IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE AS SHAFT COUPLINGS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
AS SHAFT COUPLINGS."-A communication from abroad by Victor Amédée
Gellée, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
'
Sealed the 19th February 1867, and dated the 28th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John. Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th August 1866.
I, JOHN. HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE AS SHAFT COUPLINGS," & communication to me from abroad by
Victor Amédee Gellée, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of self-
acting railway break mechanism, whereby the whole of the carriages of a
train may be breaked simultaneously, and is also partly applicable to the
coupling of driving or other revolving shafts or spindles of machinery wherein
such appliances are found requisite.
In constructing and applying self-acting continuous railway breaks according
to this Invention it is proposed to apply a pair of fast and loose driving

page_text: pulleys to the trailing axle of the tender, & to transmit a rotatory motion from
the fast pulley, by means of a driving strap or chain and pulley to a special
shaft, which I term for the sake of destinction the break actuating shaft. This
shaft is fitted in bearings in a convenient part of the tender, and is provided
at each extremity with a bevel wheel gearing into a corresponding bevel wheel
fast on a longitudinal spindle carried in bearings on each side of the framing.
Each carriage of the train is provided with a similar pair of longitudinal
spindles, and the several spindles throughout the length of the train are
coupled by means of peculiar couplings herein-after described, which admit of
the free play or motion of the carriages in a longitudinal or lateral as well
as vertical direction without interfering with the coupling of the several
spindles or impeding their rotation when requisite. An ordinary forked belt
shifter is carried by the tender for the purpose of shifting the belt from the
loose to the fast pulley, when the breaks are to be applied and vice versa,
when they are to be taken off the latter operation being effected by means of
a bevel wheel keyed on the break actuating shaft, and rotated by a pinion on a
vertical shaft actuated by the hand of the engine driver or stoker.
The peculiar coupling above referred to, and which is equally applicable
as a coupling for shafting of all kinds of machinery, consists of a socket
which I prefer to make of a rectangular section, but which may be either
polygonal or oval, and of two correspondingly shaped bosses, which are
keyed on to the contiguous or adjoining ends of the break spindles or other
shafts to be coupled. These bosses fit easily the interior of the socket, so
as to be free to slide or play therein in a longitudinal direction. They
are also made to taper at their edges so as to present. the appearance of
a frustum of a cone in longitudinal section, whereby. facility is afforded. for
their angular adjustment inside the socket to allow of the break spindles on the
carriages rocking or playing in a vertical or lateral direction, according to the
motion of each individual carriage of the train. Keys or cottars are inserted
transversely through the sockets to prevent the bosses from being drawn out
at the ends. The break blocks operate by preference upon. the rail direct, and
are flanged similar to the wheel tyres to prevent the carriages leaving the rails
when the weight is borne by the break blocks. If desired the break blocks
may, however be made to operate upon the wheels themselves.
The break blocks are applied either by means of vertical screw spindles or
racks actuated by gear from the longitudinal coupled shafts above described,
or by knee joint levers worked by screw threads and travelling nuts on the
same shafts, or they may be attached directly to long levers centred on brackets
at each end of the carriage framing and near to the rail surface, such levers

page_text: being raised or lowered at their free ends by a travelling nut on a vertical
screw spindle or by a rack and pinion driven from the longitudinal break
shafts by gearing. In lieu of having a pair of fast and loose driving pulleys
on one of the ordinary axles of the tender for working the breaks, a special
axle and pair of running wheels may be employed, capable of being raised or
lowered from or on to the rails according as the breaks are to be taken off or
applied. This axle or shaft may be raised or lowered by a screw spindle and
nut or other mechanical equivalent, and is provided with a driving pulley and
strap for working the break mechanism.
A sand box may be adapted to the guide of each break, whereby when the
rails are wet or "greasy," sand, cinders, or other frictional agent may be
applied to the rails for the purpose of increasing the friction of the break
blocks thereon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her 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 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
AS SHAFT COUPLINGS," a communication to me from abroad by Victor
Amédee Gellée, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition'
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should'
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: 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 performed, 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 :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
self-acting railway break mechanism, whereby the whole of the carriages of of
a train may be breaked simultaneously (and is also partly applicable to the
coupling of driving or other revolving shafts or spindles of machinery wherein
such appliances are found requisite.
In constructing and applying self-acting continuous railway breaks according
to one mode of carrying out this Invention, it is proposed to apply fast and
loose driving pullies to one of the axles of the tender, and to transmit a
rotatory notion from the fast pulley by means of a driving strap or chain
and pulley to a special shaft, which I term, for the sake of distinction, the
break-actuating shaft. This shaft is fitted in bearings in a convenient part of
the tender, and is provided at each extremity with a bevel wheel gearing into
a corresponding bevel wheel fast on a longitudinal spindle carried in bearings
on each side of the framing. Each carriage of the train is provided with a
similar pair of longitudinal spindles, and the several spindles throughout the
length of the train are coupled by means of peculiar 'couplings herein-after
described, which admit of the free play or motion of the carriages in a longi
tudinal and lateral as well as vertical direction without interfering with the
coupling of the several spindles, or impeding their rotation when requisite.
An ordinary forked belt shifter or other contrivance is carried by the tender
for the purpose of shifting the belt from the loose to the fast pulley when the
breaks are to be applied, and vice versa when they are to be taken off, the
latter operation being effected by means of a bevel wheel keyed on the break!
actuating shaft, and rotated by a pinion on a vertical shaft actuated by the
hand of the engine driver or stoker.
The peculiar coupling above referred to, and which is equally applicable as
a coupling for shafting of all kinds of machinery consists of a socket which I
prefer to make of a rectangular section, but which may be either polygonal or
oval, and of two correspondingly shaped bosses, which are keyed on to the
contiguous or adjoining ends of the break spindles or other shafts to be
coupled. These bosses fit easily into the interior of the socket so as to be free
t

page_text: to slide or play therein in a longitudinal direction; they are also bevelled or
made to taper, or are rounded at their edges, whereby facility is afforded for
their angular adjustment inside the socket to allow of the break spindles on the
carriages rocking or playing in a vertical or lateral direction, according to the
motion of each individual carriage of the train. Keys or cottars are inserted
transversely through the sockets to prevent the bosses from being drawn out at
the ends. The break blocks may be made to operate upon the rail direct, and
are flanged similar to the wheel tyres to prevent the carriages leaving the
rails when the weight is borne by the break blocks; or the break blocks may
be made to operate upon the wheels themselves. The break blocks may be
applied either by means of vertical screw spindles or racks actuated by gear
from the longitudinal coupled shafts above described, or by knee-joint levers
worked by screw threads and travelling nuts on the same shafts; or they may
be attached directly to long levers centred on brackets at each end of the
carriage framing and near to the rail surface, such levers being raised or
lowered at their free ends by a travelling nut on a vertical screw spindle, or
by a rack and pinion driven from the longitudinal break shafts by gearing, or
they may be applied by chains or otherwise. In lieu of having fast and loose
driving pulleys on one of the ordinary axles of the tender for working the
breaks a special axle and pair of running wheels may be employed capable of
being raised or lowered from or on to the rails according as the breaks are to
be taken off or applied. This axle or shaft may be raised or lowered by a
screw spindle and nut, or other mechanical equivalent, and is provided with
driving pulley and strap for working the break mechanism. A sand box may,
be adapted to the guide of each break, whereby when the rails are wet or
greasy "sand, cinders, or other frictional agent may be employed to the rails
for the purpose of increasing the friction of the break blocks thereon.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now,
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall
refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
:
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represent respectively
an elevation and plan of two modifications of mechanism for actuating railway
breaks as applied to a tender, although the same may be equally well, applied
to any of the rolling stock. I shall proceed to describe each of these arrange
ments separately; in the first the mechanism derives its movement from one
of the axles of the tender, whilst in the second the movement is obtained from
the circumference of the wheel tyres by the aid of friction pulleys.

page_text: gears
In the first arrangement a pulley p is keyed on to the axle e, which
transmits the rotatory motion of this axle to the pulley p¹ keyed on to an
intermediate shaft a carried by two arms or brackets 6 suspended from the
shaft
C, which rotates in supports attached to the framing of the tender. On
each side of the pulley p are mounted loose in the brackets & the two flanged
pullies, a¹, of the same diameters as the pulley p. The brackets 6' which
are formed with an oblong opening therein embracing the axle e are suspended
from the main framing and are tied to the brackets 6 by the rods f, so
as to form a species of parallelogram. The brackets 6 and 6' are adjusted
'by means of a screw spindle v which works in the nut v¹ connected in any
convenient manner with the bracket b, Figure 1; this screw which turns in
two fixed supports, but which cannot move longitudinally, carries a pinion g,
which with a wheel or sector G provided with handles m, m. As the
pullies a,, and p are on the same axial line, the driving strap X takes its
movement directly from the pulley p, and transmits it to the pulley p¹, the
axis of which carries a pinion gearing with the wheel; of the shaft C, as
shewn in red lines. At each extremity of this shaft are mounted the bevel
pinions y, which by the aid of corresponding pinions y³ impart motion to the
longitudinal shafts Y and Y¹ disposed on each side of the main framing of the
tender and carriages. When by the aid of the sector G a rotatory motion is
imparted to the screw spindle v in the proper direction, the brackets 6 and b¹
will be pushed back slightly so as to bring the loose pullies x, x³, out of the
line of the pulley p which turns with the axle. The driving strap will then be
out of contact with the pulley p, and will cease to transmit any movement
(this condition is sbewn in red lines in Figure 2). The hand wheel N, the
bevel pinion n, and the corresponding wheel n³, are intended for the purpose
of actuating directly the shafts Y and Y₁ by hand, in order to apply or take
off the breaks.
In the second arrangement of actuating mechanism the arms b' and rods f
àre dispensed with; at each end of the shaft à there is fitted a pulley R
(which in the Drawing is in front of the pulley p¹) in the same plane as the
wheel tires, so that if by means of the screw spindle above referred to the
ȧrms 6 are moved in the proper direction the circumference of the pulley R
will be brought into contact with the peripheries of the wheel tyres, and by
reason of the greater or less friction they will receive a rotatory motion,
which they transmit by the pinion i and wheel ; to the shaft c, as in the
preceding arrangement. Should it be found that the width of the tyres is not.
sufficient to transmit by frictional contact the requisite force to the pulleys R
to overcome the resistance of the break mechanism, a pulley of the required

page_text: width may be keyed on to the middle of the front axle, in which case there
need only be a single friction pulley R. Each of the extremities of the longi;
tudinal shafts Y, Y¹, carries a rectangular piece m, which enters the coupling
box M, as shown in the detail Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a side elevation of
this coupling box, and Figure 4 is a corresponding end view of the same.
This coupling box consists of a rectangular socket M, of a length sufficient to
enable the pieces m fixed on the shafts Y, Y', to play longitudinally therein,
say from to z in concert with the buffers. The edges of the pieces m are
rounded, so as to admit of vertical, horizontal, or intermediate movement
within determined limits. The keys h serve to retain the pieces m within the
boxes; as these latter are made very strong they impart to the whole of the
shafts Y of the carriages the rigidity of a continuous shaft, and enable the
train to be stopped almost instantaneously. In order to prevent the intro-
duction of dust into the coupling boxes it is proposed to close their extremities
by a piece of felt or other suitable material.
Figure 5 represents the application of skids P which descend upon the rails
as soon as the shafts Y, Y¹ are put in motion; this is accomplished by the
intervention of a pair of bevel wheels o, the one fixed on the shaft Y, the other
on a screw t which terminates in the skid, and which is guided in its motion
by the support S. The shafts Y are coupled by the boxes M, shewn in
Figures 3 and 4. In the example shewn in Figure 6 the shafts Y are secured
at y, so as to actuate a nut u, in order to operate upon the levers q to lower
the skids upon the rails; this Figure shews also an arrangement whereby the
power may be obtained for making the break mechanism by frictional contact
with the rails themselves; for this purpose a supplementary axle I is fitted
in guard irons J and is capable of being raised or lowered by means of the
hand wheel O. The axle I carries two pulleys R which, when lowered, are
brought in contact with the rails and transmit the motion they receive to the
shaft c by means of an endless chain X. When it is desired to apply the
breaks it is simply requisite to lower the axle I, so as to bring the pulleys R
in contact with the rails; the motion ceases so soon as this shaft is elevated
again. The hand wheel V serves to apply or take off the skids by hand
without having recourse to the friction pulleys.
..
Figure 7 represents an arrangement which admits of the employment of
levers L for applying the skids P fixed thereto progressively; these levers work
on fulcra at l, and are connected at their free ends l' with a nut u which
traverses the vertical screw spindle t, actuated in the same manner as that
shewn in Figure 5.

page_text: Figure 8 is a slight modification of the above-described arrangement. The
chain Q connected to the end of the lever L is wound either directly upon
the shaft Y or upon a small drum or pulley fitted thereon.
1
Figure 9 shews the application of breaks composed of metallic straps T
which embrace' a portion of the circumference of the wheels; these straps are
fixed at one of their extremities, whilst their opposite extremities are con-
nected to the levers L working on fixed centres at and having a chain Q
attached to one of their ends, which is wound upon the shaft Y.
Figure 10 is a modification of the last described arrangement. The metal
break straps T are connected by a cord or chain Q with a pulley R carried
by an arm provided with a nut u which. travels along the screwed portion y
of the shaft Y, when, by the rotation of the shaft the pulley R is caused to
advance so as to bring it in contact with the periphery of the wheel, where-
upon it is caused to rotate and wind up the cord or chain Q, and thereby
draw down the break straps upon the circumference of the wheels.
* Figure 11 is a third modification which admits of the use of. the levers-L,
the metal break straps T, and the friction pulleys. R. In Figure 12, the
pulleys R on being brought towards the wheels by the rotation of the shafts Y
grip between them and the wheels, a vertical blade or strong lever p which
terminates at its lower end in the skid break P, whilst its upper end is con-
nected to a beam or lever L oscillating on the fixed centre 1. By the action
of the pressure produced by the pulley R the lever p descends and forces the
skid down upon the rail, whilst at the same time the skid of a corresponding
lever is elevated. When the pulley R is withdrawn, the skid which is elevated
tends to descend and elevates the skid which has just been in action. This
arrangement of double skids for each wheel enables the breaks to operate in
whatever direction the carriage may be placed. Figure 13 shows break
blocks P, arranged in a somewhat similar manner to those in ordinary use,
the shaft Y on rotating winds up more or less of the chain Q, and elevates the-
levers L, which thereby apply the break blocks P.
Figure 14, is an arrangement in which the break blocks P are connected
in pairs by a connecting bar p; each block is provided with a nut u, which
traverses the screwed portion y of the shaft Y, so that when the latter rotates
it will actuate both breaks at the same time and apply the breaks simultaneously
to all the four wheels.
Figure 15 shews a detail horizontal section along the line 1, 2, in Figure 14,
of one of these- breaks which are peculiarly constructed. They are made in
two parts, one of which carries the nut u, whilst the other is connected by.

page_text: the aid of the screw x. By this arrangement the block may be set up or
adjusted as fast as it wears away. The skids P are also provided with means
for compensating for wear.
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 affect, I would observe in conclusion that 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 and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for applying or actuating railway breaks, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second, the obtainment of the power for applying self-acting railway breaks
to the whole of the carriages in a train from one of the axles of the tender,
or from one of the carriages, by the aid of fast and loose pulleys thereon, and
a driving belt giving motion to a series of longitudinal shafts coupled together
and operating substantially in the manner herein-before described.
Third, the employment of adjustable friction wheels or pulleys, acting
either upon the rails, or upon one or more of the running wheels of the train
for actuating the longitudinal coupled shafts and applying the breaks,
substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of coupling box and the
mode of applying the same, as and for the purpose herein-before described
and illustrated by Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings annexed.
Fifth, the combination with railway break blocks or skids of sand boxes,
as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
I HENRY JOHNSON
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
(1.0.)