Improvements in or relating to Railway Wagon Brakes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left. 16th Jan. 1899-Accepted. 31st May 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Railway Wagon Brakes.
We, JOHN FARQUHARSON MCINTOSH, Locomotive Superintendent, Caledonian
Railway and ARCHIBALD ST. CLAIR RUTHVEN, Locomotive Engineer, Caledonian
Railway, both of Glasgow, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in hand actuated lever brakes of
railway wagons and consists in the employment of an attachment whereby the
lever may be actuated to apply or release the brakes from either side of the wagon
and be held in either of these positions without the aid of pins, wedges or other
means usually employed.
As an example of carrying out our invention we employ a transverse rod
mounted beneath the wagon in a position at or near the extremity of the usual
lever. To one end of this rod is attached a short lever, arm or handle wheel,
whilst the other end is provided with a crank also fitted with a similar lever, arm
or hand wheel, the arrangement being such that the crank can be actuated from
either side of the wagon.
In order to cause the motion given to the crank, by the hand wheel or lever, to
apply the brake we connect the crank by an open link to the end of the usual
brake lever. This link is so arranged that when the handle has been turned
downwards through approximately a half circle the brake is put on and when
the motion is reversed the lever is lifted up and the brake released. The arrange-
ment of the link and crank and the extent of motion given to same is such that
the brake remains on or off until the handwheel or lever is operated by the
shunter or other attendant.
The end of the brake lever may be formed or provided with stops to regulate
and control the movement of the link thereon.
1000
Improvements in or relating to Railway Wagon Brakes:
We, JOHN FARQUHARSON MCINTOSH, Locomotive Superintendent, Caledonian
Railway and ARCHIBALD ST. CLAIR RUTHVEN, Locomotive Engineer, Caledonian
Railway, both of Glasgow, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in hand actuated lever brakes of rail-
way wagons and consists in the employment of an attachment whereby the lever
may be actuated to apply or release the brake from either side of the wagon
by precisely similar operations and be held in either of these positions without
the aid of the pawl tooth racks, pins, wedges, or other means usually employed.
In carrying out our invention we employ a transverse rod or shaft mounted
beneath the wagon in a position at or near the extremity of the usual long
hand lever. To one end of this transverse shaft is attached a short lever, arın,
or hand wheel, whilst the other end is provided with a crank also fitted with a
similar lever, arm, or hand wheel, the arrangement being such that the crank can
be actuated from either side of the wagon by taking hold of one of the said short
levers, arms, or hand wheels, and turning the transverse shaft, the aforesaid crank
being connected to the end of the usual long brake lever, which is thereby lowered
or raised and the brake put on or taken off.
But in order that our said invention may be more readily understood and easily
carried into effect we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the
accompanying drawings of which
Fig. 1 is an elevation and
Fig. 2 a plan of a portion of the body or frame bottom of a railway wagon
shewing the means for actuating the lever applied thereto.
Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of the end of the lever and the means for
actuating same shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 3 shewing the actuating means in
different positions.
Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views to Fig. 3 of two modifications.
Figs. 3 and 9 to 17 are views of other modifications.
Referring to the said drawings we employ a transverse shaft or rod A mounted
in bearing straps K beneath the wagon in a position at or near the extremity of
the usual long lever B. To one end of this shaft A. is attached a short lever
handle or arm C, or it may be a hand wheel, whilst the other end is provided with
a crank I fitted with a similar lever handle or arm E, or handwheel, the arrange-
ment being such that the crank can be actuated from either side of the wagon,
that is to say either by the lever handle C or by the lever handle E. In order to
cause the motion given to the crank by either of the said lever handles (or hand-
wheels) to apply the brake we connect the crank, in the example shewn in
Figs. 1 to 6, by an open link F to the end of the brake lever. This link which
is pivotted at f and provided with an antifriction roller f', is so arranged that
when either of the handles C or E, has been turned through approximately a
half circle the brake is put hard on, and when the motion is reversed the lever B
is lifted up and the brake released. The formation of the one end of the lever B
and the action to which it is subjected is clearly illustrated if Figs. 3 to 6. When
the brake is off, the crank D) is in a vertical position, with the pin or spindle f,
to which the actuating handle E and pivotting link F are attached, in the stop,
detent or notch formed on the lever. If it is desired to apply the brake so that
the blocks are pressed against the wheels the crank is rotated so that the pin f
is removed from the detent b when the various parts assume the position shewn in
Fig. 5. In the said figure it will be observed that the link F is retained in
the position shown by the roller fl coming against the stop 61 of the brake lever B.
If therefore it is desired to put the brake "hard on the lever handle E is
turned until the parts assume the position in Fig. 6 in which position they are
retained by reason of the roller f having travelled back past the centre of the
transverse shaft A. To release the brake the lever handle E is reversed so that
the pin f comes in contact with the curved surface G of the brake lever B and
thus returns to its normal off position.

page_text: An indicator H of any suitable form may be arranged at the side of the wagon
to indicate the various positions to which the lever E must be turned to produce
certain results, and if desired the lever C may be formed or provided with a
pointer and similar indicator for the same purpose.
Or in place of keying the lever E to the pin fit may be keyed to the end of
the rod A as shewn in Fig. 3 where the crank D is also shewn in one piece
with the lever E.
Also as a modification we may dispense with the link F and employ a lever H
as shewn in Fig. 7 mounted on the cross shaft A. and answering to the lever
handle E and the crank D having a pin h which engages with a slot J of
suitable formation formed in the end of the brake lever B. Or the brake lever
may be provided with the pin h and the slot made in the lever H as shewn in Fig. 8.
Notches like 6 may be provided for the "off" on, ," and "hard on " positions. Fig. 9
is a side view and Fig. 10 a part sectional elevation of a brake lever B formed with
a slot J wherein works the pin which is fixed in the lever handle H, the
arrangement being such that the brake is put on whether the lever handle H is
moved to the left or to the right. The bracket K may as shewn be provided with
raised parts for the lever handle H to be sprung on to after riding up one of
the sloping parts 6*. Similar raised parts may be provided in connection with the
modifications hereinafter to be described or we form notches like Figs. 7 and 8
in the slot J for the purpose of holding the brake in the "off," "on," and "hard on "
positions.
In place of keying the brake lever B to the spindle or shaft L carrying the
block actuating armis M we prefer in some cases to mount it loosely thereon and
key a second short lever J thereto as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, the said lever being
provided with a series of holes j to enable it to be pinned or otherwise attached
to the lever B whereby the wear of the blocks can be readily compensated for.
Or we may employ any other suitable means for the same purpose as for instance
shewn in the side elevation Fig. 11 and end view Fig. 12 where the cross shaft A
is brought lower down and the crank 1) is connected to the brake lever B by a
link having a series of holes ; for connecting it thereto by any one of them
according to the thickness and wear of the brake blocks. The brake lever B
is in this case fixed on its shaft. The bracket K is in this case also shewn with
slopes and raised parts b'. Or if the centre of the shaft A is carried up higher
we may as shewn in Fig. 13 connect the crank D with the brake lever B below
it by a link F of a curved form so that the lever handle E can be thrown so far
over that the pin D comes well beyond the centre of the pin F¹ and of the
shaft A. "The link F is provided with holes j for adjusting according to the
wear of the blocks.
In Fig. 14 the link is shewn without such holes and the adjustment for the
wear of the brake blocks may then be made as described with reference to
Figs. 1 to 6. And indeed the crank D on the transverse shaft A may in various
ways be so connected with the brake lever B as to fulfil the object of our invention
contained in the opening statement of this specification. Thus for instance
in Fig. 15 the pinion sector D which answers to the crank D in the previous figures
is mounted on the crossshaft A and gears with a toothed rack F (answering to the
link F in the previous figures) and serves to raise and lower the brake lever B.
The rack link F is by screws N Figs. 15 and 16 held fast in a socket O fixed on
the long lever B but the socket has teeth for the teeth in the rack link F
to engage with, and by turning back the screws N the rack link can be adjusted
in position according to the wear on the brake blocks.
In Fig. 17 the tooth rack F fixed on the brake lever B is actuated by the
toothed sector wheel D on the cross shaft A. The wear on the brake blocks may
be taken up as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.
The foregoing serve as examples of how our invention may be carried into
effect but we desire it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise

page_text: details hereinbefore described as it is obvious that the same may be varied without
departing from the scope of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The application and use in hand actuated lever brakes of railway wagons of
an attachment whereby the long lever B may be actuated to apply or release the
brake from either side of the wagon and be held in either of these positions, said
attachment consisting of a transverse shaft mounted beneath the wagon in a
position at or near the extremity of the aforesaid brake lever, and having at one
end a short lever handle arm or hand wheel whilst the other end is provided with
a crank connected to the brake lever B, a similar lever handle, arm or handwheel
being also there provided, the arrangement being such that the crank can be
actuated from either side of the wagon by a similar motion of the lever handles,
substantially as set forth.
2. The employment of the crank D capable of being operated from either side
and communicating its motion by the link F to the end of the brake lever, or any
mere modification or mechanical equivalent of the foregoing whereby the brake
can be applied or released from either side of the wagon by a similar motion of
the lever handles substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the accom-
panying drawings.
3. The formation of the end of the brake lever and the method of arranging the
crank I relatively therewith, or any mere modification or mechanical equivalent
of the foregoing whereby the lever of the brake when applied or released is retained
in the desired positions without the aid of the pawl tooth racks, pins, wedges or
other means usually employed substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn
in the accompanying drawings.
4. In combination with the brake lever B, the cross shaft A, the crank I), the
lever handles E and C, and a connection between the crank D and the brake
lever B, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 25th day of April 1899.
JOHNSONS,
Applicants' Agents, 115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,