IMPROVED MEANS OF STOPPING OR RETARDING TRAINS ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Cartwright at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th June
1862.
I, CHARLES CARTWRIGHT, of No: 1, Liverpool Street, Moorfields, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OF STOPPING OR RETARDING TRAINS ON RAILWAYS;" to be as
follows:-
The apparatus is intended for stopping railway trains in the event of a
threatened collision or accident, and consists principally of two strong: vertical
iron bars working or sliding, in elongated stirrups attached in juxtaposition
to the bottom of each railway carriage. On the upper portion of these bars
are spiral-springs kept on by collared nuts with linch, pins,, which nuts are
turned up round the rims (as also are the bottoms' of the stirrups) to prevent
the springs from expanding and slipping off; the other, or lower ends of the
sliding bars, are to be formed as hooks, being perforated at about eight or ten
inches from the hooks to admit guiding rods adjusted at the bottom of the
carriage. Under these hooks, and working upon the guiding rods, and kept
up by spiral springs having collared nuts and linch pins, is a strong iron bar
(which I call the "director") working upon the guiding rods, having a strong
stop joint in the middle to allow of its falling in a straight line. This bar or
director," when not in use, is drawn up towards the bottom of the carriage
by a chain passing over a roller or sheave fixed to the bottom of the carriage,

page_text: and running under another roller or sheave fixed on the bottom at the back
of the carriage, is joined to a sliding bar working in guides, fixed to the back of
the carriage, and rising a little above the roof, having a perforation to admit of
a spring bolt, which is fixed on the roof, and by which bolt the whole apparatus
is held up clear of the wheels.
The spring bolt is attached to a connecting wire running along the roof of
the carriage from back to front, and is joined by a chain to a similar wire
running along the roof of the preceding carriage, which wire is also joined by
a chain to the spring bolt on the top of the next carriage, and so on to the
first carriage of the train, on which the wire is a little shorter, and is fixed by
a flattened chain passing over a roller mounted on a lever attached to the
front of the carriage to prevent the wire from being bent by its being raised
or depressed.
In case of a threatened collision or danger, or whenever the engineer wishes
to stop the train suddenly after shutting off the steam, he depresses the last-
named lever, and thus withdraws all the spring bolts at once, and the sliding
bars descending allow the "directors" to fall into a straight line, and directing
or thrusting the hooks of the sliding bars between the spokes of the wheels,
the latter are prevented from revolving, and the train is stopped. The spiral
springs on the sliding bars and guide rods then come into action, and prevent
or diminish the jerk which might otherwise be seriously felt.
When it is desired to unlock the wheels, the engineer backs the train, and
the guard or other attendant, with a lever or other lifting apparatus, raises all
the sliding bars, which are immediately retained in their position by the
spring bolts, and are thus held up clear of the wheels, and ready for immediate
action again when required.