In- PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53; Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention 'of." In-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS." A communication from
abroad by Mr. Antoine Grivel, junior, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris,
Engineer:
Sealed the 19th April. 1861, and dated the 29th October 1860.
'PROVISIONAL' SPECIFICATION left by the said 'William Clark -at- the
Office of the Commissioners of 'Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1860.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
This improvement consists of a shoe or skid brake, which acts auto-
matically on the wheels while on an incline in case the coupling chains break.
The apparatus consists for a four-wheeled carriage of two brakes or skids
occupying the whole width of the line, each of them locking the two wheels
of the same axle; they are suspended in supports fixed to the axle boxes; the
two skids are connected by a rod passing under the carriage to the coupling
chains. The parts are disposed in such way that when the coupling chains
are intact the skids are suspended, if, on the contrary, they are broken, the skids
fall automatically under the wheels which they lock.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Clark, my, executors, administrators, and assigns, shoukl
at any time agree 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 Bri-
tain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS," a communication from
abroad by Mr. Antoine Grivel, junior, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris,
Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clark, 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
nature of the
..
William Clark, do hereby declare tlie
formed, to said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a shoe chock or skid brake, which may be. sup-
ported, for example, by the grease boxes or axles of the rear carriage of a
train for acting automatically on the wheels in case either of the coupling
chains should break, so that if a train be ascending an incline the part of the
train detached from the engine will remain stationary on the line instead of
running backwards. These brakes are raised by means of 'suitable mechanism,
in order to back or otherwise manoeuvre the train.

page_text: This: apparatus is represented in the annexed, Drawings, in which Fig. 1
shows a part in elevation, and part in central vertical section of the framing
of a railway carriage, furnished with the various parts constituting this
improved skid brake; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, with the brakes, in
position for acting on the wheels; Fig. 3 shows a plan of the same; Figs: 4 & 5
show front and side views of the bearings, carrying the rotating, shaft of the
brakes; Figs., 6 & 7 show front and side views of the bent lever-in connection
with the couplings; Figs. 8, 9, & 10 show a front view, plan, and; side, view of
the supporting plates. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts
in the, several Figures where they recur...
.:a, framing of the carriage, on which are fixed the brackets or supports of
the brake apparatus; b, plates. of sheet iron, arched over the wheels of the
carriage, connected to the plates c fixed to the framing which slide in plate b;
in consequence of the oscillating motion of the carriage, resulting from its
speed and greater or less, weight, the plate 6 is fixed to the upper part of the
grease: box d and springs e, the bolts of the latter answering the purpose of
retaining said plate 6 in position; the plates are further connected together
by ties h, for the purpose of imparting greater solidity to them; f, rotating
shaft of the skid, placed in a different plane to the axles of the wheels, and
turning in bearings 9, 9, bolted to the ends of plates 6; i, wood skids, fitting
on the peripheries of the wheels, formed of two parts united by a plate of sheet
iron bolted to them; the whole is supported by two arms forged on the
shaft f. The bolts connecting the iron plates with the wood skids pass through
holes k formed therein so as to be able to shift the position of the wood blocks
when they or the wheels become worn. At the centre of the shaft f is forged
on it a forked lever m, to which is attached a connecting rod n, the end of
which is fixed to a double lever o oscillating on an axis p, which is itself
pivotted in a support fixed to framing a; q, coupling of ordinary form, con-
nected to lever o by chain r. The following arangement is for enabling the
brakesman to work the brakes for effecting the backing of a train, or for
locking the wheels, whenever that may be necessary. s, lever, for raising the
brakes keyed on shaft f, and jointed to a rod u, which receives motion from a
bent lever v turning in bearings w. The bent lever vis actuated by the brakes-
man; the levers is further connected to the cross tie of the brakes by a
slotted link ; t, connecting bar, transmitting the various movements of the
couplings to a second series of brakes, similar to the one herein-before
described, which may be applied to a second pair of wheels, if necessary. The
whole being arranged as described and represented in the Drawings. When
the train is in motion a tractive force is exerted on the coupling chains, which

page_text: is communicated by lever o to the brake rods in such a manner as to raise the
brakes to the position shown dotted. If, however, the couplings should break
while the train' is on an incline the brakes fall and act on the wheels - in such
manner that that part of the train which has become detached from the engine
remains stationary. In order to back the carriages the brakesman raises the
brakes out of contact with the wheels by means of bent lever with a screw
rack or otherwise as usual. Instead of four brake surfaces in connection with
each other being employed two only may be used.
What I claim as the Invention to be protected by the above-named Letters
Patent is the skid or chock brake apparatus supported by the framing and
applied to the rear carriage of a train; such brake apparatus being connected
to the couplings in such manner that in case of breakage of the latter, the
brakes being no longer withheld, lock the wheels of said carriages and thereby
prevent the entire train from running backwards when on' an' incline, as herein-
before described. Also the brakes being raised from contact with the wheels
by means of the speciál apparatus described, for the purpose of backing or
otherwise operating as described.
In witness whereof," I,. the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred & sixty-one.