IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Hall, of Erith, in the County of Kent,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WORKING
RAILWAY BREAKS."
Sealed the 14th August 1858, and dated the 22nd February 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Hall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
February 1858.
I, WALTER HALL, of Erith, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR WORKING RAILWAY BREAKS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in arrangements of apparatuses whereby the whole of
the breaks throughout a train may be worked simultaneously from any con-
venient part of the train, and in an arrangement for coupling the bars between
every carriage or wagon of which the train is composed. Under every
carriage I fit a square rod free to slide to and fro, and I cause this rod to
pass through a square aperture made in a worm wheel or other like con-
trivance, by the turning of which in one direction or in the other the break
blocks will be applied on or released from the wheels. Now supposing this
square rod to be fitted under the break van, and rotary motion by any of the
well-known mechanical means to be imparted thereto, the break blocks will
be applied to or released from the wheels according to the direction in which
the square rod is turned. In order to extend this action to as many breaks
as may be fitted along the whole train, I slide over each end of every rod a

page_text: correspondingly shaped case terminating outwards in a fork, and any two of
these forks when united by pins standing at right angles to each other form
a universal joint. This joint permits of the train travelling in any curve, and
the cases sliding on the rods, and the rods themselves being free to slide allow
of play between the carriages without the rods being liable to become discon-
nected. Coiled springs may be applied, if desired, to ensure the rods resuming
their proper position after having been drawn outwards from either end of
any carriage.
It will be obvious, that instead of a square rod, a circular bar, with a feather
working through a tongue in the worm or worm wheel, might be used, but for
various reasons I prefer the arrangement first described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st August 1858:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
HALL, of Erith, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Walter Hall, Her special licence that I, the said Walter Hall,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Walter Hall, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR WORKING RAILWAY BBEAKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I;
the said Walter Hall, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 Walter Hall, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and, by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed
that is to say-
My Invention consists in arrangements of apparatuses whereby the breaks
of a train may be worked simultaneously from any convenient part of the
train, and in an arrangement for coupling the bars between every carriage
or waggon of which the train is composed. Under every carriage I fit a square
or other rod free to slide to and fro, and I cause this rod to pass through a
square or other corresponding aperture made in a worm wheel or other like
contrivance, by the turning of which in one direction or in the other the
break blocks will be applied to or released from the wheels. Now supposing
this square rod to be fitted under the break van, and rotary motion by any
of the well-known mechanical means to be imparted thereto, the break blocks
will be applied to or released from the wheels according to the direction in
which the square rod is turned. In order to extend this action to as many
breaks as may be fitted along the whole train, I slide over each end of every
rod a correspondingly shaped case terminating outwards in a fork; and any
two of these forks, when united by pins standing at right angles to each other,
form a universal joint. This joint permits of the train travelling in any curve,
and the cases sliding on the rods, and the rods themselves being free to slide
allow of play between the carriages without the rods being liable to become
disconnected. Coiled springs are applied to ensure the rods resuming their
proper position after having been drawn outwards from either end of any
'carriage.
It will be obvious that, instead of a square rod, a circular bar, with a
feather working through a tongue in the worm or worm wheel, might be used,
but for various reasons I prefer the arrangement first described.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have illustrated the manner in which
I carry my Invention into effect, and show the application of my improve-
ments to a guard's break van, and a carriage fitted with breaks, and the
manner in which the longitudinal connection of the breaks is kept up
throughout a train.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the frame of a guard's van and of a carriage,
both furnished with breaks; Figure 2 is a plan of the guard's van and break
carriage with the flooring removed; Figure 3 is a detached view of the rod
and its appliances, by which the breaks are worked in any carriage throughout
a train. A, A, are longitudinal square bars or rods, one of which is fitted to
each carriage or truck throughout the train, and which are connected by
means of universal joints B. The ends of the rods A, A, enter the square

page_text: sockets of the universal joints B, B, and are of such a length that when the
train is extended to it's greatest length they shall not be withdrawn from
the said sockets. Upon each of the rods A, A, is placed a shoulder a, which
may either be formed upon it or set fast by a set screw b, and on each side of
this shoulder is placed a coiled or helical spring C, which bears at one end
against the end of the screw-threaded collar E in the plate c,.and at the other
end against a collar e in the plate d, and offers a certain amount of resistance
to the motion of the rod A in either direction. In the event of a concussion
taking place upon the train or between the parts of the train, these springs
C, C, will receive the shock gradually and prevent or aid in preventing injury
to the train. It will be seen that by imparting rotary motion to any one of
the rods A, A, that motion will be communicated by means of the universal
joints B, B, to all the remaining rods throughout the train, and if the breaks
of the several break vans or carriages be suitably connected to the said rods,
they will be brought sinultaneously into action upon their respective wheels.
Now in order that the rod A may, on force being applied to it, turn freely,
it is supported in a collar fitted in the end of the carriage frame and in the
plate c, c, which are secured to the carriage frame in the positions shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, by means of collars e, e, which are shewn in the detached
end views, Figures 4 and 5: these collars e, e, turn freely in the circular
holes f, f, and have in them the square holes f, f, through which the shaft A
passes and which it fits. Between the plates c, d, the shaft A carries a
collar C¹ furnished with holes as shewn to receive lubricating matter. This
collar C has fixed upon it the worm wheel D, which is put in motion by two
worms D¹, D', one on each side, to divide the strain; each worm is keyed on
to a vertical shaft, to the upper part of each of which is keyed a toothed wheel
D2, D3; this arrangement is shewn separately in Figure 8. The shaft carrying
';
the wheel D³ is provided with handles in the usual manner.
The worm
wheel D is formed with a concave edge, and is in gear with the worms D¹, D¹.
On turning the handles the wheels D2, D3, the worms D¹, D', the worm wheel
D, the collar C¹, and therefore the shaft A, will evidently be put in motion.
I have now to explain the manner in which the motion of the shaft A is trans-
mitted to the breaks. Between the plates c, c¹, is placed upon the sbaft A, and
so as to turn with it a screw-threaded collar E, which has circular ends in order
to fit into the holes f in the plates c, c. The male threads of this collar E work
within corresponding female threads within the nut or block E¹, and through
holes in the said nut or block E' the guide rods F; F, are placed, the latter
being secured to the plates c, c¹, by nuts, as shewn. An enlarged plan view
of the collar E, the block E, the guides F, F, and the plates c, c', is shewn in

page_text: Figure 6, and an enlarged side view of the block E' is shewn separately in
Figure 7. The ends of the block E¹ have pinned upon them the levers
or rods G, G', and the other ends of these levers or rods are carried by a pin
or bolt H, which also carries at the middle of it one end of the double rocking
lever I, shown separately in Figure 9. Or one arm only of this lever may be
used, constituting a single rocking lever. This lever I is keyed at its centre
upon a cross shaft I', which is supported near each end by the side bars I", 1".
Within the said side bars the shaft I' has secured upon it two other double
rocking levers J, J¹, one on each side of the carriage; one of these levers is
shown separately in Figure 10; it is slotted to receive the ends of the break
levers K, K, K', K', which are pinned to them, as shown at Figure 10. The
other ends of these break levers have the break blocks L, L, pinued to them,
and these break blocks slide upon and are guided by the side bars I", I", as
usual.
The action of the parts is as follows:-On the handles being turned, and
the shaft A thereby being made to rotate, as before described, the screw-
threaded collar E is caused to rotate, and thus impart motion in a longitudinal
direction to the block E, either forward or backward, according to the direction
in which the handles are turned. I will suppose them to be so turned that
the block E' shall be made to move from back to front or from left to right;
in moving thus the block E¹ will draw forward the levers G, G', and thus by
means of the rocking lever I will impart a partial rotary motion to the shaft
I, which again will set in motion the levers J, J', and therefore either the
break levers K, K, or K', K', according to the direction in which the handles
are turned, and thus press the break blocks L, L, against the wheels on one
side only. On turning the handles in the reverse direction the whole of the
motions just described will be reversed, and the break blocks withdrawn from
the wheels.
It is evident that since the handles of the one worm shaft impart rotary
motion to the whole of the shafts A, A, throughout the train, the breaks will
be simultaneously put into and out of action on such of the break vans or
carriages as are provided with the essential parts of the apparatus just
described.
One set of breaks on one side of a carriage is brought into play when the
carriage is proceeding in one direction, and the remaining set on the opposite
side when the carriage travels in the contrary direction. By turning the
shaft A in one direction one set of break blocks will be applied on one side of
the carriage, and on turning it in the reverse direction. those blocks which

page_text: were on the wheels will be removed and the blocks on the opposite side
applied, and so on,
By placing pins through the several shafts A, A, within the universal joints,
the said shafts and joints would act as couplings and keep the carriages
connected in the event of the ordinary connexions giving way. With this
arrangement guard chains might be dispensed with.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not confine myself to
the precise details set forth; but I claim,―
First, the general arrangement, construction, and method of working rail-
way break apparatus as herein-before described, and illustrated in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Second, the method of fitting square or other rods beneath railway carriages
of any description, of connecting them by means of universal joints, and of
operating them by means of a worm and wheels, essentially as herein-before
.described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Third, the method of communicating motion to railway breaks from a
rotating shaft by means of screw-threaded collars and blocks in combination
with suitable levers, essentially as herein-before described, and represented in
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Fourth, the method of supporting rotating shafts employed to give motion
to railway breaks in movable collars or bearings, constructed as herein-before
.described, and marked e in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Hall, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-first day of August One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-eight
WALTER HALL. (L.S.)