Improvements in Brakes for Tramcars.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Tramcars.
We, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 13 Temple Street, in the City of
Birmingham, Civil Engineer, and JAMES MORE, Junior, of 49 Orlando Road,
Clapham, London, S.W., Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manner in which we construct and arrange brakes for
attachment to cars, bogies and other vehicles for running upon tramways
particularly where cable power is employed, whereby we are enabled to more
effectively control and arrest the motion of the car upon steep gradients than is at
present possible with the ordinary brakes employed for such purposes.
In carrying our invention into effect when applying our brake to cars for service
upon a cable tramway we place a gripping or pressure block beneath the level of
the road between the slot rails, and we cause this low position rail block or wedge
to be brought into contact with the surfaces of the slot rails when it is desired to
check or arrest the motion of the car.
We mount our rail brake block, or blocks, on suitable brackets, hangers or plates
suspended from, or secured to, the underframes of the cars or their bogies, in such
a manner that the suspending plate or bracket can pass through the slot of the
tram line, and be free to follow round the curves of the line without causing
uncontrolled obstruction to the progress of the car.
We raise this brake block or wedge to press against the slot rail flanges or other
convenient portions of the rails, by means of levers and links carried from the car
platforms; and we preferably actuate the levers by foot power when other types of
brakes are employed upon the same car, or vehicle, so that there may be no risk of
mistake in its application for emergencies.
Instead of operating our improved brake by links and levers, we sometimes
employ a worm and wheels or other well known mechanical contrivance and some-
times also we set the brake in action by means of a barrel and chain or wire having
one end secured to the barrel, and the other end secured to a lever or toggle, for
raising the brake block.
We give motion to the barrel by a hand wheel in any ordinary manner applied
direct to the barrel spindle or through intermediate gearing. Or when working
the brake by foot power, we cause the foot lever to rotate or move the barrel in one
convenient manner, by means of a pawl or pawls, working into ratchet wheel teeth.
We prefer to make our brake block to rise and fall by the motion of the levers
or chains, controlled from the platform on each end of the car, working on to one
common weigh shaft; although we do not limit the application of our invention to
any system of mounting the brake block. Thus when arranging brakes which can
be put on to the rails from each end of the car separately, that is by the driver
alone, we prefer to make the block in the form of a pivotted slipper or rocker, the
ends of which can be lifted so as to cause one or the other of the outer surfaces to
be pressed against the rails, when either of the connecting levers or system of
chains and levers is operated by the driver.
When however we desire to apply our brake from both ends of the car or vehicle
simultaneously if so required, we arrange the end gear and levers in such a manner
that the block or blocks can be lifted from the centre or from both ends of the
block or we provide separate blocks in connection with each end of the car.
:
We sometimes construct our brake block with its lower surface formed to receive
a wedge or inclined plane lever bar which we cause to slide along the block when
it is desired to raise it to press against the rails. The inclined bar or wedge we

page_text: operate by chains or levers worked from the car platforms as herein before described,
when the block is raised direct. We prefer to form our blocks with bearing or
removable shoes which when being worn out leave the frame of the block ready for
the reception of another or new shoe without the necessity of an entire renewal of
the whole of the frame and block.
When employing chains and wire cords to actuate our rail brake block we
arrange guide and bearing rollers beneath the car underframe and bogie, so that a
direct pull may be conveyed to the blocks from the platform levers or handles.
We apply our improved system of pressing against the slot rails to tramways
having any form of sunk rails, either for receiving a wire cable or electrical con-
ductor, and we modify the form of our brake blocks and attachments to suit any
particular section of rail or any form or type of vehicle to which it may be applied.
Dated this 25th day of October 1892.
MARKS & CLERK,
5, Furnival's Inn, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Tramcars.
We, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 13 Temple Street, in the City of
Birmingham, Civil Engineer, and JAMES MORE Junior, of 49 Orlando Road,
Clapham, London, S.W., Civil Engineer, 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 the manner in which we construct and arrange brakes
for attachment to cars, bogies, and other vehicles for running upon tramways
particularly where cable power is employed, whereby we are enable to more
effectively control and arrest the motion of the car upon steep gradients, than is at
present possible with the ordinary brakes employed for such purposes.
In order that our invention, and the method of carrying the same into effect may
be the more .clearly understood we append hereunto three sheets of explanatory.
drawings to be hereinafter referred to.
Sheet 1 represents one application of our improved brake.
In Figure 1 A represents in side elevation a portion of the body of a car, having
a bogie carriage at each end, such as B, arranged for service upon a cable tramway.
Figure 2 represents a part plan of the bogie, whilst Figures 3 and 4 give enlarged
details of the brake.
Beneath the level of the road O and between the slot rail P P we place a
gripping or pressure block C (Figures 1, 3 and 4) connected by the link D
(Figures 1, 2 and 4) with the hanging bracket E of the bogie, and by the link F
with the lever G. This lever G is elevated by means of the chain attached to
the vertical barrel or spindle H, which is operated by the hand wheel and gearing
as shown at H (Figure 1).
The arrow Jindicates the direction in which the car travels when descending an
incline. When the car is to be arrested, the driver turns the hand wheel H and
thus elevates the operating lever G which pulls the block C hard against the. slot
rails PP; the friction between the brake block and slot rails speedily brings the
car to rest. The brake is released by turning the hand wheel in the reverse
direction, thus releasing the lever G and allowing the brake block C to fall away
from the slot rails. We sometimes weight the lever G to assist in the more speedy
release of the block C or employ a spring for a like purpose.
We arrange a similar brake on each end bogie carriage and make the operating
mechanism of each to be independent of the other, or we arrange connecting links
or chains in order that both brakes may be operated simultaneously from either or
both ends of the car.
Sheets 2 and 3 represent another method of application of our improved brake.

page_text: On Sheet 2 Figure 5 represents a part elevation, and Figure 6 an outline plan
of a cable tramway car, showing the general arrangement of the brake and the
method of operating the same, whilst Figures 7 and 8 Sheet 3 give details of
the brake block and its connections.
The two brake blocks C and C₁ (Figures 7 and 8) are arranged the one below
and the other above the surface of the ground, C being brought to bear upon
the lower portion of the two slot rails, when required to arrest the car, and C
upon the upper surfaces of the same. The lower block C is connected by the
link F with a crank piece or cam K (Figures 7 and 8) made in one with or
rigidly secured to a pin L (Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8). The upper block C' is
connected to K by the links F F. Both blocks are further attached to the
bogie carriage by the links DD. The blocks are brought to bear against the
slot rails by the turning of either or both hand wheels H H shown on the car
(Figures 5 and 6) such movement, being transmitted through the spur gearing
and thence by medium of the chains m m', lever M and rods N N₁ (Figure 6),
gives a slight turning movement to the pin L and thus depresses the block Ci
and elevates the block C. The descending car travels in the direction indicated
by the arrow J (Figure 5). The friction caused by the pressure of the blocks
upon the slot rails, speedily brings the car to rest.
Instead of working the double block on each bogie simultaneously by the
revolution of either or both hand wheels we sometimes arrange them independently,
as with the single block illustrated on Sheet 1 and as hereinbefore described.
To prevent the hand wheel accidentally running round in the direction for
releasing, when the brake is hard on, we fix a ratchet and pawl or other suitable
catch or stop upon the hand wheel or gearing shaft, and so arranged that the catch
may be released when required, preferably by the foot of the driver.
We do not limit the application of our invention to any particular form of car,
cable tramway, or other track, nor to any particular section of slot rails or sub
channel, as such matters form no part of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The construction and arrangement of brakes for arresting cars upon a cable
tramway, in which power is transmitted from a band wheel or lever from one end
or both ends of the car, to a lever or levers passing through the slot rail opening,
for the purpose of pressing the brake block or blocks against the surfaces of the
slot rails.
2. The arrangement and combination of a car brake block working below and in
a sub-channel, with operating mechanism controlled from one or both ends or plat-
forms of a car, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The arrangement and combination of a brake block such as C with connecting
links such as D and F and operating lever such as G, as hereinbefore described and
as illustrated in Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of August 1893.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.