IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODES OR MEANS OF STOPPING OR RETARDING VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Walker, of Gresham Street, in the
City of London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MODES OR MEANS OF STOPPING OR RETARDING VEHICLES USED
ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 3rd March 1854, and dated the 20th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Walker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th September 1853.
I, HENRY WALKER, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODES OR MEANS OF STOPPING-OR
RETARDING VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
As the title imports, I have sought a means of stopping or retarding
the motion of railway trains, and easing the consequences of collisions
on railways, which I believe will be accomplished by a safe, easy,
economic, and self-acting apparatus applied to each or as many vehicles
in a train as may be required, so as to press, embrace, or otherwise
retain each (or many) of the wheels thereof almost simultaneously, and
releasing such wheels instantly on pressure being removed. I have
not yet completed my experiment, but am sufficiently certain of the
beneficial operation thereof as to induce me to ask provisional pro-
tection therefor, and to file herewith a Drawing shewing the principal

page_text: features of my Invention, by an elevation of one wheel of a railway
carriage of the ordinary construction with part of the under framing
removed so as to shew the action of the break. A, A, is the buffer;
and B, B, the buffer rod, the inner end of which is attached to the
spring as at present used. c, d, catches on the buffer rod, so adjusted
as to allow of sufficient pressure being exerted on the break e, f, of the
wheel h, i, after the buffer has moved through a portion of the space
allowed for its horizontal play, and by means of a cam motion g, or
other mechanical means most convenient under special constructions of
railway carriages, the lever or cam or other intermediate means used
for communicating pressure to the break.
By this arrangement the break is put on, and made self-acting after
a given play has been allowed the buffer rod, such as may be required
for all ordinary requirements of backing, coupling, &c., and is released
the instant the spring of the buffer rod has power to act in the opposite
direction to that of the concussion. The pressure on the break will be
according to the amount of pressure on the buffer, and will reach its
maximum when the whole of the play space of the buffer is travelled
through.
The sudden or quick backing or stopping of the locomotive can be
made to produce the necessary effect on the buffer rods to cause the
breaks to act, and thereby reduce the velocity of the train.
I would observe that the intermediate arrangement by which effect
is communicated from the longitudinal rod of the buffer to the break
may be varied, and that it is principally to the adoption of the power
already applied to the buffer bar for the purpose of putting on and
releasing the break I look for the successful working of my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY WALKER, of Gresham Street, in the City of London, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Walker, Her especial
license that I, the said Henry Walker, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Walker, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MODES OR MEANS OP STOPPING OR RETARDING VEHICLES USED ON
RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Walker, 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 Henry Walker, 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, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet
of Drawing hereunto annexed, (and forming part of this my Specifica-
tion,) on which are designed two diagrams, with similar letters of
reference marked thereon to denote similar parts wherever such parts
can be seen in each of the diagrams respectively.
In the Provisional Specification recorded with my Petition and
Declaration I set forth that I had not at that date completed my
experiments, but that I was so far satisfied of the general correctness
of my ideas on the subject mentioned in the title as to enable me to
illustrate my Invention by a sketch. It will be seen in the following
description and annexed illustration that I have considerably modified
the arrangement so sketched, and have found that the working of the
apparatus is likely to be more effectual if the break block be made to

page_text: act on the inner side of the wheel, instead of the side nearest to the
buffer head (although in either case it will act), and that the cam and
other parts of the apparatus vary from those shewn, the principle on.
which the whole acts for stopping or retarding vehicles remaining
nevertheless precisely as therein mentioned, namely, the adoption
and adaptation of the power acting on the buffer rod or bar for the
purpose of putting on or releasing the break (as of my Invention) on
or from the periphery of the wheel of a vehicle used on railways. This
principle differs either in the whole or in the greater part from those
on which the breaks I have seen used or read of as patented or other-
wise, and not in use. And I am not aware that any break has yet
been published to the world, having for its working medium a cam
applied to or acting on the break block. I admit my Invention can
only be called a supplementary break when used for stopping or retard
ing carriages in a railway train on its regular course, but in the event
of collision my break will become a primary one; as, for instance, a
train being inert or proceeding slowly along the line is run into from
behind by one proceeding at a much greater rate of speed; in this case
the moment the after buffer rod heads are touched the whole of the
breaks (of my Invention) come into operation, and little if any damage
ensues; in fact, if both the said trains be provided with my apparatus
in sufficient number very little if any evil result could possibly occur:
Even in direct collision of opposing trains (or, in other words, trains
running different ways on the same line,) the danger or damage would
be comparatively trifling; but this species of collision now rarely
takes place. This apparatus should be applied so as to act on all the
vehicles (the wheels thereof) composing a train, but where this arrange-
ment is objected to on the score of expense as great a number of
vehicles as can be spared which have the apparatus affixed thereto or
thereon should be interspersed with the vehicles furnished with no
breaking apparatus to form a train.
In the annexed Drawing, in which a portion of the under framing
and other parts of a railway carriage is shewn with the improved break
attached thereto, the break block nearly touching one of the wheels
Figure 1, is an elevation, and Figure 2, a plan of the said under

page_text: framing (part) and breaking apparatus. In these a, a, denote shoulders,
affixed to the buffer rod j, by means of a transverse key or other mecha-
nical contrivance. These shoulders serve to regulate or restrain the
working of the levers b, of the cam d, which cam turns on the fixed'
centre c. The cam is made excentric above and concentric below the
point, of its periphery; the curve of the upper or excentric portion:
being struck from the centre of motion e, whereas the cam of the
lower or concentric portion is struck from the centre of motion c
g; denotes the break block turning on the fixed centre h. The. two:
centres c, and h, are fixed by means of two strong brackets k, and I, the
latter only visible at Figure 2, fastened by bolts to the side and to the.
cross piece m, of the under framing.
The action of the retarding or breaking apparatus is as follows:-
When the driver. wishes to stop a train suddenly he shuts off the:
steam, and a retarding force is applied to the front vehicles of the train:
by the hand breaks usually furnished to the tender or break van, or
both. The remaining vehicles composing the train pressing onwards:
cause the buffer heads to press against each other, and so the buffer?
bars or rods retire inwards; in so doing each buffer rod to which my
apparatus is applied thrusts or pushes against the lever with the cam
attachment, and brings the break block up against the outer periphery.
of the wheel. And this operation retarding the impetus or motion of
the train brings it quickly up or to a stand. The apparatus allows the
buffer rod to retire inward about 4 inches without any action taking
place on the cam lever, which provision enables the driver to back or:
shunt the carriages without interruption from the break apparatus
until after the buffer rod has retired inwards more than 4 inches.
When the further pressure inward moves the cam incline gradually
through the medium of the lever, and brings the block against tho
outer periphery of the wheel until the buffer rod has passed inwards
about 7inches, when that part of the cam marked F touches, the
break block inpinges firmly on the wheel tyre, and the pressure being
now at its utmost the wheel becomes fixed, and slides on the rails; fur-
ther motion or traverse inward of the buffer rod will produce no further
pressure on the break block or wheel, because the cam rolls over at

page_text: the point F, concentrically from the centre C, until the buffer rod by
which its lever is motived is driven home. As soon as the pressure is
removed the buffer rod resumes its original position, pressed into it by
the usual spring, and removing the pressure of the break entirely from
the wheel at the same time. By altering the position of the centres of
the cam or its size so as to change the relative leverages, different
distances for backing or shunting can be obtained, and the break may
be made to act completely with greater or less traverse of the buffer
rod, as will be readily understood. In order to steady the block when
off the wheels, if from any cause it may have too much play, and so
touch the outer periphery of the wheel in the lateral jerking of the
carriages, a small bar, chain, or other suitable contrivance may be placed
in the inner side of the cam, and attached to the block. As the wear
and tear of the wheel tires and block face will in course of time render
some adjustment of parts necessary, this may be effected by slitting the
break block longitudinally, and opening the two parts by a screw, so
as to adjust the wearing face. Or an adjusting piece to the face of the
block, capable of being thrust forward by a screw or other simple means,
may be used when required. Or the blocks are made of varying thick-
nesses, and are numbered in such manner that with slight variation of
the parts of the carriage framing a convenient thickness can be selected.
A block which has been worn down considerably in one carriage, when
removed by withdrawing the pin on which it turns may be fit to be
used on another carriage, if shaped down thinner, and would then be
re-marked according to its new size. Other means can also be adopted
to produce the same object. For the opposite wheel to the one shewn
the break apparatus would require to be reversed; it can also be made
to work in front of the wheels (as shewn in the sketch filed with the
Provisional Specification), but with some modification in position,
instead of, as herein shewn, between wheels; or the block might be made
to turn with the centre downwards, and other variations may be made
(easily understood by and apparent to practical men) in the position
and arrangement of the apparatus without affecting the principle of
action thereof. For guard or tender breaks a modification of the
apparatus may be used by hand, actuated by lever or other simple

page_text: means. For vehicles which have not buffer rods a rod is placed on
the side timber of the framing capable of moving inward, but projecting
outward after the manner of a buffer when the vehicle is running. The
outer end of this rod is to go into a recess in the framing, or to go in
flush with the front timber when pressed. A driver, say of a coal
train, wishing to stop a train, shuts off his steam, and the vehicles press
on each other, and these rods being pressed inwards by their heads
(or by projections on the vehicles made for the purpose) act on the
breaking apparatus in a similar manner to the usual buffer rods.
When the pressure is at the utmost the projecting end of the rod
should be flush with the timber framing. The roll over or concentric
portion of the cam is not here necessary, as the rod might be made
exactly of the length to suit the purpose, or, if made longer, the con-
centric motion can be given to the cam. The end of this rod may
have a screw cap capable of adjusting its length slightly for trifling
deviations in different carriages; a spring at the inner or outer end (or
that under the framing of the waggon) would be required of simple
construction and of sufficient strength to admit of shunting, and to
cause the rod to resume its position when the pressure is removed.
When 6 or 8 wheels are on one carriage with only four buffer rods, it
will usually be necessary to lengthen the rods, one of which can be
made to actuate two breaking apparatus, both of which may face one
way, or the two alternate ways. In other cases where short buffer rods
are used on the carriages, or very weak buffer springs, it may be
necessary to lengthen the rods or strengthen the springs, when this
breaking apparatus is applied. The whole of the breaking apparatus
forming my Invention can be made of iron or other suitable metal or
material.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the means
by which it may be carried into practical effect, I would observe that, as
herein-before mentioned, I do not confine myself to the precise mode
of fixing or using my apparatus, as described or shewn, as the parts and
their relative proportions must of necessity vary according to the size or
description of vehicles to or which the breaking apparatus may be
applied, nor, although it appears to me that the best mode of fitting the

page_text: break block to the periphery of the wheel is to exclude the flange, or,
in other words, not to embrace the flange of the tyre with the break
'block in breaking, yet I reserve the right of so shaping the break
block as to take in, encompass, or otherwise embrace the said flange if
it be found in practice to answer well, to give a better hold on the
wheel tyre, or to prevent the natural impulse of the break block to
slide off the wheel from the conical or semi-conical form of the surface
'of the lattter between the flange and its outer edge; nor do I claim
the exclusive use of any of the parts of the apparatus taken as parts,
and not being used for the purposes of my Invention, which I declare
to consist in, and I claim the entire combination of parts herein
described or shewn in the illustrative Drawing hereto annexed, forming
in conjunction with the buffer rods or similar fittings of railway vehicles
an apparatus or break "for stopping or retarding vehicles used on
railways."
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Walker, have herein-before
affixed my hand, and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
H. WALKER. (L.S.)
JOHN GEDGE,
Patent Agent,
4, Wellington Street South, Strand,
London.