IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR RAILROAD CARS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRAKES FOR RAILROAD CARS."-A communication from abroad by Conrad
B. Lashar, of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 10th December 1861, and dated the 19th June 1861..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th June 1861.
I, GEORGE. TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-.
PROVEMENTS IN BRAKES. FOR RAILROAD CARS," to be as follows:-
The object of the first part of this Invention is to render the pressure of
the brake standard which is now-sustained by the framework of the. car avail-
able for the purpose of forcing the brake shoes against the running wheels, also
to render the brakes of the cars automatic in their operation when. the speed..
of the engine is slacked.
In cars constructed previous to this Invention the brake standard at the
platform at either end of the car is generally sustained by fixed bracket bearings
in which it turns and which are made fast to the framework of the car..
The
pressure upon.the lowermost of these bracket bearings is equal to the sum of.

page_text: the force exerted in turning the brake wheel added to the strain upon the
brake chain upon the lower end of the brake standard and as this pressure is
sustained by the car frame it is unavailable for any useful purpose.
The object of the first part of this Invention is to render this hitherto useless
pressure available for a useful purpose, and it consists in combining the bearing
of the brake standard with the brake shoes by mechanism, in such manner
that the pressure exerted upon the bearing of the brake standard is propagated
to the brake shoes and made available in holding them in contact with the
running wheels.
The object of the second part of this Invention is to enable the brake
mechanism of any car of a train to operate automatically and apply the brakes
whenever the speed of the next preceding car or carriage of the train is slacked.
To this end this part of the Invention consists in combining the brake
mechanism of the car with a thrust plate, which projects in advance of the
bumper of the car, intervenes between the bumpers of the two adjacent cars,
when the cars are coupled together, and is made available in applying the brake
shoes of the car to which it appertains whenever that car surges towards the
preceding car. By means of this part of the Invention the brake mechanism
of the car is operated automatically by the bumper of the preceding car without
the necessity of modifying the bumpers or draught, or of connecting the brake
mechanism with them. The mode of operation of this part of the Invention
differs from preceding attempts to operate the brakes by the bumpers, in this,
that whereas in them the application of brakes does not commence until the
bumpers are in contact, unless a connecting bar that does not admit of play
between the bumpers be employed, it commences with this mechanism before
the bumpers come in contact even when a connecting link permitting play is used.
The mechanism is also arranged to permit the brakes to be operated by hand
independently of the 'bumpers, without any previous disconnection of the mecha-
nism from the bumpers, and without interfering with the automatic operation
by the bumpers when the hand is not used.
The object of the third part of the Invention is to enable a 'thrust plate of
the preceding description to be applied to each end of a car, and to permit but
one only to act at a time, so that the brakes of a car may be operated automa-
tically by the bumper of the preceding car, whichever end of the car be run
formost, and that the succeeding car may not interfere with this operation.
This part of the Invention consists in combining the brake mechanism of the car
with two reversable thrust plates, one at each end thereof, and capable of being
placed either in the line of motion of the bumpers or out of that line of motion, so

page_text: that the position of each thrust plate can be reversed when the car is run in
the opposite direction, the forward one being put in position to be operated by
the bumper of the adjacent car, and the hinder one being thrown out of such
position. The thrust plates are carried on the ends of bars capable of sliding
endwise in bearings, the bars are about half the length of the carriage, and one,
bar is on one side of the centre line of the carriage, and the other bar is on the
other side of the centre, and the two bars at the centre of the carriage are con-
nected to opposite arms of a lever, so that when one bar is moved the other is
caused to move with it; from these bars the brake shoes are actuated. The
thrust plates carried on the ends of the bars can be turned up out of the way,
so that they will not be in a position to be acted on by the bumper, or they
can be turned down so as to cross the line of motion of the bumpers.
The object of the fourth part of the Invention is to enable a brakesman to
apply the brakes of all the wheels of that description of cars for street railroads
in which the car body is reversed, end for end, by turning it upon its truck,
and in which the, brake standard turns with the car body whichever end.of
the car body be run foremost, and it consists in the combination of the brake
standard with the brakes of the cars through the intervention of ring plates. One
ring is fixed on a bar which carries the brake standard, and the other on a bar
connected by a chain to the brake standard. The ends of two levers connected to
the brake shoes pass up through the rings, and so long as the rings are con-
centric the brakes are not actuated, but so soon as the brake standard is turned
the chain connected to it is wound around it and the rings are thus moved in
contrary directions, the bars to which the rings are connected being, capable
of sliding endwise in bearings, the rings in their movement act on the levers
which pass through them and thus apply the brakes. In place of the rings
being actuated in the manner above described they may be otherwise actuated.
The object of the fifth part of the Invention is to enable the first part of
the Invention to be applied to four-wheeled cars, and consists in the following
combination of mechanism.
Each pair of wheels has a pair of brake shoes applied to it, each pair of brake
shoes is connected by a brake beam, two brake levers are used, one of them
being located at each extremity of the car frame. Each of these brake levers
is pivotted at its centre to a sliding bar, which is suspended in bearings beneath
the car frame and is connected at its inner end with the adjacent brake beam.
One of the extremities of each brake lever is pivotted to a slide which slides in
a box secured to the car frame, and is perforated at its outer end to form a
bearing for the lower extremity of a turning brake standard. The slide has a

page_text: lug at its inner end, which is perforated to receive one end of a brake rod which
extends to the opposite end of the car through the perforation of the lug of the
slide thereat. Each extremity of this brake rod which passes through the lug of
the slide is formed into an eye and connected with a chain, which is secured to
the lower end of the adjacent brake standard. The end of each brake lever
which is furthest from the slide is connected by a rod with a lug secured to
the sliding bar that appertains to the opposite lever, the end of the rod passes
through the lug, and is formed into an eye so that it cannot pull out.
When either one of the brake standards of this car is turned the chain is
wound upon it and the standard end of the opposite brake lever is drawn towards
the brake standard which is turned. As the brake lever is pivotted at its
centre to one slide bar and is connected at one end with the other slide bar
the drawing of it towards the further brake standard by the chain and rod
forces the one slide bar towards its adjacent pair of wheels and draws the other
slide bar towards the pair of wheels adjacent thereto, thereby moving the two
brake beams and bringing all the brake shoes into operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR RAILROAD CARS," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Conrad B. Lashar, of New York, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 George Tomlinson Bonsfield, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the
running gear of an eight-wheeled railroad car, with brakes embodying the
improvements; Figure 2 represents a plan of the same with certain parts of
the framing removed; Figure 3 represents an end elevation of the same; and
Figures 4 and 5 represent a vertical longitudinal section and plan of the
running gear of a city railroad car with a reversible body embodying a substan-
tial part of the Invention.
The object of the first part of this Invention is to render the pressure of
the brake standard, which is now sustained by the framework of the car,
available for the purpose of forcing the brake shoes against the running
wheels, also to render the brakes of the cars automatic in their operation when
the speed of the engine is slacked. In cars constructed previous to this
Invention the brake standard at the platform at either end of the car is
generally sustained by fixed bracket bearings, in which it turns, and which are
made fast to the framework of the car. The pressure upon the lowermost of
these bracket bearings is equal to the sum of the force exerted in, turning the
brake wheel, added to the strain upon the brake chain upon the lower end of
the brake standard, and as this pressure is sustained by the car frame it is
unavailable for any useful purpose. The object of the first part of this
Invention is to render this bitherto useless pressure available for a useful
purpose, and it consists in combining the bearing of the brake standard with
the brake shoes by mechanism in such manner that the pressure exerted upon
the bearing of the brake standard is propagated to the brake shoes, and made
available in holding them in contact with the running wheels.
The object of the second part of this Invention is to enable the brake
mechanism of any car of a train to operate automatically, and apply the brakes
whenever the speed of the next preceding car or carriage of the train is
slacked. To this end, this part of the Invention consists in combining the

page_text: brake mechanism of the car with a thrust plate, which projects in advance of
the bumper of the car, intervenes between the bumpers of the two adjacent
cars when the cars are coupled together, and is made available in applying
the brake shoes of the car to which it appertains whenever that car surges
towards the preceding car. By means of this part of the Invention the brake
mechanism of the car is operated automatically by the bumper of the pre-
ceding car, without the necessity of modifying the bumpers or draught, or of
connecting the brake mechanism with them. The mode of operation of this
part of the Invention differs from preceding attempts to operate the brakes by
the bumpers in this, that whereas in them the application of brakes does not
commence until the bumpers are in contact unless a connecting bar that does
not admit of play between the bumpers be employed; it commences with this
mechanism before the bumpers come in contact, even when a connecting
link permitting play is used. The mechanism also permits the brakes to be
operated by hand, independently of the bumpers, without any previous dis-
connection of the mechanism from the bumpers, and without interfering with
the automatic operation by the bumpers when the hand is not used.
The object of the third part of the Invention is to enable a thrust plate of
the preceding description to be applied to each end of a car, and to permit but
one only to act at a time, so that the brakes of a car may be operated auto-
matically by the bumper of the preceding car whichever end of the car be run
foremost, and that the succeeding car may not interfere with this operation.
This part of the Invention consists in combining the brake mechanism of the
car with two reversable thrust plates, one at each end thereof, and capable of
being placed either in the line of motion of the bumpers, or out of that line
of motion, so that the position of each thrust plate can be reversed when the
car is run in the opposite direction, the forward one being put in position to
be operated by the bumper of the adjacent car, and the hinder one being
thrown out of such position.
The object of the fourth part of the Invention is to enable a brakesman to
apply the brakes of all the wheels of that description of cars for street rail-
roads in which the car body is reversed, end for end, by turning it upon its
truck, and in which the brake standard turns with the car body, whichever
end of the car body be run foremost, and it consists in the combination of the
brake standard with the brakes of the cars, through the intervention of ring
plates, as herein-after more particularly described.
The object of the fifth part of the Invention is to enable the first part of
the Invention to be applied to four-wheeled cars, and consists in a certain

page_text: combination of brakes with the brake standard, by means of brake beams;
levers, rods, and slide bars, as herein-after more particularly described.
The running gear of an eight-wheeled car, represented in the accompanying
Drawing, embodies the first three parts of the Invention; in it the eight
wheels A, A, A, are arranged in the usual manner in two sets, each set
appertaining to a truck, and the two trucks B, B, are connected with the main
frame of the car by means of king bolts and turning plates in the usual
manner. Each wheel is fitted with a brake shoe c, which is suspended from
the frame of the truck, and the two shoes of each pair of wheels are connected
by a transverse brake beam d, d. The two brake beams of each truck are
connected with the brake lever f of the truck by means of rods g, g, so that
when the upper extremity of this brake lever is moved towards the middle of
the car, the four brake shoes of each truck are brought into contact with
their respective wheels. Each of these brake levers is perforated at its upper
extremity to permit a rod mu to pass through it. Each rod terminates at its
outer end in an eye c, which is of too large a size to traverse the perforation
of the truck lever, and is connected by a chain n with the lower end of the
adjacent brake standard H. The inner ends of the two rods m, m, are con-
nected by a chain k. The upper extremity of each truck lever is passed
through a slot in a sliding bar L, which is supported in bearings that permit
it to slide endwise parallel, or thereabouts, with the line of draught of the
car, drawn from the centre of one bumper to the centre of the other. One of
these bars is located at one side of the line of draught, and the other at the
other side thereof, and the inner ends of the two are connected with the
opposite ends of a lever O that is pivotted to the under side of the car frame.
The outer end of each of these sliding bars projects beyond the frame of the
car, and its projecting extremity is perforated to receive and form a bearing
for the lower extremity of the brake standard H, appertaining to that end of
the car.
The outer end of each sliding bar projects beyond this bearing, and
is fitted with a head P, to which a reversable thrust plate R is pivotted.
This head is constructed with a transverse slot, through which the reversable
thrust plate protrudes, so that the latter may either be turned down on its
pivot into the horizontal position, in which it is shown in continuous lines at
Figure 3, or be turned up into the position in which it is drawn in dotted
lines in said Figure. In the former position its projecting end crosses the
head of the bumper S of the car, so as to intervene between it and the bumper
of the adjacent car when two are coupled together; in the latter position the
end of the thrust plate is out of the line of motion of the bumpers. The

page_text: upper end of the brake standard passes through a bearing secured to the railing
of the platform, and is fitted with a brake wheel T and with a ratchet wheel.
A pawl is also secured to the railing to prevent the brake standard from
turning to unwind the brake chain, when the brake shoes are to be held in
contact with their respective wheels. Springs i are provided to hold the
brake shoes out of contact with the wheels when the brakes are not put in
operation.
From the arrangement and combination above described, it follows that
when either brake wheel of the car is turned to apply the brakes, the winding
up of the brake chain upon the lower end of the brake standard draws the
nearer rod m through the perforation of the nearer truck lever, and by causing
the eye at the outer extremity of the further rod m to bear against the further
truck lever, moves that lever to apply the brake shoes of the further truck to
their respective wheels; as, however, the lower end of the brake standard thus
operated is sustained by the sliding bar L, which forms the lower bearing
thereof, the pressure at the lower end of the brake standard caused by
pulling the rod m is propagated by the sliding bar to the upper end of the
nearer truck lever f, and this lever is correspondingly moved to apply the
brake shoes of the nearer truck to their respective wheels. Thus it happens,
that while the brake shoes of one truck are operated by the direct pull of the
brake chain, the pressure at the bearing of the brake standard is made avail-
able to operate the brake shoes of the other truck in place of being expended
for no useful purpose against the car frame, as it is when the lower bearing of
the brake standard is fixed in the usual manner.
When the brakes are to be operated automatically, the forward thrust plate of
each car is turned down, as represented at the left-hand ends of Figures 1 and 2,
when the cars are coupled together, the hinder thrust plate being turned up as
represented at right-hand ends of Figures 1 and 2. The forward thrust plate
then intervenes between the bumpers of the two adjacent cars, so that.when-
.ever the speed of a forward car is slacked, and a hinder car surges forward by
its momentum towards the preceding car, the forward thrust plate of such
binder car bearing against the bumper of the preceding car is prevented from
being carried forward by the surging of its car, and is caused to move the
forward slide bar to which it is secured, and by it to operate the nearer truck
lever that is engaged in the mortice of that slide bar. The pressure upon the
forward slide bar is propagated through the lever O to the hinder slide bar,
which is thus caused to move and operate the other truck lever, so that the
brake, shoes of both trucks are applied automatically. This capacity of the

page_text: mechanism for the automatic operation of the brakes does not prevent their
operation by hand, because the brake mechanism is not connected with the
bumpers or draught bars, and because there is sufficient space intervening
between the thrust plate and the bumper of the car to which it appertains to
permit that thrust plate to be moved sufficiently by the brake standard to
apply the brakes before it comes in contact with the bumper. If the train is
to be backed, the thrust plates must first be turned up so as to prevent the
application of the brakes by the pressure of the bumpers.
In the brake mechanism thus described, the arrangement is such that the
truck lever of the further truck is operated by the chain and that of the
nearer truck by the sliding bar; but by changing the arrangement of the parts,
the truck lever of the nearer truck may be operated by the chain, and that of
the further by the sliding bar, if such an arrangement be desired.
An example of an application of the first and fourth parts of the Invention
to a horse car, with a reversable body for city railroads, is represented at
Figures 4 and 5. In such cars the brake standard is usually a lever whose
upper end extends upwards sufficiently to be within the control of the driver,
and whose lower end is pressed against the forward brake beam of the running
gear, and as the lever is carried by the body, its lower end is transferred from
one brake beam to the other when the body is reversed, end for end, by turning
it half round on its pivot on the running gear. In such cars the fulcrum
pivot of the brake standard is usually carried by a bracket bearing fixed to
the car body, and the pressure upon that bearing is not made available for
any useful purpose. Although a lever brake standard may be used with
advantage in applying the Invention to such a car, I prefer to use a turning
brake standard, as represented at Figures 4 and 5. In this example, the
brake beans d, d, are connected by rods g, g, with a pair of upright levers f,f.
that are supported beneath the central beams of the truck. The upper ends
of these truck levers f, f', project upwards on each side of the pivot of the car
body, and enter a pair of concentric ring plates w, x, which surround that
pivot. These ring plates are connected with bars y, z, that slide endwise in
guides secured to the frame of the car body, and turn with it when it is
reversed upon the truck. The front end of one of these sliding bars y forms
the lower bearing of the brake standard H; the other, 2, is connected with
the brake standard by a chain n. The upper end of the brake standard is
supported within convenient reach of the driver's hand by a bracket bearing v
secured to the car body. The brake beams are fitted with springs i, i,
which press the brake shoes from the wheels, and hold them out of contact

page_text: until forco is applied to the brake standard.
From this combination of parts,
it results that so long as the brake standard is not turned, the two ring plates
remain concentric, and the brake shoes do not bear against the wheels; when,
however, the brake standard is turned and the chain is wound up on its lower
end, the strain upon the chain draws the lower ring plate x towards the front
end of the car, and it acting upon the hinder truck lever f, draws the hinder
brake shoes against their respective wheels, while at the same time the pressure
of brake standard in its lower bearings pushes the upper ring plate w back-
wards, and it acting upon the forward truck lever f¹, pushes the forward
brake shoes against their respective wheels. Hence, in this combination the
pressure at the bearing of the brake standard is propagated to the brakes, and
made available in holding them in contact with the running wheels.
When the brake standard is permitted to unwind the chain n, the force of
the springs at the brake beams moves the brake shoes back from their wheels,
and restores the ring plates to their concentric positions. The car body can
then be turned end for end on its pivot carrying the brake standard and ring
plates without affecting the truck levers f, f. But in this new position of the
car body the truck lever f¹ becomes the forward truck lever, and is operated
by the lower turning plate, while the other truck lever f becomes the hinder
truck lever, and is operated by the upper turning plate; and the brakes are
applied as before by turning the brake standard, and thereby moving the two
ring plates over each other, the lower one towards the end of the car at which
the brake standard is located, and the upper from that end of the car.
An example of an application of the first and fifth parts of the Invention is
represented at Figures 6 and 7, which represent a plan and longitudinal
section of the running gear of a four-wheeled car for two horses, such as is
used on city railroads. Certain parts of the framework in Figure 6 are removed
to show the mechanism more clearly, and the sectional view, Figure 7, is
made at the line x x of Figure 6. In this example, each pair of brake shoes
c, c, c, c, is connected by a brake beam d, and two brake levers f, f, are used,
one of them being located at each extremity of the car frame. Each of these
brake levers is pivotted at its centre to a sliding bar L, which is suspended in
bearings s, s, beneath the car frame, and is connected at its inner end with the
adjacent brake beam d. One of the extremities of each brake lever is
pivotted to a slide t, which slides in a box u, secured to the car frame, and is
perforated at its outer end to form a bearing for the lower extremity of a turning
brake standard H. The slide t has a lug v at its inner end, which is per-
forated to receive one end of a brake rod m, which extends to the opposite end

page_text: of the car through the perforation of the lug of the slide thereat. Each
extremity of this brake rod which passes through the lug of the slide t is
formed into an eye, and connected with a chain n, which is secured to the
lower end of the adjacent brake standard H. The end of cach brake lever
which is furthest from the slide t is connected by a rod g with a lug w
secured to the sliding bar L that appertains to the opposite lever; the end of
the rod passes through the lug, and is formed into an eye, so that it cannot
pull out.
When either one of the brake standards of this car is turned the chain is
wound upon it, and the standard end of the opposite brake lever is drawn
towards the brake standard which is turned; as the brake lever is pivotted at
its centre to one slide bar L, and is connected at its end c with the other slide
bar, the drawing of it towards the further brake standard by the chain and
rod forces the one slide bar towards its adjacent pair of wheels, and draws the
other slide bar towards the pair of wheels adjacent thereto, thereby moving
the two brake beams, and bringing all the brake shoes into operation. But
while the brakes are thus borne against the wheels by the action of the brake
lever furthest from the brake standard that is turned, the brake lever apper-
taining to that standard is operated by the strain of the brake standard
against its bearing in the slide t, and the strain thus applied is propagated
through the adjacent slide bar directly to the adjacent brake beam and indi-
rectly through the rod g and further slide bar to the further brake beam, so
that the strain at lower bearing of the brake standard is made available in
forcing the brake shoes against their wheels.
The above-described examples are sufficient to show that the Invention is
not confined to any peculiar construction of the brake mechanism, and that its
mode of application may be varied to suit particular cases.
What I claim as the Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is
the combination of the bearing of the brake standard with the brake shoes by
mechanism in such manner that the pressure exerted upon the said bearing is
propagated to the brake shoes, substantially as described.
I also claim the combination of the brake mechanism of a car with a thrust
plate that projects in advance of the bumper of the car, and intervenes
between it and the bumper of the adjacent car when the cars are coupled
together, substantially as set forth.
I also claim the combination of the brake mechanisın of a car with two
reversable thrust plates, each capable of being placed either in the line of
motion of the bumper or out of that line of motion, substantially as set forth.

page_text: I also claim the combination of the brake standard of a railroad car with
the brakes thereof through the intervention of ring plates, substantially as
described.
I also claim the combination of the brake standard of a railroad car with
the brakes thereof by means of brake beams, levers, rods, and slide bars,
substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)