IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND IN BRAKES FOR THE SAME
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND IN BRAKES FOR THE SAME." A communication
from abroad by Samuel Augustus Chase, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration on the 17th June 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND IN BRAKES FOR THE SAME," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn declaration that it
has been communicated to me from abroad.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said William Kobert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement:-
The said Invention consists chiefly in the application of friction rolls to the
peripheries of the wheels of railway carriages, the axles being supported in
suitable guides, which serve to retain them in place while the entire weight is
sustained by the friction rolls. The said Invention also consists in the novel
construction and arrangement of a brake designed especially to be used in
connection with the said friction rolls.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of the under side of a railway carriage whose wheels are
attached and supported according to my Invention; Figure 2 is an elevation
of one side of the said carriage; Figure 3 is an elevation of one end of the
same; Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a section on the line y, y, Figure 3. Like letters indicate the
same parts in each of the Figures.
A is the lower portion of a railway carriage, and B the wheels of the same.
The outer ends of the axles C rest in boxes a, which slide vertically between
guides b, and the said guides project down from the under side of the carriage.
The boxes a are provided with projections c on opposite sides, which fit into
grooves in the guides 6; by this means the said boxes are steadied and held.
in place, and they are made slightly taper to prevent their passing out from
between the guides in case the carriage should be raised from the rails.
Friction wheels or rolls D are secured firmly to shafts d, which run in
bearings e secured to the under side of the carriage; two of these rolls are
placed over each wheel B in contact with its periphery, so that all three will
revolve together, the width of the rolls D corresponding to that of the wheels B
between its outer edge and the flange. The weight of the carriage over each
wheel is thus received by and divided between the two friction rolls D, and the
carriage runs with much greater ease than where the weight is sustained by
the axle C in the usual manner.
The brakes employed in connection with the friction rolls D will now be
described. E, F, are grooved wheels or rolls, which are keyed securely to the
shafts d of the friction rolls D; below these wheels the brake levers G are
placed, and the bent arms H (one of which is shown in Figure 4) extend up
around the upper portions of the wheels F. When the outer end of one of
the brake levers G is depressed by a screw shaft I, which is provided with a

page_text: hand wheel J or other suitable device, the end f of the said brake lever is
brought up against the periphery of the wheel E, while the bent arm H is
brought down upon the wheel F. The said wheels are thus caused to act as
brakes to retard the revolution of the wheels E, F, together with that of the
friction rolls D and wheels B, as required. One of the brake levers is
represented as held in place by a chain g, while the other is held by means of
two hooks h, i, either of which devices may be used as preferred. The brake
levers G are represented as being operated from one end only of the carriage,
but they may be connected with suitable mechanism, so as to be operated
from either end of the said carriage. One of the brake levers G is represented
as connected with a vertical rod K, which may be depressed to operate the
brake. This device may be used for horse vehicles if desired.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice, I claim the application of the friction
rolls D to the wheels B, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
I also claim the combination of the said rolls and wheels with the brake
levers G and curved arms H operating in connection with the wheels E, F,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)