IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS." A communication
from abroad by the Honorable John Woods, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,
Minister of Railways
Sealed the 29th March 1878, and dated the 21st January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st January 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS."
[A communication from abroad by the Honorable John Woods, of Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia, Minister of Railways.]
This Invention relates to a continuous railway brake, in which the blocks are
applied to the wheels by hydraulic pressure from an accumulator attached to each
carriage, which pressure is held in check by an equal hydraulic pressure on a line
of high pressure tubes or pipes common to all such carriage accumulators, as well
as to an engine accumulator at one end, so that whenever the pressure in such tubes
or pipes is withdrawn either by accident or design the pressure held in the carriage
accumulators forces the brake blocks on the wheels through the medium of certain
mechanical contrivances, which may be altered or varied without departing from
the nature of the said Invention.
I supply the pressure to both engine and carriage accumulators by forcing water
into the engine accumulator, and from thence through a line of high pressure tubes
or pipes running lengthwise under the under-frame of each vehicle, and through
branch pipes therefrom to each carriage accumulator, so that the same pressure is
current in both engine and carriage accumulator, and along the whole line of the
said tubes or pipes. And in order to preserve this pressure in the said carriage
accumulators I place a check valve in each of the said branch pipes so as to prevent
its return to the main tube or pipe, thus sealing up a certain amount of pressure to
be used for forcing the brake blocks on the wheels, as herein-after described.

page_text: When the pressure is withdrawn from the said main tube I use this sealed
pressure by conducting it through a reversing valve to the face of a plunger con-
nected to rods which work the brake blocks. The pressure in the main tubes or
pipes may be so withdrawn either by purposely opening a cock and allowing the
water to escape or by the accidental breaking of such main pipe or its connections..
The pressure to the said accumulators may be supplied in any approved manner,
but I prefer to supply it either through the ordinary feed pump of the engine or
through its injector. By this means the pressure in the brakes may be regulated
up to the pressure of the steam in the boiler, but not beyond it, inasmuch as when
this is reached the water will run into the boiler and not into the brake
mechanism.
The said Invention may be conveniently carried into practice as follows, that is
to say -The engine accumulator is supplied with water either from the engine
pump through a pipe or from the injector through a pipe. There is a three-way
cock worked by a handle; I provide flexible connections between each vehicle of
the train. A branch pipe leads from the said main pipe to the upper part of a
self-acting reversing valve, and there is a flexible diaphragm therein. A pipe leads
from bottom of carriage accumulator to bottom of said valve, and there is a valvo
therein. I provide a pipe which leads to a cylinder and also an escape for the waste.
The said plunger is connected by a bolt to rods which work the brake blocks.
There is a hand lever and a spindle for forcing the last-named valve down to its
seat in order to release the wheels from the blocks when the carriage is detached
The pressure in the main tube or pipe may be accidentally withdrawn through
the connections becoming uncoupled, or its continuity destroyed in any way, so
that in the event of any part of a train becoming disconnected the brake blocks
are automatically and instantaneously applied.
It is evident that the said brake might also be brought within the power of the
guard by the addition of a discharge cock at the end or at any point along the
main tube if a handle were provided conveniently fitted for working it.
I attach a pressure gauge to the engine accumulator conveniently placed for
examination by the engine driver, and I may pump air into either of the accumu-
lators should I consider it desirable.
By this method of construction and arrangement I am enabled to produce a
railway brake which answers all the requirements demanded by scientific men.
It is continuous, simple and cheap, safe, and instantaneous in its action, and is,
moreover, perfectly automatic in case of accident.
I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
mechanical arrangement herein described, as it is evident that it might be altered
or varied without departing from the nature of the said Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th July
1878.
.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS."
A communication from abroad by the Honorable John Woods, of Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia, Minister of Railways.
This Invention relates to a continuous railway brake, wherein the blocks are
applied to the wheels by hydraulic pressure from an accumulator attached to each
carriage, which pressure is held in check by an equal hydraulic pressure on a line.
of high pressure tubes or pipes common to all of the said carriage accumulators, as
well as to an engine accumulator at one end, so that whenever the pressure in the
said tubes is withdrawn either by accident or design, the pressure held in the
carriage accumulators forces the brake blocks on the wheels through the medium
of mechanical contrivances, which may be altered or varied without departing from
the said Invention.
I supply the pressure to both engine and carriage accumulators by forcing water
into the engine accumulator, and thence through a line of high pressure tubes or
pipes extending lengthwise under the under frame of each vehicle, and through
branch pipes therefrom to each carriage accumulator, so that the same pressure is
current in both engine and carriage accumulators, and along the whole line of tubes.
And in order to preserve this pressure in the carriage accumulators I place a check
valve in each of the said branch pipes to prevent its return to the main tubes or
pipes, thus sealing up a certain amount of pressure to be used for forcing the brake
blocks on the wheels, as herein-after described.
When the pressure is withdrawn from the said main tubes I use this sealed
pressure by conducting it through a reversing valve to the face of a plunger con-
nected to rods which work the said brake blocks. The pressure in the main tubes
may be so withdrawn, either by purposely opening a cock and allowing the water
to escape, or by the accidental breaking of such main pipes or their connections.
The pressure may be supplied to the accumulators in any approved manner, but
I prefer to supply it either through the ordinary feed pump of the engine or through
its injector. By these means the pressure of the brakes may be regulated up to
the pressure of the steam in the boiler, but not beyond it, inasmuch as when this
limit is reached the water will run into the boiler and not into the brake
mechanism.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a side elevation (partly in section) of an engine tender and carriage
with my brake attached to the same.
Figure 2 is an end view of a carriage, with part of the end broken away to shew
more distinctly the working parts of the said apparatus. Figure 3 is a plan of the
same.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the check valve.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the self-acting reversing valve.
Figure 6 is a plan of the engine accumulator and its connections.
A is the engine accumulator, supplied with water either from the engine pump
through the pipe A', or from the injector through the pipe A As is a three-way
cock worked by the handle A ; B is the main line of high pressure tubes, B₁ being
their flexible connections between each vehicle of the train; D is a branch pipe
leading to the bottom of the carriage accumulator E; D¹ is the said check valve; F
is another branch pipe leading from the main pipe to the upper part G of the self-
acting reversing valve; G₁ is a flexible diaphragm therein; G2 is a pipe from the
bottom of the carriage accumulator to the bottom of the said valve; G³ is a valve
therein; G is a pipe leading to the cylinder H; and G³ is an escape orifice for the

page_text: waste. His a plunger connected by a bolt H2 to rods H³, which work the brake
blocks; G is a hand lever; and G7, a spindle for forcing the valve G³ down to its
seat to release the wheels from the said blocks when the carriage is detached.
.
The operation of this Invention is as follows:-I first force a supply of water to
the accumulators and tubes by either the engine pump or the injector. ⚫ This water
forces all the air out of the said tubes into the accumulators, where it is compressed,
and constitutes the power for working the brake blocks. This supply is continued
until a sufficient pressure is obtained. The brakes are now off, and will remain off
so long as the pressure continues in the main tubes. This pressure may be pur-
posely withdrawn by the engine driver. by turning the handle A to open the cock
A³, and discharge the water in the main pipes and seal the engine accumulator.
The compressed air in the carriage accumulators then expands as it forces the water
through the pipe G³ against the lower side of the valve G³, lifting it (by reason
of the pressure in the upper part G having been withdrawn), and passing through
the pipe G, presses against the face of the plunger H', lifting it and so throwing or
forcing the brake blocks on the wheels.
The pressure in the main tubes or pipes may be accidentally withdrawn through
the connections becoming uncoupled, or its continuity may be destroyed in any
manner, so that in the event of any part of a train becoming disconnected the
brake blocks are automatically and instantaneously applied.
When the blocks are required to be withdrawn the three-way cock A³ is again
opened to admit the pressure held in the engine accumulator to the main pipes,
and also to admit the fresh supply of water forced as before, with this result, that
it presses down the flexible diaphragm G¹ in the self-acting reversing valve, forcing
the lower valve G³ down to its seat, thus again cutting off the connection between
the carriage accumulator and the cylinder H. The water in the cylinder then
escapes through the waste port Go, and the plunger H¹ falls to its original position
by its own weight (or is caused to fall by a spring) freeing the brake blocks from all
pressure. This operation of freeing the brake blocks from the wheels is almost
instantaneous.
It is evident that the said brake might also be brought within the power of the
guard by the addition of a discharge cock at the end or at any point along the
main tubes, if a handle were provided conveniently fitted for working the
same.
I attach a pressure gauge to the engine accumulator in a convenient place for
examination by the engine driver, and I may pump air into either of the accumu-
lators should I consider it desirable to do so.
By this method of construction and arrangement I am enabled to produce a
railway brake which fulfils all the requirements of scientific men. It is continuous,
simple, and cheap, safe and instantaneous in its action, and is, moreover, perfectly
automatic in case of accident.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I desire it to be
distinctly understood that I do not claim any of the parts of the apparatus shewn
in the Drawing separate and apart from their arrangement and connection in the
manner and for the purposes herein described and explained, and I further desire
it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise mechanical
arrangement shewn in the said Drawing, as it is evident that this might be altered
or varied without departing from the nature of my Invention, but I claim,-
First. The construction of railway brakes in which hydraulic pressure stored in
carriage accumulators is held in check by a counter pressure in a main line of tubes
or pipes common to all such accumulators, so that when such counter pressure is
withdrawn that in the accumulators is free to apply the brake blocks to the wheels
as above set forth.
Second. The construction and arrangement of the several mechanical parts for
accomplishing the purpose of this Invention, as herein described and illustrated in
the Drawing, consisting essentially of the engine accumulator, the main tubes, the

page_text: branch pipes D, the carriage accumulators, the check valve, the branch pipe F, the
self-acting reversing valve, the pipes G2 and G4, the cylinder H, and the plunger
operating as set forth.
Third. The provision for supplying the hydraulic pressure to the said brake
mechanism by means of either the engine pump or injector, as shewn in the Drawing
and as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)