IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS AND CARRIAGES
Year: 1857

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Raggett at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th April 1857.
-A communication.
I, GEORGE RAGGETT, of No. 21, Duke Street, Saint James', in the County
of Middlesex, Wine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS AND CARRIAGES" (a commu-
nication) to be as follows:-
I apply my brakes directly to the top of the wheel, and the whole apparatus
is on top, or above the truck frame. This takes its leverage or lifting hold of the
axle box, or its equivalent, and not the truck frame, and forms an uniform rigid
retarding power, while it leaves the truck springs to their full operation and effect.
I will now proceed to describe the mode of construction and operation of
my brake, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings. Figure 1
represents a side view of a railroad truck with my brake attached; Figure 2
represents an end view, and Figure 3 represents a top view of the same;
Figure 4 represents an enlarged and full size view of the adjusting collar. The
letters in the several Figures refer to corresponding parts.
C, C, C, represent an ordinary truck frame of wood; W, W, the wheels; A, A,
the axles; II, the axle boxes; M, M, the pedicil jaws, or cast-iron frames,
which hold and in which slide the boxes (I, I); the above portions constituting
the principal portions of an ordinary truck. The essential portions of my brake-

page_text: are represented in the Drawings by shaded lines. B, B, represent brake
rubbers or shoes, of wood or iron, or partly of wood and partly of iron, the
under surfaces of which are about three inches in width and from eighteen
to twenty inches in length, of a shape to fit the periphery of the wheel. This
rubber or shoe is secured by means of bolts to a leaf of spring steel or iron
(II, II), about two and an half or three inches in width and about one-fourth
of an inch in thickness, and of sufficient length to reach to the cross beams of
the truck frame, and resting at each end upon the truck frame. The ends of
these springs aro slotted to receive the bolts N, N, which are secured into the
truck frame, or else a lip is turned upon the end of said springs and a
strap or staple fastened at the points N, N, to the truck frame, which forms
an attachment of the springs to the truck frame, while it allows sufficient
longitudinal movement of the springs to prevent buckling, (or secures a pull
instead of a push upon the spring.) This attachment of the spring to the truck
frame also prevents a lateral motion of the spring, and the rubber or shoo
being, as above stated, bolted fast to the spring, both the longitudinal and
lateral movement of the rubber or shoe is controlled. These springs are of
sufficient strength and elasticity to release the rubbers from the wheels and
carry them and their attachments easy and at all times clear of the wheel
when not in operation. To the centre of these springs are attached in a
suitable bearing the rock shafts R, R, which I construct of a round bar of
iron, one and an half inches in diameter, and of sufficient length to reach across
the truck frame from outside to outside of wheels (if attachment to boxes is
made inside of truck frame, or long enough to reach from outside to outside of
truck frame if attachment to boxes is made outside of frame). At or near
the extreme ends of the rock shaft I attach short chains T, T, made of three-
eighth or half-inch iron, the links (three or four in number) of such size as
will coil readily around the rock shafts. (As a modo of adjusting the contact
of the rubbers (B, B,) with the car wheels, I use on the ends of the rock
shafts collars (X) of wrought or malleable iron, (as represented in Figure 4,)
about one-half of an inch in thickness and about two inches wide, which are
secured in place upon the rock shaft by means of one or more set screws;
these collars have hooks to attach the chains T, T. By moving the collars on
the rock shaft the chains are virtually shortened or lengthened, and thus an
uniformity of adjustment of the rubbers to the wheels is secured. The chains
T, T, are secured below by micans of a strap of iron, or otherwise, to the axle
boxes, or underneath the truck springs, or such other convenient point as has
a corresponding vertical motion with the axles or axle boxes, and has and
retains an uniform position in relation to the periphery of the wheel, and offers

page_text: a rigid and unvarying hold for chains T, T. At some convenient point upon
said rock shafts (R, R,) are welded, or otherwise firinly attached, the levers
P, P, about fifteen inches in length, (or the rock shafts may be bent so as to
form such levers, which I have found economical, and sometimes a bend or off
set in the rock shaft is necessary to avoid the draw bead or the floor timbers of
the car body.) These levers P, P, or their equivalents, the off sets in the bent
rock shafts, being of an uniform length, are connected by rods Y, Y, of half or
five-eighth inch round iron, and a similar rod connects with the shaft L of
brake stand on platform of car. Before the chains (T, T,) are attached to the
rock shafts, I give the springs H, H a set of one and an half or two inches, or
sufficient to carry the rock shaft and rubbers or shoes clear of the wheels, and
compensate for the extreme movement of the truck frame upon its own
springs. The lips on the ends of the springs H, H, should then touch the staples
or straps. I then adjust the collars (X) on the rock shafts, so as to draw down
the springs, rock shafts, and rubbers, so that the rubbers will all clear the
wheels equally about one-fourth of an inch. The set of the springs H, H,
will secure clearance of the rubbers from the wheel, not at all affected by
the movement of the truck frame upon its own springs. The operation of the
brakes is as follows:-By winding up the brake stand (L), the rods (Y,Y,)
are drawn forward, and the levors P, P, rotate the rock shafts R, R.
Rotating the rock shafts winds up the chains T, T, and they being firmly
connected with the axle boxes, or their equivalents, draw down the rubbers
B, B, upon the periphery of the car wheels W, W, with an uniform pressure
equal to the power exerted by means of the combined levers and shafts, thus
forming a perfectly rigid and uniform pressure upon the wheels, and affording
a most efficient retarding power to the motion of the car wheels.
This constitutes a simple and economical mode of applying my Invention,"
but I do not intend to confine myself to this particular moric of construction,
as the same results may be accomplished by the substitution of levers, &c.
differently arranged but embodying the same principles.
I do not claim a top brako in the abstract, nor the operating of brake blocks
or rubbers by means of rock shafts or levers.
What I do claim as my Invention, and what I desire to secure by Letters
Patent, is, the operating of a top brake by means of a power exerted by taking
a hold of the axles or axle boxes, or their equivalents, or any point or portion
of the truck or its appurtenances which have a corresponding vertical move-
ment with said axles or axle boxes, or which have, and retain a fixed or
uniform position in relation to the periphery of the wheel.
I also claim an adjustable or moving rock shaft as described when used to

page_text: operate a top or other car brake having a movement towards and from the
wheel simultaneous with the brake blocks.
I claim the combination of the springs with the brake blocks or rubbers
when used to control the longitudinal or lateral motion of the rubbers upon
the wheels, and to relieve said rock shafts and rubbers from the concussions of
the truck.
I claim the combination of the springs, rock shaft, and rubbers, with their
attachment to the axle box, or its equivalent, as aforesaid, whereby I can
ensure an uniform though very slight clearance of the rubbers from the wheel.
And I claim the application of the same principles or combinations, or either
of them, to operate a brake upon common road carriages or vehicles.