AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONTINUOUS BRAKES FOR RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Gething Clayton, of Derby, in the County of
Derbyshire, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONTINUOUS
BRAKES FOR RAILWAY TRAINS."
Sealed the 10th May 1878, and dated the 8th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Gething Clayton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th March 1878.
THOMAS GETHING CLAYTON, of Derby, in the County of Derbyshire, Engineer.
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONTINUOUS BRAKES FOR RAILWAY TRAINS."
This Invention is applicable to any of those continuous brakes which are actuated
by compressed air or by atmospheric pressure, water, steam, or any other similar
fluid applied through means of pipes to cylinders, drums, sacks, bags, or any other
similar mechanical appliances attached to railway carriages. It consists in the
arrangement of connection between the main pipes conveying such fluids as above
mentioned along the train of vehicles and the cylinders, drums, sacks, bags, or other
similar appliances, or in the connection between any or all of such cylinders, drums,
or other appliances, but it is more particularly applicable to such a brake as that
known as " Sander's Automatic Vacuum Brake," where there is one drum or sack
which applies the brake when required, and another larger one which overpowers
that and keeps the brake off when not required to be used, which drums are actuated
by atmospheric pressure from without created by an ejector, or a pump, or both, on
the locomotive engine, exhausting the air from within through a pipe along the
train.
When the brake is at rest and ready for action there is in both sacks or drums an
equal amount of vacuum, but the brake is applied by letting air back again through
the main pipe into the larger drum or sack and destroying the vacuum, but the
vacuum in the pulling-on drum or sack being maintained by the instant closing of
a valve between the main pipes and this drum, or between the two drums or sacks,
Drine G21

page_text: as the case may be, when the air is let into the main pipe applies or pulls the brake
on to the wheels.
When the brake has been so applied it can only be taken off again by the
engineman creating in the pull-off drum or sack sufficient vacuum to overcome the
power of the pulling-on drum or sack, which has to be done all along a train by
means of the steam ejector on the engine before the train can be moved on from a
station unless the valves referred to are opened by hand and the vacuum destroyed
in the pulling-on drum or sack on each and every vehicle along the train, and car-
riages can not be moved when dotached at a station until the vacuum in the
pulling-on drum or sack has been destroyed by opening the valve by hand and
adınitting air.
To overcome these and other difficulties I have invented the following improve-
ments: Instead of the valve, which is placed either between the main pipe and the
pulling-on drum, or between the two drums or sacks themselves, I purpose to sub-
stitute a very small hole through which the air will be exhausted from the pulling-
on drum or sack by the ejector or the air pump on the engine.
Both drums or sacks being exhausted and the brake at rest ready for action, or
ready to be applied for bringing a train when running to a stand, the brake will as
before be instantly applied by letting air in again, as before described, but the small
hole in the pulling-on drum must be sufficiently small to give ample time to bring
the train to a stand before the admission of air through it allows the brake to
go off
By this gradual letting off of the brakes by means of the small hole an engineman
is enabled to start his train from a station without first having to create a vacuum
to take the brakes off; further, carriages can be moved and attached or detached at
stations without having to first take the brakes off by hand.
By means of this small hole I make the brake work automatically on any vehicle
without a valve, but if preferred a valve may be used in the manner as before
described, with a similar small hole through it, or by the side of it; my Invention
gives also the advantages of a great diminution of that kind of jerking usual at the
end of rapid stops made by continuous brakes through the easing off of some of the
pressure on the brake blocks at the end of the stopping by means of the gradual
admission of air into the pulling-on drums or sacks through the small holes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Gething Clayton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th August 1878.
THOMAS GETHING CLAYTON, of Derby, in the County of Derbyshire, Engineer.
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONTINUOUS BRAKES FOR RAILWAY TRAINS."
as
This Invention is applicable to any continuous brake which is actuated by com-
pressed air, or by atmospheric pressure, or partial vacuum, water, steam, or any
other similar fluid applied through means of pipes to cylinders, drums, sacks, bags,
or any other like kind of mechanical appliance or arrangement attached to railway
carriages. It consists in the arrangement of connection or communication between
the main pipes conveying such fluid as above mentioned along the train of vehicles
and the cylinders, drums, sacks, bags, or other similar appliances, or in the connection
and communication between any or all of such cylinders, drums, sacks, bags, or
other appliances, as before mentioned. It is applicable to such a brake as that
known as "
Westinghouse's Automatic Air Brake," and also to such as that known
Sanders Automatic Vacuum Brake," where there is one cylinder, drum, sack,
bag, or other similar mechanical appliance which applies the brake when required,
and another one which overpowers that, either by being larger in size or by increased
leverage, and keeps the brake off when not required to be used, which cylinders,
drums, sacks, bags, or other appliances are actuated by compressed air or by
atmospheric pressure from without, or with water, steam, or any other fluids. But
it is especially applicable to that one known as "Sanders Automatic Vacuum
Brake," wherein the cylinders, drums, sacks, bags, or any such like mechanical
appliances are actuated by atmospheric pressure from without, created by an
ejector or pump, or both, from the locomotive engine, exhausting the air from
within them through a pipe or pipes along the train, and when at rest and ready for
action there is in both sacks or drums an equal amount of vacuum, and the brake is
applied by letting the air back again through the main pipe or pipes along the train
into the drum or sack which holds the brake off and destroying the vacuum in it,
but the vacuum in the pulling-on drum or sack being maintained by the instan-
taneous closing of the valve between the main pipes and this pulling-on drum or sack
applies or pulls the brake on to the wheels.
When the brake has been so applied it can only be taken off again by the
engineman creating in the pulling-off drum or sack sufficient vacuum to over-
come the power of the pulling-on drum or sack, which has to be done all along
the train by means of the steam ejector on the engine before the train can be
moved or drawn forward from the station unless the valves between the main pipes
and the pulling-on drums or sacks as above referred to are opened by hand and the
vacuum destroyed on each vehicle all along the train; neither can carriages be
moved when detached at a station until the vacuum in the pulling-on drum or sack
has been destroyed by opening the valve and admitting air.
To overcome this and other difficulties and facilitate the release of the brake from
the wheels of the vehicles and the saving of time and trouble of releasing the brake
on each vehicle by hand I have invented the following improvements:-Instead of
the valve which is placed either between the main pipe or pipes and the pulling-on
cylinder, drum, sack, bag, or other similar mechanical appliance, or when placed
between the two cylinders, drums, sacks, or bags themselves I substitute a very
sunall hole through which the air will be exhausted from the pulling-on cylinder,
drum, sack, or bag by the ejector, or the air pump on the engine.
When both drums or sacks are exhausted of air and the brake at rest ready for
action, or ready to be applied in bringing the train when running to a stand, the
brake will as before be instantly applied by letting air into the pulling-off drum or
sack again and destroying the vacuum in it, as before described.
But the small hole to the pulling-on cylinder, drum, or sack, must be small
enough to give ample time to bring a train to a stand before the admission of air
through it has been sufficient to allow the brake to go off

page_text: By this gradual letting off of the brakes by means of the small hole the engineman
is able to start his train from a station without first having to create a vacuum to
take the breaks off; further, carriages may be moved and attached or detached at
stations without having to first take the brakes off by hand.
By means of this small hole I make a brake work automatically on any vehicle
without a valve, but if preferred a valve may be used in the manner as before
described with a similar small hole through it or by the side of it to act in the same
manner and accomplish the same purpose as the small hole above described without
a valve.
My Invention gives also the advantages of a great diminution of that kind of
jerking and unpleasant motion usually felt at the end of rapid stops made by con-
tinuous brakes, by the casing off of some of the pressure on the brake blocks at the
end of the stopping by means of the gradual admission of air into the pulling-on
drums or sacks through the small holes.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawing represents various applications of my
Invention.
Figure 1 shows the " Sanders Automatic Vacuum Brake "in position as when ready
for action. A is the main pipe through which the sacks or drums B and C are
exhausted of air and through which the air is let in again; D, the connecting pipe
between the main pipe and the drum or sack C; B is the drum or sack which
applies the brake, and G is the drum or sack which holds the brake off; E is the
pipe connecting the pulling-on and pulling-off sacks, and which contains the small
hole; F is the rocking shaft and levers; G, G, are the pull rods leading to the
brake blocks. The pulling-off drum or sack C is first exhausted by the ejector or
pump, and the vacuum created in it sucks the air out of the drum or sack B through
the small hole; both sacks thus becoming exhausted of air remain ready for the
application of the brake, which is applied by the engineman or the guard of the
train letting air into the main pipe A and the drum or sack C; the drum or sack B
then instantly pulls on the brake with full force, but which is afterwards gradually
diminished by air passing through the small hole.
Figure 2 shows another mode of the application of the drums or sacks. The
pulling-off drum or sack C, being larger than the drum or sack B, keeps the brake
off, C being exhausted through the main pipe, as in Figure 1, sucks the air out of B
through the small hole E between B and C, which then remains ready for action,
and when the air is let into C, the sack B instantly collapses from outward
atmospheric pressure and pulls on the brake; F, F, are the brackets which are
bolted to the carriage framing.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 relate to compressed air. In Figure 3 the drum or sack C
when filled with compressed air compresses the drum or sack Band keeps the brake
off the wheels, at the same time the space in B is being filled with compressed air
through the small hole E between C and B, and there remains until the compressed
air is let out of O through or along the main pipe by the engineman or guard, when
the expansion of the compressed air in B pulls on the brake.
Figure 4 is made of iron cylinders; C, the largest in diameter, is the pulling-off
cylinder; and B, the smaller one, the pulling-on. The pulling-off cylinder C being
filled with compressed air from the main pipe through pipe D forces the piston H to
end of cylinder, thereby bringing piston J close up to space K; in this position the
breaks are all off, the compressed air admitted into cylinder C passes through small
hole E and fills the air chamber K, so that when the air is discharged again from C
the compressed air in K expands and forces out the piston J which applies the
brake through the pull rod G.
Figure 5 is an iron cylinder and air chamber with piston. The air being forced
along main pipe and through pipe D into cylinder C forces the piston H back to
the end of the stroke and keeps the brake off, the compressed air also passing
through the small hole E and filling the chamber K, which when the air is dis-
charged from cylinder C expands and forces the brake on through push rod L.
Figure 6 shows another arrangement for compressed air. The drum or sack C is

page_text: extended by the compressed air, and being larger in diameter than the drums or
sacks B, B, compresses them and keeps the brakes off, the sacks B, B, and chamber K
being filled with compressed air from C through pipe M and the small hole E; when
the air is let out of C the compressed air in B, B, and K expands the sacks and puts
on the brakes through push rods L.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is or may be performed, I claim as secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,-
Firstly. The making of such continuous brakes as the "Westinghouse Automatic
Air Brake," the "Sanders Automatic Vacuum Brake," or other continuous brakes
worked by compressed air, vacuum, steam, or water to act automatically without a
valve or cock by means of a small hole or holes either between the main pipe and
the brake, cylinder, drum, sack, or bag, or other mechanical appliance, or between
the cylinder, drum, sack, or bag which operates to keep the brake off, and that one
which operates to put the brake on, substantially as herein-before described, and
illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing.
Secondly. In cases where a valve is preferred to be used or retained, as herein-
before set forth, the putting of the said small hole or holes through the valve, or by
the side of the valve, or in any other way, substantially as and for the purposes
herein-before specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Gething Clayton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
AT
IZMA