Improvements in Railway Brakes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
Improvements in Railway Brakes.
A communication from KARL GOTTHELF FIEKE, of No. 8, Uhlandstrasse, Dresden,
Saxony, in the German Empire, Railway Official.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.Í. Mech. E. and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to railway-brakes and consists in so constructing the brake-
mechanism that, when the brake is applied at the engine, the respective buffers of
the carriages, brought into contact by the sudden resistance, mutually yield, and
thereby displace a scries of levers, rods, and cams or wedges, which operate the
brake-shoes acting on the wheels. A most effective brake-action is obtained by
this means inasmuch as the arrangement is calculated to absorb or store up the
resultant power generated by the combination of the weight and impact of
the carriages in motion and to transmit such power to the block or shoe of the
brake.
One advantage of this brake-mechanism over other similar devices known hitherto
is, that the arrangement of levers or rods is continuous and connects the buffers on
either side both with each other and with the buffers of the opposite side, so that
the buffers of one side in yielding to pressure, operate not only the brakes
immediately adjoining them, but also those located at the opposite end of the
carriage while the two buffers at each end are adapted to act jointly.
This will be found to be the most rational brake-arrangement firstly because
it overcomes and as it were compensates the force of traction or "pull" which
it is the object of a brake to overcome; but the second and by far more
important reason is that this brake is arranged to act without any assistance
from man, whereas vacuum brakes and the like require, as is well known; the
services of an attendant, whereby the risk is increased. This brake operates
automatically the moment the train meets with any obstacle, however small. It
may be assumed safely enough that where there is immediate danger of an actual
collision of two trains taking place the respective engine drivers or firemen will
not overlook this and by promptly operating the brake at the engine or tender
of each train, minimize and most likely avert the disaster. But in the worst
case, where through neglect or any other cause, the collision has not been
prevented in time, what this brake-arrangement certainly will prevent is, the
telescoping' of the carriages, now invariably consequent upon such accident;
for each carriage on receiving the shock will instantly stand still under the
action of its own brake device. Should any one of the central carriages be
driven off the metals by the shock, instead of (as it hitherto would do) upsetting
with it part or all of the following carriages and thereby causing great damage
and loss of life it will be destroyed or wrecked alone, and form an obstacle for
the next succeeding carriage whose brake it will immediately set in operation.
This and the remaining carriages being therefore each energetically braked, the
consequences of the disaster are reduced to a minimum.
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The advantages of this brake-arrangement will also be appreciated in the
usual "pilot work at terminii and stations, viz. forming and dividing trains and
arranging them on the different lines or sidings. Supposing that a portion of a
train is slipped off and allowed to run down an incline by its own weight. It is
only necessary to set the brakes of the different carriages, when it will be sufficient
for one man to stop the foremost carriage by means of a pole or the like, to
cause all the subsequent carriages instantaneously to stop under the vigorous

page_text: action of their brakes, so that sections of trains can no longer run up against
each other as they frequently do at present, causing damage in many cases.
An apparent objection is the increase in the cost of construction of the carriages
if each is to carry its own brake-mechanism. But it may be pointed out in the
first place that all existing brakes may be used in connection with the improved
rod and lever arrangement herein described, while on the other hand any extra
expense will be amply compensated by reducing the staff of brakesmen.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation.
Figure 2 is a plan view.
Figure 3 is a cross section..
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of the modification.
Figure 5 is a plan of the modification.
a are the buffer-rods located within the frame b and connected by cross-pieces c.
In these cross-pieces are supported the rods d extending beyond the ends of
the frame and terminating in squares. Upon these rods are arranged tappets or
cams e which as shown in Figures 1 to 3, may be brought into engagement with
the projecting arms of a lever arrangement g. From this lever-arrangement are
suspended the brake-shoes which by operation of the levers are when required
firmly pressed against the wheels i. When two adjoining carriages are pushed
against each other so that their buffers meet, and their springs are compressed
inwardly this also causes the cross-pieces c to move inwards. These in their
turn displace the rods d securely fixed to them, and the tappets or cams e engage
the lever arms f. Upon the revolvable pivots 1 of these are mounted the
arms g¹ which are turned thereby and move the lever-arms g closer together.
These arms carry along with them the arms 93 turning on the fixed pivot g
secured to the main frame b. The brake-shoes h are pivotted to, or suspended
from, the arms which in approaching each other cause these brake-shoes to
be firmly pressed against the wheel tyres i.
It will be observed that one of the rods d only is permanently secured in one
of the cross-bars c of the buffer-rods a, while the other rod d is movable in that
cross-bar. The cams e are so adjusted that one rod d, being capable of sliding
in one direction, say from right to left, is adapted to operate the brakes of one
side of the carriage, while the other rod d movable from left to right operates
the brakes on the other side.
To enable the brake-action of the buffers to be temporarily suppressed, say at
stations, in arranging trains by means of pilot-engines, the rods d d are revolvable
and their ends extending beyond the ends of the frame b may be provided with
a square each as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whereby with the assistance of a
suitable key or tool the said rods d may be turned and the cams e disconnected
from the arms f of the lever-mechanism g. For this purpose lever-arms may
be provided and arranged to turn on a pivot or spindle between the said rods d.
Such arms, being connected by rods, enable the lever to be reversed or turned
out of engagement. Or the rotation of the rods d may be provided for in a
more simple manner, viz. by the arrangement of a spindle threaded to work in
connection with worm-wheels mounted upon the said rods d as illustrated by
Figs. 4 and 5.
These Figs. 4 and 5 represent moreover a modification of the brake-mechanism.
The brake-shoes are here wedge-shaped and so arranged that the wedges or
cams e of the rods d turned downwards move and act upon them and press them
against the wheels, which enables the whole of the above-mentioned lever-
arrangement to be dispensed with. For this purpose the rods d d should be
arranged just above the wheels on both sides of the frame and centrally divided,
at which point they carry a connecting sleeve d' in which they may be displaced
longitudinally while they are prevented from turning by a suitable groove and
tongue arrangement. The sleeve d' carries the worm-wheel k and spindle!
adapted to be turned by means of a key or crank m at either side of the
I

page_text: carriage and provided with worm threads. In this arrangement each pair of
buffers connected by a cross-bar c acts upon the brake-shoes arranged over the
pair of wheels situated on the same side while the brake-rods d may be turned
together by means of a worm spindle when it is required to throw the brakes
out of operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
A buffer-brake for railway-carriages characterized by the arrangement of
movable and revolvable rods (d) acted upon by the buffer-rods (a) in such a
manner that the tappets or cams (e) provided on the said rods cause the brake-
shoes (h) to press upon the wheel-tyres (i) the said rods (d) being capable of
turning so as to disengage the cams or tappets (e) from the brake-shoes (h)
under the action of a suitable reversible lever a worm-wheel mechanism or the like
operated from either side or end of the carriage.
Doted this 10th day of January 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Manchester.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Manchester.