AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Marsden, of Horwich, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and Urias Bromley, of Ardwick, in the same
County, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK,"
Sealed the 2nd August 1867, and dated the 7th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Marsden and
Urias Bromley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 7th May 1867.
We, ROBERT MARSDEN, of Horwich, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
and URIAS BROMLEY, of Ardwick, in the same County, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements are designed for the purpose of actuating the breaks of
railway trains by means of the pressure of fluids or liquids through the medium
of a novel arrangement and construction of mechanism, which may be thus
described -Beneath the tender or carriages of the train, in any convenient
position, an ordinary force pump is secured in connection with a cylinder
containing a hollow piston and strong helical spring, the end of which outside
the cylinder bears against one end of a lever, the fulcrum or opposite end of
which is secured to a transverse shaft extending the width of the tender, and
supported in bearings secured to the side frames of the tender; two clips or;
semicircular breaks are secured on this shaft opposite the front or back wheels.

page_text: of the tender or carriage, two flat springs being employed in connection with
the fulcrum or transverse bar, and the bearing supporting the pumps for
lifting or keeping the semicircular breaks from the periphery of the wheels
when such breaks are not in action.
The axle of the opposite pair of wheels not supplied with the semicircular
breaks is provided with an excentric, which revolves with the axle; imme-
diately above this excentric a clip supplied with a projecting arm, which is
connected with the pump plunger, is supported by means of a catch rod which
is held in an elevated position so long as the breaks are not required by means
of a catch secured to a rod or lever under the control or management of the
engineer; thus when the breaks are to be applied the catch is withdrawn,
which releases the catch rod and allows the clip of the excentric to embrace
the excentric which immediately commences actuating the plunger of the
pump, thereby forcing oil, water, or other liquid or fluid from a receptacle in
which it has been previously placed. Thus as the liquid is forced into the
cylinder containing the piston and helical spring the piston is gradually raised
so as to compress the spring and give a constantly increasing pressure upon
the lever in connection with the semicircular breaks, thereby forcibly applying
the breaks.
In order to prevent any excessive strain upon the mechanism an air valve
is provided, which as soon as a given pressure is exerted by the pump opens
and prevents any further forcing of the liquid into the cylinder under the
piston, but allows the liquid to return to the receptacle from whence it was
withdrawn by the pump.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
MARSDEN, of Horwich, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and. URIAS
BROMLEY, of Ardwick, in the same County, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her'
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley, Her special license that we, the
said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as we, the said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley,
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 of "AN IMPROVED RAILWAY BREAK,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Marsden and
Urias Bromley, executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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 we, the said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley,.
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 Invention is, designed for the purpose of actuating the "breaks" of
railway trains by the pressure of fluids or liquids through the medium of a
novel arrangement, and construction of mechanism that will by self-acting
means when once put in action gradually accumulate and exert an increasing
pressure upon the wheels that will effectually retard and stop the train; and
the improvements consist in the novel application of an hydraulic apparatus
or other equivalent in connection with one end of a powerful lever supplied
with a clamp that will, when put in action, gradually force down the said
clamp upon the top periphery of the wheels, above which such clamps are
placed so as to give a constantly increasing pressure upon such wheels until a
certain pressure is attained and the train brought to a stand; and as several
modifications and arrangements of apparatus may be employed for exerting
pressure upon the wheels through the medium of clamps placed above the
wheels we have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of one
arrangement and construction of hydraulic apparatus that will practically,
attain the object sought, that is, of giving a gradually increasing powerful
pressure upon the wheels when once put in motion.
And in order that the Invention and our particular arrangement of appa-
ratus may be fully understood in detail, we have made the Drawing attached
upon a scale of about one and a half inch to the foot, similar letters of
reference being marked upon corresponding parts in all the Figures alike.
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a railway or locomotive tender, the

page_text: front side wheels of which are removed for the purpose of shewing the appli-
cation of the improved "clamp" "break," and also the hydraulic apparatus
(shewn in section) employed for working or actuating the break; Fig. 2
represents a plan view of the lower framing of the tender shewing the
respective positions of the working parts actuating the hydraulic apparatus;
Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of the hydraulic apparatus, and Fig. 5 is
a detached view of the safety valve for regulating and governing the amount
of pressure exerted upon the wheels by the "clamp break."
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5; a, a, is the tender of an ordinary locomotive
engine employed upon railways, the front wheels of which are removed; 6 is an
arrangement of hydraulic apparatus secured to the tender by the bracket c;
this apparatus is employed for the purpose of exerting a pressure upon the
wheels d, d, by means of the clamp break e for gradually retarding or stopping
the train by means of the following arrangement of mechanism :-The
éccentric block f secured to the front axle 9 revolves freely and alone with
the axle so long as the "break" power is not required, but immediately the
break is required the handle is pushed forward, as seen in Fig. 4, a', the
effect of which is (through the medium of the levers i) to lower the clip or
semicircular strap k into contact with the eccentric block f which instan-
taneously actuates the pump 7 of the hydraulic apparatus, thereby forcing the
oil or liquor from the receptacle m through the valves n into the ram
cylinder o, the ram of which is gradually and forcibly raised so as to compress
the spring p and come into contact with the lever q; this lever as the ram
continues to rise gradually, and powerfully forces the "chain break" on the
opposite side of the fulcrum r into contact with the top periphery of the
wheels d, d, thereby retarding and stopping the train by pulling the handle h
into a vertical position shewn at a³, Fig. 4. The clip or strap k is raised
from the eccentric block f, preventing any further accumulation of power;
and by drawing the handle k still further back into the position a³, Fig. 4,
the valves n, n, are raised (through the medium of the connecting rod s and
levers t), the effect of which is instantly to relieve the breaks by allowing the
oil or liquid to return to the receptacle m, the spring u being employed for
raising the clamp from and out of contact with the periphery of the wheels
when no power is appiled to the ram; in order to govern the amount of
pressure to be exerted by the clamp upon the wheels, the safety valve is
provided which allows the oil or liquid to escape when the pressure is attained
at which the valve is loaded, this pressure being allowed to remain upon and
break the wheels so long as the lever h is in a vertical position, but so soon as
it is desired to relieve the wheels the handle is drawn completely back, as

page_text: described, at which time the fluid under the ram hitherto retaining the
pressure is caused to flow back into its receptacle or receiver until again
required, at which time it is withdrawn by the pump in the manner and for
the purpose described.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood, in conclusion, that we claim,-
First, the novel and peculiar arrangement, construction, and adaptation of
the lever and clainp described, or any slight modification of the same for
exerting through the medium of hydraulic or other power a gradually
increasing pressure upon the wheels of railway trains for the purpose of
retarding and stopping such trains.
Secondly, we claim the novel construction, employment, and use of the
bydraulic apparatus described, together with the general arrangement and
adaptation of the various parts composing the improved break, as herein-before
described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings attached..
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Marsden and Urias Bromley,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fifth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
Witnessed by
WILLIAM ROWLAND,
Manchester.
ROBERT MARSDEN. (L.S.)
URIAS BROMLEY.
(L.S.)