An Improved Emergency Brake for Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Emergency Brake for Railway Carriages and the like.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GOLBY, of 36, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by Christian
Wilhelm Damour, of 15, Schenkendorfstrasse, and Friedrich August Lesse,
of 8, Fürstenstrasse, both in Leipzig, Germany, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
1
The object of this invention is an emergency brake for railway carriages and
the like in which the weight of the carriage and the carriage frame is made to
act on the brakes.
The novelty consists in the fact that the removal of the weight of the carriage
from the axles and the return of the same to the normal position is effected
with the assistance of compressed fluids, as for instance, compressed air, liquid
carbonic acid &c., whilst the holding of the carriage weight in the raised or
normal position is effected by means of locking bars. Moreover, the passengers
are protected against the sudden jolt attending the braking operation, by con-
necting the carriage body with the under carriage so as to be moveable in the
longitudinal direction.
In the accompanying drawings a form of the invention given as an example,
is illustrated as applied to a passenger carriage.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 3 is a sectional
plan, Fig. 4 is a section along the line XX of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a part side
elevation showing the parts in the braked position, Fig. 6 is a detail of the raising
apparatus in section. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the locking arrange
ment.
The under carriage consists of a low casing which carries the buffer and
coupling in the usual manner at front and back. This casing has a cover a
fitting into it, which is supported by springs and on which the body A of the
carriage itself rests. The latter, as already stated, is attached so as to be move-
able in the longitudinal direction. The suspension bars c¹ carrying the axle
bearings are not rigidly connected with the under carriage a but slide in vertical
slots al therein so that the under carriage can be raised and securely guided on
to the axle bearing suspension bars e¹.
Two bars c rigidly connected together by a cross connecting piece b are in the
present form fixed outside on the sides of the under carriage casing in such
a manner that they can move in a longitudinal direction. These bars support
the under frame together with the body of the carriage in the normal or raised
position, by means of the horizontal side d of a step shaped incision which is
cut in the bars c and which rests on short shafts e fixed to the suspension bars e¹,
which latter slide in vertical slots a¹ in the under carriage a.
The two bars c are constantly kept in the normal position shown in Fig. 1,
hy sufficiently strong springs f. On the cross connecting piece b, which unites
the two bars c, the piston q¹ of a compressed air cylinder g is attached so as to
act against the influence of the said springs f. The displacement of the bars c

page_text: in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, must be to such an extent that the lower
horizontal edges d¹ of the incisions d in the bars c, leave the supports the short
shafts e.
-
The under frame together with the carriage body can then fall freely and the
brake blocks connected thereto in any suitable manner are thus brought into
operation.
In
The compressed air cylinder g is attached to the compressed air pipe.
this way it is possible to disengage the locking arrangements of all the carriages
of the train simultaneously.
In order, after the operation of braking, to bring the carriage body and under
frame again into the former raised position, a raising apparatus is employed
which is likewise actuated by compressed air. This, in the present instance
consists of four compressed air cylinders h arranged on the underside of the
lower frame casing with their axes perpendicular to the carriage axles. The
pistons of these cylinders, projecting downwards are usually retained in the
cylinder by spring action. A compressed air reservoir i preferably arranged
inside the under frame casing, and which is constantly filled with compressed
air can be placed in connection with the cylinders by means of pipes k, which
are usually shut off therefrom by means of a cock or valve 1. This connection
is effected simply by opening the cock or valve 7, which can be done with suit-
able means from any preferred spot easily accessible to the working staff. The
compressed air flowing into the cylinders h forces the pistons ¹ down outwards.
The pistons then rest against the axles (see Fig. 6) and as their further motion
is thereby stopped, their cylinders and therewith the under frame and the
carriage body will move upwards. As soon as the under edges of the step
shape incisions d in the bars c have been lifted level with the short shafts e the
bars now being unimpeded will be brought back by the action of the springs f
into their former position when the pressure in the cylinder gis diminished,
and the bars c will then rest on the corresponding short shafts e in the original
position shown in Fig. 1. This form of the locking arrangement is very simple,
but may be replaced by any other actuated from a distance, as preferred.
In addition to this brake apparatus which is only intended for use in case of
extreme necessity the carriages are provided with any of the other usual brakes,
ordinarily adopted.
Thus if an accident should happen, the compressed air is caused to flow into
the pressure cylinder g of each carriage and in this manner the locking of the
under frame in the raised position is released (Figs. 2, 3 and 5). The carriage
weight also becomes free and acts on the brakes.
The jolting resulting from the sudden holding of the under frame, in conse-
quence of the braking operation, is modified, as the body of the carriage can
follow the vis inertia and move in the longitudinal direction, in which movement
it is slowly deprived of its energy by suitable intermediate springs.
If the train be entirely stopped, the cock or valve is opened and the com-
pressed air entering the cylinders again effects the raising of the under frame
together with the body of the carriage. Being brought into the highest position
it will be held firmly therein by the bars c being automatically brought into the
normal position shown in Fig. 1 as already described. The compressed air
reservoir is again filled with compressed air and emergency brake is ready for
use once more.
Having now. particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:―
1. An emergency brake for railway carriages and the like in which the weight
of the carriage acts on the brake the distinguishing feature of which is that the
carriage frame together with the brake blocks, is raised by compressed fluid and
supported in the raised position by longitudinally sliding bars c actuated by

page_text: springs whilst the disengagement of the sliding bars and thereby the setting
free of the weight of the carriage is effected by a compressed fluid acting on a
piston (g) in a cylinder on the carriage frame, and connected with the bars c
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In railway carriages and the like fitted with an emergency brake of the
kind indicated in Claim 1 hereof, connecting the body of the carriages to the
carriage frame in such a way that it can slide therein in a longitudinal direction
against intermediate springs in order to follow the vis inertia in a sufficient
manner for diminishing the shock arising from the braking operation substanti-
ally as described.
Data ... l
1000