CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING BREAKS TO CARRIAGES EMPLOYED UPON RAILWAYS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREWITH
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hollinsworth, of Winwick, near Warrington, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING BREAKS TO CARRIAGES EMPLOYED
UPON RAILWAYS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
THEREWITH."
CONNECTED
Sealed the 17th February 1854, and dated the 12th December 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hollinsworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th December 1853.
I, THOMAS HOLLINSWORTHI, of Winwick, near Warrington, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING BREAKS' TO CARRIAGES
EMPLOYED UPON RAILWAYS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My improvements in the method of applying such breaks consist in the direct
application and use of compressed air at a high pressure, as the means of com-
municating action when required to railway breaks, either attached to or connected
with the guard's brake van, or all of the carriages or tenders employed upon
railways, in lieu of the mechanical gearing hitherto used for such purpose. The
apparatus to be employed consists of an air pump or pumps of any ordinary or other
construction, to which is attached a receiver or reservoir, into which the air is
forced by means of the said pump or pumps, and which may be worked either by
an eccentric or any other suitable motion from the axle of the guard's brake van
or any of the carriages, or by any mechanical arrangement independent of any
motion obtained from the said brake van or any of the carriages. Connected with
the receiver is a safety or discharge valve, by which the superfluous air is emitted
after the necessary or required pressure has been obtained. The communication
R 1613. W P 42.

page_text: between the air receiver and "break" or "breaks" may be made by means of
a small cylinder and piston acting upon levers, or by any moro suitable arrange-
ment, and the "break" or "breaks " may thus be instantaneously put upon the
wheels simply by opening the air tap or valve, and as readily removed by similar
means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Holliusworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th June 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HOLLINSWORTH, of Winwick, near Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting-
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and fifty three, in the seventeenth year of Her reign, did
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Hollinsworth, Her especial licence, that I, tho said Thomas Hollinsworth, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Hollingsworth, 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 METHOD OF APPLYING
BREAKS TO CARRIAGES EMPLOYED UPON RAILWAYS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Hollinsworth, 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 Putent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Hollinsworth, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samo is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, and
accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My improvements in the method of applying "breaks" to carriages employed
upon railways, and in the machinery or apparatus connected therewith, consist in
the direct application and use of compressed air at a high pressuro, as the means
of communicating action when required to railway breaks, either attached to or
connected with the guard's break van, or any or all of the carriages or tenders
employed upon railways, in lieu of the mechanical gearing or other arrangements
hitherto used for such purposo. The apparatus to be omployed consists of an air
pump or pumps of any ordinary or other construction, to which is attached a
receiver or reservoir into which the air is forced, by means of the said pump or
pumps, and which may be worked either by an exentric or any other suitable
motion from the axle of the guard's break van or any of the carriages, or by any
mechanical arrangement independent of any motion obtained from the said break
van or any of the carriages. Connected with the receiver is a safety or discharge
valve, by which the superfluous air is emitted after the necessary or required
pressure has been obtained. The communication between the air receiver and tho
break or breaks, may be made by means of a small cylinder and piston acting upon
levers, or by any more suitable arrangement, and the "break" or "breaks" may
thus be instantaneously put upon the wheels simply by opening the air tap or valve,
and as readily removed by similar means. But in order that my improvements
may be better understood and more fully explained in detail, I have attached to
these presents a Sheet of Drawings of about a scale of an inch to the foot, and
having the same letters referring to similar parts of the apparatus in tho two
Figures shewn. Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal sectional elevation of the framing
of a railway carriage, with my improved apparatus fitted thereto; Fig. 2 is a
bottom or plan view of the same looking upwards from underneath the carriage

page_text: framing. The pump a, is worked by the excentric b; at each revolution of the
wheel (on the axis of which the excentric b is carried,) the nir is forced by the
pump a through the bent pipe c, into the air chamber or reservoir d, where it is
retained until required for putting the "breaks" on; e is the escape or safety
valve, and the cone plug or stop which may be regulated to maintain any pressure
within the air chamber, by screwing up the nuts and cross piece g, and so compress
the springs against the shoulder of the stop f. The "breaks" and j are shewn
in Fig. 1 as having locked the wheels; this has been effected by the action of the
handle or arm , (which when the "breaks" are not in action is in a perpendicular
position,) being drawn a little on one side, thereby acting upon the slide box l, and
cog wheel m; the slide box l causes a partial revolution of the entire longitudinal
rod n, continuing and connected throughout the whole length of the train, and
operating upon a similar apparatus under every carriage, as will herein-after be
described in connection with the cog wheel m; at the time of the partial revo-
lution of the longitudinal rod n, the pinion o receives a simultaneous action through
the wheel m; the pinion o is fixed on the barrel of a "three way" cock or tap o',
and in its partial revolution has opened the communication between the air
chamber d, and the cylinder p, open at one end. The atmosphere in its course
from the air chamber passes first through the pipe 1, next through the longitudinal
tube 2, extending the entire length of the train, and being always fully charged and
thence through the bent tube or pipe 3, and into the closed end of the cylinder p;
it will be now readily understood that upon admission of compressed air into the
cylinder 2, the piston will be driven back, hence the action on the "breaks" through
the connecting rod q, and levers 7 and 7, combined with the immediate connecting
rods 3 and 52 of the "breaks" h and j. When it is necessary to relcase the wheels
of the carringe, the arm or lever : is brought back to its perpendicular position, and
acting upon the "three-way" cock, the communication between the air chamber
and cylinder is cut off; the third way or channel of the cock is brought opposite
to the opening u, and so the compressed air is allowed to escape; the piston now
being free the breaks are brought out of action by the counterbalance weight v;
10 is a universal joint which allows the longitudinal air tube (always charged) to
communicate itself to any irregularity in the motion of the carriages; is a stop
cock for the closing of the air tube when carringes are taken from the train; y is a
hermetically sealed slide box, allowing the elongation or compression of the air tubo
in accordance with the action of the "buffers"; is a screw connecting piece; on
the longitudinal rod or bar u, may be observed the spring or catch a. When the
carriages are brought together, the taper end of the longitudinal bar is placed
within the block a, the spring a' immediately falls into its receiving slot, and the
bar is connected throughout the entire length of the train; and a' are pivots
allowing a similar action to the universal joint.
Having now described particularly my improvements, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I claim the novel and peculiar method of applying breaks to
carriages used or employed upon railway's, by means of atmospheric pressure, as
herein particularly described and set forth, as well as the peculiar arrangement or
combination of the several parts of the apparatus or mechanism employed for such
purpose, as also herein particularly described and set forth and clearly exhibited in
the Drawings attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hollinsworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
THOMAS HOLLINSWORTH. (LS)