IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Abadie, of Fécamp, in the Empire of France,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Abadie' at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th May 1863.
I, ALFRED ABADIE, of Fécamp, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
BREAKS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the adaptation and application to carriages
used on railways of apparatus by means of which the rolling motion of the
several wheels on the rails may be converted into a sliding motion thereon
with increased facility and effect. For this purpose there are applied to each
pair of wheels a set of breaks capable of being brought into action on either
side of the wheels, and consisting of a pair of skids or shoes of a form corre-
sponding in section with that of the wheel tyres, which skids or shoes are
suspended by coupled arms from a cross rocking shaft mounted in a bracket
fixed to the frame of the carriage. Chains are connected by rings to the said
coupled arms, which carry the skids or shoes, and are passed over barrels in
such a manner that on the revolution of the barrels in the same direction
the skids or shoes on one side of a pair of wheels would be drawn up, and
those on the other side thereof would be let down on to the rails in front of
the running wheels, which would then be caused to slide on the rails with the.
skids or shoes under them. There is one of such barrels to each side of a
pair of wheels, and the several barrels are fixed on to a longitudinal shaft
extending the whole length of the carriage. This shaft is set in motion by

page_text: means of a worm and worm wheel acted upon by a handle in the usual
manner. The end of this shaft opposite to that acted upon by the worm
wheel has a socket on it to receive the projecting end of the corresponding
shaft of the next carriage, to which it is connected by an universal joint, and
by this means the breaks of such carriage may be applied simultaneously with
those on the first carriage, and in like manner those throughout the train. A
disc with a notch in it is keyed on to the second longitudinal shaft, in order
to receive the end of a catch fixed to the frame of the carriage, by means of
which the shaft is kept from turning when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Abadie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
ABADIE, of Fécamp, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Abadie, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Abadie,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alfred Abadie, 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
RAILWAY BREAKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Abadie, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Alfred Abadie, do hereby declare
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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Railway Breaks" has for its object the

page_text: adaptation and application to carriages used on railways of apparatus by means
of which the rolling motion of the several wheels on the rails may be converted
into a sliding motion thereon with increased facility and effect. For this
purpose there are applied to each pair of wheels of a carriage a set of breaks
capable of being brought into action on either side of the wheels, and con-
sisting of a pair of skids or shoes of a form corresponding in section with that
of the wheel tyres, which skids or shoes are suspended by curved arms from a
cross rocking shaft mounted in a bracket fixed to the frame of the carriage.
Chains are connected by rings to the said curved arms, which carry the skids
or shoes, and are passed over barrels in such a manner that on the revolution
of the barrels in the same direction the skids or shoes on one side of a pair of
wheels would be drawn up, and those on the other side thereof would be let
down on to the rails in front of the running wheels, which would then be
caused to slide on the rails with the skids or shoes under them. There is one
of such barrels to each side of a pair of wheels, and the several barrels are
fixed on to a longitudinal shaft extending the whole length of the carriage.
This shaft is set in motion by means of a worm and worm wheel acted upon
by a handle in the usual manner. The end of this shaft opposite to that
acted upon by the worm wheel has a socket on it to receive the projecting end
of the corresponding shaft of the next carriage, to which it is connected by an
universal joint, and by this means the breaks of both carriages may be applied
simultaneously, and in like manner those throughout the train. A disc with
a notch in it is keyed to the longitudinal shaft in order to receive the end of
a catch fixed to the frame of the preceding carriage, by means of which the
shaft is kept from turning when required.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by
the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented the parts
above referred to.

page_text: fixed on a cross shaft rocking in bosses or collars D, D, fixed underneath
the cross stretcher, E, which binds together the two sides of the carriage
frame P. Beneath this frame P is mounted a longitudinal shaft I, to one
end of which is keyed a worm wheel J, working in a worm K, fixed on
a vertical shaft L, on the top of which is fixed the usual fly wheel M, capable
of being turned so as to cause the revolution of the shaft I in either direction
as required. On the shaft I are keyed barrels or pulleys H, H', furnished
with rings i, i, in which one end of each of the chains h, h, is inserted. The.
other ends of the chains are held by hooks g, g, inserted in the arms A, A,
fixed one on the right and the other on the left side of the shaft F.
From
this combination of parts it will be evident that when the attendant turns the
fly wheel M, the worm K and wheel J will give motion to the shaft
I, then the drawing of the chains h, h, which pass over the barrels in
opposite directions, will cause the shaft F to rock in the direction required,
either to lower or raise the arms A, A, in order to bring the skids or shoes
B, B, into or out of operation on the wheels. When the skids or shoes
are lowered on to the rails r, they present corners or inclines thereon, so
that as soon as the contact therewith is effected the momentum of the carriage
facilitates the penetration of such corners or inclines under the wheels, which
are then raised and embraced besides by the arms A, A, corresponding there-
with in curvature, and the skids or shoes B, B, being strongly pressed, are
caused to slide along the rails, and in this manner the rolling motion of the
wheels is converted into a sliding motion.
The
In order to connect the breaks of two or more carriages in a train so as
to be all under the control of one attendant, a socket R is connected to one
end of the shaft I by means of a hinge joint Q. The mouth or front part of
the socket R is widened, thence its interior is cylindrical, and at the inner part
is spherically shaped (as shewn by dotted lines), in order to receive the end of
the shaft I belonging to the next carriage, which shaft end has a connecting
pin d passed through it and entering a mortice formed in the socket.
object of the widening of the mouth of the latter is to give freedom of play
to the shaft I.. It will be observed, on reference to Fig. 3, that the socket has a
projecting rib R', in which is formed a groove, in order to admit of the insertion
of the pin d. By this mode of connection the shafts I and I', and consequently the
breaks belonging to each, become connected and capable of being put simul-
taneously into or out of action by the guard or attendant, notwithstanding the
inclines or curves on the line of railway. The shafts I and I ought not
to project beyond the buffers b, b, a greater distance than that required for
the recoil. On the projecting part of the shaft I is fitted a disc S', in which

page_text: is formed a notch or cavity t, adapted to receive a retaining pall u (Fig. 4),
fixed to the hinder part of the preceding carriage, and which pall, by pre-
venting the shaft I from turning, keeps the skids or shoes B, B, raised and the
mechanism out of action; but when the pall u is withdrawn from the notch t,
the break apparatus is free to be worked through the worm K. In order to
prevent the breaks from coming into action when not required, and also to
ensure their proper action in the event of the breaking of a chain, there is
fitted on the axle T a disc p, having two rounded studs m, one on the outer
and the other on the inner face of the disc. To the arms G are also fitted
two similar rounded studs f, f, arranged in such a manner that while the skids
or shoes B remain in a raised position (while the train is proceeding), the disc
p and its studs turn freely inside the fixed studs f, f, but as soon as one of the
latter studs becomes slightly lowered in position, its distance from the centre
of the wheel becomes diminished, and then the stud m passes outwards, comes
in contact with the stud f, and causes the shaft I to turn in the direction
required to force the skids or shoes under the wheel. S is a worm on the
vertical shaft L, gearing with a wheel Q, which carries a pointer T¹, serving to
indicate to the guard or attendant the direction in which the fly wheel M has
to be turned, and also the required range of its movement.
In other respects
the carriages are constructed as usual; the axles T, T, being supported by
boxes Z, sliding on guides Y, and furnished with springs X, X. The vertical
shaft L turns on a step q, and is retained at the upper part by a guide collar
N, fixed to the hinder part O of the carriage. The break carriages are by
preference placed at the back part of the train.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as of my
Invention is the combination of mechanism whereby the rolling motion of the
wheels on the rails is or may be rapidly converted into a sliding motion thereon
by the lowering and placing of skids or shoes under them in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Abadie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three
ALF. ABADIE. (L.S.)