IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Edward Vaughan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st July 1882. Commu-
nicated to him from abroad by Jean Baptiste Charlier, of Nîmes, in the
Republic of France,
"
GEORGE EDWARD VAUGHAN, of 67, Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BRAKES,"
A communication to me from abroad by Jean Baptiste Charlier, of Nîmes, in the
Republic of France,
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway brakes
especially designed for use in cases of emergency.
In the accompanying drawings, a. (fig. 1.) is a frame formed of two pieces
connected by the bolts 4. 4. and mounted under the locomotive; when these two
pieces are thus connected, they take the form represented in fig. 2., and consequently
the parts z. (figures 1. and 3.) take the perpendicular position at each angle 8. 8.
of fig. 2..
c. c. are oblong slots through which pass the axle ends of the locomotives or
carriages. 1. 1. are the caps of the same secured in position by the bolts 6. 6..
The slots c. c. are so formed as to allow the screw i. to raise the bar b. and bring
down the frame a., thus causing the skid shoes z. to come in contact with the rails.
The bar b. is connected with the axles by bolts 5. 5. passing through the caps n. n. ;
the axle ends work in the holes d. d..
When in action, the shoes z. are brought down upon the rails and raise therefrom
the locomotive and carriages, the action being first exerted on the carriage furthest
removed from the locomotive, thus checking the motion of the train within a short
distance without injurious shock.
The screw i. is actuated by the worm e. (figures 1. and 4) which is adapted to the
driving axle of the locomotive and gears with the wheel f..-h. is a threaded collar
through which works the screw 2., and which is mounted free in the frame a..―
r. is a wedge which is forced downwards by the screw u. (worked by the hand
gear y.) into the space s., as shewn in figures 1. and 5., displacing to right and left
the bars t. t. and forcing the tenon g. into the mortice ., thus locking the collar h.,
when the brake is in action.

page_text: On the stoppage of the engine, the driver has only to reverse the motion, and
the driving axle, revolving in the opposite direction, causes the frame a. to rise
and the bar b. to descend, thereby replacing the engine in its former position.
The screw ., being provided with four threads, revolves by the weight of the
carriages or trucks composing the train which thus return to their normal position
on the rails. This done, the driver raises the wedger. by means of the screw u.,
whereby the tenons are freed from the mortices l. and also from their hold on the
collar h., thus allowing the latter to revolve with the screw and stop the action of
the brake.
All the carriages should be provided with the same apparatus as the locomotive:
two rods t. are therefore shown in the drawings, as each carriage is provided with
one. Each rod is connected to the following one by means of a socket v. fitted with
a spiral spring, which socket has sufficient interior play to allow free motion to the
rod when the train passes a curve. This spring resists the pressure of the wedge r.,
but not that of the buffer. The rods t. are supported by suitable bearings 2. (as in
fig. 7.) fitted to the frame a..
m. is the recess for the moveable collar h..
The shank p. of the screw i. is turned to the depth of the thread to limit the
upward movement.
o. is a nut connecting the screw ȧ. with the bar b..
j. is a socket made in two pieces and adjusted by four bolts to the driving axle.
On this socket slides the worm e. also made in two pieces and secured by four
bolts. The sliding movement of the worm is effected without rotation of the
socket, such rotation being checked by three equal segments, as seen in fig. 6..
F. F. are guide pieces for the skid shoes.
x. is a bearing piece by which the screw u. is mounted on the tender.
The form, dimensions and general details of construction of the apparatus may be
varied according to circumstances.