Improvements in Brakes and Obstruction Removers for Tramcars.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes and Obstruction Removers for Tramcars.
I, CHRISTOPH LUDWIG SCHRÖDER of 5 Wilhelmstrasse, St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is a brake apparatus for tramways which, by the
aid of a protective device, will prevent persons, who may inadvertently get
in front of a vehicle and be thrown down, from being run over by the wheels of
the vehicle.
In the accompanying drawings which show a tramway vehicle provided with
my improved apparatus:-
Figure 1 is a side view.
Figure 2 is a front view of same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the lever arrangement.
The apparatus is constructed as follows:-The hand lever a sliding within the
guide is firmly keyed on the shaft e secured in bearings d d. upon which it is
free to turn. At the rear part of the shaft c is keyed the lever e having two
arms and connected by the intermediate piece or link with the wooden discs g
which can turn freely on the axis h. To the lever a is forged a short lever i
connected to the protective device or pattern 7 by means of the link k, this device
being held by the springs m m. When the hand lever a. is moved in the
direction indicated by the arrow, the discs are pressed against the wooden
brake discs nn causing the latter to bear with their large surfaces against the
wheels and thus to develop such an amount of friction as to bring the vehicle
to an almost immediate stand still. In order to act at the same time on all the
four wheels at a single motion of the hand lever a the levers ee are connected by
rods s s Figure 3. The brakes may also be operated at each end of the vehicle.
Should the vehicle be worked by electricity a lever is keyed on
rods s. for the purpose of throwing the motor out of gear as soon as the brakes
are applied.
one of the
When the hand lever a is operated in order to apply the brakes the spring
suspended protective device or shoe which is provided with an india rubber
base u is likewise pressed against the pavement between the rails, and the friction
developed thereby adds to or increases the effect of the brakes while preventing any
human body from being run over by the wheels.
For electric tramways, the disconnecting device for the electric motor may be
directly connected with the lever a, so that should there be any danger ahead,
this motor could be likewise thrown out of gear. The same brake apparatus is
set up at the other end of the vehicle, it is however only diagrammatically shown
in Figure 1 of the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A brake apparatus and protective device for tramway vehicles characterized
by the wooden discs yg actuated by the set of levers a. e ff and i k mounted on
the shaft c and which are pressed against the wooden discs or brakes nn coming in

page_text: contact with the wheels in combination with the protective device I provided with an
india rubber base u and likewise actuated by the hand lever a.
2nd. A brake apparatus and protecting device for tramway vehicles propelled by
electricity characterized by the disconnection by the lever of the electric motor at
the same time as the brakes are applied with the aid of the lever a.
3rd. The brake apparatus and protecting device for tramway vehicles characterized
by the connection through the rods ss of the front and rear brake apparatus in
such a manner that by manovering one lever the four discs gggg are pressed
against the wooden brake discs as well as the two protective devices are pressed
upon the ground.
Dated this 29th day of January 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.