Improvements relating to the Brake Mechanism of Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 2nd June, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Brake Mechanism of Railway Carriages
and the like.
I, ANDRÉ CHOLODKOWSKY, of No. 8, Rue Koladesky, Kischineff, in the Empire
of Russia Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows;-
My invention relates to the brake mechanism of railway carriages and the
like and has for object to allow of converting ordinary vacuum brakes into
automatic vacuum brakes, and lever brakes into automatic vacuum or compressed
air brakes.
According to my invention, for converting ordinary or non-automatic vacuum
brakes into automatic vacuum brakes I arrange upon the locomotive in proxi-
mity to the driver's cabin a special vacuum cylinder divided into an upper and
a lower chamber. The lower chamber is formed of two parts between which is
fixed a copper cup traversed by a rod fixed to the bottom of the cup by means
of washers and a nut on which bears a spring surrounding the rod. The said
rod carries at its upper end a piston which in one position closes all communica-
tion between the upper and lower chambers.
The upper chamber of the vacuum cylinder is connected by a pipe to the usual
general pipe leading to the brakes and extending the whole length of the train.
The first named pipe is provided with a double valve comprising two short
tubes each provided with a valve guided in a cross piece and kept to its seat
by a spring. The two valves can be both kept open simultaneously by a key or
one can be kept closed and the other open by means of the same key.
The lower chamber of the cylinder is connected by a pipe with the general
pipe and with a supplementary pipe extending the whole length of the train like
the general pipe.
The pipe from the lower chamber is provided with a cock between the supple-
mentary and general pipes and the general pipe is also provided with a cock
before its connection with the pipe from the lower chamber.
The general pipe is connected upon each carriage to vacuum cylinders of known
construction arranged in the ordinary manner for applying the brakes.
The end of the rod outside the lower chamber is connected, by means of a lever
arranged at an angle thereto, to a rod united at its other end, to a slotted bar
designed to actuate the operating lever of the suction injector mounted on the
locomotive.
The mechanism acts in the following manner: The driver of the train first
closes the cock of the general pipe and opens the cock of the pipe from the lower
chamber; he also turns the key of the double valve so as to open the left hand
valve whilst keeping the right hand valve closed.
He then causes the injector to operate and the latter draws air from the sup-
plementary and upper and lower chamber pipes and the said chambers of the
cylinder through the first part of the general pipe placed upon the locomotive,

page_text: the right hand valve opening automatically at this moment under the action of
the suction produced in the upper chamber pipe.
The cock on the lower chamber pipe is then closed and the cock on the general
pipe opened. The air contained in the general pipe again spreads into the first
part of this pipe placed on the locomotive and into the upper chamber pipe but
cannot, however, enter the upper chamber of the cylinder in consequence of the
automatic closing of the right hand valve.
If, now, by reason of an accident of any kind, or of a draught in one of the
carriages, the re-entrance of air be caused in the supplementary pipe the said air
will pass through the lower chamber pipe into the lower chamber of the cylinder
and acting upon the piston will raise it, thereby lifting the piston rod which,
through the medium of the rod connected to the slotted bar, will move the
operating lever of the injector which, coming automatically into action, will draw
air from the general pipe and cause the application of the brakes by reason of
the operation of the cylinders of known construction.
The same conversion can be effected for ordinary lever brakes by the applica-
tion of the vacuum cylinder above described to each carriage provided with an
ordinary lever brake. For this purpose I arrange upon each carriage a similar
vacuum cylinder and unite the said cylinders by means of a single pipe from
which branch the two pipes leading from the upper and lower chambers of the
vacuum cylinder each provided with a double valve the special object of which
will be hereinafter explained.
The pipe uniting the vacuum cylinders is connected upon the locomotive to
an ordinary suction injector if the train is provided with a vacuum brake, er
to the compressed air receiver if the train is provided with a com-
pressed air brake. A carriage provided with a lever brake converted
according to my invention can, consequently, as will be hereinafter seen, be
coupled up in a train provided with either a vacuum brake or a compressed air
brake.
The rod of the piston of the vacuum cylinder is connected by a system of
levers to a lever provided with a projection adapted to come into contact with
an eccentric keyed upon one of the axles of the carriage. The said lever which
can oscillate is connected at its free end to a system of levers jointed to the end
of a rod which extends to the operating screw of the lever brake.
Suppose it is required to arrange the apparatus in such a manner that it may
be ready to work upon a carriage coupled up in a train provided with the
ordinary vacuum brake. In this case the double valve in the upper chamber
pipe is arranged so that the left hand valve shall be open and the right hand
valve closed; the key of the valve in the lower chamber pipe is on the contrary
turned so that both valves shall be open.
Air is then drawn in from the pipe uniting the vacuum cylinders; the air will
issue from the upper chamber, automatically opening the right valve which will
close again immediately after the passage of the air; it will also pass out from
the lower chamber the two valves of the lower chamber pipe being kept open as
already stated.
The apparatus is then ready to work. It is only necessary, to this end, to
cause a readmission of air at a suitable part of the pipe uniting the cylinders.
The said air will enter the upper and lower chamber pipes; in the former the
passage is entirely closed by the right valve; it can only therefore pass into the
cylinder through the latter pipe the two valves of which are kept open. The
air entering the lower chamber will raise the piston and its rod, which latter,
through the system of levers will move the lever having the projection thereon.
and bring the said projection in contact with the eccentric which, acting upon
the said lever will put the brakes in action upon each carriage through the
medium of the other levers and the operating rod.
If the carriage is to form a portion of a train provided with compressed air
brakes the valve of the upper chamber pipe would be opened on both sides and,

page_text: on the contrary, the valve in the lower chamber pipe would be arranged so that
the left valve should be closed and only the right valve open.
Compressed air coming through the pipe uniting the cylinders will, con-
sequently, pass directly into the upper chamber and into the lower chamber after
having lifted the left valve which will shut again automatically. If, subsequently,
the air should become rarefied in the said pipe the air in the upper chamber will
pass out through the upper chamber pipe both the valves of which are open.
The compressed air contained in the lower chamber not being allowed to escape
in consequence of the left valve being closed will raise the piston which by
operating its rod will put the brakes in action as already explained.
In cases where an ordinary lever brake is required to be converted into an
automatic vacuum or compressed air brake the projection on the lever is dis-
pensed with and the said lever consists of a simple straight bar suspended from
the piston rod of the cylinder by levers.
The end of the lever is connected by a rod to the operating rod of the brakes.
The latter is divided at a point in its length and one part is connected by a chain
to the other part connected to the operating screw of the lever brake.
In this manner the oscillation of the lever over the eccentric can be trans-
mitted to the rod and act upon the brake-shoe without it being necessary to act
upon the operating screw of the rod.
1 '1
10
2
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.
CUMILIE DIEUIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Brake Mechanism of Railway Carriages
and the like.
I, ANDRÉ CHOLODKOWSKY, of No. 8, Rue Koladesky, Kischineff, in the Empire
of Russia, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the brake mechanism of railway carriages and the
like and has for object to allow of converting ordinary vacuum brakes into
automatic vacuum brakes, and lever brakes into automatic vacuum or compressed
air brakes.
In carrying out my invention I make use of a specially arranged vacuum
cylinder placed, according to requirement, upon the locomotive or upon each
of the carriages of a train in combination with peculiar auxiliary means for
actuating the brakes.
The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example an application of my
invention to each of the cases which may be presented notably:
1. The conversion of non-automatic vacuum brakes into automatic vacuum
brakes.
2. The conversion of a carriage provided with an ordinary lever brake into a
carriage provided with an automatic brake adapted to be coupled up in a train
provided with either an ordinary vacuum brake or a compressed air brake.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevation of a complete arrange-
ment of ordinary vacuum brakes converted into automatic vacuum brakes.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
$

page_text: Figure 3 is a detached sectional view of the vacuum cylinder upon the employ-
ment of which my invention is based:
Figure 4 is a sectional view of a special double valve employed in combination
with the vacuum cylinder illustrated in Figure 3:
Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the said valve; and,
Figure 6 is a vertical section shewing one of the valves open and the other
closed:
Figure 7 is a detached view of a vacuum brake operating-lever modified for
the purpose of the application of my invention:
Figure 8 is a detached view illustrating the arrangement adopted for the con-
version of ordinary lever brakes into automatic vacuum or compressed air brakes.
Figure 9 illustrates a modification of this arrangement.
The lower
According to my invention I arrange upon the locomotive in proximity to the
driver's cabin a special vacuum cylinder A shewn separately in Figure 3. The
cylinder is divided into an upper and a lower chamber a, a¹.
chamber a¹ is formed of two parts a¹, all between which is fixed a porous leather
cup e traversed by a rod d fixed to the bottom of the cup e by means of washers e
and a nut on which bears a spring g surrounding the rod d. The said rod
carries at its upper end a piston which in the position indicated in Figure 3
closes all communication between the upper chamber a and lower chamber a¹.
If a vacuum be produced in the two chambers a, a¹ the piston / remains
motionless, but if air be afterwards readmitted into the lower chamber a¹, the
said air passing through the cup c of porous leather and acting on the bottom a"
of the compartment a¹ as a bearing surface will exert its pressure upon the
piston and raise the latter as well as the rod d fixed thereto; when a vacuum
is again caused in the lower chamber a¹ the piston h will resume its lower position
into which the spring g also tends to bring it.
The cup c of porous leather has solely for object to facilitate the guiding of the
rod d and to serve as a bearing for the washers e serving as a support to the
spring g and could be dispensed with in certain cases, for example, if required
to strengthen the rod d. A similar operation of the cylinder A would obviously
be produced in the case where, as will be hereinafter shewn, without having
previously caused a vacuum in the compartments a, a¹, compressed air is allowed
to enter the lower compartment a¹ of the cylinder A. This compressed air acting
again on the bottom all as a bearing surface will exert its pressure upon the
piston h and cause the lifting of the piston and of the rod d.
The upper chamber a of the vacuum cylinder A is connected by a pipe B to
the usual general pipe C leading to the brakes and extending the whole length
of the train.
This pipe B is provided with a double valve D, shewn detached in Figure 4,
and comprising two short tubes D1, D2 each provided with a valve D³, D' guided
in a cross piece D³ and kept to its seat by a spring R. The two valves D³, D*
can be both kept open simultaneously by a double cam key M as shewn in
Figure 4, or one D can be kept closed under the action of the spring R and the
other D³ open by means of the said key M or vice versa.
The lower chamber a¹ of the cylinder A is connected by a pipe E with the
pipe C and with a supplementary pipe G extending the whole length of the
train like the pipe C.
The pipe E is provided with a cock H between the pipes G and C and the
pipe C is also provided with a cock I before its connection with the pipe E.
The pipe C is connected upon each carriage to vacuum cylinders K of known
construction arranged in the ordinary manner for applying the brakes.
The end of the rod d outside the chamber a¹ is connected, by means of a lever L
arranged at an angle thereto, to a rod 7 united at its other end, (Figure 7) to a
slotted bar L¹ designed to actuate the operating lever N of the suction injector P
mounted on the locomotive.
The arrangement thus established comprises, consequently, like all ordinary

page_text: vacuum brake arrangements, the injector P, the actuating lever N of the said
injector, the pipe C and the vacuum cylinders K designed to put the brakes in
action; it comprises also the special cylinder A, the connecting pipes B and E,
the double valve D), the cocks and the supplementary pipe G.
The mechanism acts in the following manner: The driver of the train first
closes the cock I and opens the cock H; he also turns the key of the double
valve D so as to open the valve D whilst keeping the valve D closed.
He then causes the injector P to operate and the latter draws air from the
pipes G, B and E and the chambers a, a of the cylinder Ai through the first part
of the pipe C placed upon the locomotive, the valve D opening automatically at
this moment under the action of the suction produced in the pipe B, which
suction is sufficient to overcome the action of the spring R which otherwise keeps
the valve 1 to its scat.
The cock H is then closed and the cock I opened. The air contained in the
pipe C again spreads into the first part of this pipe placed on the locomotive
and into the pipe B but cannot, however, enter the upper chamber a of the
cylinder A in consequence of the automatic closing of the valve D under the
action of the spring R which has brought the said valve back to its seat as
soon as the first produced suction has ceased.
If, now, by reason of an accident of any kind, or of a draught in one of the
carriages, the re-entrance of air be caused in the pipe G the said air will pass
through the pipe E into the lower chamber a¹ of the cylinder A and acting upon
the piston will raise it, thereby lifting the rod D which, through the medium
of the rod l, will move the operating lever N of the injector P' which, coming
automatically into action, will draw air from the pipe C and cause the application
of the brakes by reason of the operation of the cylinders K of known construction.
The same conversion can be effected for ordinary lever brakes by the applica-
tion of the cylinder A above described to each carriage provided with an ordinary
lever brake. For this purpose I arrange upon each carriage, as shewn in Figure 8,
a similar cylinder A and unite the said cylinders by means of a single pipe G
from which branch the two pipes Band E each provided with a double valve D
the special object of which will be hereinafter explained.
The pipe G is connected upon the locomotive to an ordinary suction injector
if the train is provided with a vacuum brake, or to the compressed air receiver
if the train is provided with a compressed air brake. A carriage provided with
a lever brake converted according to my invention can, consequently, as will
be hereinafter seen, be coupled up in a train provided with either a vacuum
brake or a compressed air brake.
The rod of the piston of the cylinder A is connected by a system of levers r, s, t
to a lever T provided with a projection U adapted to come into contact with an
eccentric S keyed upon one of the axles of the carriage. The lever T which can
oscillate is connected at its free end to a system of levers e jointed to the end of
a rod W which extends to the operating screw of the lever brake.
Suppose it is required to arrange the apparatus in such a manner that it may
be ready to work upon a carriage coupled up in a train provided with the
ordinary vacuum brake. In this case the double valve D in the pipe B is
arranged so that the valve D3 shall be open and the valve 1 closed; the plug
of the valve 1 in the pipe E is on the contrary turned so that both valves D
and D shall be open.
Air is then drawn in from the pipe G, the air will issue from the upper
chamber, automatically opening the valve 1' which will close again immediately
after the passage of the air; it will also pass out from the lower chamber a the
two valves D and D of the pipe E being kept open as already stated.
The apparatus is then ready for work. It is only necessary to this end, to
cause a readmission of air at a suitable part of the pipe G. The said air will
enter the pipes B and E; in the pipe B the passage is entirely closed by the
valve D'; it can only therefore pass into the cylinder A through the pipe E

page_text: the two valves D³ and Dt of which are kept open. The air entering the lower
chamber a¹ will raise the piston h and the rod d, which latter, through the system
of levers r, s, t will move the lever T and bring the projection U of this lever in
contact with the eccentric S which, acting upon the lever T, will put the brakes
in action upon each carriage through the medium of the levers, and the
operating rod W.
1
If the carriage is to form a portion of a train provided with compressed air
brakes the valve D of the pipe 13 would be opened on both sides and, on the
contrary, the valve D in the pipe E would be arranged so that the valve D³ should
be closed and only the valve 1* open.
Compressed air coming through the pipe G will, consequently, pass directly
into the upper chamber a and into the lower chamber a after having lifted the
valve D3 which will shut again automatically. If, subsequently, the air should
become rarefied in the pipe G the air in the upper chamber a will pass out
through the pipe B both the valves D3 and 14 of which are open. The com-
pressed air contained in the lower chamber a not being allowed to escape in
consequence of the valve D3 being closed will raise the piston which, by
operating the rod d will put the brakes in action as already explained.
Figure 9 shews, as already stated, a modification of the operating mechanism
which can be combined with the vacuum cylinder A in cases where an ordinary
lever brake is required to be converted into an automatic vacuum or compressed
air brake. In this case the projection U on the lever T is dispensed with and
the said lever consists of a simple straight bar suspended from the rod d of the
cylinder 'A by the levers s, t.
1
The end of the lever T is connected by a rod u to the operating rod W of the
brakes. The latter is divided at the point Z and connected by a chain to the part Wi
connected to the operating screw of the lever brake.
In this manner the oscillation of the lever T upon the eccentric S can be trans-
mitted to the rod W and act upon the brake-shoes without it being necessary
to act upon the operating screw of the rod W, W
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: --
1. For the purpose of allowing the conversion of ordinary or non-automatic
brakes and lever brakes into automatic brakes, the employment of a vacuum
cylinder formed of two chambers separated by a piston the rod of which, provided
with a spring, is connected either to the operating lever of the injector or to
transmitting mechanism adapted to put the brakes in action, the upper chamber
or the lower chamber, as the case may be, being adapted to be isolated from the
brake pipes by a suitable valve, so that any return of air into the lower chamber
of the said cylinder or, as the case may be, any diminution of pressure in the
upper chamber, causes the piston to rise and, consequently, the operating injector
of the brakes to work, or the levers arranged to actuate the said brakes to be put
in action, substantially as herein before described with reference to Figures 1
to 7 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In combination with the vacuum cylinder referred to in Claim 1, a double
valve placed, according to requirements, in one or in both of the pipes leading to
the said cylinder and consisting of a double tube provided with two valves open-
ing in opposite directions and kept to their seats by suitable springs, a special
key allowing of keeping open either of the said valves or both of them simul-
taneously, substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 4,
5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
3. For the purpose of converting ordinary vacuum brakes into automatic
vacuum brakes the combination with the vacuum cylinder referred to in Claim 1,
placed upon the locomotive, of a supplementary pipe extending the length of
the train and connected to the lower chamber of the vacuum cylinder in such a

page_text: manner that the result of any re-admission of air into the said pipe would be
to cause the piston of the vacuum cylinder to rise and, consequently, the injector
for applying the brakes to work, substantially as herein before described and illus-
trated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. For the purpose of converting ordinary lever brakes into automatic vacuum
brakes or automatic compressed air brakes, the combination with the vacuum
cylinder referred to in Claim 1 placed upon each carriage, and with the pipe con-
necting the said cylinder to an injector, of a lever and an eccentric arranged
in such a manner that any movement of the piston in the vacuum cylinder caused
either by the action of a readmission of air or by the action of the compressed air
contained therein will bring the said lever into contact with the eccentric which
thus causes the movement of the rod which operates the brakes, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
ด
,
P T
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.