Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
I, HARRY EDWARD GRESHAM, of Craven Iron Works, Salford, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention to be as follows:-
My present improvements are applicable to and may be combined with the
improvements described in the Complete Specification of an application for
Letters Patent No. 27008 of 1897.
" and
My present improvements relate mainly to more perfect and satisfactory
arrangements for holding the brake levers when the brakes are "put on
for releasing brake levers from the opposite side of the wagon to that at which
the brake is "put on."
I prefer according to my invention to arrange the brake lever handles on one
side so that they are right handed, that is to say, which ever way the wagon is
turned, the brake lever handle will be on the right or so as to be most con-
veniently actuated by the right hand principally, and each brake lever handle
only actuates one brake block by preference to bring it against the wheel to
which it is to be applied.
But if desired the brake lever handle may be made to act upon brake blocks
on both sides of the wagon either two or four of them.
When the brake lever handle is to act on one brake block only, the shaft
actuated is only a short shaft in suitable bearings and brackets, but if it is to
act on two or more brake blocks the shaft which has the arms upon it connected
with the brake blocks extends across the wagon in suitable bearings in the
ordinary manner.
The brake lever secured on the shaft and is connected by a link with the end
of another lever on a fulcrum in a bracket this latter lever is the brake lever
handle in this case, by which the brake lever is applied, and when so applied the
brake lever handle is pressed down and is sprung laterally to come into ratchet
teeth in a bar carried by brackets on the framing of the wagon.
But the bar with ratchet teeth in this case is not stationary but is in a vertical
position in its lengthway and has a pivot at each end so that it can be partly
rotated on its pivots. When in its normal position the ratchet teeth of the bar
are turned towards the side of the lever handle which can then be made to catch
upon its teeth.
This ratchet toothed bar has an arm from it jointed to one end of a rod, the
other end of which is jointed to a bent lever handle near its fulcrum, the fulcrum
being on a bracket on the framing.
The long arm of this bent lever handle extends to a convenient point on the
opposite side of the wagon and is or may be held when in its lowest position in
a bracket from the framing of the wagon or be otherwise held.
The weight of the long arm of the bent lever handle when it is allowed to
descend holds the toothed rack in its normal position with the front of its teeth

page_text: facing the side of the hand brake lever, and when the long arm of the bent lever
is lifted, the toothed ratchet bar is partly rotated turning the ratchet teeth of
the bar away from the side of the brake lever handle, the projecting margin on the
sides of the teeth of the bar also acting to push the brake lever handle from
the teeth, so that to release a brake lever handle from the opposite side of the
wagon it is only necessary to lift the long bent lever handle and then let it fall
again, thus leaving the ratchet tooth bar in its normal position again ready
for use.
Dotad this Wifth lov of N
1 1902
Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
I, HARRY EDWARD GRESHAM, of Craven Iron Works, Salford, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My present improvements are applicable to and may be combined with the
improvements described in the Complete Specification of an application for
Letters Patent No. 27008 of 1897.
"
My present improvements relate mainly to more perfect and satisfactory
arrangements for holding the brake levers when the brakes are "put on
and
for releasing brake levers from the opposite side of the wagon to that at which
the brake is "put on."
I prefer according to my invention to arrange the brake lever handles on one
side so that they are right handed, that is to say, whichever way the wagon is
turned, the brake lever handle will be on the right or so as to be most con-
veniently actuated by the right hand principally, and each brake lever handle
only actuates one brake block by preference to bring it against the wheel to
which it is to be applied.
But if desired the brake lever handle may be made to act upon brake blocks
on both sides of the wagon either two or four of them.
When the brake lever handle is to act on one brake block only the shaft
actuated is only a short shaft in suitable bearings and brackets, but if it is to
act on two or more brake blocks the shaft which has the arms upon it connected
with the brake blocks extends across the wagon in suitable bearings in the
ordinary manner.
The brake lever is secured on the shaft and is connected by a link with the end
of another lever on a fulcrum in a bracket this latter lever is the brake lever
handle in this case, by which the brake lever is applied, and when so applied, the
brake lever handle is pressed down and is sprung laterally to come into ratchet
teeth in a bar carried by a bracket or brackets on the framing of the wagon.
But the bar with ratchet teeth in this case is not stationary but is in a vertical
position in its lengthway and has a pivot at each end so that it can be partly
rotated on its pivots. When in its normal position the ratchet teeth of the bar
are turned towards the side of the lever handle which can then be made to catch
upon its teeth.
This ratchet toothed bar has an arm from it jointed to one end of a rod, the

page_text: On the square end at the outside end of the short shaft c, a lever d¹, is secured,
and to its end the lower end of a link 2, is jointed to the short arm d³, of the
brake lever handle d, which has its fulcrum d, on a bracket secured to the side
frame of the wagon.
The long arm d, of the brake lever handle extends through the loop e, formed
by a bracket secured at its upper end to the side frame of the wagon. This
is shown best by Fig. 8. At the upper part of this bracket e, there is a hole for
the pivot e, at the upper end of the vertical toothed bar e², the lower end of
which bar has a hole in it for a pivot e³, formed by the point end of a set screw
screwing through a hole in the lower part of the bracket e, and through a lock
nut to prevent it from unscrewing.
The vertical tooth bar e2, can thus oscillate from the position shown in Fig. 4,
when its teeth face the side of the brake lever handle d, to the position shown in
Fig. 5, where the side of the brake lever handle has been released therefrom
by such partial rotation.
It will be noted that there is an inclined projecting edge e, from one side
of the toothed bar e2, this, as the bar is partly rotated comes against the side of
the brake lever handle d, and while the teeth are withdrawn by the rotary
movement, the inclined projection et, at a certain point comes against the side
of the brake lever handle d, to push it away therefrom as long as the toothed
bar is in the position shown in Fig. 5. One mode of giving partial rotatory move-
ment to the toothed bar from that side of the wagon opposite to where the tooth
bar is placed is shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
From the upper end of the toothed bar e, there is an arm e³, (seen best in
Fig. 9) to which one end of a rod e, is jointed the other end of this rod being
jointed to a bent lever e, at a point below where its fulcrum e8, is jointed to
a bracket on the framing (seen best in Fig. 2).
The long arm of this bent lever e7, passes or may pass freely through a loop
guide, the upper end of which is secured to the framing.
When the handle end of this bent lever e, is lifted, the rod e6, is pulled and
the toothed bar e², is partly rotated to release its teeth from the brake lever
handle d, but when the handle end of the bent lever e, is released, its weight
in its descent rotates the toothed bar e², to the position in which its teeth are
opposite the side of the brake hand lever d, and holds it in that position, as
long as the bent lever handle remains down.
The weight of the lever, the link d, and the lever, on that side nearest
the short shaft c, is sufficient to lift the handle end of the brake lever handle d,
when it is released, and it rises then until it comes against a projecting stop eª,
formed on the bracket e, as shown best in Fig. 8. The brake lever handle d,
has a tooth or edge projecting from one side of it towards and opposite the
teeth on the toothed bar 2, and it is this tooth or edge, that catches upon the
teeth on the tooth bar when the brake lever handle d, is forced downwards and
is sprung towards the teeth on the toothed bar.
The arrangements of the modification shown by Figs. 6 and 7 are the same
as those shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 except as hereinafter described.
The brake lever handle d, in this case is secured directly upon the outer end
of the short shaft c, and it has an arm 7, for a weight which will be sufficient
to lift the handle end of the brake lever handle d, when it is at liberty and free
from the teeth of the toothed bar e².
In this modification each brake lever handle on opposite sides of the wagon
act on a brake block on the wheel at each end of the same axle.
Each arm e, from the upper end of the toothed bar is jointed to opposite ends
of the same connecting rod e6, so that when this rod e6, is moved in one direction,
both toothed bars e2, are moved so that their teeth are both turned away from the
sides of the brake lever handle d, and vice versa when the rod e, is moved in
the opposite direction when the teeth of the toothed bars e², are made to face the
sides of the brake lever handles.
?

page_text: The movement to bring both toothed bars to the last named position is made
by a helical spring e. one end of which abuts against a guide secured to the
framing through a hole in which guide the rod e, passes, the other end of the
helical spring abuts against a pin or collar secured in or on the rod e6.
In place of the helical spring, the vertical arm of a bell crank lever having its
fulcrum on a bracket on the framing may be connected with the rod e, and the
other or horizontal arm of the bell crank lever has a weight upon it to force
the rod in that direction to turn the toothed bars with their teeth towards the
side of the brake lever handle.
The tooth bars e, for the modification illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7 are actuated
to release them from the brake lever handle 4, by an arm e, from the upper
part of the bar (seen best in Figs. 9 and 8) which arm has a vertical handle ed.
In the position in which the handle e, is shown in Figs. 9 and 8, the teeth of
the toothed bar e, are then facing the side of the brake handle lever in the
position shown by Fig. 4, but when the handle ed. is moved to the left looking
at Fig. 9, the teeth of the toothed bar e, are in the position shown by Fig. 5.
In the modification shown by Figs. 10 and 11, the brake mechanism is the
same as illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7 with the following exceptions.
Instead of two short shafts c, there is one long shaft c, extending across the
wagon in bearings on the side frames. The arms c¹, for actuating the brake
block connecting rods, are fast on the shaft c, as in Figs. 5 and 6, but the
brake lever handles d, are not fast on the shaft c, but can oscillate on its round
ends to a certain extent, that is, until their lower edges come against a projection
from an arm c, fast on squares formed on the ends of the shaft adjoining the
outer round ends of the shaft c.
The arms d³, of the brake lever handle d, for the balance weight are bent
to come under the framing.
Thus arranged the cross shaft c, can be oscillated by the brake lever handles d,
from either side of the wagon, so that the brake blocks are put simultaneously
upon each wheel and they can thus be held on for both sides and released from
either side.
In the modifications illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and by Figs. 6 and 7 and
by Figs. 10 and 11, the same shafts c, can be made to actuate brake blocks for
the other wheels of the wagon to which they are not shown in the figures by
similar connecting rods ², jointed to an arm similar to c, on the opposite side
of the shaft c, in a manner well understood and indicated by dotted line in
Fig. 10, all the brake blocks actuated by the same shaft being arranged to come
upon the wheels to be braked simultaneously.
<
"
It will be noted that in all the modifications that the brake or brakes may be
put on and "off" by the same lever handle d, which puts them on without
turning the toothed bar e². The brake can be put "off" on one side only by the
lever handle e7, in the modification illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but in the
modifications with the rod across the wagon, the brakes can be put "off" from
either side by the handle ed. In the modification illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7
instead of two short shafts c, there is or may be one long shaft extending from
one side to the other of the wagon, as indicated by dotted line between the two
short shafts c, in Fig. 7, in which case the brakes may be "put on simul-
taneously by the brake lever handle on either side as both will move with the
long shaft c, and as both brake lever handles will catch upon the teeth of the
tooth bars e, both brake lever handles will be held, and both can be released
by moving the handle ed, on the upper end of the toothed bar e, as hereinbefore
explained.
""
In Figs. 10 and 11 an automatic vacuum brake cylinder is shown in dotted
line, and its piston rod is shown connected with an arm loose on the shaft c, but
which loose arm when lifted by the brake piston can come against a projection
from an arm fast on the shaft c, when the automatic vacuum brake cylinder is
made to act, but this arrangement does not interfere with the putting on of the

page_text: brakes by the brake lever handles d, and the latter are not moved in the arrange-
ment shown by Figs. 10 and 11 when the automatic vacuum cylinder puts the
brakes on and off.
This automatic vacuum brake arrangement combined with hand brake arrange-
ments is similar to that shown and described in the aforesaid Complete Specifica-
tion No. 27008 of 1897 except in the brake lever handles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
:
1. The combination and arrangement of brake mechanism substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and by reference to
Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 9 of the drawings.
2. The toothed vertical bar arranged to partly rotate to release the brake lever
handle and then move back to the position for holding the brake lever handle
when the brake or brakes are put on substantially as herein before described
and illustrated by the drawings."
3. The combination of mechanism for releasing the brake lever handle sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the
drawings.
.
4. The combination and arrangement of brake mechanism substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, 4, 5, 8 and 9 of the
drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for holding and releasing
the brake lever handle from either side of the vehicle by the same rod substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the
drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of brake mechanism substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings.
Dated this Thirty-first day of July 1899.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.