the side plates H, may be secured thereto in any desired manner.
I may, however, form said brake shoes of three pieces, as will be readily
understood, the side pieces being bolted or secured to the central piece which
constitutes the spline g3, on which is formed the inclined surface g.
The cam blocks A, may also he similarly constructed and may be forined of one
piece or three as may be desired.
My invention is not limited to the exact form, construction and arrangement of
parts shown and described; and I therefore reserve the right to make all such
alterations therein as fairly come within the scope of the invention.
I prefer to form the bottom of the brake shoes so that they will correspond in
cross section with the form of the rails as will be understood, the principle of the
operation of my improved brake is that of a wedge, and the power exerted
thereby is much greater than is possible with any of the existing forms of
brakes.
The chains L, are supposed to be taut when the shoes are in operation and as
will be readily understood, the shoes may be raised out of the operative position by
the curds N, and lowered thereby into the operative position whenever desired.
In place of the rollers or wheels E, a ball bearing may be provided and many
other changes in the construction herein shown and described will readily suggest
themselves. My improved brake is applicable to any kind or class of cars as will
be readily understood.
It will be understood, of course that the brake is reversable and may be applied
to either side of the wheels by turning the entire apparatus on its supports or
bearings and providing suitable securing devices therefor, and it will also be
understood that other means may be provided for limiting the backward and
downward movement of the shoes such as dowels or similar devices. The rollers
or wheels A, may also be placed at other points in the cam blocks and the friction
surface of the she es can be reduced if desired, by cutting out the bottom between
the ends thereof and the same can be increased by making the shoes longe
if desired.
The chief forces involved in the operation of my improved brake are momentum
gravitation and friction and all that is necessary to set these forces in operation i

page_text: to release the brake shoes as herein before described, after which the operation of
the brakes is automatic, and my improved brake is the first device of the kind
which is operative in this manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A car brake constructed and operating as herein described and as shown in the
drawing.
2. A car brake, which is designed to operate in connection with the rails of the
track, comprising a cam block secured to the track, aud in vertical line with the
rails, and a brake shoe mounted thereon, which is wedge-shaped in form and
provided with an inclined surface or bearing, said brake shoe being adapted to
operate between the cam block and a rail of the track, substantially as shown and
described.
3. A car brake, comprising cam blocks secured to the truck, the cam surfaces of
which are directed outwardly and downwardly, and brake shoes mounted thereon
which are wedge-shaped in form and provided with inclined surfaces, said brake
shoes being adapted to operate between the cam blocks, and the rails of the track,
said brake shoes being suspended, and operated from the platform of the car,
substantially as shown and described.
4. A brake for cars, comprising cam blocks secured to the truck in vertical line
with the rails of the track, said cam blocks being provided with cam surfaces and
with side wings or projections as D, and brake shoes as G, connected therewith and
adapted to slide thereon, said brake shoes being provided with an inclined surface
as g, which are adapted to bear upon the cam surfaces of the cam blocks,
eubstantially as shown and described.
5. A brake for cars, comprising cam blocks connected with the truck in vertical
line with the rails of the track, said cam blocks being provided with cam surfaces
as C, and with side wings as D, which are also provided with curved cam surfaces.
and brake shoes as G, said brake shoes being provided with inclined surfaces as g,.
and adapted to operate in connection with the cam surfaces of the cam blocks, and
curved cam surfaces at each side thereof as g 1, which are adapted to operate upon
or in connection with the curved cam surfaces of the side wings of the cam blocks,.
said cam blocks and said brake shoes being combined and arranged, substantially as
shown and described.
6. A brake for cars, comprising cam blocks as A, secured to the trucks in
vertical line with the rails, brake shoes as G, connected therewith, and provided.
with inclined surfaces as g, said brake shoes being also provided with side plates in.
which are formed reversely curved segmental slots, through which pass pins secured
to or formed on the cam blocks, substantially as shown and described.
7. A car brake, which is designed to operate in connection with the rails of the
track, comprising a cam block secured to the truck or frame of the car and a brake
shoe mounted thereon which is wedge-shaped in form and provided with an inclined
surface or bearing, said cam block being also provided with a roller or rollers in.
connection with which the brake shoe also operates, said brake shoe being adapted
to operate between the cam block and a rail of the track, substantially as shown.
and described.
1000
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents..