IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR RETARDING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES IN MOTION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Shaw, Letter-press Printer, of Number
16, Brunswick Terrace, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR RETARDING THE
WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES IN MOTION."
the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Shaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
6th June 1871.
I, HENRY SHAW, Letter-press Printer, of Number 16, Brunswick
5 Terrace, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS FOR BETARD-
ING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES IN MOTION," to be as follows:-
To a shaft on the lowering framing of the carriage I secure two arms
or levers' in a vertical or nearly vertical position, and also a longer arm
or lever in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position. The two short
between them and on their lower ends a friction wheel or
arms carry
"

page_text: wheels with a chain barrel attached, and in such convenient position that
the friction wheels may be brought into contact with the axle or a boss
on said axle. At the extremity or near thereto of the longer arm or
lever I place a cylinder, or piston or ram, or by preference I use a
flexible receiver or cushion, or shallow air vessels made air-tight, and
by means of a pipe to such receiver or cylinder supported from the
carriage framing I raise or lower such piston or reduce or enlarge my
flexible cushion by either forcing or exhausting the air therefrom or
into it, and by such action I raise or lower the extremity of the longer
arm, and consequently draw into or out of action or contact the
friction wheels with the axle; I attach a chain to the chain barrel
and pass it upwards and over a guide pulley on the carriage framing and
downwards round a small pulley on the brake lever, and again upwards,
and finally fixed to the carriage framing. By means of suitable con-
nexions I carry a pipe from the break van or engine to the receiver
or flexible cushions. In the guard's van I use a forcing air or exhausting
air apparatus. By preference I suspend from the carriage framing a
short arm on the end, I place a friction wheel with an eccentric
thereon by means of a rod in connection with my forcing pump, and by
means of a short lever to bring the said friction wheel into contact with
the axle I give motion to my pump apparatus.
•
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY 2
SHAW, of Number 16, Brunswick Terrace, Camberwell, in the County
of Surrey, Letter-press Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and 3
grant unto me, the said Henry Shaw, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Shaw, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times hereafter 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 “IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MEANS FOR RETARDING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES IN MOTION,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Henry Shaw, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 Henry Shaw, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the sanie is to
bo performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
To a shaft on the lower framing of the carriages I secure two arms
or lovers in a vertical or nearly vertical position, and also a longer arm or
lever in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position. The two short arms
carry between them and on their lower ends a friction wheel or wheels
with a chain barrel attached, and in such convenient position that the
friction wheels may be brought into contact with the axle or boss on said
axle; at the extremity or near thereto of the longer arm or lever I place
a cylinder and piston, or ram, or by preference I use a flexible receiver
or air cushion or shallow air vessels made air-tight, and by means of an
air pipe to such receiver or cylinder supported from the carriage framing
I raise or lower such piston, or reduce or enlarge my flexible cushion by
either forcing or exhausting the air therefrom or into it, and by such
action I raise or lower the extremity of the longer arm, and consequently
draw into or out of action or contact the friction wheels with the axle.
I attach a chain to the chain barrel and pass it upwards and over a
guide pulley on the carriage framing and downwards round a small
pulley on the brake lever and again upwards, and finally fix it to the
carriage framing. By means of suitable connexions I carry a pipe
from the brake van or engine to the receiver or flexible cushions. In
the guard's van I use a forcing air or exhausting air apparatus. By
preference I suspend from the carriage framing a short arm, on the end
I place a friction wheel with an excentric throw by means of a rod in

page_text: connexion with my force pump, and by means of a short lever to bring
the said friction wheel into contact with the axle I give motion to my
pump apparatus.
In order that my Invention may be better understood and explained
I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, similar letters of reference
being marked upon corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 represents an elevation of a railway carriage partly in section
with brake apparatus attached also part of the next carriage; Fig. 2
represents a plan of the above; Fig. 3 is a detail view shewing in section
the boss on the axle.
Fig. 4, 5, 6, and 7 refer more particularly to the connexions between
the carriages drawn at about half-size, and Fig. 4 represents a section
of a casing fixed to the end of each carriage; Fig. 5 is a section of the
block or end piece attached to the ends of the flexible tube as herein-
after described; Fig. 6, a sectional view of the connection made and
secured; and Fig. 7, a front elevation of the same.
I do not show any Drawing for the last part of my Invention as the
description is sufficiently clear. I use an ordinary force-air apparatus
with one or more pumps either to force air into the tube H or exhaust
the air therefrom. The tubing H which runs the length of the carriage
and to which the flexible cushions or other air receivers A are connected
is brought up on each end of the carriage and is affixed to a casing M
secured to the carriage at a convenient height. In this casing a hollow
space or thoroughfare M² is formed, being in connexion with the main
tube H on one side and terminating on the other end in an opening m
provided with a valve seating, into which I insert by preference an
india-rubber washer O, and in front of this valve seating a recess M® is
formed. To the casing there is also secured an indian-rubber pipe P
which is connected with the thoroughfare somewhere between the inlet
pipe and the end terminating in the valve seating. To the extremity
of this indian-rubber pipe is attached a hollow block or end piece L, the
interior of such block being in connection with the tube. An opening?
is provided at one side of such block or end piece L, and a projection
is formed round such opening of a size convenient to fit the valve
seating formed in the casing above described. Each casing on each
end of a carriage is provided with a valve seating and a convenient

page_text: length of indian-rubber tube provided with an end piece above described,
and as the carriages are brought together the guard or attendant takes
hold of the block or end piece on the india-rubber tube of a carriage
and inserts it into the space or recess M² formed in front of the valve
seating in the casing of the other carriage and vice versa, the opening
in the casing and that in the block thereby come opposite each other
and the block is screwed up to the seating by means of a screw and
handle N provided on the casing. By this means a ready and air-tight
connection is made throughout the train. Upon the last carriagė in
the train or one terminating the appliance the block or end piece on
end of such carriage is placed over the valve seating on the same
carriage. To the tube H I attach an air-tight flexible vessel or air
cushion A into which I force air by means of a force pump or other
suitable arrangement, and by such force I expand the air cushion, or
vice versa I exhaust air from the air cushion by aid of an air-exhausting
apparatus, and by means of such air cushion I give motion to a lever B,
such lever being in an horizontal position or nearly so. This horizontal
lever is connected to such air cushion by means of a short stud I affix
to the air cushion or receiver, and by pressure of air I am enabled to
raise or lower the horizontal arm B. The horizontal arm is fixed to a
short shaft B. I suspend from the carriage framing and to the same
shaft I affix one or two arms O in a vertical position, or nearly so, which
arms carry one or two friction wheels D on their lower ends, and between
said friction wheels I provide a chain barrel E. I secure to this chain
barrel a chain E, which passing upwards over a guide pulley E' on the
carriage framing and downwards round a pulley Es on the extremity of
the brake lever G, and again upwards is finally fixed to the carriage
framing at R. The friction wheels are so placed that by means of the
lowering or raising of the horizontal lever B contact or non-contact
is obtained with the wheel's axle F or a boss which I prefer to place
on said axle; thus I obtain motion to the friction wheel D and also to
the chain barrel E, the result of which is to shorten the chain and
raise the brake lever G.
It is obvious that under one arrangement air forced into the tube H
will expand the air cushion, and thereby the horizontal lever will be
raised and the friction wheels be drawn from or out of contact with the

page_text: uncoil itself from the barrel through the weight of the brake lever,
regaining its normal position, and thus will the brake blocks S be with-
drawn from the carriage wheels, and so in reverse motion. The pressure
of air is diminished in the tube H by means of the opening of a tap, valve,
or other suitable arrangement in the guard's van or engine or by the
parting of the carriages by accident the horizontal lever will be depressed
or lowered and the friction wheels carried into contact with the wheel's'
axle, or boss on said axle, and motion being thus communicated to the
chain barrel the chain will be taken up and the brake lever raised, and
such arrangement as may be required to press blocks on to the periphery 1
of the carriage wheels carried into effect.
By treating the arrangement now described, but using an exhaust
· pump instead of air forced pump, a like effect will be produced. Thus
I may place my air cushion or receiver to raise the horizontal lever by
exhausting the air from the air receivers and hold the friction wheels 1
out of contact with the wheel's axle.
As a modification I may use the brake lever G of an elastic nature
constructing it of leaves or springs of sufficient strength, or I may use
a flexible bar. The boss or protecting part on the axle as shewn in
detail in Fig. 3, I form out of a number of pieces of wood I or lags 2
fitted together and held between the flanged collars U, each collar
consisting of two halves bolted together so as to take a firm grip of:
the axle F and provided inside with projections to prevent the wood
from slipping.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said In- 2
vention and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be
understood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited
Letters Patent,―
Firstly. The general arrangements of friction wheels, chain barrel,
guide pulley chain, and horizontal and vertical levers, as described and 3
illustrated.
Secondly. The air receivers or air-tight cushions. as applied to
communicate motion.
ITIL

page_text: Fourthly. The air-tight connexions of the tube between the carriages
as described and illustrated in Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Shaw, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
Wч. RAY,
49, King Street,
Manchester.
HENRY SHAW. (L.S.)