IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING OR STOPPING THE MOTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Kirk at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th December
1862.
I, ROBERT KIRK, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING OR STOPPING THE MOTION
OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and adaptation of certain
apparatus to railway carriages of all kinds for the purpose of' checking or
stopping quickly the motion of trains of railway carriages.
Under one modification or system of arrangement the axles of each carriage
are formed with a small crank at the central part. These cranks are made by
preference about half an inch to an inch in depth, and each crank is connected
to the contiguous axle by a connecting rod, which rises and falls with the rotatory
motion of the axles to an extent corresponding to the depth of the cranks.
Above each connecting rod is fitted in the framing of the carriage or other
suitable part a wheel, a portion of the periphery of which is removed so as to
form a flattened surface. This flattened part of the wheel is under ordinary
circumstances, or when the apparatus is not in use, immediately over the
connecting rod, and so that the rod in its reciprocatory motion just clears the
under surface of the wheel. The spindle to which the wheel is fast extends
outwards in a lateral direction sufficiently far to admit of the convenient
attachment thereto of a small vertical lever. These small levers throughout

page_text: the train of carriages are each connected by means of chains or other suitable
couplings one to the other, the two end extremities being connected to hand
levers, which are respectively within convenient reach of the engine driver at
the head of the train and of the guard in the rear. With this arrangement
of apparatus when the train is proceeding safely the chains hold the several
wheels securely in position, with the flattened parts above the connecting rods ;
but when it becomes necessary to stop the train quickly the engineer or the
guard slackens the chains by means of the hand lever, which admits of the
wheels turning to a slight extent, and their peripheries act as so many wedges,
and fix tightly the wheels of the several carriages, which are thus simultaneously
held fast, and the train is very quickly brought to a stand still.
This arrangement may be modified in various ways so as to stop the motion
of the wheels and cause each to act as a drag upon the rails, a powerful screw
clip may be used for the purpose of nipping the connecting rod of each pair
of axles, or in lieu of this a chain may be used for connecting the cranks, and
by causing this to be wound more or less upon a laterally extending shaft, the
necessary pressure may be brought to bear upon the cranked axles so as to
stop quickly the rotation of the wheels. With either modification the
engine driver or the guard has it in his power to check the rotation of the
wheels throughout the train, and thus stop its motion within a very short space,
and avoid collisions or accidents from other causes.