AN IMPROVED BRAKE, FOR RAILROAD CARRIAGES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex,. Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED BRAKE, FOR RAILROAD CARRIAGES."-A communication
from abroad by Augustine Irel Ambler, Attorney-at-Law, Roseline Nancy
Ambler, Wife of the said Augustine Irel Ambler, and Warrick Martin,
Banker, all of the City and. County of. Milwaukee, in the State of
Ti Sentor of Amonica
Sealed the 8th July 1862, and dated the 15th March 1862:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1862
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR RAILROAD CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved brake. for railroad, carriages and of
that class which are operated by the movement. of the carriages from "the
running gear thereof.
The object of the Invention is to obtain a brake which will admit of being.
applied by a single person to all of a series or train of carriages, the brakes of:
the several carriages being simultaneously applied. with an uniform pressure,,

page_text: and the pressure graduated as may be required with the greatest facility,
far more so than the brake of a single carriage arranged in the ordinary
way. I employ what I term a tumbling rod, which is placed longitudinally
underneath each carriage just above its axle; the tumbling rods of the
several carriages comprising a train being connected together and so
arranged that they with their draw bars may be rotated, and also lowered
and raised by means of suitable gearing connected with a slide and belt
shipper, the above parts being used, in connection with two cones, a belt,
and two cylinders, one cone and cylinder being placed on an axle of each
car, and the other cone and cylinder on a lever which is connected to a
chain attached to the brake bars. For this purpose I arrange the brake
bars to extend across the treads of two wheels on same axle, and suspend
the shoes or brake surfaces and such bars by springs from the framing, which
withdraw the brakes from the wheels when the pressure is released, the mid
parts of these brake bars are connected by a chain which is diverted from the
direct line by passing round two pullies mounted on a lever; and according to
the position of which lever the direction of the chain is more or less diverted,
and as a consequence applies. more or less strain to draw the brake levers
together and apply them at opposite diameters of the wheels, or if applied to
four wheels one brake surface to each, 'the pressure of the one brake bar will
be in the opposite direction to that of the other. The deflecting lever carries
a long cone rigger or pulley on its free end while a like cone is fixed on one of
the carriage axles, but unlike usual cone pullies they are both disposed in
same direction, that is the two larger ends together. At the small ends they
have loose pullies on which the strap runs during. inaction of the brakes.
When the strap or belt which encircles the cones is at the small ends, the lever
assumes a position to slack the brake chain; but when the belt is carried
towards the large part of the driving cone it necessarily draws the cone of the
lever towards the cone on the axle, and so shortens the chain, and applies
the brakes. This it does with a force which can be regulated to a nicety
according to the position to which the belt is carried by its shipper or traverser.
The belt shipper is actuated by the tumbling or continuons rod, on which is a
pinion gearing into a bevil wheel mounted on a short upright shaft carrying a
pinion taking into rack teeth which traverses the belt shipper in its slide.
The tension of the belt is relaxed on its return' or inward movement taking
place, for which purpose I construct the belt shipper with slides häving rollers
attached and acted upon by springs which have the effect of loosening or
relaxing the belt or strap on its moving from the large towards the small parts
of the cones. Motion is communicated to the tumbling rod or shaft by bevil

page_text: gear and a land wheel shaft which may be applied to each carriage, or as.
these shafts are connected some of the carriages only need be so furnished,
whereby the guard or guards can readily apply the whole of the brakes. I'
mount the longitudinal shaft or tumbling rod in adjustable bearings in order to
lower it out of gear with the hand wheel gear if necessary. A single arrangement
of the cone lever and belt apparatus is equally applicable for applying brakes
to eight wheels in the same carriage by simply causing the brake chain to pass
from one brake bar over a pulley attached to the opposing brake bar of a
pair, thence to a pulley on a third brake bar at the opposite end of carriage
and thence to. the fourth brake bar, where its other end is connected (the
third and fourth brake bars being the second pair) in its traverse it of course
passes round the deflecting pullies on the cone lever and in this chain which I
form partly of rods, I apply screw couplings to regulate its length I mount
the cone gear on framework or bars supported directly from the carriage
axles..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there
after 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 "AN
IMPROVED BRAKE FOR RAILROAD CARRIAGES," a communication from abroad
by Augustine Irel Ambler, Attorney-at-Law, Roseline Nancy Ambler, Wife
of the said Augustine Irel Ambler, and Warrick Martin, Banker, all of
the City and County of Milwaukee, in the State of Wisconsin, United States of

page_text: America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clark, 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.
a
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved brake for railroad carriages and of
that class which are operated by the movement of the carriages from the
running gear thereof.
The object of the Invention is to obtain a brake which will admit of being
applied by a single person to all of a series or train of carriages, the brakes of
the several carriages being simultaneously applied with an uniform pressure
and the pressure graduated as may be required with the greatest facility;
far more so than the brake of a single carriage arranged in the ordinary
way.
The Invention consists in the employment or use of what I term a
tumbling rod, which is placed longitudinally underneath each carriage just
above its axles, the tumbling rods of the several carriages comprising a train
being connected together and so arranged that they with their draw bars may be
rotated and also lowered and raised, and by means of suitable gearing connected
with a slide and belt shipper, the above parts being used in connection with
two cones, a belt and two cylinders, one cone and cylinder being placed on an
axle of each carriage and the other cone and cylinder on a lever which is con-
nected to a chain attached to the brake bars, all being, arranged substantially,
as herein-after shown and described to effect the desired end.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of this
Invention taken on the line x, x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan or top view. of the
same; Fig. 3 is a section of a portion of the same, taken on the line y, y, Fig. 2;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged portion of Fig. 3; Fig. 4 is a detached plan or top view
of a portion of the same; Fig. 5 is a detached section of the same, taken on
the line z, z, Fig. 2. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the several Figures.
A represents the bed or lower part of a carriage frame; B, the wheels;

page_text: and C, the axles, the journals of which have their bearings in pendant plates D
attached to the bed A; E, E', represent the brake bars which are suspended
by springs F from the bed A. These brake bars have a shoe G at each end,
which may be constructed of any suitable material and so attached to the
brake bars that they may be readily removed when worn by use and replaced
by new ones. The springs F when not acted upon by any extraneous power
keep the shoes G free from the treads of the wheels B. The innermost brake
bars which are designated by E', have each a rod H attached to them at their
centres; and to the outer ends of the rods H chain's I, I¹, are attached, one to
each; these chains' pass over pulleys J, J, which are connected to the centres
of the outermost brake bars, which are designated by E. The chain I has
one end of a rod K connected to it, and the opposite end of this rod is con-
nected to the chain I' which passes around two pullies a, a, on a lever L, the
fulcrum pin 6 of which passes through a bar M, fitted loosely on two of the
axles C, C, of the car, see Fig. 2. The bar M has two parallel bars N, N,
attached to it at right angles, and the outer ends of the bars N, N, are attached
at right angles to the bar O, which is fitted loosely on the same axle C, C, as
the bar M and parallel with it. The bar O'is connected with one side of the
bed A of the carriage by a rod c. The bars M, O, do not interfere in the
least with the rotation of the axles C, C, on which they are placed, as the axles
are allowed to turn freely 'in said bars. The rods H, H, chains I, I', and
rod K connect the brake bars E, E, E, E, together, and also connect the
brake bars with the lever L, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 2.
The lever L bas its outer end resting on the bar O, the outer end of said lever
being allowed to work or move freely on the bar, the portion on which the lever
works or moves being of segmental form, as shown at d, Fig. 2. On the
lever L there is placed loosely a cone P, and a short cylinder or cone Q is
also placed loosely on the lever L, the cylinder or cone Q being at the inner and
smaller end of cone P, but not connected with it. If Q be a cylinder it is
equal in diameter. to the smaller or inner end of the cone P, but if it be a
frustrum of a cone its larger end is equal in diameter to the inner and smaller
end of P, and has the continuation of the bevil or taper of P, as shown in.
Fig. 2. On the inner axle C, nearest the lever L, there is permanently
attached a cone R, which is precisely similar to the cone P; the cone R
being permanently attached to the axle, of course rotates with it at all times.
On this same axle C there is placed loosely a cylinder S which is at the inner
and smaller end of the cone R; and is equal in diameter to the smaller and
inner end of said cone. The cylinder S is provided at its outer end with
teeth e, which, when the cylinder S is shoved in contact with the cone R

page_text: engage with teeth f at the inner end of said cone, the ratchet teeth forming a
clutch to connect the cylinder and cone together. The inner end of the
cylinder S is provided with teeth q, and these teeth when the cylinder S is
shoved inward on its axle engage with teeth h, which are on a fixed upright T,
through which the axle C of cone R passes loosely. When the teeth g of the
cylinder S are engaged with the teeth h of upright T, the cylinder S is held
stationary so that it cannot rotate with its axle C. U is a small spiral spring
which is placed on said axle C, between the inner end of cylinder S and the
upright T, and this spring has a tendency to keep the cylinder Ṣ connected.
with the cone R, see Fig. 2. V represents a rod or shaft which is suspended
in bearings i.attached to the bed A. This rod V I term a tumbling rod, and.
it is allow to turn freely in its bearings, and has draw heads W at its ends..
Any form of coupling may be used for connecting the draw heads of several
carriages together, provided the coupling will admit of being notched with
the tumbling rods. On the tumbling rod V, near one end of it, there is placed:
a bevil wheel, which gears into a pinion j on an upright shaft k, having on.
its upper end a toothed wheel l, into which a wheel m gears, the wheel m.
being on a shaft n, which has a hand wheel o on its upper end; see more
particularly Fig. 1. The tumbling rod V it will be seen may be turned at any
time by turning the hand wheel o which is at the end of the carriage
and just above its platform. On the tumbling rod V there is also placed a
bevil pinion X, which gears into a horizontal bevil wheel Y, said wheel being on
a small vertical shaft p, the bearings 9 of which are connected with the parallel
bars N, N, see Figs. 1 and 3. The parallel bars N, 'N, are each provided with
two parallel grooves r, r¹, in their upper surfaces, and the grooves of each bar
communicate with each other at their inner ends, as shown clearly at s in
Fig. 4; on the parallel bars N, N, there is placed a slide Z, which is provided
with pendant pins t, said pins fitting in the grooves r. r. These pins are so:
attached to the slide Z, that one will fit in each groove r, and the pins are
allowed to pass from the grooves? into the adjoining ones by passing through
the lateral spaces s at the inner ends of the grooves. This movement of the:
pins is effected when the slide Z reaches, the termination of its inward move-
ment, at which point the pins t reach the spaces or passages s. Grooves
2,2, similar to r, r, are also made in the under side of the slide Z, in
which pins t* attached to the bars N, N, fit, see Fig. 1. The slide Z has a s
longitudinal central slot u made in it, and this slot is provided with teeth v at
each side and at its upper end, as shown in Fig. 2. On the lower part of the
shaft p of the bevil wheel Y there is placed a pinion w, which is a trifle less in
diameter than the width of the slot u. This pinion w gears into the. teeth v

page_text: of the slot u, and by turning the tumbling rod v, the slide Z, it will be seen,
may be moved back and forth on the bars N, N, the slide being allowed to
make an entire movement back and forth by a continuous rotation of the
tumbling rod V in one and the same direction in consequence of the lateral
adjusting movement of the slide Z produced by the pins t of the slide passing
through the spaces s at the inner ends of the slots r, r', and thereby admitting
of the pinion w passing from the teeth v at one side of the slot to those at its
opposite side, the pin t* on the bars N, N, operating at the same time as
guides in the grooves *, **, of the slide Z. The object of these bars being
double in this arrangement is to adapt themselves to a carriage, which
may be brought into the train with the end reversed, which otherwise'
could not be acted on by its brake in the train without turning round
the carriage. The movement of the tumbling rod in either direction will
admit of the brake of each carriage being applied, while if the end of one
should be reversed the pinion w between the bars and in the slot would gear
into the side of the bars or slots upon the opposite side to the others, while
the operation would be the same. To the outer end of the slide Z there is.
attached a belt slipper A', which is constructed in a novel way, as follows:
An upright bar a' is connected centrally to the outer end of the slide, and to
the upper and lower ends of said bar there are horizontal bars b', b¹, the
inner surfaces of which are beviled or inclined, so that the arms gradually
diminish in thickness from their inner ends outwards, as shown clearly in
Fig. 3. To. the upper surface of the upper arm 61 there is attached' a:
cylinder c³, which contains a spiral spring d¹, and a similar cylinder e¹; also,
having a spiral spring within it. B' is a vertical bar which passes through
oblong slots g' in the arms b¹, b¹, and the ends of the bar B¹ are provided witli
plungers h¹; which fit in the cylinders c¹, c', and against which the springs a', f.
bear. The vertical bar 'B' also passes through slides, , which are beviled
or inclined at their outer surfaces, and bear against the inner beviled or;
inclined surfaces of the arms 61, 61. The outer surfaces of the slides i¹, i¹, aro:
provided with lips or projections, which fit in the slots g¹ of the arms 6', and
serve as guides for said slides. The inner surfaces of the slides 2", ", 'are
parallel with each other, and to each of said surfaces there is attached a
roller k¹, the two rollers being parallel with each other, as shown in Fig. 3.
C' is a horizontal plate, which is placed between the two, slides, ¹, and ¡is
permanently attached to vertical rods 11, the ends of which are fitted loosely in
the slides, . The outer end of the plate C¹ is attached to the vertical
bar B¹, as shown at m', in Fig. 3, and on the rods 1¹: there are placed
rollers n'. A vertical rod o¹ also passes through the inner end of plate C!; and

page_text: may
the ends of the rod o are fitted in the slides ¹, the ends of the rod o¹ being
provided with a head or stop p at each end, also shown. D¹ is a belt, which
be constructed of any suitable material; a flat chain covered with leather
or india-rubber would probably form a very desirable belt. This belt passes
around the cylinder or cone Q and the cylinder S, and through the belt shipper
over and under the plate C thereof, and between the horizontal and vertical
rollers k³, k¹, n', n¹, as shown in Figs. 3; 3*.
The drawheads W of the tumbling rod V are connected to the tumbling
rod by universal joints q', as shown in Fig. 1, and the drawheads are each
supported by a bearing S¹, which is placed in the lower end of a yoke E¹.
The yokes E¹ pass through the ends of the bed A of the carriage, and are
raised and lowered by means of a screw t¹, see Figs. 1 and 5. By this arrange-
ment the drawheads may be adjusted vertically to suit carriages of different
heights. The bearings i are also attached to screws i*, which pass one through
a nut j* on the bed A of the carriage; and the other through a female screw
or nut in the bar M, whereby the tumbling! rod may be elevated when
desired, and the wheel thrown out of gear with the wheel j, and the hand'
wheel o thereby disconnected from the tumbling rod. This adjustment of the
tumbling rod is preferable or necessary. when the brakes are to be operated
by the engineer, or by a person on the engine or tender. The operation is tas
follows: When the brake is not applied to the wheels B of the carriage, thei
chains I, I', are loose, the lever L being out from the cone R; or having an
oblique position with it, as shown in red in Fig. 2, and the belt D¹is on the
cylinder S and cylinder or cone Q, as shown in blue outline. When the
car is in motion the cone R is' rotating, but the belt D¹ is stationary as
the cylinder S. is not connected with cone R; the belt' shipper A¹'being at the
termination of its inward movement, as shown in red outline in Fig. 2.
The chains I, I, being slack, the springs I keep the shoes G free or out from
the wheels B. At any time when ittis necessary to apply the brake, the
brakesman turns the hand wheel o, and the tumbling rod V is turned through
the medium of the gearing i, j,m, previously described, and the pinion w
on: the shaft p is turned through the medium of the gearing X, Y. The
pinion w, in consequence of mashing into the teeth v of the slide Z, will move
said slide outward with the belt shipper A¹, and the latter by said movement
will cast the belt D₁ on the cones R, P, the belt rotating as it is shoved
outward on the cones. This outward movement of the belt D¹ on the
cone P causes the cone P on the lever L to be drawn towards the cone R
on the axle C, and the lever L being thereby moved, the chain I' will be
actuated, and the brake bars E, E, drawn towards their respective wheels B.

page_text: The belt shipper A¹ may be stopped at any desired point, and the belt D¹
consequently may be retained at any point on the cones P, R, and the
pressure of the shoes G on the treads of the wheel B, regulated as
occasion may require. When the whole pressure is required that can be
given by the movement of the carriages the belt is at the outer. and larger
ends of the cones P, R, as shown in Fig. 2. When it is desired to relieve the
wheels of the brakes the operator turns the tumbling rods V in a reverse
direction to that in which it was previously turned, and the belt shipper A'
and slide Z will consequently be moved inward. At the commencement of
this inward movement of the belt shipper A', its sides 1, 2, owing to the
resistance offered by this belt. D', will be shoved outward; or rather allow the
other parts of the belt shipper to move with the slide Z, the springs d, f,
yielding or giving to admit of this result. This shifting of the relative position
of the slides, , with the other parts of the belt shipper admits of the rollers
k, k, expanding, and the belt D¹ is consequently loosened or released. This
will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 3, in which the outward position
of the slides, 2, is shown in red. This loosening or releasing of the
belt D¹ is very important, as it admits of the very ready backward movement
of the belt D¹ on the cones P, R, a result which would not otherwise be
obtained in consequence of the belt D¹ being quite tight on the cones. At the
termination of the inward movement of the belt shipper A' the belt D¹ is.
drawn on the cylinder or cone Q and the cylinder S, the latter being brought
in contact with the upright T, so that the teeth g of the former will engage
with the teeth h of the latter, and the cylinder S held stationary or prevented
from rotating.
When several carriages are connected together, forming a train, the hand
wheel of any one of them may be actuated, and the brakes of all the.
carriages simultaneously applied, as the tumbling rods V of the several
carriages are all connected together, and if desired the tumbling rod V of the
first, car may be operated by the engineer, the tumbling rods being dis-
connected from the hand wheels o.. Various plans may be devised for applying.
power. to. the tumbling rods, and I do not confine myself to any particular
plan.
.
Thus, it will be seen that by means of simply turning the tumbling rods,
which may be done with the greatest facility, as but little power is required to,
effect such result, all the brakes of a series or train of carriages may be applied >
simultaneously, and the pressure of the shoes G on the wheels graduated as.
desired, from a single pound up to. the whole power, which is equal to the

page_text: draught movement of the carriages. I would remark, that if necessary or
desired two pairs of cones P, R, may be applied to each carriage, but as they
would be arranged in substantially the same manner as the single pair herein
described, a particular description of them would be unnecessary. I would
also remark that the tumbling rod may run beneath the axles by placing the
beveled cog wheel Y below the slot bars, and turned downwards so as to gear
with the beviled cog wheel or pinion X upon the tumbling rod. Thus by
always placing the bearings or journals for the tumbling rod to pass through
at a uniform distance from the top of the rails of the road will make the
raising or lowering of the tumbling rod unnecessary to adapt itself to the
different heights of carriages, the tumbling rod thus being always uniform in
height from the rails.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hérein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the tumbling rod V in connection with the belt shipper A¹ and
slide Z, for the purpose of operating the belt D¹ on the cones P, R, cylinder S
and cylinder or cone Q, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth.
Secondly, the employment or use in connection with the belt D¹ of the two
cones P, R, one, P, being placed loosely on the lever L, and the other, R,
permanently attached to its axle C, for the purpose of actuating the lever L
and operating upon the chain I, as and for the purpose specified.
Thirdly; the cylinder S placed loosely on its axle C, and the cylinder or
cone placed loosely on the lever L when used in connection with the cones
P, R, belt D', 'and belt shipper A; and all arranged as and for the purpose
set forth.
Fourthly, constructing the belt shipper A¹ with slides ¹, ", having rollers
k, k, n', n', attached and acted upon by springs d', f¹, and arranged sub-
stantially as shown, for the purpose of loosening or relaxing the belt D' on its
return or inward movement on the cones P, R, as set forth.
Fifthly, the tumbling rod V, slides Z, provided with the double rack formed
of the slot u and teeth v, and fitted on the double grooved bars N, N, as
shown in combination with the belt shipper A¹, cones P, R, cylinder S, cylinder
or cone Q, and lever L connected with the chain I' by means of the pulleys
a, a, and the chain I', connected with the brake bars E, E, E', E', by means of
the rods H, H, K, chain I, and pulleys J, J; all arranged for joint operation,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.

page_text: Sixthly, suspending the tumbling rod V underneath the bed A of the
carriage in adjustable bearings i, for the purpose of disengaging when desired
the tumbling rod from the hand wheel o.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)