IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING BREAKS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Beckett, of Llandudno, in the County
of Caernarvon, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING
BREAKS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 28th January 1870, and dated the 31st July 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said James Beckett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition and
Declaration, on the 31st July 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that I, JAMES BECKETT, of Llandudno, in the County of
Caernarvon, having invented certain new and useful "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SELF-ACTING BREAKS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES," do hereby declare the fol
lowing to be a full and complete description of this my said Invention,
and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
the letters and figures marked thereon.

page_text: This my sard Invention has for its object an unproved, simple, and
efficatious system of self-acting breaks applicable to all descriptions of
railway carriages.
To apply this my Invention to, say, an ordinary railway carriage the
hooks on the outer end of the draw bars and the draw springs are of the
usual description (which latter may be spiral or of any other ordinary
form), but the inner ends of the draw bars, which extend nearly to the
centre of the carriage when the draw or tension is not on the draw bars,
I construct to receive and carry an antifriction roller or wheel, which
when the apparatus is in the act of being thrown out of gear travels
upon a double camb placed between the front and back draw bars of the
carriage, and with a notch therein or ratchet tooth formed thereon at a
point slightly in front of the frame of the carriage (when drawn out by
the power required to move the vehicle) when applied to the draw hook
on the front or back of the carriage, as the case may be, and each draw
bar is provided with a lateral stud springing at right angles therefrom,
or with the requisite projections fashioned to joint a link rod thereto, as
will be hercin-after described. On the front and back of the carriage
frame there is mounted in suitable fixed bearings (which by preference
I place on the right hand side of the draw bar) a short horizontal
transverse axle, one end of which I form with a pawl and the other
with a curved lever or arm projecting at right angles therefrom, and
sufficiently forward that when the buffers of the preceding or following
carriage are brought in contact and depressed the under side of the curve
lever comes in contact with and slides across a transverse bar or ledge
fitted to the back of the preceding or front of the following carriage for
that purpose, by which arrangement the lever is elevated and the pawl
released from the notch or pawl tooth on the. draw rod, thus allowing
the draw bar to recede by the action of the draw springs. I mount
two transverse rocking shafts in suitable bearings on the frame of the
carriage within and parallel to the axles of the running wheels. The
outer ends of these shafts I fit with arms for carrying the break blocks,
and are each constructed with a rigid lever arm springing at right angles
therefrom, the outer ends of which levers extend some distance beyond
the camb on the under side of the centre of the carriage body; their
outer ends are cranked or curved inwards so as to be brought towards
the draw bar on the opposite side.. The draw bars I fit on one side with

page_text: a stud piece, on which is mounted an antifriction roller taking into
slots formed in the end of the break levers of an oblique, O G, or other
suitable shape, so that when the draw bars are forced inwards by the
power of the draw springs, the stud pressing against the lower inclined
side of the slot, causing the lever to be depressed and held firmly down,
thus applying the expending power of the draw springs to the breaks
until the draw bar is again drawn out, when the stud acting against the
upper inclined side of the stop elevates the lever, causing the rocking
shaft to turn on its axis the required distance to withdraw the break
blocks clear of the pair of running wheels to which they are connected.
By the foregoing arrangement it will be seen that the breaks on the
hinder pair of wheels are actuated through the front and the fore pair
by the hinder draw bars. Underneath the carriage floor, immediately
above and in line with the draw bars, is mounted a rotating shaft, which
extends through both ends of the carriage frame a given distance, and
is provided in the centre of its length with a worm screw, which takes
into and actuates a worm wheel. The said worm wheel shaft is made'
with a stirrup joint, or four or six joints, to give it a universal motion,
having a double camb on the side thereof. This camb and worm wheel
is mounted on suitable bearings attached to the under side of the
carriage, so that the camb works between and against the antifriction
wheels on the inner ends of the draw bars, that by turning round the
worm shaft the draw bars may be forced outwards and sufficiently apart
to clevate the break levers and withdraw the breaks from the running
wheels when desired. The worm shafts of the several carriages forming
the train are connected together by means of a peculiar description of
expanding coupling, and are actuated by hand from the guard's van or
other carriage of the train through wheel or worm or other suitable gear
fitted for that purpose. The worm shafts of cach carriage I prefer to
form square at the outer ends to receive a square tube, which is free to
slide backwards and forwards thercon. To the outer end of these tubes
is rigidly attached a small disc, having a guide pin springing at a right
angle from one side of its outer flat face, and is fitted to a spring lever
latch catch, the spring acting like that of a common clasp knife. The
guide pin takes into a hole in a corresponding disc on the outer end of
the square tube of the next carriage, which is fitted every way in a like
manner, and when locked they are prevented turning except together.

page_text: By this arrangement it will be seen, although the carriages may separate
for a given distance, the worm shafts are still in connection, and will
revolve together on their longitudinal axis when acted upon for that
purpose,
By the foregoing arrangement it will be readily seen that the whole
of the expansive power of the draw springs are exerted on the breaks
when the draw bars recede beneath the carriage, and effectually retard
and stop the running wheels, which are at all tinies locked when the
carriage is at rest, but are immediately released on the draught requisite
to move the carriage being applied to the draw hook; or in case of
requiring to shunt by turning the worm shafts with their expanding and
contracting couplings all the breaks are thrown out of action. The
object of the pawl for preventing the draw bars returning beneath the
carriage when the tension is on the draw bar is to prevent the break gear
being brought into play by the oscillation of the train, but should the
carriages be brought together by the contraction of the train to a certain
extent by undue oscillation or otherwise, the curved lever will be acted
upon and the pawl released from the notch or pawl teeth of the several
draw bars, when the breaks are immediately in action, and on further
compression, caused by design or accident, the train immediately checked
or retarded, or brought to a standstill, the whole system of breaks are
instantly thrown into action on the carriages being pressed towards each
other; the curve levers being thereby acted upon release the pawls from
the notches or pawl teeth on the several draw bars, thus relieving the
draw springs, which immediately fly out and act on the break gear,
should it not have been thrown out of action by the camb motions
described. Although I prefer to use the draw bars in their present
places as the proper means of putting on and taking off the break, i.e.,
when the tension is on the coupling chains, the break is taken off, and
by the slackening or breaking of said chains the breaks are applied and
carriages arrested, my Invention covers all means of tension to take
off the breaks, and all means of contraction to put the breaks on,
whether by draw bar or applied between draw bar and buffer, or sides
of under carriages, by similar means herein.before described.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and
understood, I have hereunto annexed Drawings in partial illustration
of so much of one modification of my improved system of railway

page_text: carriage breaks as will exibit the mode of carrying. the same into
effect, like letters and figures marked thereon being used to indicate
like parts.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of an ordinary railway
truck having one modification of my improved self-acting break applied
thereto, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of a pair of my improved
coupling plates seen with the sleeve pieces broken off and one of the
spring latch catches open and the other locked or closed on its sister
plate, and Figure 3 is a front view of one of the sister coupling plates;
Figure 4 is a partial side elevation of one of the running wheels with
break block arm and adjusting screw for regulating the distance between
the break block and the tread of the wheel.
.
A is the body of the truck; B, the running wheels; C, draw bar,
fitted with Co, spiral draw spring; C₁, draw bar fitted with c' an cliptical
draw spring; d and d' (seen in dotted line) are short transverse stud
pins springing from the side of the draw bars, and which take into slots
formed in the curved ends of E and E', break levers, which are rigidly
attached to F and F, transverse rocking shafts, the outer ends of which
carry G, the break arms, to which are fitted the break blocks; H, a semi-
tooth wheel working on fixed bearings, and constructed on one side with
a double camb, so that when it is turned one quarter round the cambs
force out the draw bars by acting upon J and J', antifriction rollers on
the inner ends of the draw bars; K is a jointed revolving shaft, con-
structed with L, a worm gearing into the teeth of the camb wheel (H);
M, square ends of the worm shaft, which are encompassed by N, a
sleeve picce carrying P, a coupling disc, which is formed with Q, a
spring latch catch and R, a guide pin, which takes into S, a hole in the
sister coupling plate; T, regulating screw pin for adjusting the break
blocks,
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my
said Invention, and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise relative proportions detailed, described, and
set forth and illustrated, as it will be readily seen by those acquainted
with the art that the same may be considerably varied without departing
from the Invention; but what I claim is, the improved system of self-
acting breaks for railway carriages constructed and operated substan-

page_text: tially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Beckett, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
W*. WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JAMES (L.s.) BECKETT.