IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS
FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lowry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th May 1874.
:
:
I, GEORGE LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREAKS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES," to be as follows:―
The nature of my Invention consists in utilising the momentum of a.
carriage or a train of railway carriages for applying breaks to stop or
retard the carriage or train.
In performing my Invention I apply to every axle, or to as many of
them as may be found desirable, a disc, in which are radiating compart-
ments containing expanding blocks, and to the body of the truck or

page_text: carriage is connected a ring, which surrounds the said expanding blocks.
These blocks are held in by a sliding bush and toe pieces, and the sliding
bushes are connected by levers and side chains. When it is necessary
to apply the breaks the driver or guard by acting on the side chain moves
the sliding bushes back and liberates the expanding blocks, which then
fly out by centrifugal force, and act on the inside of the ring, thereby
producing the requisite friction for stopping or retarding the motion of
the carriage or train.
The above improvements are applicable to carriages on common roads
or tramways. The centrifugal force or momentum of the train can
also be applied for actuating the ordinary break blocks by making the
disc to radiate on its axle and connecting it by rods and other agents to
the break levers.
Another part of my Invention consists in actuating the above
improved railway breaks by means of an arm which can be brought into ]
position by levers and connecting wires actuated by the station master
or other attendant, which arm acts on the lever connected to the sliding
bush, and by releasing the expanding blocks applies the break as above.
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lowry in the Great Seal Patent Office on
.
the 14th November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Lowry, Her special licence, that I, the said
George Lowry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said George Lowry, 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

page_text: 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 BREAKS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER
CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Lowry, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Lowry, do hereby declaro
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 (that is to say) :-
The nature of my Invention consists in utilizing the momentum of a
carriage or a train of railway carriages for applying breaks to stop or
retard the carriage or train.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying two
Sheets of Drawings.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 a transverse section
of my improved railway break, and Figs. 3 and 4 are a side view and an
end view of a railway carriage shewing the mode of applying it. a is
one of the axles of the carriage, to which is keyed the disc b, which is
cast with eight or other number of radiating compartments 6', containing
the expanding blocks c, to which are bolted the toe pieces c¹. The disc b
and the expanding blocks c are contained in the cylindrical box d, which
is loose on the axle a, and which is connected to the breaks e by the
links e and e³, or in any other convenient manner. On the axle a is also
placed the sliding bush f, which has a conical recess fitting on the toe
pieces c¹ to hold all the expanding blocks c out of contact with the
inside of the box d. The sliding bush fis moved to and fro on the
axle a by the forked lever g fixed on the side bar g¹. All the carriages
of a train, or as many of them as may be found necessary, are connected
together by links jointed to the ends of the side bars g¹. When it is
necessary to retard or stop the train the driver or guard turns the side
bar partly round, thereby causing the- forked levers to move the

page_text: sliding bushes on the axles a sufficiently to release the toe pieces c¹,
and the expanding blocks c being then at liberty fly out by centrifugal
force and act on the inside of the box d, which is then turned partly
round by the friction of the expanding blocks. This partial rotation of
the box d causes the links e¹ to apply the breaks e to the wheels of the
carriages in whichever direction the train or carriage may be moving,
thereby retarding or stopping the train.
Figs. 5 and 6 represent a modification of my improved railway break.
In these views the disc b is shewn, with six radiating compartments 6¹
and with six expanding blocks c, but the number may be varied. Each
expanding block rests upon a wedge h, and screws connected to these
wedges pass through the sliding bush f. When it is required to apply
the breaks the side bar g¹ is turned partly round, and the forked lever g
then moves the sliding bush ƒ in the direction of the arrow, which acting
on the wedges force the blocks c against the inside of the box d,
thereby applying the breaks and retarding or stopping the train.
Figs. 7 and 8 represent another of my iniproved railway breaks, in
which only one expanding block c and wedge h are used. The action of
this wedge is similar to that of the six wedges shewn and described in
reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
Figs. 9 and 10 represent another modification of my Invention. In
these views a is the axle and a drum keyed upon it. This drum is
surrounded by lags or expanding blocks c. The steel or other metal
band is coiled one or more times around the lags c, and the ends of the
bands are secured to brackets fixed to the under side of the carriage.
The cord or chain g¹ is substituted for the side bars above described. This
cord is taken over suitable guide pulleys and then under the weighted
pulley J', which is mounted on a stud in the end of the lever j, which
is jointed to a bracket fixed to the under side of the carriage. When the
cord g¹ is tight the pulley is held above the band i, which remains
slack and does not press the lags c against the drum b, but when it is
desired to apply the breaks the cord g¹ is slackened to allow the pulley j
to press against and tighten the band i, which thus causes the lags c to
bear against the drum b, and the friction so obtained retards or stops the
.train.
Figs. 11 and 12 represent another of my improved railway breaks.

page_text: hole in the end of the lever j, which is fixed on the same shaft as the
forked lever g, by which the sliding bush f is moved to and fro on the
axle a.
The sliding bush acts on the wood friction block c, which is
surrounded by the box or clip & fixed to the under side of the carriage.
The hole in the block is made sufficiently large to allow the carriage to
rise and fall without coming in contact with the axle, thereby obviating
the necessity of a bearing on the axle inside the wheels. The block c is
connected by the link e², lever e³, and links e¹ to the breaks e. When it
is desirable to apply the breaks the cord is slackened to allow the
weighted lever to press the blocks against the discs b, and to apply
the breaks e to the wheels of the carriage, thereby retarding or stopping
the train in whichever direction the carriage may be moving. The
lever j has sufficient freedom to allow the cord or chain g¹ to give and
take, according to the expansion or contraction of the train without
applying the breaks.
On Sheet 2 Figs. 13 and 14 represent another of my improved
railway breaks, and Figs. 15 and 16 are two views of an ordinary railway
carriage to which the same is applied. a is the axle and a¹ a metal tube
put together in two halves secured to the axle: This tube is only
required when the axle is smaller in the centre of its length, as shewṇ
in the Drawing; b, b, are a series of discs or washers connected to the
tube a¹ by a key, but capable of moving endwise upon it. Between the
discs are the wood or other friction blocks c, c. The blocks are made
six sided, and they with the discs are contained in the six-sided box d,
which is put together in two halves, and is connected to the drawhook
bark by the link e². The drawhook bar k has a forked end fitting in a
groove in the box'd. The sliding bush facts on the end washer b, and
when the break has to be applied the attendant by turning the side
bar g partly round presses the sliding bush fagainst the end washer b,
which forces it against the adjacent block c, which is thus pressed
against the second washer 6, and so on throughout the series, thereby
obtaining the friction due to the combined surfaces of the blocks and
washers.
Figs. 17 and 18 represent a modification of the improved break shewn
in Figs. 13 and 14. In this arrangement the axle a is shewn parallel
and the metal tube a² is dispensed with: The washers 6 fit on a key let
into the axle, and the friction blocks c are placed between them. These

page_text: Thirdly. The modes described in reference to Figs. 11, 12, 23, and 24,
whereby any bearing or friction on the axle is avoided.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lowry, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.