Improvements in Brakes for Railway Wagons.
Year: 1897

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 18th day of April 1898.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Railway Wagons.
I, LLEWELLYN WYNN WILLIAMS, Bachelor of Science. Railway Appliances
Works, Cathcart, Renfrewshire Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to railway wagon brakes and provides means whereby
an operator at either side of the wagon can apply or release the brake blocks.
I place on one side of the wagon a hand lever which is rigidly fixed at one end to
a rocking shaft which runs transversely from one side of the wagon to the other.
To this rocking shaft is rigidly fixed a lever at or near its centre, the arms of this
lever being connected to the thrust rods which move the brake blocks in the usual
manner. The hand lever passes between a vertical guide placed near its handle
end. The guide consists of two vertical pieces, the one preferably flat and fixed
to the wagon body, the other shaped like a rack the teeth being on the side facing
the flat piece. The top part of the rack is preferably set outwards from the wagon
so as to form a step on which the hand lever rests when in a lifted position. The
rack and the flat piece are hinged together preferably at the bottom, and at or
near the top the rack is hinged to a rod or shaft which runs transversely below
the body of the wagon and is terminated by a handle at the end on which the
guide is placed, and at its other end is jointed to one end of a lever which is ful-
crummed at or near its centre and which has a handle at its other end. I use this
or other compensating device so that when one handle is pulled out from the body
of the wagon the other handle at the other side of the wagon will move in the
opposite direction. The hand lever or suitably shaped tooth fixed to the hand lever
engages in its different working positions with the teeth on the rack, and thus.
the brakes are held on at the pressure required. To the transverse rod or shaft I
put a counter balance or spring to pull the rack towards the hand lever. So that
an operator can pull off the brake blocks from either side of the wagon I attach to
the hand lever a chain which passes over suitable pulleys or guides to a small
lever or rod at the other side of the wagon. When the brakes are on, the hand
lever is in a down position and to release the brakes the shunter or guard who is
on the side on which there is no hand lever, operates the small lever or rod to
tighten the chain which lifts the hand lever to the top position of its rack guide.
In another arrangement I place on each side of the wagon a hand lever which
moves in a rack guide each rack being jointed to a transverse compensating rod
so that when the one rack is pulled outwards or inwards the other rack is pushed

page_text: outwards or inwards so that both hand levers are simultaneously disengaged from
or engaged with the racks.
Dated this Eighteenth day of February 1897. .....
Improvements in Brakes for Railway Wagons.
I, LLEWELLYN WYNN WILLIAMS, Bachelor of Science, Railway Appliances
Works, Cathcart, Renfrewshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
-
This Invention relates to railway wagon brakes and provides means whereby
an operator at either side of the wagon can apply or release the brake blocks.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of carrying same into
practice may be properly understood,. I have hereunto appended two sheets of
explanatory Drawings in which the same reference letters are used to indicate
corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is an elevation in
perspective and figure 2 an end view of a railway wagon in which the brake
operating hand levers are fitted on both sides of the wagon and actuated according
to one arrangement of my improvements. Figures 3 and 4 are detached views of
modified arrangements of lever holding rack guides. Figure 5 is an end view of
a railway wagon in which the brake operating hand lever is fitted only at one
side of the wagon, and figures 6 to 8 show views in which the hand lever is
operated by a chain and lever or rod connection from the opposite side of the
wagon, while figures 9 and 10 show detached views of the lever holding rack guide
in which the rack teeth are set more inclined than that shown in figures 3 and 4
and a rest provided for the. hand lever in its top lifted position. Referring to
these Drawings:-
J
I place on one side of the wagon a hand lever A which is rigidly fixed at one
end to a rocking shaft B that runs transversely from one side of the wagon to the
other. To this rocking shaft B is rigidly fixed a lever C the arms of this lever C
being connected to the ordinary thrust rods D) which move the brake blocks E
in the usual manner. The hand lever A. passes between a vertical guide placed
near its handle end. The guide consists of two vertical pieces a a¹ the one a
preferably flat and fixed to the wagon body the other a¹ shaped like a rack, the
teeth being on the side facing the flat piece a. The top part of this rack a¹ is
preferably set outwards from the wagon so as to form a stop a³ as shown in
figures 9 and 10 on which the hand lever A rests when in a lifted position. The
rack and the flat piece a are hinged together preferably at the bottom as shown
in figures 1 to 3 or it may be at the top as shown in figure 4. As shown on sheet 2
at or near the top the rack a¹ is hinged to a rod or shaft b which runs transversely
below the body of the wagon and is terminated by a handle 1 at the end on which
the guide is placed, and at its other end is jointed to one end of a lever 63 which is
fulcrumed at or near its centre and which has a handle at its other end. I
use this or other suitable compensating device so that when one handle or is
pulled out from the body of the wagon the other handle 6 or b at the other side
of the wagon will move in the opposite direction. The hand lever A. or suitably
shaped tooth fixed to the hand lever engages in its different working positions
with the teeth on the rack a¹, and thus the brakes are held on at the pressure
required. To the transverse rod or shaft I put a counter balance or spring c. to
pull the rack towards the hand lever A.

page_text: To enable an operator to pull off the brake blocks E from either side of the
wagon I attach to the hand lever b a chain d which passes over suitable pulleys or
guides d¹ to a small lever d² as shown in figures 6 and 7 or a rod as shown in
figure 8 at the other side of the wagon. When the brakes E are on, the hand
lever A is in a down position, and to release the brakes the shunter or guard who
is on the side on which there is no hand lever A. operates the small lever dor.
rod 3 to tighten the chain & which lifts the hand lever to the top position a³
of its rack guide a².
In another arrangement as shown in figures 1 and 2, I place on each side of the
wagon a hand lever A. which moves in a rack guide a a¹ each rack being jointed to
a transverse compensating rod 6 connected at its other end to an oscillating link
or lever so that when the one rack is pulled outwards or inwards the other-rack
is pushed outwards or inwards, and thus both hand levers A are simultaneously
disengaged from or engaged with the racks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I am aware that it has been previously proposed to use compensating
rods, such as b, 65, b, to effect the release or engagement of the hand levers from
the racks from either side of the wagon, and I make no clain to the use of such
rods per se, I declare that what I claim is:
First. In connection with brakes for railway wagons, the arrangements of
guides and devices for actuating the brake operating lever from both sides of the
wagon, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in figures 5 to
8 of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In connection with brakes for railway wagons, the construction and
arrangement of toothed rack guides and compensating rod or rods or equivalent
devices, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying drawings.