IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Elder, of Easter Bearford, in the County
of Haddington, North Britain, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
Sealed the 9th June 1874, and dated the 6th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Elder at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th February 1874.
I, HUGH ELDER, of Easter Bearford, in the County of Haddington,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in railway brakes,
consists in a combination of mechanism operated from one or more of
the wheels of the guard's or brake van, or of the engine tender, and
whereby the brakes are applied to all the wheels of the train, or to as

page_text: many of them as may be desired, with the requisite amount of pressure
to stop or retard the motion of the train.
The mechanism employed consists of one or more friction wheels or
pulleys situate in bearings or on a shaft placed below the frame of the
van or engine tender, and whereon a pulley or drum is also placed. To
the pulley or drum one end of a chain or rope is fixed, which rope or
chain is passed over another pulley situate above the pulley or drum
first referred to, sections of the said chain or rope being coupled at the
ends of each carriage and passed round pulleys attached to the upper
extremities of levers placed below the carriage frames. These levers,
which are centred on frames depending from the side frames of the
carriages, are at their lower extremities attached by rods or links to the
brake blocks.
When it is desired to stop or retard the motion of the train the friction
wheel or wheels herein-before referred to is or are brought into contact
with the periphery or peripheries of one or more of the wheels of the
guard's or brake van, or of the engine tender, by operating a lever or
screw, whereby the friction wheel or wheels is or are caused to rotate
and wind the chain or rope on to the pulley or drum situate on the axis
or axes thereof, which winding of the chain or rope has the effect of
putting the brake blocks into contact with the wheels of the carriages
throughout the train, or such portion thereof as has the apparatus herein-
before described applied thereto.
When it is again desired to start the train or increase its motion the
friction wheel or wheels is or are relieved from contact with the wheel
or wheels of the van or engine tender, and the brakes are allowed to fall
back from the wheels of the carriages, which backward motion may be
assisted by springs.
In lieu of operating the apparatus from a wheel or wheels of the van
or engine tender the friction wheel may, when it is desired to apply the
brakes, be brought into contact with the upper side of the rail.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hugh Elder in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGH
ELDER, of Easter Bearford, in the County of Haddington, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four,
in the 37th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Hugh Elder, Her
special license that I, the said Hugh Elder, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Hugh
Elder, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Hugh Elder, 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 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 Hugh Elder, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention, which relates to improvements in railway brakes,
consists in a combination of mechanism operated from one or more of
the wheels of the guard's or brake van, or of the engine tender, and
whereby the brakes are applied to all the wheels throughout the train,
or to as many of them as may be desired, with the requisite amount of
pressure to stop or retard the motion of the train,

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
cffect, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
:―
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a longi-
tudinal section of a guard's van and a portion of an ordinary passenger
carriage; Figure 2 is a plan of the van and carriage frames, and on
these Figures the improved braking apparatus as constructed in
accordance with my said Invention is shewn applied. Beneath the
flooring at one end of the van X a shaft B is placed, which is supported
at each end by the side frames A. A lever C is secured to the shaft B,
and extends upwards to the interior of the van, as shewn, and on the
shaft B a catch D is also fixed, which enters under a projection or
shoulder d attached to or forming part of a forked lever E, which is
centred on pins e, e, fixed in the side frames A. Friction rollers or
discs F, F, are carried in the fork of the lever E upon a shaft G
extending between its opposite sides, and on the shaft a pulley or
drum H is also secured, to which is fastened one end of a rope or
chain g. The rope or chain g, which is made in sections and coupled
by any suitable means at the ends of each carriage throughout the train,
passes from the pulley or drum H underneath the adjoining carriage and
over a loose pulley I to the loose pulley K, round which it passes back
to the pulley I, and is thence continued to the set of pullies on the
succeeding carriage corresponding to the pullies I and K, it being
understood that there are two such pullies placed between every pair of
wheels throughout the train. The rope or chain g, after passing round
the pullies of the leading carriage or vehicle, is finally secured to the
front end thereof. The loose pullies L and K of each carriage are
carried in the forked ends of levers N and O keyed on shafts L and M
supported by the frames P, in which the said shafts are free to turn.
The upper
ends of the levers N¹ and O¹ are also keyed to the shafts L
and M, and connected at their lower ends to the brake blocks S by
.connecting bars Q and R, as shown.
When it is desired to put on the brakes throughout the train the
guard or person in charge pulls the lever C towards him, and so releases
the projection of the forked lever E from contact with the catch D. The
long end of the lever E, by reason of its greater weight, then falls until

page_text: the rollers or discs F, F, come into frictional contact with the peripheries
of the wheels f,f, of the van, whereby the rollers F, and with them the
shaft G and pulley or drum H, are made to revolve, and so cause the
rope or chain g attached to the fixed pulley or drum H to be wound
thereon. The tightening of the rope or chain g throughout the length
of the train forces or draws the loose pullies I and K towards each
other, whereby the levers N and O are caused to press the brake blocks S
tightly against the wheels v, v, of each carriage throughout the train,
and so retard their motion, or altogether prevent them from revolving as
desired. By the continued tightening or winding of the chain g the
friction discs or drums F are drawn or pressed more tightly against the
peripheries of the wheels funtil the said wheels (after the other wheels
throughout the train have been braked) are themselves blocked by the
drums or discs F.
The lever E in descending, when released from the stop or catch D
as herein-before described, draws down to within a few inches of the
floor of the van a lever J connected by the link to the lever E, and
extending across the van, at one side of which the lever J is centred at j.
The guard or operator by standing on the extremity x of the lever J
when so lowered may materially add to the frictional contact of the
discs F against the wheels f, and thereby increase the braking power.
In order to release the brakes from the wheels throughout the train
the levers J and E are raised by hand or by suitable gear until the
projection d of the lever E passes over the catch D, by which the lever
is retained at its raised position. The brake blocks S depend from
brackets bolted to the side frames A. at a convenient angle and
constantly tending to assume a vertical position assist in releasing
themselves from the wheels and so slackening or unwinding the chain g
from the drum H. The brake blocks are further aided in performing
this operation after the lever E has been raised to the position shewn at
Figure 1 of the Drawings by the flat springs b fixed to the under side of
the frames A, and exerting a downward pressure on the arms c, either
fastened to or forming part of the brake blocks S. Pinching screws m
working in brackets n regulate the magnitude of the angle formed by
each brake block S and its line of gravity.
By the arrangement shewn on the Drawings the brakes may be
applied throughout a passing train by a pointsman or other individual.

page_text: from a station on the line in event of a block having occurred in advance
of the train, or on other necessary occasions. In order to effect this an
apparatus of the form shewn at Figure 3 of the Drawings is placed at a
convenient position between the rails corresponding to the position of
the hand lever C attached to the shaft B in the guard's van as herein-
before described. The apparatus consists of a block T of wood or other
suitable material fitted with a wheel t, on which the block is traversed
backwards and forwards on an inclined plane.
When it is desired to stop the train by means of the block T, the
lever V attached to a bell crank u working in bearings on the cross
piece to is operated from the pointsman's station at the side of the line
or other convenient place to bring the block T to such a height as will
cause it to come in contact with the antifriction roller W, Figures 1 and
2, carried in the lower end of the hand lever C, whereby the same effect
is produced as is caused by the guard operating the said lever C as
herein-before described. A wire or other suitable connection y is shewn
attached to the lever V, by which it may be connected to a signal if
desired.
In cases where it is not desirable to apply the arrangement herein-
before described, whereby the brakes are under the control of a
pointsman in addition to the guard, I prefer to raise and lower the
lever E, or a lever somewhat similar thereto, by means of a horizontal
wheel and screw, as at present commonly practised in operating railway
brakes, and the same effect may be produced by so arranging the
mechanism that the friction rollers F, F, may be brought into contact
with the upper surface of the rails instead of with the wheels f,f, as
herein-before set forth.
The mechanism may also be attached to the engine tender in lieu of
to the guard's van, and be under the control of the engine driver or
stoker, or duplicate mechanism for applying and releasing the brakes.
may be provided in connexion with both ends of the train.
In cases where the weight of the rope or chain is great suitable
support may be provided therefor, and in its passage on or around the
different pullies throughout the train it is prevented from overlapping
by suitable divisions on the said pullies, as shewn at I and K,
Figure 2,

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement and construction of railway
brake apparatus illustrated on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
or any mere modification thereof, whereby the brake blocks may be
applied to all or a number of the wheels throughout a train from one or
both ends thereof, or from a point on the line of railway, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Elder, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August One thousand eight
hundred and coventy fau