IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Blick, of 104, Regent's Park Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY BREAKS."
Sealed the 26th September 1873, and dated the 3rd April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Blick at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd April 1873.
I, JAMES BLICK, of 104, Regent's Park Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of railway breaks,
whereby the speed of a train can be quickly reduced, and at a small
expenditure of force on the part of the person in charge of the breaks,
and for this purpose the break van is fitted with a vertical spindle
suitably supported by bearings, and having at its lower end a screw on
which a nut is free to pass up or down when the vertical spindle is made
to revolve. The nut is securely held (although free to adjust itself on

page_text: the vertical spindle) by a forked lever, which is attached to a rocking
shaft supported by bearings, and fitted with one or more short levers set
at right angles to the forked lever. A bar or bars are connected by means
of pins or bolts to the short levers, and are also attached to two sets of
hanging brackets pivoted to plates on the under side of the break van.
The hanging brackets are placed one on either side of one of the axles
of the travelling wheels, and between which a drum is securely fixed on
the axle. Friction wheels, forming part of two pinions, are keyed on
to short shafts which are supported by the hanging brackets. A con-
nector bar running the whole length of the break van, and supported by
bearings, guides, and friction rollers, is fitted with a rack geared into
the pinions, by which the connector bar is made to slide through the
guides. The ends of the connector bars are provided with joints common
to all, and by which means the break mechanism can be connected to
all or any of the carriages, vans, or trucks forming the train. A connector
bar is fitted to each carriage, van, or truck of the same construction as
that fitted to the break van, but with this difference that the rack gears
into a pinion keyed on to a short shaft or barrel supported and carried
by brackets securely and rigidly fixed to the under side of the carriage.
This shaft or barrel is fitted with an eye bolt, to which is secured a
chain attached to a weighted lever keyed or otherwise securely fixed to
a shaft having two or more arms, and to which are connected the rods
operating the break blocks.
The action of this break is as follows:-The vertical spindle being
made to revolve by any suitable means the nut held by the forked lever
will be raised or depressed, and the movement will be carried by means
of the rocking shaft and bars to the friction wheels and pinions, thereby
causing one or the other of the friction wheels to press against the drum
on the axle. The friction produced by the pressure of the friction wheels
upon the drum will cause them to revolve, and acting through the
pinions upon the rack will operate the connector bars on the carriages,
thereby causing the pinions on the short shafts or barrels to revolve, and
winding up the chain attached to the weighted lever will, by means of
the rods, force the break blocks against the travelling wheels of so many
of the carriages or trucks as have their break mechanism connected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Blick in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BLICK, of 104, Regent's Park Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our-
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Blick, Her special licence that I, the
said James Blick, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Blick, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 RAILWAY BREAKS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Blick,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 James Blick, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of
railway breaks. For this purpose the break van or carriage is fitted
with a vertical spindle provided with collars and suitable supports
having a screw upon its lower end, on which a nut carried by a forked
lever is free to pass up or down when the spindle is made to revolve.
The forked lever is keyed or otherwise fixed to a rocking shaft supported
by bearings and fitted with short levers set at right angles to the forked.

page_text: lever. The short levers are attached by means of bars or connecting
rods to a shaft on which are fitted friction wheels and a pinion, the
whole being supported by means of hanging brackets suspended from
pivots fixed to the under side of the carriage or van. A drum is attached
to the axles of the travelling wheels opposite the friction wheels, and
against which they can be made to press. A connector bar running
from end to end of the carriage or van and supported by bearings,
guides, and friction rollers is fitted with a rack made to gear into the
pinion supported by the hanging brackets. Connector bars of similar
construction are fitted to the carriages, vans, or trucks to which it is
desired to apply this system of brakes, and are connected one to the
other in any desirable manner whether by links or otherwise. The rack
is made to gear into a pinion attached to a barrel, the bearings of which
are supported by brackets fixed to the under side of the carriage, van, or
truck. The barrel is fitted with an eye bolt, to which is secured a chain
attached to a weighted lever keyed or otherwise securely fixed to a
shaft provided with arms to which are connected the rods operating the
break blocks. The shaft carrying the weighted lever and the arms is
supported and held in position by a framework, secured to the under
side of the carriage, van, or truck. The ends of the rods operating the
break blocks are provided with regulating screws for the purpose of
compensating for the wear of the break blocks, and ensuring that all
the travelling wheels shall receive an equal pressure when the breaks
are put in operation.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood,
reference is made to the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts where such
parts appear in each of the Figures respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the mechanism for actuating the breaks;
Fig. 2 is a plan of same; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the mechanism for
bringing the break blocks in contact with the travelling wheels of a
carriage, van, or truck; Fig. 4 is a plan of same. The framework of
the flooring is shewn broken away for the purpose of more easily identi-
fying the various parts as hereafter described.
The vertical spindle A fitted with collars B, B, and supported by
the column C is made to revolve by power being applied to the handles

page_text: d, d, and the nut D carried by the forked lever E will ride up or down
the spindle A. The forked lever E is securely fixed to the rocking
shaft F fitted with the short levers H, H, the whole being supported by
the brackets G. G. The levers H, H, are connected to the shaft O
supported by the hanging brackets J, J, by means of the bars or
connecting rods I, I. It therefore follows that if the nut D be made
to pass down the spindle A carrying the end of the forked lever E
down with it, then the short levers H, H, will be moved in the same
direction, and the rods I, I, acting upon the hanging brackets J, J,
suspended from the pivots K, K, will draw the friction wheels L, L,
against the drum M fixed on the axle N of the travelling wheels.
The friction wheels L, L, being made to press against the drum M,
which, if moving will cause the friction wheels L, L, to revolve, carrying
with them the pinion P which is attached to the shaft O in like manner
to the friction wheels L, L. The rack T, which is geared in the
pinion P, and the connector bar Q will thus be made to slide through
the guides R, R, and be held in position by the friction rollers S, S.
The connector bar Q, Fig. 1, being attached to the connector bar Q',
Fig. 3, by the links or couplings U₁, U", it therefore follows that when
the connector bar Q, Fig. 1, is made to slide through its guides that the
connector bar Q', Fig. 3, must follow it, and in so doing it will cause
the pinion W, into which the rack V is geared, to revolve, thereby
winding the chain Z round the barrel X. The weighted lever L³, to
which the chain Z is attached, will then be raised, and acting on the
rods ff, through the arms H¹, H³, will cause the break blocks B¹, B', to
press against the travelling wheels. The barrel X and pinion W are
supported by the brackets Y, Y, and the shaft O¹, on which are fixed
the arms H¹, H³, and the weighted lever L' is supported by the brackets
T, T. The regulating screws S, S, fitted to the rod f,f, are used for
adjusting the break blocks B', B', in their distance from the travelling
wheels. The connector bar Q' and the rack V are held in their proper
The
position by means of the friction rollers n, n, and the guides r, r.
break blocks B¹, B', are suspended from the joints m, m, bolted to the
framework of the carriage, van, or truck. The object of the weight g
on the lever L' is to act as a counterbalance to withdraw the break
blocks B¹, B¹, from the travelling wheels when the racks and connector
bars are returned to their original position by reason of the friction
wheels L, L, being withdrawn from contact with the drum M.

page_text: If it is desired to have break blocks applied to the travelling wheels
of the van or carriage fitted with the mechanism for actuating the
breaks, then it will be necessary to apply a similar arrangement to that
shewn at Figs. 3 and 4, the chain Z on the weighted lever L' being
made to coil itself round the shaft O, Figs. 1 and 2, when the friction |
wheels L, L, are made to revolve by being brought into contact with the
drum M.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details shewn and described, as 1
they may be modified in practice without departing from the principles
of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Blick, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
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