IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of the Office for Patents, 1, Serle
Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY
BREAKS." A communication from Jacob Héberlein, of Munich, in
Bavaria.
Sealed the 21st November 1856, and dated the 17th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
September 1856.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of the Office for Patents, No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING RAILWAY
BREAKS," (a communication from Jacob Héberlein, of Munich, in Bavaria,)
to be as follows:-
The principal feature of novelty in this Invention consists in employing one
of the running wheels of the engine or tender, or of a carriage, in place of
human power, for the purpose of applying the breaks to the wheels of the
train, and thus retarding or stopping the progress of the same as may be
required. By this improved arrangement, the whole of the breaks may be
brought under the control of one man (the engine driver, for instance), and
the breaks will also be applied in the event of the engine leaving the rails or
becoming detached from the train. The breaks consist of sliding blocks of
wood connected by rods to levers fixed upon a transverse shaft between the

page_text: wheels, and upon this shaft another lever is keyed, to which a rod running
longitudinally under the carriage is connected. The break so far is of the
ordinary construction, and it is intended to supply each carriage in the train
with a similar break. To the above last-mentioned rod is connected a vertical
lever, having a fulcrum near its lower end attached to the framework of the
carriage. The upper end of this lever projects above the top of the carriage
and carries a pulley, round which a cord, belt, wire, or chain passes; this
cord also passes around another pulley, attached to the upper part of the
carriage. At the end of each carriage the cord or belt is provided with a
hook, buckle, or other simple attachment, by means of which the cord or
belt of one carriage may be connected to that of the next carriage through-
out the whole length of the train. The cord or belt from the foremost
carriage extends to the fore axle of the tender, and its end is secured to a
small roller or windlass mounted upon a vibrating frame placed immediately
below the fore axle. This windlass is driven by means of friction pulleys
actuated (when in contact) by other friction pulleys fixed upon the fore axle.
The frame which carries the windlass is raised or lowered by means of a
chain connected to a weighted lever which rests upon a spring. When the
engine driver releases the weighted lever from the spring, the lever falls and
raises the windlass frame by means of the chain, until the friction pulleys are
brought firmly in contact, and the windlass is thus caused to revolve, and by
winding up the cord, belt, or chain, to apply the breaks to all the wheels
throughout the length of the train. Each side of the hinder part of the
locomotive engine is furnished with two stops, which, in the event of the engine
leaving the rails, act against certain rods connected with the tender, and
disconnect the coupling of the tender with the train, and at the same time
release the weighted lever, and thus apply the breaks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of the Office for Patents, 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County.
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 3

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Davies, 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 APPARATUS FOR
ACTUATING RAILWAY BREAKS," being a communication from Jacob Héberlein,
of Munich, in Bavaria, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Davies, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The principal feature of novelty in this Invention consists in employing one
of the running wheels of the engine or tender, or of a carriage, in the place of
human power, for the purpose of applying the breaks to the wheels of the train,
and thus retarding or stopping the progress of the same as may be required.
By this improved arrangement the whole of the breaks may be brought
under the control of one man (the engine driver for instance), and the breaks
will also be automatically applied in the event of the engine leaving the rails
or becoming detached from the train. The breaks consist of sliding blocks of
wood connected by rods to levers fixed upon a transverse shaft between the
wheels, and upon this shaft another lever is keyed, to which a rod (running
longitudinally under the carriage) is connected. The break so far is of the
ordinary construction, and it is intended to supply each carriage in the train
with a similar break. To the above last-mentioned rod is connected a vertical
ever, having a fulcrum near its lower end attached to the framework of the
carriage. The upper end of this lever projects above the top of the carriage
and carries a pulley, round which a cord, belt, wire, or chain passes; this cord

page_text: also passes around another pulley attached to the upper part of the carriage.
At the end of each carriage the cord or belt is provided with a hook, buckle,
or other simple attachment, by means of which the cord or belt of one
carriage may be connected to that of the next carriage throughout the whole
length of the train. The cord or belt of the foremost carriage extends to the
fore axle of the tender, and its end is secured to a small roller or windlass
mounted upon a vibrating frame and placed immediately below the fore
axle. This windlass is driven by means of friction pulleys actuated (when
in contact) by other friction pulleys fixed upon the fore axle. The frame
which carries the windlass is raised or lowered by means of a chain connected
to a weighted lever which rests upon a spring. When the engine driver or
other person releases the weighted lever from the spring, the lever falls and
raises the windlass frame by means of the chain, until the friction pulleys are
brought firmly into contact, and the windlass is thus caused to revolve, and by
winding up the cord, belt, or chain to apply the breaks to all the wheels
throughout the train. Each side of the hinder part of the locomotive engine
is furnished with a stop, which, in the event of the engine leaving the rails,
act against certain rods connected with the tender, and disconnect the coupling
of the tender with the train, and at the same time release the weighted lever,
and thus apply the breaks.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention of "Improvements
in Apparatus for Actuating Railway Breaks," I will now proceed more par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the manner of carrying the same into
practical effect; and in order more clearly to explain the construction and
application of the said apparatus, I shall refer to the Sheet of illustrative
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon; and I would here observe, that the said Drawings are made to a
geometrical scale of about one-fiftieth the actual size, and that similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts of the mechanism in the several
Figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a railway train with this Invention
shewn as applied thereto; Figure 2 is a plan view, and Figure 3 an end view
of the same; Figure 4 is a section on an enlarged scale through about the
centre of the windlass frame and fore axle; and Figure 5 is an underneath
view of this part of the mechanism.
In order more clearly to distinguish the Invention, the break apparatus is
drawn in black lines, whilst the engine, tender, and carriages are drawn in
blue. Connected to the ordinary break apparatus A, is a lever a, a, having

page_text: its fulcrum at b, and provided at the top with a fork carrying a roller c, over
which a cord or belt d, d, (represented by the red line) passes. The cord or belt
also passes partly around other pulleys e, e, attached to the top of each carriage.
One end of the cord or belt d, d, is made fast to the hindmost carriage, and
the other end thereof is connected to the barrel of the windlass f, f, under-
neath the fore axle g, g, of the tender. Upon the fore axle are keyed two
friction rollers h, h, which may be made of iron plates lined with hard wood,
and turn with the axle.
The windlass frame i, i, is supported by the fulcrum k, k, at one end, and by
the chain 1, 1, (represented by a red line) at the other. The windlass frame is
provided with four friction rollers P, 1, 1, 1, which, when the frame is raised,
are brought into contact with the rollers h, h, on the fore axle, and vice versa.
These rollers ',, are coupled to the windlass barrel f, f, by means of the spur
gearing m, m. The other end of the chain l, l, is attached to a weighted
lever n, n, which is supported by a spring catch o.
When the engine driver wishes to apply the breaks, he has only to release
the spring catch o, and the weighted lever n falling, raises the friction pulleys
,, into contact with the pulleys h, h, and thus causes the windlass to wind
up the cord or belt d, d, and to apply the breaks by means of the levers a, a.
When the engine driver raises the weighted lever, he releases the friction
pulleys, and the springs p, p, upon the carriages cause the levers a, a, to
withdraw the breaks.
The hinder part of the engine is furnished at each side with a projection q, q,
opposite to which, upon each side of the tender, is a sliding rod r, r. These
sliding rods are connected by bell crank levers and links, and a levers, to the
pin of the coupling link which connects the tender to the foremost carriage.
The rods r, r, are also connected by levers t, t, to a rod u, u, which is furnished
with a projection at v, capable (when turned) of releasing the spring catch o.
Thus, should the engine leave the rails upon either side, one of the pro-
jections q would force its corresponding sliding rod r backwards, and simulta-
neously release the weighted lever and put on the breaks, and withdraw the
pin of the coupling link, and thus disconnect the engine and tender from the
carriages. The dotted line w, w, shews the method of applying the cord or
belt underneath instead of above the carriages.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention of
improvements in apparatus for actuating railway breaks, together with the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion,
that I claim as the Invention communicated to me,-

page_text: Firstly, the general construction and arrangement of the apparatus as above
described, and shewn in the Drawings annexed, or any modification thereof,
whereby the whole of the breaks are brought under the control of one person,
the power for applying the same being derived from one of the running
axles.
And, secondly, the arrangement of mechanism shewn and described, or any
modification thereof, whereby the running of the locomotive engine off the
rail is caused automatically to apply the breaks, and simultaneously to release
itself and the tender from the train of carriages.
In witness whereof, .I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Signed and sealed in the presence of
BRISTOW HUNT,
Sol & Patent Agent,
1, Serle St., Lincoln's Inn.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)