Improvements in Skid-brakes for Railway Rolling Stock.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th June, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Skid-brakes for Railway Rolling Stock.
I, RUDOLPH WEBER, of Chemnitz, Saxony Germany, Engine Inspector of the
Saxon State Railways, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of skid-brakes, that is to say,
brake shoes that are applied both to the wheels and to the surface of the rails of
railways, for stopping the vehicles at any desired point.
Such improved constructions present, when compared to similar brakes made of
one piece as heretofore employed, the advantage, that no matter what may be the
diameter of the wheels, the vehicle can, without shock and without rebounding,
engage with the brake shoe, and that all its main parts, which are connected
together by hinge joints, can expand longitudinally under the action of heat, so that
the parts are no longer subject to become broken nor to rise off the rails, as is the
case when the brake shoes are rigid and of one piece.
I will describe the said improved skid brakes with reference to the accompanying
drawing which shews four different modifications thereof.
Figs. 11 1 shew a construction of brake shoe with guide cheeks on each side
of the rail; it consists, firstly, of a tongue piece a provided on each side with two
fixed guide cheeks d and with either only one or with two hinge-loops and h¹;
secondly, an elastic piece on which bears the wheel of the vehicle; at each end,
or only at the upper end, this is provided with hinges, and it is there increased in
strength where the wheel abuts; thirdly, two links c c provided with hinge-loops,
connect the upper end of 6 with a.
By means of the pivot pins g the three, or the two above named parts are
connected together to form the brake shoe.
In some constructions of railways the outer fish plates are cranked at the upper
side, so as to rise up to near the top of the head of the rail; in such cases it is not
possible to provide fixed guide cheeks on the outer side of the brake shoe, as such
cheeks would come in contact with the fish plates, resulting in the throwing the
vehicle off the line. For such cases I employ a second form of brake shoe in
which one of the guide cheeks is made moveable, so that when it comes in contact
with the fish plates it can yield laterally so as to allow the brake shoe to pass over
the fish joint.
This arrangement is shewn at Figs. 2A 2B and in a modified form at Figs. 3A 3B.
In the arrangement shewn in elevation and plan at Figs. 2A, 2B, the moveable
guide cheek e rises when it bears against the fish plate, in turning upon the pivot g,
while the part e', which is curved at its rear end and is cranked outward to the
extent of the thickness of the fish plate, passes down in front of the latter and thus
effects the guiding of the brake shoe while this is passing over the fish joint. The
moveable guide cheek can also slide laterally outwards upon the pivot g, being
pressed inwards against the rail by a helical spring.
In the construction shewn in elevation and plan at Figs. 34 and 3B the moveable
guide cheek e does not turn upon the pivot g but can slide outwards upon two
pins gg, on the outer ends of which are helical springs that press the cheek
against the shoe or against the head of the rail.
At the rear end the cheek is curved slightly outward, and the holes i through
which the bolts 93 g pass are slightly slotted, so as to allow the cheek to
assume the more or less slanting position when it comes in contact with the fish
plate.
By connecting together the two opposite brake shoes by means of a transverse

page_text: bar passing through holes k in the parts a the outer guide cheeks, whether fixed or
moveable, can be dispensed with, and the brake shoes be provided with guide
cheeks only on the inner sides of the rails, as shewn in end view, side view and
plan at Figs. 1 18 and 1°. The transverse connecting bar is formed with loop at
the middle, as shewn, so as to afford spring action, thus allowing the brake shoes to
adjust themselves to the variations in the gauge of the rails and to assume at the
curves a position corresponding to the radius.
Dated this 17th day of February 1002
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Skid-brakes for Railway Rolling Stock.
I, RUDOLPH WEBER, of Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany, Engine Inspector of the
Saxon State Railways, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of skid-brakes, that is to say,
brake shoes that are applied both to the wheels and to the surface of the rails of
railways, for stopping the vehicles at at any desired point.
Such improved constructions present, when compared to similar brakes made of
one piece as heretofore employed, the advantage that no matter what may be the
diameter of the wheels, the vehicle can, without shock and without rebounding,
engage with the brake shoe, and that all its main parts, which are connected
together by hinge-joints, can expand longitudinally under the action of heat, so
that the parts are no longer subject to become broken nor to rise off the rails, as is
the case when the brake shoes are rigid and of one piece.
I will describe the said improved skid brakes with reference to the drawings
accompanying my Provisional Specification, and to the accompanying drawing
which shew different modifications thereof.
Figures 11 1 shew a construction of brake shoe with guide cheeks on each
side of the rail; it consists, firstly, of a tongue piece a provided on each side with
two fixed guide cheeks d and with either only one or with two hinge-loops / and /';
secondly an elastic piece on which bears the wheel of the vehicle; at each end,
or only at the upper end this is provided with hinges, and it is there increased in
strength where the wheel abuts; thirdly, two links cc' provided with hinge-loops,
connect the upper end of b with a.
By means of the pivot-pins g the three or the two above named parts are
connected together to form the brake shoe.
In some constructions of railways the outer fish plates are cranked at the upper
side, so as to rise up to near the top of the head of the rail; in such cases it is not
possible to provide fixed guide cheeks on the outer side of the brake shoe, as such
cheeks would come in contact with the fish plates, resulting in the throwing the
vehicle off the line.
For such cases I employ a second form of brake shoe in which one of the guide
cheeks is made moveable, so that when it comes in contact with the fish plates
it can yield laterally so as to allow the brake shoe to pass over the fish joint.
This arrangement is shewn at Figs. 2A 2B and in a modified form at Figs. 3A 3B.
In the arrangement shewn in elevation and plan at Figs. 24, 2B, the moveable
guide cheek e rises when it bears against the fish plate, in turning upon the pivot g,
while the part e' which is curved at its rear end and is cranked outward to the
extent of the thickness of the fish plate, passes down in front of the latter and
thus effects the guiding of the brake shoe while this is passing over the fish joint.
The moveable guide cheek can also slide laterally outwards upon the point g, being
pressed inwards against the rail by a helical spring.

page_text: In the construction shewn in elevation and plan at Figs. 34 and 3B the moveable
guide cheeke does not turn upon the pivot g but can slide outwards upon two
pins on the outer ends of which are helical springs that press the cheek
against the shoe or against the head of the rail.
At the rear end the check is curved slightly outward, and the holes i¹ through
which the bolts g g pass are slightly slotted, so as to allow the cheek to assume
the more or less slanting position when it comes in contact with the fish plate.
By connecting together the two opposite brake shoes by means of a transverse
bar passing through holes k in the parts a the outer guide cheeks, whether fixed or
moveable, can be dispensed with, and the brake shoes be provided with guide
cheeks only on the inner sides of the rails, as shewn in end view, side view and
plan at Figs. 1A 1B and 1°. The transverse connecting bar is formed with loop at
the middle, as shewn, so as to afford spring action, thus allowing the brake shoes to
adjust themselves to the variations in the gauge of the rails and to assume at the
curves a position corresponding to the radius.
Figs. 4 to 10 on the accompanying drawing shew another modification of the
skid brake. Fig. 4 shews a side view, Fig. 5 a plan, Figs. 6 and 7 sections on
lines a-b, and c-d. Fig. 8 shews a plan and side view of a modified form of the
part m. Fig. 9 a section at ef, and Fig. 10 an elevation and plan to a small scale,
shewing the connection of both skids.
The skid is composed firstly of a main triangular part of which the lower portion
is made of a section, secondly of a guide ee¹ on each side of the main part;
these guides can turn on a pivot g, and they are provided with catches-kk and
with projecting wings. The moveable double guides allow of the skid being
placed at will either to the right hand or to the left hand on the line of rails; while
under these conditions one of the guides is made to clear the fish plates &c.
effectually in rising, the other guide is limited in its motion by the abutment wing 1,
which abuts against the flange of the wheel, and consequently guides the. brake
skid along the rail. Thirdly, a point m is adapted to the end of the main part,
being either secured by a tongue passing through a hole in the latter and secured
by a rivet as at Figs. 4 and 7, or by forming the tongue dovetail, fitting a
corresponding recess on the surface as at Figs. 8 and 9.
The tongue is in both cases made with spring action, so as to cause the point m
to be pressed closely down upon the rail. This form of point would be less liable
to be pushed to one side than a rigidly fixed point, as sand or dirt is prevented from
getting underneath the closely fitting point.
As already described, the two opposite skids are connected together by a looped
transverse rod as at Fig. 10, which has sufficient spring action to allow for slight
variations in gauge, and for keeping the inner guides always pressed against the
inner side of the rails, while on the curves they cause the skids to assume the radial
position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A skid-brake for railway vehicles consisting of a part 6 having spring action
on which bears the wheel, being jointed by means of two intermediate articulated
pieces cel to the sliding tongue piece a; also the modified construction in which
there is interposed between the parts b and a a third articulated piece gh, substantially
as described.
2. In a skid-brake the use of a guide consisting of a moveable guide cheek e
capable of turning on a pivot and acted upon by a helical spring, while its end is
formed as a circular arc, and is cranked to an extent corresponding with the thick-
ness of the fish plate, substantially as described.
3. In the construction of guide referred to in the preceding claim, forming the
cheek with an outward curvature at one end and having two slotted holes working

page_text: on pivot pins while two helical springs press it against the skid brake, substantially
as described.
4. The construction of skid brake herein described with reference to Figs. 1, 2
and 3 of the drawings.
5. The modified construction of the said skid brake ha described with reference
to Figs. 4 to 10 of the drawings wherein the skid brake is provided with two
lateral moveable guides ee having catches kk' and abutment wings ll, arranged and
operating as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.