Improvements in Railway Wagon Brakes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1899
4000
PRUVIDIONAL
Improvements in Railway Wagon Brakes.
I, REUBEN THOMAS PRESTON, of the Firm of J. Stone and Co., of Deptford,
Kent, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to railway wagon brakes fitted with the long hand
lever now generally used for applying and releasing the brake and the object of
this invention is to enable the brake to be applied and released from either side of
the wagon by similar operations in a simple and easy manner and so that no
pins wedges or other means have as heretofore to be specially required or manipu-
lated for fixing the long hand lever and the brake gear connected therewith in
the "off" or
"hard on
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on or
"
position.
For this purpose the wagon is provided with a cross shaft at or near the outer
end of the long brake lever and this shaft is at each end fitted with a short
lever handle or hand wheel so that the cross shaft can be turned from either
side of the wagon by a similar operation. The cross shaft is provided with a
crank, tooth wheel sector, crank pin or equivalent device, and I provide a link,
tooth rack or other suitable connection between such crank, tooth wheel sector,
crank pin or equivalent device and the outer end of the long brake lever so
that the latter is operated when either of the said short lever handles is operated.
The crank or equivalent device may be in one with the lever handle on the same
side of the wagon, that is to say the side on which the brake blocks and other
gear are situated.
For the purpose of ensuring that the brake shall be fixed in the desired on or
off positions without having to employ or manipulate any other gear or device
than one of the short lever handles various arrangements may be adopted.
In one form I mount the cross shaft just over the end of the long brake lever
and connect the latter by a link with the lower end of a curved link the upper
end of which is connected to the crank on the cross shaft. The first named link
may be provided with a series of holes into any one of which the joint pin may be
inserted which connects this link with the long brake lever for the purpose of
adjusting the position and wear of the brake blocks.
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a
on
The curved link may for instance itself in its lower or upper part be provided
with a series of holes for adjustment. Or I mount the long brake lever loosely
its shaft and fix short lever its shaft, such lever being
provided with a series of holes for enabling it to be pinned or otherwise
attached to the long brake lever in the desired position, whereby the wear on the
blocks can be readily compensated for.
The secondly named link is curved for the purpose of clearing the side of
the cross shaft nearest the end of the wagon. The effect of this arrangement of
parts is that when the crank by operating either of the short lever handles is
thrown over to one side for the off position, the upper joint pin of the curved link,
which pin connects it with the crank, is thrown beyond that is to say to one
side of the vertical centre line of the cross shaft, and when the lever handle is

page_text: thrown over to the other side for the "on" and "hard on" positions, then the
upper joint pin of the curved link is thrown to the other side of the vertical
centre line of the cross shaft. In either case the effect is that the lever handles
and all the brake gear connected thereto is held in position and has no tendency
to move from such position by the shocks or oscillations to which the wagon is
subjected in travelling.
Instead of connecting the curved link to the long brake lever by the aforesaid
intermediate link provided with holes for adjustment I may connect the curved
link directly.to the long brake lever. But in that case some means of adjust-
ment must be provided.
In another arrangement of the cross shaft the crank is by a link with holes
for adjustment connected with the end of the long brake lever situated above it
and I provide upon the bracket which carries one end of the cross shaft faces
with sloping approaches for the lever handle to be sprung on to thus retaining
the brake gear in the on or off" position.
"
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I, REUBEN THOMAS PRESTON, of the Firm of J. Stone and Co., of Deptford,
Kent, Engineers, 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:-
These improvements relate to railway wagon brakes fitted with the long hand
lever now generally used for applying and releasing the brake and the object of
this invention is to enable the brake to be applied and released from either side
of the wagon by one operation or manipulation and from either side by like
operations, in a simple and easy manner and so that no pins wedges or other
means have as heretofore usual to be specially manipulated for fixing the long
hand lever and the brake gear connected therewith in the
" off" or
"hard on
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on
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or
position.
For this purpose the wagon is provided with a cross shaft at or near the
outer end of the long brake lever and this shaft is at each end fitted with a short
lever handle or hand wheel whereby the cross shaft can be turned from either
side of the wagon by a like operation. The cross shaft is also at the end where
the brake block gear is situated provided with a crank, crank pin, or equivalent
device, and I provide a link or other suitable connection between such crank,
crank pin or equivalent device, and the outer end of the long brake lever, so
that the latter is operated when the cross shaft is turned by operating either of the
short lever handles in the same sense, that is to say in the same direction: The crank,
crank pin, or equivalent device may be in one with the short lever handle on the
side of the wagon on which the brake block gear is situated. Devices are pro-
vided for holding the brake in the " on or off" position. These devices come
into play automatically when the lever handle at either side of the wagon is
operated, and are released by merely operating either lever handle, except in
two alternative forms shewn in the drawings where the holding device has to be
released by a separate manipulation at either side of the wagon before the lower
handle can be again operated,
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page_text: "
"
Fig. 1 is a side view of one arrangement shewing the brake in the off"
position. Fig. 2 a part side view shewing the brake in the " on" position and
Fig. 3 part side view shewing the brake in the "hard on position. Fig. 4 is
a plan of Fig. 1. A is a cross shaft near the outer end of the long brake lever F
which latter is fixed on the shaft B. The shaft A is at each end provided with a
short lever handle C and C respectively, see Fig. 4. The lever handle C may be
fixed direct on the cross shaft A or as shewn on a pin D in a crank 1) fixed on
the cross shaft A. The action will be the same in both cases but by the arrange-
ment shewn the link E is shorter than by the other. On the crank pin D is
loosely mounted an open link E which at its outer end is adapted to work on
the long brake lever F. The end part of the latter is formed as shewn viz. with
a stop on the upper edge a stop notch F in the lower edge, and a horn F³, on
the end. In the "off" position, Figure 1, the crank pin D lies in the notch 12,
in the "hard on" position, Fig. 3 the end of the link E bears on the top of
the long lever F and in the "on" position, Fig. 2, it comes against the stop Fl.
When the lever handle is turned in the direction of the arrow from the off
to the on or 'hard on " position the end of the link E travels on the top of
the long lever F and the crank pin D¹ travels over the lower part of the horn F³.
In order to take up "for the wear on the brake blocks the push rods G may be
formed with a number of holes at varying distances in the usual manner.
order to graduate the application and release of the brake and to hold it securely
in the on and "off" positions, the cross shaft is fitted with a feathering device
consisting of a cam L which works against a flat spring L.
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"
"
"
"
In
Figure 1 is a side view of another arrangement in which the long lever F is
formed with a slot having notches for the crank pin D¹ to find its place in for
the various positions.
Fig.
5 is a side view and Fig. 6 an end view of an arrangement shewn in the
66 off position in which the long lever F is connected to the crank pin D¹ in
another manner. The cross shaft A has a lever handle C on one end as shewn
and another lever handle on the other end. The crank pin D¹ is fixed in the
lateral projection or crank D of the former as shewn. To the crank pin is
jointed one end of each of two links El the other end being jointed to a link E³
which is hung from the wagon underframe and also by the same pin jointed to an
open or forked link E. This latter has a series of holes for connection by a
pin to the long brake lever F; these holes serve for taking up the wear on the
brake blocks. The lever handle C has a peg C which works against the outer
unsupported end of a, sweep L which in this part is formed with shallow teeth
or undulations deeper towards the end whereby the brake is assisted in keeping
in the on position without a chance of accidentally being released or shaken
loose in case of any violent shock to the wagon, but the feathering of the sweep
is such that the pag C on the lever handle C can ride on the teeth at either
side of the wagon when the lever handle is pushed over in one direction or the
other.
"
"
65°
Fig. 7 is a side view of another arrangement of parts shewn in the 'off'
position, and Fig: 8 is a side view shewing the parts in the "on" position. The
cross shaft A is mounted just over the end of the long brake lever F and the
latte is by a link E connected with the crank D on the cross shaft A. On the
latter is also fixed a lever handle C, in this case made in one with the crank,
there is another lever handle at the other end. The link E has holes for adjust-
ment to take up the wear on the brake blocks. The link is curved in its upper
part for the purpose of clearing the side of the cross shaft nearest the end of
the wagon.
The effect of this arrangement of parts is that when the crank D,
by operating either of the short lever handles C or C¹, is thrown over to one
side for the " off" position the upper joint pin of the curved link E which pin
connects it with the crank D is thrown beyond that is to say to one side of the
vertical centre line of the cross shaft A, see Fig. 7. and when the lever handle is
thrown over to the other side for the "
"hard on
position, then the
"
on or
"

page_text: upper joint pin of the curved link is thrown to the other side of the vertical
centre line of the cross shaft A, see Fig. 8.
In either case the effect is that the lever handles and all the brake gear con-
nected thereto are held in position and have no tendency under ordinary circum-
stances to move from such positions. But in order to guard against the effect
of very great occasional shocks or oscillations I provide a sweep L against which
the peg C in the lever handle C works with a certain amount of spring force.
This sweep has by preference shallow corrugations or teeth on the outer edge and
the peg or tooth C on the lever handle rests in any of the teeth spaces so as to
hold the lever handle in the desired position.
By another arrangement which I do not consider needs illustration the cross
shaft A is arranged below the long lever F and a curved link such as E is
made to connect the latter with the crank D.
Instead of a crank I may simply provide the lever C with a pin to which the
link E is connected.
Fig. 9 is a side view and Fig. 10 an end view of another arrangement of parts.
The long brake lever F is by a link E connected with the crank D) on the cross
shaft A. The latter is fitted with a lever handle C at each end. The full lines
in Fig. 9 shew the lever handle in the "off" position, and the dotted lines
indicate the "on" position. In order to secure the brake in the latter position
a sweep L is provided having shallow corrugations or teeth with any of which the
lever handle C can be put in engagement. The sweep is secured at both ends to
the wagon under frame and the lever handle C is provided with a tooth C*
attached by a flat spring C. In the modification Figs. 11 and 12 the sweep is
secured at its upper end only and is made to feather relatively to the tooth C*
riveted to the handle C.
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Fig. 13 is a side view of yet another arrangement shewing the lever handle in
the off" position and Fig. 14 a side view shewing it in the "hard on position.
The cross shaft A has a lever handle C and C¹ one at each end. The handle C
has a crank D which by a link E is connected with the long brake lever F and
is provided with holes for taking up the wear on the brake blocks. The lever
handle C works on a curved sweep L which is fixed at the top or middle by two
bolts or rivets L' and attached at the lower end by a pin L3 to the bracket M on
the underframe, this pin L2 passes through an elongated hole as shewn. The
sweep is formed with shallow teeth or undulations near the " on end of same,
and the lever handle has a corresponding tooth that can engage with the teeth
on the sweep, which latter can give or feather sufficiently for permitting the tooth
on the lever handle to ride on them when said handle is operated.
"9
Fig. 15 is a side elevation of another arrangement the brake being in the "off"
position, Fig. 16 a similar view in the on position, Fig. 17 a half plan view
of Fig. 15 and Fig. 18 a half end view showing the cross shaft and lever handles
in the middle position. The cross shaft A is in this case made with one or two
cranked parts A¹ by preference the latter; the shaft is square in section or at
least at the cranked part or parts. On the shaft are fixed a hand lever C and C₁
one at each end, one of them having a crank D which by a link E is connected
to the long brake lever F. The diagonally disposed faces of the crank part A¹
operate against a flat spring L which holds the brake in the on or off" or
middle position.
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In the arrangement shewn in the side view Fig. 19 the cross shaft has a lever
handle such as C on each end and a crank D from which the link E connects
with the long brake lever F. On the cross shaft is also fixed a tooth sector L
adapted to engage with the tooth Co by the flat spring C so as to hold the brake
in the " on or off"
position but the teeth are so rounded or undulating that
a smart pull on the lever handle at either side of the wagon will allow the
tooth Co to ride over the teeth for shifting the position of the brake.
"
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Fig. 20 is a side view and Fig. 21 an end view of an arrangement like the one
described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10 but instead of the sweep L is used a

page_text: rack L hung from a pin on the underframe and adapted to engage with the
lever handle C. This rack has to be disengaged before the lever handle C. can
be moved and in order to effect this from the other side of the wagon a detaching
rod N is continued to that other side to be pushed from there.
In Fig. 22 is shewn an arrangement somewhat like Fig. 19 but where a pawl Co
is adapted to be placed into one of the teeth of the sector L. This pawl is fixed
on a cross shaft N which at the other end is provided with a lever handle for
effecting the release of the pawl Co from that side of the wagon before the lever
handle can be operated.
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"
Obviously any one of the feathering devices for holding the brake in the
on and "off" positions shewn in any one of the aforesaid arrangements may
be applied in any one of the others. The shallow teeth in the sweep L are by
preference distributed over a sufficient length of the sweep as to afford facility
for taking up the wear on the brake blocks at least to some extent, while the holes
in the link or in the push rods admit of any further adjustment as required.
In this way not a little time and trouble are saved, inasmuch as the adjustment
by the holes in the link E or in the push rods has to be resorted to much less
frequently than in the usual and most other wagon brakes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:―
1. The improved constructions of wagon brake operating gear consisting of
the long brake lever F, the cross shaft A provided with a crank D at the brake
gear end and a lever handle at each end, a link connection between the crank
and the long lever, and a feathering device for securely holding the brake in
the on or "hard on position against the influence of violent shocks sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figs. to 19.
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"3
"
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2. The improved constructions of wagon brake operating gear consisting of
the long lever F, the cross shaft A provided with a crank D at the brake gear
end and a lever handle at each end, a device for holding the brake in the on
or "hard on" position against the influence of violent shocks, and means for
disengaging said device, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 20
to 22.