CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONNECTING, ACCUMU- LATING, RETAINING, AND APPLYING RESERVED POWER FOR THE APPLICATION OF RAILWAY BRAKES IN SUDDEN EMERGENCIES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engincer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONNECTING, ACCUMU-
LATING, RETAINING, AND APPLYING RESERVED POWER FOR THE APPLICATION OF
RAILWAY BRAKES IN SUDDEN EMERGENCIES."-A communication.
Sealed the 19th June 1857, and dated the 3rd January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONNECTING,
ACCUMULATING, RETAINING, AND APPLYING RESERVED POWER FOR THE APPLICATION
OF RAILWAY BRAKES IN SUDDEN EMERGENCIES," to be as follows:-
The use of reserved power for applying or closing railway brakes is not new
in itself, and therefore I do not claim such application in a general sense; but
the present Invention consists in the peculiar means of connecting, accumu-
lating, retaining, and applying the reserved power directly to and in combination
with a revolving brake shaft. This object is effected without interfering with

page_text: the operation of the brakes by hand when that is required. An important
characteristic of the Invention is, that not only can the engine driver apply the
reserved power from the engine, but, by its combination with a signal cord,
running the whole length of the train, the brakes can be applied by the brake-
man at any intermediate point in the train, in which latter case the brakes are
applied automatically by the act of separation of the carriages.
The means of retaining and disengaging the reserved power is another very
important part of the Invention. This part of the Invention consists of a
pawl of peculiar construction, which acts upon a ratchet ring for holding the
reserved power, tooth by tooth, as it is accumulated by the brake shaft, but
which, when disengaged, cannot by any possibility drop into gear while the
spring by which the reserved power is accumulated and applied is in the act
of running down. A chain connected in a suitable manner with the brakes
is adapted to the vertical brake shaft, which acts as a capstan, and is furnished
with a hand wheel at the top, through which to apply power to the shaft to
wind up the chain to close the brakes.
The brake apparatus is the same in its construction and arrangement as that
in common use in the United States of America, and some other countries, for
operating the brakes by hand. To apply the present Invention, a bracket is
firmly secured to the two side posts, and to the brackets is bolted a strong
horizontal bar, on the upper side of which is cast or otherwise secured a
stationary sleeve, through which and through the said bar the brake shaft
works freely. A drum containing a strong convolute spring is fitted to the
sleeve, one end of the spring being secured to the sleeve and the other to the
interior of the drum. Round its lower part the periphery of the drum is
provided with a ring of ratchet teeth; and on the cap or head of the drum is
another circle of ratchet teeth; on the brake shaft is secured an arm carrying
a pawl, which works in the circle of ratchet teeth. On the cross bar is a
jointed pawl, with a convolute wire spring, that presses it against the teeth of
the ratchet ring. The joint of this pawl when the point is against the drum
is a little within the line of bearing drawn between the point of the pawl and
the central stud, and as there is a shoulder on the joint, the convolute spring
keeps the joint of the pawl in a perfectly rigid condition, and allows the pawl
to move on the fixed pivot to pass over the teeth of the ratchet, and hold it
tooth by tooth as the spring is wound up by turning the brake shaft. On the
back of the jointed pawl is a projection, which stands near an elbow lever,
which works on a fixed pivot attached to the cross bar, and to which is
attached a branch line leading to the signal cord of the train, or other cord
running from the engine the whole length of the train. The pawl is provided

page_text: with a handle for convenience in turning in the point to reset it after it is let
off by the action produced on it when the cord is pulled.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-As soon as the train is made
up and leaves the station, the brakeman will connect the branch line with the
main signal cord, or other cord running from the engine the whole length of
the train, and will then wind up the spring barrel by turning the brake shaft,
the pawl being down, so as to turn the drum with the shaft by its engagement
in the ratchet ring. The jointed pawl will prevent the returning of the drum
as the spring is wound up by this movement. When the spring is wound up
the apparatus is ready for action. On approaching a station, the brakeman
takes hold of the hand wheel and turns it in the opposite direction to that in
which he turns it to wind up the spring, thus winding up the chain on the
shaft and closing the brakes and the pawl, which during that movement plays
round the circle of ratchet teeth of the drum; the drum being now held
stationary by the spring and other pawl holds the brakes against the wheels,
the train stops. The engine driver is now about to start; he gives the necessary
signal, when the brakeman turns the hand wheel in the opposite direction
sufficiently far to ease the pawl, which he then throws back, and thus liberates
the brakes from the wheels, and afterwards drops the said pawl again into gear
with the ratchet. The reserved power of the spring has not yet been used.
Now let another case be supposed. The train is moving on at its usual speed;
the engine driver suddenly discovers some obstruction, and immediately pulls
the signal cord, or other cord before mentioned running the whole length of the
train, which pulls the branch line connected with the brake of each carriage,
thus letting off the retaining pawl, and by that means releasing the drum and
allowing the reserved power of the spring to operate on the brake shaft, so as
to apply the brakes. The brakeman may have taken hold of the hand wheel
and given it a partial turn to commence the closing the brakes, but the pulling
I of the line instantly finishes the operation.
30 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
35 of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Ier Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, .the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should 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 Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONNECTING, ACCUMU-
LATING, RETAINING, AND APPLYING RESERVED POWER FOR THE APPLICATION OF
RAILWAY BRAKES IN SUDDEN EMERGENCIES," being a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, 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 hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The use of reserved power for applying or closing railway brakes is not new
in itself, and therefore I do not claim such application in a general sense; but
the present Invention consists in the peculiar means herein-after described of
connecting, accumulating, retaining, and applying the reserved power directly
to and in combination with a revolving brake shaft, that is employed for the
purpose of applying power to the brakes by hand. This object is effected
without interfering with the operation of the brakes by hand when that is
required. An important characteristic of the Invention is, that not only can
the engine driver apply the reserved power from the engine, but, by its com-
bination with a signal cord, or other cord running the whole length of the train,
the brakes can be applied by the guard or conductor, or by the brakeman at
any intermediate point in the train, in which latter case the brakes are applied
automatically by the act of separation of the carriages.
The means of retaining and disengaging the reserved power is another very

page_text: important part of the Invention. This part of the Invention consists of a pawl
of peculiar construction, which acts upon a ratchet ring for holding the reserved
power, tooth by tooth, as it is accumulated by the brake shaft, but which when
disengaged cannot by any possibility drop into gear while the spring by which
the reserved power is accumulated and applied is in the act of running down.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a rotary brake
shaft I with the present Invention applied thereto. The shaft is supported in
an upright position by two bearings, the lower one of which is in an iron
bracket S, bolted to the end of a platform P, which forms a continuation of the
floor beyond the end of the carriage, and the upper bearing is attached to a
hand rail B, that is supported on the said platform by two vertical posts A, A.
The lower end of this shaft I acts as a capstan upon a chain a, connected in a
suitable manner with the brakes, and is furnished with a hand wheel Q at the
top, through which to apply power to the shaft by hand for the purpose of
winding up the chain to close the brakes. The brake apparatus is the same
in its construction and arrangement as that in common use in the United
States of America, and some other countries, for operating the brakes by hand.
To apply the present Invention, brackets C, C, are firmly secured to the two
side posts A, and to the two brackets C, C, is bolted a strong horizontal bar D,
on the upper side of which is cast or otherwise secured a stationary sleeve b
(see Figures 2 and 3), through which sleeve and through the bar D the brake
shaft I works freely. To the sleeve a drum E is fitted, and rotates freely
thereon; the drum contains a strong convolute spring T, one end of which is
secured to the sleeve and the other to the interior of the drum, as shown in
Fig. 4, which is a plan of the drum with the cap removed. Round its lower
part the periphery of the drum is provided with a ring of ratchet teeth F, F,
and on the cap or head G of the drum is another circle of ratchet teeth H, HI,
as shewn in Fig. 2, which is a plan, and also in Figures 1 and 3. On the
brake shaft I is secured an arm J, shewn in Fig. 2, and also in Fig. 3, which
exhibits a section of the drum and cross bar D in a vertical plane at right
angles to Fig. 1. The arm J carries a pawl K, which plays into the circle of
ratchet teeth H, H. On the cross bar D is a jointed pawl L, with a convolute
wire spring e on the fixed pivot O, on which the pawl works. This spring
presses the pawl L against the teeth of the ratchet ring F, F. The joint c of
this pawl when the point is against the drum, as shewn in outline in Fig. 2, is
a little within the line of bearing drawn between the point of the pawl and the
central stud O, as indicated by the red line d in Fig. 2, and as there is a
shoulder on the joint at g, Figures 2 and 4, the convolute spring keeps the
joint of the pawl in a perfectly rigid condition, and allows the pawl to move on

page_text: the fixed pivot O to pass over the teeth of the ratchet, and hold it tooth by
tooth as the spring is wound up by turning the brake shaft. On the back of
the jointed pawl is a projection or tailpiece M, which stands near an elbow
lever N, which latter works on a fixed pivot attached to the cross bar D, and
to which is attached a branch line R, see Fig. 1, leading to the signal cord of
the train, or other cord running from the engine the whole length of the train
The pawl L is provided also with a handle f for convenience in turning in the
point to reset it after it is let off by the action produced on it by the lever N
when the cord R is pulled, which operation doubles the joint of the pawl, as
shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. It is preferable to make the spring T of
hard rolled sheet brass, but the other parts of the apparatus are of cast and
wrought iron.
Having described the various parts of the apparatus, I will proceed to
.describe their operation. As soon as the train is made up and leaves the
station, the brakeman will connect the branch line R with the main signal cord,
or other cord running from the engine the whole length of the train, and will
then wind up the spring T by turning the brake shaft I in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the pawl K being down, so as to turn the
drum with the shaft by its engagement in the ratchet ring H, H. The jointed
pawl L now being in the condition represented in outline in Fig. 2, will prevent
the returning of the drum as the spring is wound up by this movement.
When the spring has been wound up in this way the apparatus will be ready
for action. Let it be now supposed that the train is approaching a station:
the engine driver whistles "down brakes" the brakeman takes hold of the
hand wheel and turns it in the opposite direction to that in which he had
turned it to wind up the spring, thus winding up the chain a and closing the
brakes, and the pawl K, which during that movement plays round the circle of
ratchet teeth H, H, of the drum (the drum being now held stationary by the
spring T and pawl L), holds the brakes against the wheels, the train stops.
The engine driver is now about to start; he gives the necessary signal, when the
brakeman turns the hand wheel in the opposite direction to the arrow, shown
in Fig. 2, sufficiently far to ease the pawl K, which he then throws back, and
thus liberates, the brakes from the wheels, and afterwards drops the said pawl
again into gear, with the ratchet H, H. The reserved power of the spring has
not yet been used. Now let another case be supposed. The train is moving on
at its usual speed; the engine driver suddenly discovers some obstruction, and
immediately pulls the signal cord, or other cord before-mentioned running the
whole length of the train, which pulls the branch line R connected with the
make of each carriage, thus letting off the retaining pawl L, and by that
i

page_text: means releasing the drum and allowing the reserved power of the spring to
operate on the brake shaft through the ratchet H, H, and pawl K, so as to
apply the brakes. The brakeman may have taken hold of the hand wheel Q
and given it a partial turn to commence the closing the brakes, but the pulling
of the line instantly finishes the operation. The operation produced by the
pulling of the branch line R is as follows:The line being pulled upward the
long arm of the lever N is raised, and by that means its shorter arm is thrown
against the projection M of the jointed pawl, which draws the joint of the pawl.
outward from the line of bearing, and then the pressure of the ratchet F, F,
against the pawl immediately throws it into the position shewn in dotted outline
in Fig. 2, and in bold outline in Fig. 4.
The mode of carrying out the present Invention may be varied from what
is above described by using in place of the spring drum E, applied in a similar
manner thereto, a loose pulley, or the equivalent thereof, with two sets of
ratchet teeth, like those on the drum E, and applying a spring or weight in
some convenient position on, in, or under the carriage, with a rope or chain
connecting with the exterior periphery of the above-mentioned loose pulley,
or equivalent thereof, so that the said spring or weight may be wound up by
the loose pulley, or its equivalent, and thus hold power in reserve, in the same
manner as the spring T is wound up by the drum E, and may apply its
reserved power to the exterior of the loose pulley, or equivalent, with the same
effect as the spring T has on the drum.
Having now described the Invention of "Certain Improvements in the Means
of Connecting, Accumulating, Retaining, and Applying Reserved Power for the
Application of Railway Breaks in Sudden Emergencies," as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the means of carrying
the same into effect, I disclaim generally the use of reserved power to operate
railway brakes when not applied to rotary shafts that are employed under
ordinary circumstances to operate the brakes by hand, and I do not claim
generally the use of springs or weights as a reserved power for operating the
brakes; but what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,
the attachment of a reserved power directly to a revolving brake shaft or
capstan that is used for the purpose of closing the brakes by hand; and I also
claim the combination of the cross bar D and its sleeve b, or the equivalent
thereof, with the drum E, having two circles of ratchet teeth operating in con-
nection with a revolving shaft I, or the equivalent, of a loose pulley, with a
double circle of ratchet teeth, arranged in the same way, but actuated by a
weight or spring operating upon it externally, for the purposes set forth; and I
further claim the combination of the jointed pawl L and disconnecting lever N,

page_text: with the drum E, or the loose pulley for retaining and disengaging the reserved
power when required while the brakes are being operated by hand, if
necessary.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)