IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166. Buchanan Street. in the City
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS."-A communication
from Thomas Hopper, of the City of Newark, County of Essex, and State
of New Jersey, United States of America.
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS."-A communication
from Thomas Hopper, of the City of Newark, County of Essex, and State
of New Jersey, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th January 1859, and dated the 7th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th August 1858.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS," a communi-
cation from Thomas Hopper, of the City of Newark, County of Essex, and
State of New Jersey, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar combination and arrangement of
mechanism or apparatus for working or actuating railway breaks, whether by
manual labor or by the direct action of steam pressure from the locomotive
boiler. According to this Invention the break blocks, which may be suspended
in the ordinary manner to the whole or any number of the carriages of a train,
are connected to suitable break rods, one rod to each pair of breaks, supposing
two pairs to be fitted to each carriage. These rods are disposed longitudinally
and parallel to each other beneath the carriage framing, one rod being placed

page_text: some short distance above the other; these two rods are connected to each
other at or near the centre of the carriage by short links, between which links
works a T-headed lever with the T piece downwards. The two opposite ends
of this piece are connected by suitable links with the upper and lower
break rod respectively, whilst the upright arm of the lever is connected with a
sliding actuating rod, which extends from end to end of each carriage. These
actuating rods are coupled in a peculiar manner, herein-after described, and
may be actuated from either end of the train; it is preferred, however, to
work the breaks from a small steam cylinder for that purpose, fitted beneath
the foot plate of the engine. The opposite ends of the several actuating rods
are severally connected to a stud pin in the under side of an eccentric situate
on each end of each carriage. The eccentric is connected with a universal
joint, which joint is connected to a similar universal joint immediately below
the platform or floor of the carriage by a short vertical shaft. To a stud or
journal on the upper universal joint is fitted a horizontal lever arm, which
extends transversely across the draw bar, and is held against an intermediate
slide placed in the draw bar between the end of the draw link and the lever
arm just referred to; or any other mode of connection may be used which will
enable the sliding motion of the draw to be imparted to the lever, and so
partially turn the eccentrics. The contiguous eccentrics of each carriage are
connected by suitable eccentric straps, the stems of which have notches and
teeth formed in them, to enable them to be connected by holding them
together by a metal clip. The universal joints admit of the eccentrics and
their shafts being pushed sideways out of the perpendicular when the actuating
rod is moved for the purpose of applying the breaks, and the varying space
between each car is allowed for by the partial rotation of the eccentrics
through the action of the lever arm and slide in the draw bars.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Jehnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
-30
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS," a communication from
Thomas Hopper, of the City of Newark, County of Essex, and State of New
Jersey, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my
Land and seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar combination and arrangement of
mechanism or apparatus for working or actuating railway breaks, whether by
manual labour or by the direct action of steam pressure from the locomotive
boiler. According to this Invention the break blocks, which may be suspended
in the ordinary manner to the whole or any number of the carriages of a train,
are connected to suitable break rods which are disposed longitudinally beneath
the carriage framing, and are worked by T headed levers, with the T piece
downwards. The two opposite ends of the lower arms of the T piece being
connected by suitable links with the break rods, whilst the upright arm of the
lever is connected with a main actuating rod which extends from end to end.
of each carriage. These actuating rods are coupled in a peculiar manner,
herein-after described, and may be actuated from either end of the train. It
is preferred, however, to work the breaks from a small steam cylinder for that
purpose fitted beneath the foot plate of the engine.
The opposite ends of the several main actuating rods are each connected to
a stud pin in the under side of an eccentric situate on each end of each
carriage. The eccentric is connected by a universal joint with a hanging

page_text: spindle, which is connected by a similar universal joint immediately below the
platform or floor of the carriage to a short vertical shaft working in a fixed
bearing in the carriage framing. To this short vertical shaft is fitted a
horizontal lever arm, which extends transversely across the end of the draw
bar. Any other mode of connection may, however, be used, which will enable
the sliding motion of the draw bar to be imparted to the lever arm, and so
partially turn the eccentrics. The contiguous eccentrics of cach carriage are
connected by suitable eccentric straps, the rods of which are connected by a
pin or bolt.
The suspension of the spindles admits of the eccentrics being pushed side-
ways when the main actuating rod is moved for the purpose of applying the
breaks, and the varying space between each carriage is allowed for by the
partial rotation of the eccentrics through the action of the lever arm on the
short vertical shaft, in conjunction with the universal joints.
And in order that the said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I
shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a longitudinal section of a portion of
the framing of two railway carriages or trucks fitted with my improved break
actuating mechanism. Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same, and
Figure 3 is an end elevation thereof.
A, A, is the main framing of the carriage, and B, B, the break blocks
which may be suspended therefrom in the ordinary manner.
I propose
adapting two pairs of breaks to each carriage, each pair being actuated by the
links at C, C (Figures 1 and 2 of my Drawings). One of these links C is
connected at one end with the cross bar D of one pair of the breaks, and
at the opposite end of the lower arins of the L-shaped lever E; the other
or corresponding arm of this lever being connected to the short link C', which
is again connected to one end of the rod F, the other end of this rod being
connected with the cross bar D' of the second pair of breaks. The rod Fis
supported by a strap or bracket G depending from the under side of the
framing.
The vertical arm of the lever is connected at its upper extremity with the
main break actuating rod H. This rod, if found desirable, may be suspended
from the carriage framing, or supported in any other convenient manner, so as
to take off its weight wholly or partially from the 1-levers, and at each
extremity it is connected by means of a coupling piece I to a pin i in the

page_text: under side of an eccentric K, one of such eccentrics being situate at each end
of the carriage. Each of these eccentrics is connected by any convenient form
of universal joint to an intermediate hanging shaft M, which is connected at
its upper end by a second universal joint to a short vertical stem or spindle N,
carried in a suitable bearing O bolted to the carriage framing. By this
arrangement it is obvious that on imparting a rotatory or partial rotatory motion
to the stem or spindle N, a corresponding motion will be transmitted to the
eccentric K through the two universal joints and hanging shaft M, whether
such shaft M be in a perfectly vertical position, or at a considerable angle. A
lever arm P (Figure 2) is keyed on to the upper end of the short stem or
spindle N, and this arm projects in front of the inner end of a slide Q connected
with the draw bar R, as shewn clearly at Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
So long as the distances or spaces between the carriages remain unchanged,
the lever arms P, spindles N, shafts M, and eccentrics K are maintained
stationary as regards any rotatory motion, but so soon as any decrease in the
intervening spaces between the carriages takes place by the shutting-off of the
steam, or other retardation of the front portion of the train, causing the
carriages to crowd upon each other, then the slides Q will be pushed inwards
by the heads S of the draw bars, and will actuate the lever arms P, and turn
more or less the eccentrics. The continuous eccentrics of each two carriages
are connected by the rods and straps T, T, which latter fit into circumferential
grooves made in the eccentrics, the two rods being united by a bolt or pin, as
shewn, or in any other convenient manner. On the intervening space between
the carriages being increased, as at the starting of the train, or by reason of a
partial separation of the carriages, then the opposite result will be obtained,
that is, the slides Q will be forced out either by springs for that purpose or by
being connected to the draw bar beads, and the eccentrics will turn in a con-
trary direction. The space between the carriages may thus be allowed to vary,
as by the turning of the eccentrics such variation of the space will be
compensated for, which is the sole object of the eccentric and universal joint
arrangement. The pin i in each eccentric forming the connection for the
main actuating rod H, is placed in the centre of rotation of the eccentrics, and
will not, consequently, be influenced by any rotatory motion thereof. The
connecting straps and rods between the eccentrics, in combination with the
main actuating rods of the several carriages, establishes a continuous com-
munication or connection from end to end of the train, from either end of
which the several breaks may be applied by moving the rods H in the proper
longitudinal direction. The mode I propose to adopt for actuating the rods H
is to employ a steam cylinder, fitted to any convenient portion of the engine or

page_text: tender, and supplied with steam direct from the boiler, the piston rod of the
cylinder being connected with the front main break actuating rod of the train:
Other means may, however, be employed for actuating the main break rods,
such as screws or hand levers, but I prefer to employ the direct action of steam
on a piston, as above set forth. On a longitudinal motion being imparted to
the main actuating rod H in the direction of the arrows, the L-levers and their
connecting links, by being partially turned over, draw the breaks in each
carriage towards each other, and thereby apply them on to the wheels.
Should the coupling bolt at U be accidentally broken, the connections of the
continuous main actuating rod H will still prevent the total loss or severance
of the train at that point, whilst the consequent drag or strain on the rod H
will tend to apply the breaks, and so intimate the fact to the guard and driver
of the train.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom, without deviating
from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of mechanism
for actuating railway breaks, as herein-before described.
Second, the combination of the lever arm P, slide Q, eccentric K, and
universal joints for the purpose of allowing for the varying space between the
carriages of a railway train, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of actuating the breaks of railway carriages by
means of the 1-levers E, links C, C, and longitudinal rods H, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)