IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR MEANS FOR ACTUATING OR WORKING RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Reid at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th June
1860.
I, THOMAS REID, of Monkton Miln, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR MEANS FOR ACTUATING OR WORKING RAILWAY
BRAKES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a system or mode of actuating the brakes or
retarding and stopping apparatus of railway carriages or other vehicles by
means of the weight of the carriage bodies, and their framing and appur-
tenances, as well as the weight of the passengers or the loads carried by the
carriages in giving the necessary actuating force to the brakes. This is
effected, according to this Invention, by providing simple means whereby the
carriage body is connected with the brake movement, the parts being so
arranged that the body can be easily and quickly raised and lowered either by
a movement worked by hand or by purely mechanical means, and thus the
weight of the carriages or vehicles of whatever kind can be taken off or put
on the brakes throughout an entire train. The requisite movements may be
attained in various ways. Under one modification the brake blocks are
attached directly to the frames of the carriages exactly over or in the plane
of the wheels, so that when the frame of the carriage is caused to descend by

page_text: the means herein-after described, the brakes are brought into action, and the
carriage is thereby stopped. To avoid communicating to the carriage the
vibration consequent on bringing the brakes into action, springs are interposed
between the carriage frame and the brake blocks; the other parts of the
blocks may be connected by links to the axles or the axle boxes. The con-
nection between the framing of the carriage and the wheels or axles is made
by means of wedges or inclines inserted between the frame and the springs, so
that both the frame and the brakes are raised and lowered simultaneously.
These wedges are so connected to suitable gearing that the guard or attendant
can at any instant raise up or let down the whole or any portion of the
carriage and its contents. When the train is running free, these wedges or
inclines are adjusted so as to operate in relieving the brakes of their super-
imposed weight, but on any emergency the guard works a handle of any
convenient kind or arrangement, and at once releases or readjusts the wedges
to allow the weight of the carriage to press the brakes into action upon the
wheels. Instead of using wedges, elbow joints, moveable links, or other
connections may be used between the carriage springs and the wheels or
axles for a similar purpose.
The mechanical arrangement employed for actuating the wedges or links is
somewhat similar to that at present used for putting on the brakes direct, but
according to these improvements this mechanism is used for raising the
carriage and the brake blocks after the latter have been brought into action.
This lifting of the carriage is effected by means of a hand wheel or winch
handle, which actuates a transverse horizontal shaft extending across the
carriage beneath the double contiguous seats. By means of a rack-and-
pinion movement in connection with the transverse shaft the carriage and
brake blocks are raised up and kept in that position by retaining pauls. The
brakes are brought into action by withdrawing these pawls. This is done by
causing a secondary shaft to partially rotate, and so act upon the pawls. The
secondary shaft carries a pulley, which is put in motion by means of a rope or
chain. The rope or chain, or it may be a light shaft, is arranged to extend
from carriage to carriage, and be readily coupled, so that the pawls of the
several brake arrangements may be instantly withdrawn by simply turning a
hand wheel arranged in such manner that the brakes may be put on either
from the front or rear of the train. Each carriage may be either worked
alone as regards its brake mechanism, or connections may be formed between
the several carriages, so as to work all the brakes of a train from one
source.

page_text: According to another modification of the improvements the tractive force of
the engine is employed in keeping the weight of the several carriages off the
brakes, the connections being so made between the buffers and draw bars or
springs, as that when the engine ceases to exercise its tractive force the
lifting and lowering details are so actuated as to let the weight down into
action. Provision is also made to prevent the brakes from getting into action
when backing or when running down inclines, or when it is wished to preserve
the momentum of the train after the steam power is shut off. In fitting
common road vehicles in this way the same general system is carried out, but
with the agency of simpler actuating mechanism.