IM- PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stableford, of the Bromsgrove Railway
Carriage Works, in the County of Worcester, Foreman to Messieurs
Johnson and Kinder, Railway Contractors, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS"
Sealed the 28th November 1854, and dated the 21st June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stableford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
June 1854.
I, WILLIAM STABLEFORD, of the Bromsgrove Railway Carriage Works, in
the County of Worcester, Foreman to Messieurs Johnson and Kinder, Railway
Contractors, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS " to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in applying breaks to all or any of the wheels in a
railway carriage, and on the upper parts of the wheels, by means of wedges,
lever or levers, actuated with or without wheel, pinion, rack, worm, or screw,
in such manner as to bring the weight of the carriage in a great measure upon
the breaks, and through them on the wheels, nave or naves of the wheels.
Each wheel is provided with two breaks, one in front and the other at the
back thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Stableford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st December 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STABLEFORD, of the Bromsgrove Railway Carriage Works, in the County of
Worcester, Foreman to Messrs. Johnson and Kinder, Railway Contractors,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Stableford, Her special licence that I, the said William
Stableford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Stableford, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Stableford, 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 Stableford, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in applying breaks to all or any of the wheels of a
railway carriage, and on the upper parts of the wheels; such breaks being
brought into action by means of wedges or levers actuated in the ordinary
manner now adopted for working the break, or by means of toothed wheels,
pinions, racks, worms, or screws, and in such manner as to bring the weight of
the carriage in a great measure upon the breaks, and through them upon the
wheel, nave or naves of the wheels; where it is desirable, I apply two breaks
to each wheel, one in front and the other at the back thereof. I mount the
break blocks in boxes cast in a piece with the bottom of plates, which are free

page_text: to slide in boxes bolted to the framing of the carriage. The lower ends of the
break blocks when not in action upon the wheel are just clear thereof, but
come first upon the wheel when the breaks are applied; and as the levers in
connection through intermediate gearing and shafts with the hand wheel are
continued to be acted upon, the plates carrying the break blocks are caused to
slide, and thereby to bring the whole surface of the blocks upon the wheels,
the back parts of the sliding plates being capable of a tilting action. To admit
of this arrangement, I place between the sliding plates and the top of the
boxes containing them strong vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable springs,
which serve to restore the breaks to their position off the wheels when not
required to be in action. In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn
the several methods I adopt in carrying my Invention into effect.
Figure 1 represents so much of a railway carriage as is requisite to shew
the manner in which I apply the break blocks to the top of the wheels, and
also in which I act upon the breaks by means of wedges connected to levers
and other gearing, by which the breaks are worked through the ordinary hand
wheel or other similar contrivance. Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.
A, A, are the timbers of the carriage, and B, B, the wheels; C, C, are the
break blocks, which are secured to their boxes C', C', by the bolts a, a. These
boxes C', C', are free to slide up and down in the frames D, D, bolted to the
framework of the carriage ribs, being cast upon the boxes C', fitting into cor-,
responding grooves in the frames D, to better ensure the vertical movement of
the break blocks. E is a roller working upon spindle on the top of the
boxes; C and F, a similar roller upon a spindle fixed to the upper part of
the frames D. The roller F is fixed in its position, while the roller E is free
to move up and down with the break blocks when acted upon by the wedge G;
H, H, are flanges, cast upon each corner of the boxes C, C', which are hol-
lowed out on their under side, in order to receive the ends of four vulcanized
india-rubber or other springs II', H', the opposite ends of which springs rest
upon the bottom plate I of the frames D. The wedges G are connected by
the cotters c, c, to the rods J, J, the opposite ends of which are secured by pius
to the centre plate K, secured to the shaft L, running across the carriage M.
Figures 3, 4, and 6, is a worm wheel, keyed upon the shaft L, and geared into
by the endless screw N upon the longitudinal shaft O, which is caused to
revolve by means of the pair of bevil wheels P, P", set in motion through the
medium of a hand wheel upon the vertical shaft Q. The action of this break.
is as follows:-Upon turning the hand wheel, so as to cause the rods J, J, to
be drawn toward each other, or in the direction of the arrows, the wedges are
drawn in between the rollers E and F, so as to depress the break blocks and;

page_text: bring them down upon the top of the wheel; the springs H', H', are thereby
also compressed, but as soon as the pressure is relieved from the breaks. and
the wedg is thrust back, the elasticity of the springs serves to raise the break
blocks clear from off the wheels. The wedges are made of sufficient capacity
to allow for the wearing of the blocks. Figure 3 is an elevation of the lower
framing of a railway carriage, partly in section, shewing the manner in which
I apply my improved breaks to the upper parts of the wheels. A, A, is the
framework of the carriage; B, B, the wheels; and C, C, the break blocks,
which are fitted into their respective boxes C', C. These boxes are cast in a
piece with the sliding plates D, D. E, E, are lugs cast upon the sliding plates,
and to which are attached the rods F, F, the opposite ends of which are secured
to the centre plate Kupon the cross shaft L. H, H, 'are cast-iron frames, which
are firmly bolted to the framework of the carriage, and contain the sliding
plates D, D, which rest upon cheeks a, a, formed upon the inner sides of the
frames H, as represented in the end view in Figure 4 I, I, are pieces of the
form separately represented in plan in Figure 5, which are superimposed above
the sliding plates D, and serve to keep them in their proper places. The front
ends of these pieces become fulcra b, b, which fit into sockets c, c, in the side
of the frames ; for the purpose hereafter to be explained. The back part
of these pieces-is" hollowed out, in order to receive the ends of three or more
vülčanized india-rubber or other springs d, d, the upper ends of which fit into
similar hollows in the top part of the frames H. The manner in which I
connect these breaks with the hand wheel for the purpose of bringing them
upon the wheels is similar to that described in reference to Figures 1 and 2,
and represented in Figure 6; though I do not confine myself to this arrange-
inent, as other convenient and 'equivalent means may in some cases be employed
with advantage. The mode of operating with this break is as follows:-Upon
the hand wheel being turned, so as to draw the rods F, F, in the direction of
the arrows, the plates D are caused to slide towards the wheels, and the lower
ends of the break blocks first come in contact with the wheels; the action being
continued, the back parts of the sliding plates, together with the pieces I, I, are
tilted upwards, the pieces I turning upon the sockets c. c. as centres, until the
blocks are brought down upon the wheels, the springs d, d, being thereby com-
pressed. When the power is relieved from the breaks by turning the hand
wheel in the reverse direction, the blocks are thereby released from off the
wheels, and the springs d, d, serve to restore them to their former position.
The action of these breaks is such, that when they are applied they tend to
raise the carriage until the lower stay of the guard plate comes in contact with
the axle box, whereby the greater portion of the weight of the carriage

page_text: brought to bear upon the breaks, and at the same time the springs are relieved.
Should it be desired to apply these breaks to the several sets of wheels of
adjoining carriages and work them from one hand wheel, I continue the shafts
carrying the worm wheel to each carriage, and connect them with suitable
couplings, so as not to interfere with the buffer action of the carriages. In
Figure 7 I have shewn the manner in which I apply these breaks to the
inside of the wheels. The same letters of reference indicate similar parts to
those described in Figure 3. In this arrangement, the breaks are brought to
act upon the wheels by means of the rods F, F, being caused to traverse
in the direction of the arrows, so as to exert a thrust upon the breaks. In
Figure 8 I have represented the manner in which I apply my improved breaks
to each side of the wheel. In this arrangement, the rods F, F, instead of
being connected directly to the centre plate are attached to the ends of a lever
R, which is centred upon a stud pin S, projecting from the plate T, bolted to
the framework of the carriage. U, U, are rods for connecting the levers R
with the centre plate, for the purpose of working the breaks, whereby the
levers R become deflected in the opposite direction, and the break blocks are
thereby brought down upon the wheels.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improve-
ments in railway breaks, first, the construction of a break caused to act upon
the upper part of the wheels of a railway carriage or other railway rolling
stock by means of wedges, in the manner herein-before described and repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Second; I claim the improved construction of railway breaks, represented in
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Drawings hereunto annexed, whereby the
weight of the carriage is in a great measure brought upon the breaks, and
through them upon the wheels, in the manner herein-before described.
And, third, I claim the construction of a double-acting break, so as to bite
upon both sides of the wheel, in the manner herein-before described and
represented in Figure 8 of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stableford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
WM STABLEFORD. (L.B.)