An Improved Method and Means or Apparatus for Retarding Railway Trains or Stopping them, and for Storing and Utilizing the Momentum Absorbed during such Retardation.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method and Means or Apparatus for Retarding
Railway Trains or Stopping them, and for Storing and
Utilizing the Momentum Absorbed during such Retardation.
PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A dynamo or electric generator the armature of which is attached to the axles
or wheels of the carriages, engines, guards vans, &c. of the train and connected
with each other by wires so that to stop a train or to lessen speed the arinature
shall at will automatically or otherwise be made to generate magnetic or electric
attraction or power opposed to the motion of wheels or train with but slight if
any friction whatever of the rails & wheels and also produce electricity for lighting
or other purposes, stored in accumulators &c.
Dal 1:00AL 1
1000
P. H. WILLIAMS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method and Means or Apparatus for Retarding
Railway Trains от Stopping them, and for Storing and
Utilizing the Momentum Absorbed during such Retardation.
1 PHILIP HENRY WILLIAMS of Egham Surrey Gentleman do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is the adaptation and employment or use of magnetic or electric attraction
by means of dymanos or other electric generators fitted or attached to or con-
nected with the axles or wheels of the engines and carriages of any kind forming
the train, in order to retard or stop it and the utilisation of the momentum
absorbed while being retarded &c. by causing the said dynamos or electric
generators to generate and store the electricity in accummulators or electric
reservoirs provided for the purpose for use for lighting and other purposes.
Any kind of dynamos or electric generators suited to the purpose may be applied
& employed and be made to act automatically or under control at will or
otherwise.
Also any suitable kind of accummulators or electric reservoirs or storers may
be employed and likewise any particular mode of establishing communication
between generators &c. and storers &c. may be adapted.
Also any mode or means for discharging electricity or charging storers &c. at
stations or other places for lighting or other purposes or for its own or other
trains may be employed or adapted.
Also either part of the dynamos or electric generators may be made to rotate
or be fixed to or connected with the axles or wheels so as to give motion thereto
or either part may be held stationary by arms or otherwise connected to the
bottom of the carriage or any other part thereof or the said dynamos or generators
may be fixed to the carriages beneath or under the seats thereof or elsewhere if
preferred and be connected with the axles or wheels by belt or gear work or other
means to drive it.
Also the parts may be made to rotate in opposite directions to gain double
speed & consequent retarding & generating power.
This retarding apparatus may be used for backing trains or on emergency may
be used for propelling the train but for propelling trains I look to and rely on
077

page_text: the better means provided in my other Specifications already filed and to be filed
likewise improvements in dynamos electric generators & storers will be filed.
As before stated any kind of dynamos or magnetic or electric generators may
be employed for these purposes and for fixing such to the axles &c. all needful if
required to obtain motion for them is that they should have tubular shafts so as to
pass on the axles or segments thereof be made removable for the purpose-and
they may be made to appear in the form of a wide drum with the axle through
the centre but for fixing such to the wheels they should be in the form of pulleys
or domes fix'd by bolts or other means to the wheels and in this case if a dynamo
the armature will require to be held stationary. Of course for dynamos &c. for
fixing to or in or upon the carriages any form most suited may be adapted.
Moreover the cases of the dynamos may be utilized to form the magnetic or
other part or parts of a dynamo or other electric generators & vice versa.
Also the wheels and axles or other parts of the carriages may be utilized for the
purpose and specially their influence by induction or otherwise be utilized for the
purposes of retarding & stopping &c. the trains and for generating magnetic or
electric attraction and electricity for lighting & other purposes.
Moreover while as stated any cans of establishing communication, between
retarders & storers &c. may be adopted yet in order to ensure the safety of
railway servants in coupling & disconnecting carriages & ready means for so
doing and likewise to protect the said mains from injury I provide metalic
insulators similar to the electric mains & cables described in my Specifications
No. 9274 & 4643°1 and likewise couplings therefor-as per No. 46431 Specifica-
tion so that they require simply to be put together and have turn given to them-
These metalic insulators may be made in same way & described for aforesaid
cables &c. or each link made of steel plate rolled into form and welded or otherwise
or stampt out in halves & then held together by rings or clamps past over one or
both ends or one inside & the other outside or otherwise. Moreover they may be
used in same places as electric mains or for other purposes and in this case the
small ends of links may be made solid and the joints only hollow or split to
open to admit the next link & so on connecting link to link by what is more or less
a swivel or ball joint held together by a ring or clamp past over the projecting
part of the outside ball which is then clinted or otherwise to prevent the clamps or
rings slipping off, With these rings or clamps in place it is impossible for the
inner ball to escape and separate the links. For applying these to the electric
main or any other matter requiring to be protected they can be put thereon link
after link.
In drawings herewith 1 give examples showing how these retarders may be
fixed and also of several forms of the metalic insulator links & coupling.
Fig. 1 shows a pair of railway carriage wheels with a retarder fixed on the axle
between the wheels. A. shows the case in which the dynamo is fitted, supposing
it would be an ordinary magneto electric dynamo. B. indicates the arms by
which it would be held in position for attaching to the bottom of the carriage
and D. indicates the tubular axle of the armature fixed to the axle of the carriage
wheels.
Fig. 2. shows the end view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. shows a railway carriage wheel with a dome shaped retarder attached to
it but with arm & tubular axle working on the wheel axle carrying the armature-
and in this case the wheels may be used as well as case to form parts of the
dynamo or retarder.
Fig. 4 shows an example of welded tube links-H-indicates one way of linking
them and I. the ring or clamp mode of fixing on the outer one, if made in halves
or otherwise.
Fig. 5. shows shot up" ends of tube links held together by spherical joint in
halves held together by the rings or clamps.
Figs 6; 7 & 8, show other modifications of insulators, cables &c. and Fig. 9
shows half a coupling attached by a ball joint to the main & insulator or cable,

page_text: J. is a pin with platinum point pressed forward by spring K. which at other end
is attached to the main. When the other half is put face to face the joints would be
always pressing together to maintain connection. L. is the plate shown in
Fig. 10. & 11. showing 2 or 3 clips with hollow, to enable the other to pass over
& clip-these plates may be arranged to form wedges for each clip.
The inner insulation of the electric mains may be such as are now employed or
may be coated with wool worsted hair or paper & run over with cotton wire or
hemp and asphalted or otherwise or as in Specification No. 4643".
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is-separately
and combined
1st. The adaptation employment and use of magnetic or electric attraction or
power or both for retarding or stopping trains.
2nd. The utilization of the momentum absorbed during retardation on the
power thereof to generate and store electricity for lighting or other purposes.
3rd. The adaptation employment and use of metalic insulators for protecting
electric mains in chains, cables &c. from being injured or causing injury to
employes and others-in combination with these generators or retarders as herein-
before indicated or described or given examples of and in Specification No. 4643".
Dated this 14th day of January 1891.
P. H. WILLIAMS.