AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robinson Jackson, of Baltimore, in the
State of Maryland, and United States of America, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK."
Sealed the 31st July 1857, and dated the 16th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robinson Jackson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th February 1857.
I, WILLIAM ROBINSON JACKSON, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland,
and United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in so arranging the actuating parts of the breaks,
that when the carriage is being drawn forward or backed the breaks shall be
thrown out of action and leave the wheels free to revolve; but when the
tractive or backing force ceases to be applied, the breaks will instantly be
brought into action and check the speed of the carriage or train. This I
effect by applying the breaks to the tread of the wheels, by means of a spiral
or other spring acting vertically or otherwise, and operating the necessary
& usual mechanism. The breaks are always in contact with the wheels
when the carriage is at rest, and are thrown out of contact with the wheels
by the compression of the spring which works them. This compression is
effected by the application of the tractive or backing force to the traction

page_text: rod of the carriage operating upon jointed arms connected with the spring.
When these arms are brought to an angle with each other in either direction
the spring is compressed and the breaks set free, but when the arms are in the
same straight line (as they are. when no force is applied) the spring is free,
and the breaks are in full operation.
F
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robinson Jackson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBINSON JACKSON, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, and United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of. February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Robinson Jackson, Her special licence that I, the "said
William Robinson Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Robinson Jackson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should, at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK," upon the "condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robinson Jackson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of tlicir
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed;" and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office "within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robinson Jackson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manier''tlie "saime is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying "Sheet of
Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a car & truck
frame with my improved brake attached &-in operation; Figure 2 is a side

page_text: view, showing the brakes, thrown out of action; Figure 3 is a top view; and
Figure 4 an end view of the car frame & brake: The same part is indicated
in all the Figures by the same letter of reference.
The nature of my. Invention consists in so arranging the actuating parts of
the brake, that when the car is being drawn forwardtortbacked the brakes shall
be thrown out of action & leave the wheels free to revolve; but, when the
tractive or backing force ceases to be applied; the breaks will instantly be
brought into action and check the speed of the car...
To enable others' skilled in the art to make and use, my improved brake I
will proceed to describe its construction and operation; refering to the
Drawings & the letters' of reference marked thereon:
In these Drawings; A, A, &c. marks the car frame ;"B; B, &c. the truck
frame; C, C, &c. the wheels of the car; D,D, the brake blocks; E, E; cams
which force the brake blocks into contact with the 'tread of the wheels; F, F,
cami rod, suspended by, its axestat G, G; H, HI,, arms, attached rigidly, to the
cam rod E, and by hinges to the sliding disc I, which moves up and down on
rod K; L, a spiral-spring placed around rod K, which guides its movements;
this spring is fixed at its upper end, and acts downwards against sliding
dise I. M, M', arms hinged at o, o¹, & o², and connected by the hinge at o' to
a fork or Y of the traction rod N; P, P¹, braces which support tlie lower end
of spring rod K; O, bracket attached to the car frame, and to which the
upper end of rod K is attached; R, lock lever, for keeping the brakes out of
action when required; S, fulcrum of lever R; T, are in which lever Ris
latched at any required position; U, U, rods which support the axes of cam
rod F; V, coupling bar; W, coupling bolt; X, slot in which the end of
traction rod N plays.
The operation of my improved brake is as follows:-When tractive force is
not applied to the car the spring L forces down the disc I to its lowest
position, which turns the cam rod F, through the medium of arms H, H, into
such position that the cams E, E, force the brake blocks apart, and throw
them against the peripheries or tread of the wheels. When the tractive
force is applied the traction rod N is drawn forwards, and by bringing the arms
M, M', to an angle with each other, draws up the sliding disc I, which turns
the cam rod F and cams E into such a position that the brake blocks (which
are hinged at top) fall away from contact with the tread of the wheels and
leave them free to turn. When the car is forced backwards, the traction rod
is also driven back, and brings the arms M, M', to an angle in the opposite
direction, drawing up the sliding disc and relieving the wheels, as before.
will thus be seen that my improved brake releases the wheels whenever it is
It

page_text: desirable to move forwards or backwards, and applies the breaking force
whenever it becomes necessary to stop:
The lock lever R is merely a convenience for keeping the brakes up when
the cars are being moved about by hand. It is obvious that without changing
the principle of my Invention a spring of a different kind (for example an
elliptical spring) may be employed to bring the breaks into action, and there-
fore I do not confine myself to the use of a spiral spring, although I think it
most convenient, and prefer to employ it.
What I claim as my Invention is, controlling the action of the spring or
springs which bring the brake blocks to bear upon the tread of the wheels by
the hinged rods M, M³, or their equivalents, in such a manner that the wheels
shall be relieved when the vehicle is being drawn forward or backed, and the
breaking force applied by the cessation of the tractive or backing force,
substantially in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robinson Jackson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM ROBINSON JACKSON. (L.S.)