IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER BREAKS, AND COMMUNICATOR BETWEEN THE GUARD AND DRIVER OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1857

page_text: .
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Myers, of 52, Rathbone Place, County of
Middlesex, Medical Practitioner, Charles Askew, 27, Charles Street,
Hampstead Road, and John Askew, 27, Charles Street, Hampstead
Road, both in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER BREAKS, AND COMMUNICATOR
BETWEEN THE GUARD AND DRIVER OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES,"
Sealed the 4th August 1857, and dated the 6th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left.by the said Henry Myers, Charles
Askew, and John Askew at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 6th February 1857.
HENRY MYERS, of 52, Rathbone Place, County of Middlesex, Medical
Practitioner, CHARLES ASKEW, 27, Charles Street, Hampstead Road, and
JOHN ASKEW, 27, Charles St., Hampstead Road, both in the County of
Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER BREAKS, AND COMMUNICATOR BETWEEN THE
GUARD AND DRIVER OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
Our said Invention refers to a mode of arranging horizontal metal rods and
tubes with a band clutching the wheel or wheels, and which are affixed to one
or each vehicle of a railway train and carriages in such a manner that if
required the train or vehicle can be rigidly and instantaneously stopped; and
Price 8d

page_text: the signalling in case of danger or otherwise shall be self-attaching,and capable
of instantaneous coinmunication between the engine driver and guard in a
series of ways, by rotating the tube, voice, other sounds, and a lever signal
alarm, enabling the guard and driver to hold converse with each other.
To each and under every guard's van, break van, carriage, and locomotive
we affix a flange on the wheel or wheels, forming a drum, and pass or bind
round the same, by either single or double action, an antifriction metal or
other band, which is partly attached to either the frame side, or under the
carriage, locomotive, or other vehicle, at such an angle and in such a way
to an horizontal rod or shaft, and which is acted upon by a screw piston lever
upon a crank arm, eccentric, or cam action, causing it to gripe, and carrying a
cog wheel or wheels. The portion relating to the signal comprises an hori-
zontal tubulous shaft, with revolving head, spring lever cylinderat one endand
a piston at the other, which are acted upon, put in motion, and rotated by
means of a vertical shaft with moving head gear and bevelled wheels from
the break screw piston shaft. The tubular piston is formed in such a way
that it will readily enter the spring tubular cylinder at any point or angle,
uniting the communicator tubes throughout the train firmly and regular.
The revolving cylinders are fitted and carry such levers and proper gear as
to raise a signal before the guard and driver giving an alarm, and permitting
at all times verbal and other sounds to be transfered from one to the other,
and by the shifting gear it enables both to be worked together or separate,
and are in a like manner applicable both to collieries and mines.
These are the nature of the mechanical agencies we have alluded to, but
we don't confine ourselves to the precise dimensions or proportions, as they
may be modified, and will be more particularly described and delineated in
our perfect and Final Specification.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Myers, Charles Askew, and John Askew in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th August, 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, HENRY
MYERS, 60, Upper Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square] in the County of
Middlesex, Surgeon, CHARLES ASKEW, 27, Charles Street, Hampstead
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Coppersmith, and JOHN ASKEW, 27,
Charles Street, Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Copper:
smith, send greeting.

page_text: day of
year
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the
in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Henry Myers, Charles Askew and John Askew, Her special
licence that we, the said Henry Myers, Charles Askew, and John Askew,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Henry Myers, Charles Askew, and John Askew, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 AND OTHER BREAKS, AND
COMMUNICATOR BETWEEN THE GUARD AND DRIVER OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Myers, Charles
Askew, and John Askew, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our 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 we, the said Henry Myers, Charles Askew, and
John Askew, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention; and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our said Invention refers to a mode of arranging horizontal metal rods
and tubes, to which rods a band is affixed to clutch round a drum or
drums attached to the wheels of one or each vehicle of a railway train and
carriages in such a manner that if required the train or vehicle can be
gradually, rigidly, and instantaneously stopped; and the signalling in case
of danger to put on the breaks shall be self-attaching, and capable of
instantaneous communication between the engine driver and guard in a
series of ways, by rotating the phonic tube, voice, whistle, other sounds,
and a lever signal alarm, enabling the guard and driver to hold converse
with each other.
And for the better understanding of our said improvements we will now
proceed to detail the full particulars thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, in which the same letters apply to like parts
throughout.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 are a front or end and interior side views of our improved
break and communicating phonic signal tubes. Figure 1 shews the mode
of application, arranging, and fixing to a locomotive, guard's van, truck, and
every other vehicle throughout a railway train, giving also a part view from
within the guard's van, tender, or locomotive, of our arrangement of the
apparatus and alarum indicator; Figures 2 and 2 shewing the mode of
application and fixing the break's band round the drum of the wheels and
to the horizontal rol or rods. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the inter-
mediate phonic tubes as applied to each vehicle between the guard's van
and locomotive, representing and shewing their mode of connection, and
shewing the spring cylinder and fluted lever tubular piston, enabling the
vehicle it is fixed under to communicate by voice, whistle, alarum, or other-
wise to the guard and driver by rotating vertical shafts D and j. Figure 4,
shewing the end tube, with its revolving end or head, which is affixed under
the break's van, locomotive, or any other vehicle that communication may be
required from. Figure 5, shewing the intermediate tube entire, of which
Figure 3 is a sectional view, as affixed under each vehicle. Figure 6,
shewing the mode of affixing and carrying the phonic signal tube down a
nine, which is connected the same as the horizontal intermediate tubes.
Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged views of the alarum indicator and the revolving
head of the communicating phonic tube, as shewn in Figure 4.
A, A, are flanged wooden drums, which we securely affix on to two or four
wheels of a break's van, locomotive, or other vehicle. We then pass or bind
round the drum, either singly or double, the metal or other band B, one end
of which is attached or fixed in a secure way, with bolts or otherwise, to either
the frame side, or under the carriage, locomotive, or other vehicle, and the
other end is affixed to the horizontal rod C with a screw collar, and which
horizontal rod or shaft is acted upon by a vertical winch screw lever rod D
upon the crank arms E. The end of the screw rod D works into the socket a
in the crank arm E, which enables it to revolve easily, pressing downwards
or raising upward the crank arms E and arms g for retarding and stopping
the same. (This is also applicable to eccentric or cam action). By this arrange-
ment it will cause the band to gripe the drum. The screw lever rod D carries
on the top a cog wheel h, which enters the flange cog wheel e,j, which when
rotated instantly communicates to the driver to put on his break; this is caused
by the tappets l. On cylinder in Figure 4 pressing down the lower arm m
which acts upon the indicator signal alarum n, and by the reverse action,

page_text: the driver communicates to the guard. A small whistle also is placed in
the tube, so that by applying the mouth to phonic tube G, and blowing, it
will whistle, and the driver or guard will know that a conversation is about
to take place. The connection rods H are formed at one end with a grooved
cylinder, which contains a smaller tube running parallel with. the cylinder
surrounding it; a strong acting spiral spring with pressure plate, which
pressure plate is faced with indian-rubber (vulcanised or otherwise), leather,or
other suitable elastic substance,as shewn in cylinder k, keeping up a uniform
pressure of the grooved piston acting in the mouth of the cylinder, as in
Figure 3, and admitting of play to the rods; the piston H in Figures 4 and
5, which is perforated and fluted in a corresponding manner, so as to fit into
similar grooves in the cylinders K, which enters with ease, forming a con-.
tinuous rotatory air shaft, and arranged in order, as shewn, under carriages
in Figures 1 and 2, admitting of sounds being carried along and through
by means of the vertical and horizontal tubes, as in Figures 4, 5, and 8.
Figures 4 and 5 both shew the formation of the grooved tubular piston.
The shaft has a slot hole in it to enable its head gear e to rise and fall
correspondingly with the break's rod D, and when rotated to the right it
gives the notice or alarum to the engine driver to put on the break; when
rotated to the left by the engine driver, it signals to the guard that the
break is taken off; they can then communicate to each other sounds, by
speaking or otherwise, and the like. Same can be done from the surface
of the mine and from the mine to the surface; but in this latter case the
phonic lever tubes are carried down the mine vertically, and are fitted with
proper stop mouthpieces and with beveled tooth wheels at each gallery,
which in this case the vertical shaft is dispensed with.
Having thus full described our said Invention, we would state, that in
applying it to a railway train we affix our drums on the wheels, and pass our
bands round the same and affix then to an horizontal lever rod. The metal
tubes are fixed under each vehicle in a spring bearing, on axle, or otherwise,
where it is most free from deviation of level, and where the same may freely
rotate or slide; and in collieries or mines we run the phonic tube down the
air shaft, down-cast shaft, or wall, attached in like manner with bearings to
upright balk, or such proper timber, branching off on horizontal wood work at
as many galleries as may be required. One end of the tubular phonic com-
municating tube carries a tubular spring cylinder with four tappetts, a beveled
cog wheel, and revolving tubular air-tight head. The mouth of the inter-
mediate cylinders is champered a little inwards from the outer edge to the
spring pressure plate, and the opposite end of the shaft carries a tubular fluted

page_text: piston, with half rounds or sharp rounds on its sides, which are so made
as to readily slide in and out of the cylinders and clutching the same, and
so throughout a railway train, colliery, or mine.
We beg to state that we do not confine ourselves to any precise detail
of fixing our said drum break bands, lever rods, communicator alarum tubes,
or the dimensions or number of the same, as they may be greatly modified.
And we do hereby declare that what we claim as our Invention is, the
application the drum wheel with break band, signal alarum, revolving and
spring cylinder, and round, grooved, and square pistons, and tlie peculiar
arrangement of the whole, for effectually stopping railway trains, and other
wheels or drums, and signalling and conveying sounds both in the same
and subterraneously.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Myers, Charles Askew, and
John Askew, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.