A MODE OF: WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Austin Chambers, of Canterbury, and William.
.
Harrison Champion, of Lynsted, Kent, for the. Invention of "A MODE OF:
WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS:"
Sealed the 7th August 1857, and dated the 10th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Austin Chambers and
William Harrison Champion at the Office of the Commissioners, of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 10th February 1857.
...We, AUSTIN CHAMBERS, of Canterbury, and WILLIAM HARRISON CHAMPION,
of Lynsted, Kent, do hereby déclare the nature of the said Invention for
"A MODE OF. WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS," to be as follows:-
"
This Invention has. reference to the breaks employed on railways for
retarding and stopping the motion of carriages. It consists in applying to a
carriage, in a line parallel with its length, a horizontal shaft or rod, capable of
being coupled at each end with the corresponding shafts of other carriages, as
may be necessary in forming a train. This shaft is so connected that it'may?
be made to revolve at will: by the guard or breaksınan,, and . communicate.
motion by an elastic connection to a lever communicating with a friction
drum or pulley, which by the action of the lever is moved into a position to
receive limited rotary movement by a strap or otherwise from. one of the
running axles of the carriage when in motion. Thermotion thus. imparted to
theadrum.or pulley is conveyed: by a suitable mechanical arrangement to the
break blocks, which, are thereby carried into action and caused to press upon.
theiswheels. di

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Austin Chambers and William Harrison Champion in tho
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, AUSTIN
CHAMBERS of Canterbury, and WILLIAM HARRISON CHAMPION, of Lynsted,
Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, 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 us, the
said Austin Chambers and William Harrison Champion, Her special licence
that we, the said Austin Chambers and William Harrison Chanipion, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Austin
Chambers and William Harrison Champion, our 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 Inven-.
tion for "A MODE OF WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Austin Chambers and William Harrison Champion,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particulary 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 we, the said Austin Chambers and William>
Harrison Champion, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and:
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has reference to the breaks employed on railways for:
retarding and stopping the motion of carriages. It consists in applying to a>
carriage, in a line parallel with its length, a horizontal shaft or rod, capable of
being coupled at each end with the corresponding shafts of other carriages, as
may be necessary in forming a train. This shaft is so connected that it may:s
be made to revolve at will by the guard or breaksman, and communicate.
motion by an elastic connection to a lever, communicating with a friction.
drum or pulley, which by the action of the lever is moved into a position to

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1, of Sheet 1, represents a longitu-
dinal-section of part of the under frame of a railway carriage having our.
improvements applied thereto; and Fig. 2, a corresponding plan of the same,
baving portions of the framing and various other well-known parts broken away.
a represents the main framing, to which is attached the longitudinal shaft b,
running from end to end of the carriage, and supported by brackets c attached
to the cross bearers d, and carrying the worm wheel e, actuated by a corre-
sponding worm upon the vertical shaft f. Upon the shaft is fixed the
wharve or pulley g, having attached to it the cord or chain h, which passes
over the guide pulley i, and is attached to the double lever j, having its fulcra
at k, k, on the rocking bar 1, (supported by brackets attached to the break
guide bars,) and further held by links or radius rods j' attached to the framing,
and carrying the friction drum or pulley m, keyed upon the spindle n, revolving
loosely in bearings formed in the double lever j. The endless belt or strap o
passes over the drum m and beneath the running axle p of the carriage, but
in its present position without touching the latter. To the axle n is attached
one end of the chain q, the other end of which is attached to the rod r con-
nected to the break lever s fixed upon the ordinary transverse break shaft,
from which motion is communicated to the sliding break blocks in the ordinary
manner. The rod r is drawn backward from the direction of the drum by a
helical spring 8, interposed between a collar formed upon the rod and the
bracket c, through which the rod passes. The rods 6 of adjacent carriages are
coupled by means of the cord t, which takes one or more turns round the
wharve or pulley u of the first carriage, thence passes over the guide pulley.
from the axis of which is suspended the radial link or lever w, jointed to a,
similar link suspended from the second carriage. These levers carry at
their junction the pulley y, beneath which the cord passes, is thence carried
over a pulley v attached to the second carriage, then around the corresponding
wharve or pulley u, whence it passes back in a similar manner over and under.
corresponding guide pullies situated on the opposite side of the links w and a,.
so as to form an endless band, whereby the shafts are coupled in such manner.
as that rotation may be communicated from one to the other notwithstanding,

page_text: any variation of distance between the carriages' consequent on the action of
the buffing apparatus, &c. The action' of the apparatus is as follows:-Upon
its being desired to apply the breaks, the guard or breaksman turns the shaft f,
whereby rotary motion is imparted through the' worm" and wheel e' to the
shaft b, thus causing the cord ½ to be wound upon the wharve g, and the lever j
to be raised, carrying with it the drum m, and tightening. the strap or belt o
into contact with the running axle p, the revolution of which is thus com-
municated to the drum m and axle n, upon which (the axle) the' chain
attached to the rod r is consequently wound, and the rod, together with the
lever s, drawn' forward towards the axle'n, thus carrying the breaks into action
by the motion of the train, but' at the same time permitting their instant with
drawal at the will of the breaksman, as upon a contrary motion being given to
the shaft b the falling of the lever will slacken the belt o, whereupon the
reaction of the helical spring will at once cause the breaks to resume their
original position. It should be observed that in order to avoid the injurious
effects which might result from a too sudden and violent tightening of the
belt o, it is advisable to interpose an elastic medium between the connection'
of the cord h and lever j, or otherwise to attain the same result, as shewn, by
interposing a similar medium k between the' fulcra' and the bar'l, upon which
they are supported.
*
Figs. 1 and 2 of Sheet 2 are similar views to those given on Sheet' I of
another modification of our Invention, wherein the continuation of the con
necting cord or chain is made to effect the same object, and act as an equiva
lent for the longitudinal shaft 6 of the previously described arrangement. In'
this modification the end of the cord or chain h is attached to the boss' of a'
hand wheel A, working loosely on a stud fixed' in the carriage, and thence
passes downward beneath the pulley B, carried by the double lever j, (which
also carries the friction drum m, connected with and actuating the break block
Jever, in the manner previously described with reference to Sheet 1,) then
over the pulley C, carried by the radiating lever D; connected by an open slot
or hook, as shewn, to the corresponding lever of the adjoining carriage. Each
of these levers carries a pulley E, beneath the one of which attached to the
lever, the hook of which is out of use; the cord or chain then passes, and
thence over the pulley C of the second carriage, whence it may either be
carried along horizontally to the opposite end of the carriage, as shewn by the
direction of the lines drawn in full; or if the carriage be fitted with the break
apparatus, it may pass beneath the pulley B attached to the lever j, and
thence over the guide pulley G (as shewn in dotted lines), and then horizon-
tally to the opposite end of the carriage. The cord or chain is formed in

page_text: lengths (each carriage carrying its own length), which are provided with
hooks, whereby their ends are readily connected together between the
carriages. The slotted or hooked ends of the levers D afford means whereby
they may be connected together with equal facility, while their central position
ensures their meeting, whichever end of the carriage may be presented to the
one adjoining.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we would remark that we are aware
that other arrangements have been proposed for carrying the break blocks into
action by motion communicated from the running axles of a carriage in
motion, but a peculiarity of our Invention consists in the mode whereby this
is effected, and in the manner whereby the coupling or connection of the
apparatus between carriage and carriage is effected. Without confining our-
selves therefore to the precise details represented, what we claim as of our
Invention is,
Firstly, the mode of communicating motion by friction, which may be
brought into action at the will of the breaksman from one of the running
axles of the carriage to the break blocks, as described.
Secondly, the arrangement of radial levers carrying guide pullies, whereby
the cord or chain connecting the break apparatus of the several carriages is
maintained at an equable or nearly equable tension.
In witness whereof, we, the said Austin Chambers and William Harrison
Champion, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of
August, in the year of our Lord 1857.
Witness,
AUSTIN
(L.s.) CHAMBERS.
WILLIAM HARRISON (L.s.) CHAMPION.
FRANCIS WISE, Patent Agent,
23, Parliament St.