Improvements in Brakes for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Railway Vehicles.
We, ANTHONY BENEZETTE POOL Machinist, of No. 16 Hanover Street, and
JOSEPH JACKSON BEALS, of No. 110 Tremont Street, Clock-maker both in
Boston, County of Suffolk State of Massachusetts United States of America, do.
hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates especially to a hand brake mechanism for use on, railway
cars; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully set forth the object
being to produce a simpler, cheaper and more effective device of this character than
is now in ordinary use."
The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all
conversant with such matter from the following explanation.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a street car provided with our improved
truck mechanism.
Figure 2 a bottom plan view of the same.
Figure 3 a bottom plan view showing the application of the mechanism to freight
railway cars;
Figure 4 a side elevation of one of the trucks;
Figure 5 a vertical transverse section shown adjacent one of the brake-beams;
Figure 6 a view showing the worm and nuts; and
Figure 7 an end elevation of a car displaying a signal device.
Like letters and figures of reference iudicate corresponding parts in the different
figures of the drawings.
The form shown in Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates the application of the
device to a street railway car in which A represents the body of the car, B the
dasher and C the truck considered as a whole, these parts being of the ordinary
form and construction.
A horizontally arranged right and left hand worm D Fig. 1 is fitted to rotate in
brackets d, secured to the bottom of the car, the threads of said worm running from
the centre f, to the ends in opposite directions.
Two parallel horizontally arranged rods g, are secured in the brackets d
above and below. said worin. On said rods two blocks or nuts hi are
fitted to slide, said nuts being respectively threaded to travel on the worm
sections m p.
The brake-beams are pivoted to swing on the car in the ordinary way, and
rods t, t, respectively connect the nuts hi with said beams, said rods passing freely
through the central portion of the beams.
An elliptic spring, wc, is secured centrally to the outer end of each rod and bears
against the brake-beams cushioning the pull of said rods.
From each end of the worm D, Fig. 1, a rod, leads to the platform at opposite
ends of the car where it is supported in a suitable bracket, y, on the lower end
of the dasher. A small shaft, on the upper end of the dasher bears a
sprocket 15, which is connected by a chain 16, with a similar sprocket 17, on each
rod x.
A hand-wheel 18, is mounted on the shaft z. By rotating said hand-wheel and
turning the corresponding rod, r, the worm, D, is rotated, causing the nuts h i,
to travel thereon towards the centre and draw the beams qr, inward the shoes 20,
on said beams being thus forced into engagement with the car wheels braking the
car in the ordinary manner.

page_text: The spring w, permits a slight lost motion to the shoc and prevents' too great a
strain on the rods t . By rotating the wheel in the opposite direction the brake
can be readily released.
In Figure 2 the swinging beams, qr, are respectively connected by rods, 21, with
a supplemental swinging beam, 22, at opposite ends of the car.
'
Coiled springs, 23 are interposed between adjacent beams r, and 22. A short
worm D Fig. 1, is employed mounted in a suitable hanger on the bottom of the car
and is disposed between adjacent beams r, and 22. One of said worms is disposed
at each end of the car.
The worms are provided centrally with a sprocket wheel 24, connected by a jack-
chain 25, with a similar sprocket on a shaft 26, on the car bottom, Said shaft has
a bevelled gear 27, at its outer end which meshes with a similar gear 28, (see
Figure 7) on the lower end of the ordinary brake-rod on a freight car.
Instead of rectangular blocks h, i, cubical nuts 30 are employed on the worm D
Fig. 1, and secured centrally to the outer edges of said nut there are semielliptical
springs 31, the ends of said springs being provided with rolls 32, which bear
respectively against adjacent brake-beams, and 22 so that when said worm is
rotated the beam r, will have its shoes 20, thrown directly into engagement with
the adjacent wheels and the beam 22, will be thrown outward causing its rods, 21
to draw the companion beam 9, towards its wheels, thus checking all the wheels of
the car simultaneously.
In the form shown in the remaining figures of the drawings the shaft 26, is
elongated and the worms D, Fig. 1, are located in the central portion of the car
between the two trucks, this form being especially applicable for use with an eight
wheeled car.
A short supplemental brake-beam 50, having shoes 51, is pendent from the car
in position to engage the adjacent inner wheels of the truck, and the inner brake-
beams are connected by rods, 52, respectively with the outer brake-beams », by
joints 53, which permit lateral and vertical movement to said rod.
The springs, 31 are swivelled at 54, to the nuts 30, and the ends of the springs
engaging the brake-rods, 50 are represented as being provided with a ball and
socket bearing points 55, to reduce the friction.
The rotation of the car brake-rod at either end of the car will actuate the
corresponding shaft, 26, and rotate the worm, D, connected therewith forcing the
nuts 30, outward and driving the spring 31, against adjacent brake-rods 50, and
thus braking all the wheels of the corresponding trucks simultaneously.
By reversing the brake-rod 56, the worms are rotated in the opposite direction
drawing in the nuts 30, and relieving the pressure on the brakes.
In Figure 7 a signal device for the engineer is shown.
A plate, 58, is fitted to slide vertically in ways 59, on the car end near its top.
A signal-plate 60, is connected by a rod, 61 with said plate 58, and adapted to be
projected above the car top.
A chain 62 attached to the plate 58, passes over a suitable pulley on the car and
around a pulley 63, on the brake-rod 56 so that when said rod is rotated to set the
brake the signal 60 will be projected beyond the car in sight of the engineer. From
said signal he can at once determine any car of the train upon which the brakes
are set.
By braking all the wheels simultaneously with the spring tension described, the
action is much more effective than when a single beam is used as in brakes of the
ordinary construction.
The springs relieve the body of the car from all jar resulting from contact
of the shoes with the wheels. By pivoting the springs to their respective nuts
as described in the last form, all strain resulting to the springs while the car is
passing around a curve and from the corresponding change of position of the truck
in relation to the car body is compensated for.
The use of the sprockets and bevelled gears avoids the necessity of employing a
dog to hold the brake-rods in position.

page_text: The signal, 60, may be provided with a graduated scale whereby the brakeman
can at once determine whether the brakes are set or partly off.
The use of the universal joints 53, permits sufficient play to the rod 52, so that
the action of the brake mechanism in passing a curve is in no manner interfered
with.
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 :-
First. In a car-brake a right and left hand worm fitted to rotate on the car
body; nuts fitted to travel on said worm; means for rotating said worms from the
car and connecting mechanism between said nuts and the car-brake beams, substan-
tially as described.
Second. In a car-brake-beam a right and left hand worm fitted to rotate on the
car body mechanism for actuating said worm from the car body; nuts fitted to
travel in opposite directions on said worm; rods connecting said nuts with the car-
brake-beams and springs on said rods in engagement with said beams.
Third. In a car-brake the combination of a supplemental brake-beam; a right
and left worm disposed between said beam and the main-brake-beam, nuts fitted to
travel on said worm; springs secured to said nuts and engaging the respective
beams; and means for rotating the worm from the car body, substantially as
specified.
Fourth. In a car-brake a supplemental beam on the car body disposed adjacent
to one brake-beam and connected by rods with the brake-beam at the opposite end
of the car in combination with a worm rotatable from said body and connecting
mechanism actuated thereby for spreading the adjacent beams.
Fifth. In a car-brake a supplemental beam on the car body disposed adjacent
to one brake-beam and connected by rods with the brake-beam at the opposite end
of the car in combination with a worm rotatable from said body and connecting
mechanism actuated thereby for spreading the adjacent beams, and springs for
returning said beams when released by the worm, substantially as described.
Sixth. In a car brake a supplemental brake beam in a plane parallel with the
main beam in combination with a right and left hand worm rotatable from the car
body nuts on said worm; semi-elliptic springs on said nuts bearing respectively
against said beams; and springs for returning the beams when released substantially
as described.
Seventh. In a car-axle an elongated brake-beam pendent from the car-body rods
connecting said brake beams with a supplemental beam pendent centrally from the
car-body in combination with a worm rotatable from said body and connecting
mechanism thereby for spreading adjacent beams substantially as described.
Eighth. In a car-brake a worm and means for actuating the same from the car-
body in combination with a nut fitted to travel on said worm; a semi-elliptical
spring pivoted to said nut; and balls mounted in sockets on the spring ends in
position to engage the brake-beam substantially as described.
Ninth. In a car brake a centrally pivoted half elliptical spring having its ends
bearing against the car-brake beam, and mechanism for forcing said spring against
said beam, substantially as described.
Tenth. In a car-brake mechanism a signal device fitted to be projected beyond or
above the car and actuated by the brake-rod substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Eleventh. In a car-brake a signal plate fitted to be projected from the car body
in combination with a brake-rod and mechanism connecting said plate and rod
whereby the plate may be actuated.as said rod is rotated, substantially as described.
Twelfth. In a car-brake, a rotary rod geared to the car-brake rod and bearing a
sprocket wheel; a worm bearing a sprocket wheel connected with the rod sprocket a
nut on said worm and a semi-elliptical spring pivoted centrally to said nut having
its free end engaging the car-brake beam, substantially as described.

page_text: Thirteenth. In a car-brake, a right and left worm and actuating mechanism
connecting with the car-brake rod, in combination with a swinging-beam;
swivelled rods connecting said beam with a brake-beam at the outer end of the
car nuts fitted to travel on said worm and half-elliptic springs pivoted on said
nuts and bearing respectively against said swinging beam and an adjacent brake-
beam substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.