IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,.
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF
RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS."-A communication
Scaled the 5th August 1853, and dated the 25th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th April 1853.
I, WILLIAM JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MEANS OF RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS" to be
as follows, that is to say:
It consists in the application of certain apparatus, whereby a great
number of breaks may be brought into action at once, by the operation
of one breaksman or other attendant.
To each carriage in a train, or to any number of them, except the
first (which may be the tender). I attach a longitudinal sliding bar.

page_text: This I connect by means of links or rods, and levers, with the breaks,
in such a manner that the latter may be brought into contact with the
wheels by the end motion of the bar. To the first carriage in the train,
or to the tender, I attach radial bars (or substitutes for the same),
which may be raised and lowered, so that their ends may come opposite
the end of the longitudinal bar of the next carriage, or may be moved
clear of it.
When the ends of the radial bar are raised opposite the ends of the
longitudinal bar, their distance apart is such, that when the two
carriages come in contact the buffers may first act through a space of
some inches, and then the ends of the bars may strike each other.
Thus, when the breaksman puts on the break in the first carriage,
after the buffers have yielded to some extent, the longitudinal bar of
the next carriage comes in contact with the radial bars (if elevated to
their proper position), and thus derives an end motion, which is
immediately communicated to the breaks of its carriage, and so in like
manner with all the carriages of the train, or such as are supplied with
the requisite apparatus. The parts are so constructed, that the breaks
come into action whichever way (lengthwise) the longitudinal bar is
moved, the breaks being free, when the bar is at the middle of its
traverse.
I also (at option) attach to each longitudinal bar an apparatus for
moving it by hand, so that an attendant in the carriage itself may have
the power of putting on some portion of the breaks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said William Johnson, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 19th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Civil Engineer, send a
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the.
year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the Sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Johnson, Her especial licence that I,
the said William Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assign's, or
such others as I, the said. William Johnson, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 communicated to me by a
foreigner residing abroad, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF RETARD-
ING. AND STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Johnson, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 William Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention,, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the drawing
hereto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
Fig. 1, is a side view of the frame of an ordinary railway carriage,
with the body removed. Part of this view at a', represents the outside
of the frame; the other portion at a, is shown in section, in order that
the operation of the sliding rods (herein-after referred to) upon the
brakes may be more easily understood. Fig. 2, is a sectional view of
a portion of the first carriage in a train, or it may be supposed to
represent a portion of the tender. Fig. 3, is a plan view of Fig. 1,
looking on the top of the frame; the springs, cross bars, &c., are
removed at a, for the better observance of the sliding bar and its con-
nections. Fig. 4, is a plan view of Fig. 2.
Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.
Fig. 5, is an end view of
Fig. 6, is an elevation;

page_text: and Fig. 7, is a plan, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the central horizon-
tal lever, and the connecting rods (herein-after mentioned), showing
the different positions they assume. Fig. 8, is a plan of the central
portion of the carriage frame, shewing a modified arrangement of
springs for operating upon the sliding bar. Figs 9, and 10, are
enlarged views of the ends of the sliding bars, indicating how the
latter may be adjusted in length. Fig. 11, is a view of a portion of
the carriage frame, with a section of the sliding bar, showing the
manner in which the latter may be supported on roller guides, in order
that it may be moved in either direction with facility; and Fig. 12,
shows a sliding rod, operated upon by a knee joint, as a substitúte for
or modification of the movement described in reference to Fig. 2.
The same letters of reference allude to similar parts throughout the
several views; and for the sake for further. distinction I have caused
the several levers, rods, &c., to be tinted with the saine colour wherever
they are observed in all the views. In Figs. 1, and 2, A, and A', are
the side frames or sills of an ordinary railway carriage, connected
together at the ends by the buffer beams B, and B', and between the
latter, at various intervals throughout the length of the carriage, by
cross bars C, C, and C, C'. D, is a horizontal bar of wood or other
suitable material, which is confined in guides e, attached to the buffer
beams B, and B', and to the cross pieces C, and C, the bar being con-
fined in such a manner that it shall have a longitudinal or fore and aft
movement only. In order that the bar D, may move with greater
facility, I prefer the use of roller guides, shown in Fig. 11, where C', is
a portion of the frame of the carriage, and D), the sliding bar under-
neath; this rests on a small roller f2, of hard wood or other suitable
material, and has pins at each end working in the lower ends of the
hangers f, which are secured to the frame C', and bent downwards in
such a manner as to present a broad surface to the sides of the bar D,
thereby preventing any tendency which the hangers might have to cut
the bar. In Fig. 1, I have shown the wheels L, of the carriage as
furnished with friction brakes or rubbers M, which are suspended by
jointed rods from the inside sills of the carriage A, and A¹, in the usual
manner. These rubbers, and those of the opposite wheels, or, in other

page_text: words, the rubbers of the wheels L, and those of the wheels L,
best observed on reference to Fig. 3, are connected together
by the cross bars N. Through these cross bars, and about the
centre of the carriage frame, are secured the eye bolts 0, and O'.
In the eye bolts 0, 0, work the upright levers K, and K'; and
to those O, and O', are jointed the rods Q, and Q; the other
ends of the latter being connected to the upright levers K, and
K'. It will be observed that the eye bolts O', pass through the
cross bars N, and through the spiral spring o, which is confined
between the adjustable nut at the end of the bolt, and the outside
surface of the cross bars N; thus, when the upright levers K, are
pulled in the direction of the arrows, the rubbers will be brought in
contact with the periphery of the wheels, the elasticity of the spiral
springs o, causing a more gradual and uniform friction. Suspended
from and secured to the cross bars C', of the carriage frame, is the
hanger E, best seen in Figs. 6, and 7, the hanger being bent down-
wards so as to receive the horizontal lever G, which works on a pin F,
passing loosely through the centre of the lever and hanger, but
perfectly free from the sliding bar D. Attached to the lever G, are
two pins a, and a', which work in the slotted ends of the connecting
rods II, and H', the other ends of these rods being connected by means
of pins to the sliding bar D. Below the connection of the rods H,
and H, to the horizontal lever G, and within a space c, formed under-
neath that lever (as seen in Fig. 6,) work the ends of the bars J, and J',
the pins, and a', (before referred to) serving as a means of securing
them to the horizontal lever G. The other ends of the rods J, and J,
are connected to the top of the upright levers K, and K³, as seen on
reference to Figs. 1, and 8. At one extremity of the horizontal
lever G, projects a pin f, against which works the spring, which may
be secured to the inside of the carriage sill A', or in any others con-
venient manner. To the other end of the horizontal lever G, is secured
a rod P, which passes underneath the frame of the carriage towards
the vertical shaft R. At the end of the rod P, is attached a chain,
which is secured to the bottom of the vertical shaft R: the latter las
bearings on the carriage frame or on the body, and may be carried

page_text: upwards to any convenient height, and be furnished at the top with a
handle for the use of the attending brakeman. At the other end of
the horizontal lever G, upon which the spring b, operates, may be
attached (if found requisite) another rod P, connected with another
upright shaft in a similar manner. Instead of the spring b, which, as
before-mentioned, operates upon a pin f, at one end of the horizontal
lever G, I in some cases prefer the adoption of two springs, operating
upon a pin attached to the sliding bar D, as shewn in Fig. 8, where d',
is the pin, and d², d, the springs attached to the cross bar c', of the
The object of
carriage, or secured in any other convenient manner.
this arrangement is, that in whichever direction the sliding bar D, may
be moved, it will, by the action of one or other of the springs, be
brought back to its former position when not otherwise retained. To
prevent the springs from counteracting each other I apply stopping pieces,
as at d³. Instead of the springs here employed, it is evident that a system
of weights may be substituted, into an explanation of which it is not
necessary to enter, as such substitutions are well understood by all
practical men. In Figs. 2, 4, and 5, which, as before mentioned, may
either represent a portion of the tender or of the first carriage in the
trains, and s', are two radial levers, which are secured tightly to the
horizontal shaft T, the latter having its bearings on cross bars i, and i',
which are suspended to the carriage or tender frame in any convenient
manner. To the shaft T, is secured another lever W, to the forked
ends of which is connected the vertical rod V, the latter being operated
upon by the attending fireman, engineer, or brakesman, by means of
additional levers or other apparatus which may hereafter be found most
convenient. The radial arms s, and s', may be raised and lowered to
the extent shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2, and 5. This movement,
as well as any lateral motion, is regulated by means of slotted plates,
-which are secured to the buffer beams X; the radial arms pass through
these slots, and, when in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2
rest on the bottom of the slots. On both radial arms are notches.
which, when the arms are raised, bear against the top of the slotted
plates Y, in such a manner that the shock caused by the ends of the
radial arms and the forked ends of the sliding bar D, coming in contact

page_text: may be received by the buffer beam X, and not on the shaft T. In
Fig. 12, is shown a substitute for the radial arms and levers just
lescribed. A series of cross bars k, k, & l', are supposed to represent
portions of the frame of the tender or first carriage in the train. To
two of these bars k, k, are attached small roller hangers 1, 1, &c. some-
what similar to those described in reference to Fig. 11. The bar m,
works loosely in these hangers, so as to have an horizontal movement
only. This movement is communicated to the bar m, by the levers n,
and n', in conjunction with the vertical rod p, to which an upward and
downward movement is given by means of cogged wheels, screws,
levers, racks, and pinions, or any other mechanical apparatus found
most convenient. On raising the rod p, to the position shown by
dotted lines, the lever n', having a fixed centre on the cross bar ¹, the
bar m, will necessarily be projected forwards, and a movement given
which answers the same purpose as that given to the radial arms
shown in Figs. 2, and 4. It should be understood that I cause the
ends of the sliding bar D, to be forked merely to avoid interfering with
the drag links and other present arrangements of railway carriages. I
wish it to be understood likewise, that although I prefer the description
of friction brake shown in the accompanying drawing, I do not confine
myself to that brake in particular, as any one acquainted with the
construction of railway carriages will easily perceive that any other
description of brake may, by some slight modification of the apparatus
shown, be operated upon by the sliding bar D. The forked ends of
the sliding bar D, may be advantageously furnished with adjustable
pieces, as shown in Figs. 9, and 10, where s, s, are enlarged views of the
ends of the bar. By means of one or more bolts, passing through
the bar and through slots in the iron straps t, the latter are secured to
the ends of the bar in such a manner that by loosening the nuts the
straps may be moved inwards or outwards to the distance required, and
In the case of coal,
thus the bar lengthened or shortened at pleasure.
ballast, or such waggons as require to be furnished with a trap door at
the bottom for discharging the contents, I use a framework as a substi-
tute for the sliding bar D. This framework entirely surrounds the
carriage, and slides freely; on rollers, as shown in the sketch, Fig. 13;

page_text: the form of brake which I in this case prefer using is also here shown
It consists simply of a wedge, which is brought to bear upon the wheels
on the movement of the sliding frame, in consequence of its being sus
pended by chains passing over pullies, as will be readily understood
from the Figure.
Having now described the several most important portions of
the drawing which refers to my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner the same may be operated upon and carried into
effect. In the first place, I would premise that I propose to furnish
every carriage in a railway train with the apparatus described in
reference to Figs. 1, and 3, with the exception of the first carriage in
the train, to which I attach the apparatus shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5.
I would prefer, however, whenever it can be found convenient, to
attach the last-mentioned machinery to the frame of the tender, so as
to be operated upon by the engineer or fireman. Let us now suppose
the train of carriages to be moving a-head; that is, from left to right
on reference to drawing. The vertical rod V, has previously been
depressed by the attendant, and the radial arms s, and s¹, in conse-
quence, brought upwards to the position shown in Fig. 2. The buffers
of the two carriages have been regulated by the drag links, so that they
barely touch each other, i. e. without their rods pressing to any extent
against the buffer springs. The position of the sliding bar will now be
such as is shown in Figs. 1, and 3, the spring operating upon the hori-
zontal lever G, through the connecting rods H, and H', so as to bring
the sliding bars in that position, and likewise through the rods J,
and J, and the upright lever relieving the rubbers from any contact
with the wheels, so that no impediment is offered to the free progress
of the train. We will now suppose that it is necessary to stop
the train. The steam being shut off, and the brake of the tender or
the first carriage in the train being brought into action, and both, in
consequence, retarded, the momentum of the carriage, Fig. 1, will
come with such force against Fig. 2, as to cause the buffers of both
to recede to a considerable extent, say fourteen inches, or seven inches,
in each buffer. Now the distance between the forked ends of the
sliding bar D, and the ends of the radial arms s, and s¹, we will sup-

page_text: pose to have been six inches when the train was in progress. Now,
however, that the buffers springs have been compressed, it will receive
a motion to the extent of eight inches. On the motion of the rod D,
the connecting rod H', will slide easily on the pin a, without trans-
mitting any motion to the horizontal lever G; the rod H', however,
will be carried along with the bar D, to which it is connected, to the
extent of eight inches; and the end of the slot catching the pin a', the
lever will be moved likewise to the extent of eight inches, communi-
cating motion to the bars J, and J', and, in consequence of drawing
the vertical levers K, and K', in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 1),
thus bringing the rubbers to bear against the wheel. When the
engine is again started, and the buffers protrude to the former position,
the sliding bar D, will be released from contact with the ends of the
radial arms s, and s', and the rigidity of the spring b, will force the
horizontal lever G, to its former position, releasing the brakes from
contact with the wheels, and allowing the ends of the sliding rod D, to
resume the same distance from the radial arm which it had pre-
viously to the two coming in contact. Should it be necessary for the
other end of the sliding rod to be operated upon by its radial arms at
the other end of the carriage, it will easily be seen that an. exactly
similar movement to that above described will take place; with this
difference, however, that the connecting rod H, instead of that
marked H, will give movement to the sliding bar, and consequently to
the brakes. As it is often requisite to put the brakes on each carriage
separately, I make use of the rods P, and P', which, as before men-
tioned, are connected to upright shafts R, and R'. On turning either
of the latter the lever G, is brought into the position shown by Fig. 7,
and, in consequence, the brakes are brought into operation without
disturbing the position of the sliding rod D.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, and carried into effect, I
would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the details
herein-before mentioned, so long as the leading features of the Inven-
tion be retained. What I claim as new is the use of a sliding bar
attached to the frame of railway carriages; the said sliding bar to be

page_text: operated upon by the apparatus herein-before described, or any other
apparatus mechanically equivalent to the same. I also claim, in con-
nection with the sliding bar above mentioned, the combination of levers
and other apparatus mentioned in the above Specification, in reference
to Figs. 6, and 7, or any mechanical equivalent thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Wm. JOHNSON.. (L.S.)