IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BRAKES, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING THE POWER THERETO
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BRAKES, AND IN THE MODE OF
APPLYING THE POWER THERETO."-A communication from abroad by
William Loughridge, of Weverton, in the County of Frederick, State of
Maryland, United States of America.
Sealed the 15th November 1864, and dated the 23rd June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd June 1864.
.I,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BRAKES, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING
THE POWER THERETO," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, 1st, in the employment or use of a steam cylinder
provided with a piston of a steam chest provided with a valve, which is con-
nected with a lever which receives a portion of the pressure afforded by the
steam within the cylinder, and a spring that weighs the necessary power
required on the brakes, all being arranged with a brake actuating the mechan-
ism in such a manner that the brakes may be subjected or graduated to any
degree of pressure which may be necessary or desired, and the communication.

page_text: between the boiler of the locomotive automatically opened and closed so as
to render the desired pressure constant, whether the same be more or less.
The Invention consists, 2ndly, in the employment or use of an escape valve
(similar in construction to the safety valve on a steam boiler) applied to the
steam cylinder, and arranged in such a manner as to obviate any sudden
increase of tension or pull on the brake chain, a contingency which frequently
occurs when the train stretches after the application of the brakes, and also to
exhaust steam from the cylinder when the brakes are to be relieved.
The Invention consists, 3rdly, in a novel arrangement of pullies (the con-
verse of the common mode of using the block and tackle), whereby a short
movement of the piston is made to give the necessary length of pull to the
brake chain so as to admit of a short cylinder being used, which is very
desirable on account of space being limited where it is most convenient to
place the cylinder.
The Invention consists, 4thly, in a mode of weighing two friction plates
together on a shaft or chain barrel for the purpose of regulating the pressure
on the brakes to any degree the engineer or brakesman may desire, the plates,
when said pressure on the brakes is obtained, being allowed to slip and
pressure held or retained by a pawl and ratchet.
The Invention consists, 5thly, in the employment or use of a ratchet and
pawl, a spring and a lover, or its equivalent, in combination with a hand brake
windlass, for the purpose of preventing the sliding or slipping of the wheels
on the rails, and at the same time ensuring the maximum retarding effect on
the carriage in proportion to the load weight of the same.
The Invention consists, 6thly, in combining the chains and rods of the
ordinary hand brake with the chains and rods of the steam brake in such a
manner that the brakes may be operated both by hand and steam or other
power simultaneously, or either power applied separately, as may be required,
and the brakesman allowed to relieve the brakes or slacken the tension of the
continuous chain through which the power is applied to the brakes from the
engine.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents a side view of the Invention; Fig. 2, an enlarged detached longitu-
dinal section of the steam cylinder by which the power is applied to the
brakes; Fig. 3, a detached view of a part pertaining to the Invention; Figs. 4
5, 6, are also detached views of parts pertaining to the same. Similar letters
of reference indicate like parts.
A represents a steam cylinder provided with a piston B, piston rod C, and a
stuffing box; D is a jaw or eye in which a pulley E is fitted, said parts being

page_text: at the outer end of the piston rod C; F is a safety or escape valve, which
may be constructed and applied substantially in the same way as those on a
steam boiler. The valve stem is provided with a spiral spring a, which is
compressed by nuts to graduate the pressure of the valve against its seat and
regulate the pressure of the steam in the cylinder A according to the power
required to act upon the brakes. The valve stem is provided at its upper
end with a foot piece 6 for the purpose of enabling the engineer to compress
the spring and open the valve to exhaust steam from the cylinder when the
brakes are to be relieved. G is a steam chest cast on the lower part of the
cylinder and provided with a lid or cover H, which has a steam port c at its
centre so arranged that the steam has free passage from the chest into the
cylinder and a free passage from said chest when necessary. I is a jaw cast
on the cylinder head, and on which a lever J is hung. K is a jaw in which a
rod L is fitted and allowed to slide freely. This rod has a spiral or volute
spring d upon it, which may be compressed by lock or jaw nuts e. The inner
end of the rod L is connected to a swinging or pivoted hanger f, to which a rod
g is attached, the latter extending back to and passing up through the lid or
cover H, and connected to a valve h, which may operate in connection with
a stuffing box or not. M is a chain or wire rope, one end of which is attached
to the lever J, said chain or rope passing through the jaw or eye D around
the pulley E, and over a fixed pulley i, and thence extending to a carrier
and jaw j, to which it is attached. N is a chain or wire rope, one end of
which may be fastened to a reel or a hook k on the back end of the tender.
This chain passes around the pulley 1 of the carrier j, and then back to be
hooked to the main rod, and actuates the brakes through the entire train. See
Fig. 1. O is a tube having a cock m in it; one end of this tube communicates
with the steam chest of the boiler of the locomotive, and the other with the
steam chest G of the cylinder A. A small throttle may be used similar in
construction to the throttle of a locomotive to admit steam to the cylinder A
from the boiler. When the engineer wishes to apply the brakes he opens
the cock m, which admits steam into the chest G, and thence by the passage
or port c into the cylinder A, pushing the piston B outward and drawing the
chain M inward. If the power is too great the nuts e are slackened to
expand the spring d; if the power is too weak the nuts e are screwed up to
compress said spring. P represents a support for two pulley frames Q, Q.
This support is firmly secured to the bottom of the carriage bed. These
pulley frames Q are simply standards, the lower ends of which are pivoted in
the support P as shown at n. There are two pulleys o, o', in each frame Q,
the lower pullies o having their axes on the pivots n. R, R, are two rods

page_text: which connect the frames Q to the ordinary brake lever p, and q is a chain
by which the two frames Q are connected at their upper ends, and S represents
the ordinary windlass rod connected by chains r to the brakes in the usual
way. The connection between the hand brakes is thus rendered complete
throughout an entire train.
In Fig. 3 a modification of the plan to regulate the power applied by a
brakesman is shown. T is a windlass; 8, a ratchet keyed on the chain barrel,
the ratchet being the reverse of the common ratchet; t is a pawl, u a rod,
and a spring or weighing apparatus; w is a lever, and a¹ a chain that winds
on the chain barrel to tighten the brakes; 6¹ is a rod connecting the lever w
with a lever c¹; d' is the brake shoe, and e¹ the carriage wheel. The pawl t
must be set within one quarter of an inch of the ratchet s; then the spring v
must be compressed by the nuts f¹ to any degree that may be desired, so that
when that degree is attained the spring will begin to yield, when the pawl
will fall into the ratchets and prevent any increase of power. When different
degrees of power are required to suit different degrees of wet, dry, or lubri-
cated rails, the nuts must be changed, so as to slacken or increase the tension
of the spring.
In Fig. 4 another mode of accomplishing the same result is attained by
weighing or pressing two friction plates together by a spring or weighing
apparatus. This plan can be effected by hand, or by having the shaft properly
hung in close proximity to the driving wheel of the engine, or pressed against
the rail, or the friction wheel represented by U may have cogs to gear into a
pinion on the axle, to be started by a clutch or any similar device. The most
feasible plan would be to put the left end of the shaft V in a permanent
bearing near the left driving wheel, and put the right bearing in a pendant or
swinging lever to be swung behind the driving wheel of the locomotive. Then
connect the lever by a rod to a lever that passes in front of the engineer. The
pull of this lever will cause the chain barrel to turn until the desired
maximum pressure is attained, when the wheel will slip between the plates
C¹, D¹.
V represents the shaft or chain barrel; U, the friction wheel, having a
groove in its rim to receive the flange of the driver; C, a plate, keyed firmly
on the shaft V; D¹, a counter plate, slipped over a feather loosely, so that it
cannot turn; E¹ is a volute spring to weigh the degree of pressure on the
plates; F¹, two nuts to compress the spring against the plate D¹, which slips or
slides on the shaft V; G is a ratchet, into which a pawl catches to hold or
retain the power or pressure applied to the brakes.
These different plans only show different ways of accomplishing the same

page_text: general purpose, to wit, to determine the pressure on the brakes in pounds, or
to any degree that the engineer may desire, regardless of all contingencies of
wear of brake shoes or lengthening of the chain. In short, the pressure
required is the governor of the cut-off valve h, the check pawl t, and friction
wheel U. In applying power to the brakes through the medium of the steam
cylinder A, it will be seen that the brakes may be relieved at once by
opening the valve F, and that any sudden increase of tension or pull on the
brake chain may be stopped at once by the arrangement of the pulleys.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd December 1864.
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 Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth 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 execu-
tors, 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 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 CARRIAGE BRAKES, AND
IN THE MODE OF APPLYING THE POWER THERETO," a communication to me from
abroad by William Loughridge, of Weverton, in the County of Frederick,
State of Maryland, United States of 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.
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 performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention consists, first, in the employment or use of a steam cylinder
provided with a piston, a steam chest provided with a valve, which is con-
nected with a lever which receives a portion of the pressure afforded by the
steam within the cylinder, and a spring that weighs the necessary power
required on the brakes, all being arranged with a brake actuating the
mechanism in such a manner that the brakes may be subjected or graduated
to any degree of pressure which may be necessary or desired, and the com-
munication between the boiler of the locomotive automatically opened and
closed so as to render the desired pressure constant, whether the same be
more or less.
The Invention consists, secondly, in the employment or use of an escape
valve (similar in construction to the safety valve in a steam boiler) applied to
the steam cylinder, and arranged in such a manner as to obviate any sudden
increase of tension or pull on the brake chain, a contingency which frequently
occurs when the train stretches after the application of the brakes, and also
to exhaust steam from the cylinder when the brakes are to be relieved.
The Invention consists, thirdly, in a novel arrangement of pulleys (the
converse of the common mode of using the block and tackle), whereby a short
movement of the piston is made to give the necessary length of pull to the
brake chain, so as to admit of a short cylinder being used, which is very
desirable on account of space being limited where it is most convenient to
place the cylinder.
The Invention consists, fourthly, in a mode of weighing two friction plates
together on a shaft or chain barrel for the purpose of regulating the pressure
on the brakes to any degree the engineer or brakesman may desire, the plates
when said pressure on the brakes is obtained being allowed to slip, and the
pressure held or retained by a pawl and ratchet.
The Invention consists, fifthly, in the employment or use of a ratchet and
pawl, a spring and a lever, or its equivalent, in combination with a hand brake
windlass, for the purpose of preventing the sliding or slipping of the wheels on
the rails, and at the same time ensure the maximum retarding effect on the
carriage in proportion to the load or weight of the same.
The Invention consists, sixthly, in combining the chains and rods of the
ordinary hand brake with the chains and rods of the steam or brake in such a
manner that the brakes may be operated both by hand and steam or other
power simultaneously, or either power applied separately, as may be required,

page_text: and the brakesman allowed to relieve the brakes or slacken the tension of the
continuous chain through which the power is applied to the brakes from the
engine.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1
represents a side view of the Invention; Fig. 2, an enlarged detached longi-
tudinal section of the steam cylinder by which the power is applied to the
brakes; Fig. 3, a detached view of a part pertaining to the Invention;
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are also detached views of parts pertaining to the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
A represents a steam cylinder provided with a piston B, piston rod C, and
a stuffing box; D is a jaw or eye in which a pulley E is fitted, said parts
being at the outer end of the piston rod C; F is a safety or escape valve,
which may be constructed and applied substantially in the same way as those
on a steam boiler. The valve stem is provided with a spiral spring a, which
is compressed by nuts to graduate the pressure of the valve against its seat
and regulate the pressure of the steam in the cylinder A, according to the
power required to act upon the brakes. The valve stem is provided at its
upper end with a foot piece b for the purpose of enabling the engineer to
compress the spring and open the valve to exhaust steam from the cylinder
when the brakes are to be relieved. G is a steam chest cast at the lower
part of the cylinder, and provided with a lid or cover H, which has a steam
port c at its centre so arranged that the steam has free passage from the
chest into the cylinder and a free passage from said chest when necessary.
I is a jaw cast in the cylinder head, and on which a lever J is hung; K is a
jaw in which a rod L is fitted, and allowed to slide freely. This rod has a
spiral or volute spring d upon it, which may be compressed by lock or jaw
nuts e. The inner end of the rod L is connected to a swinging or pivotted
hanger, to which a rod g is attached, the latter extending back to and
passing up through the lid or cover H, and connected to a valve h, which
may operate in connection with a stuffing box or not. M is a chain or wire
rope, one end of which is attached to the lever J, said chain or rope passing
through the jaw or eye D around the pulley E, and over a fixed pulley i, and
thence extending to a carrier and jaw j, to which it is attached; N is a chain
or wire rope, one end of which may be fastened to a reel or a hook k on the
back end of the tender. This chain passes around the pulley 1 of the carrier j,
and then back to be hooked to the main rod that actuates the brakes through
the entire train. See Fig. 1. O is a tube having a cock m in it; one end of
this tube communicates with the steam chest of the boiler of the locomotive
and the other with the steam chest G of the cylinder A. A small throttle may

page_text: be used similar in construction to the throttle of a locomotive to admit steam
to the cylinder A from the boiler. When the engineer wishes to apply the brakes
he opens the cock m, which admits steam into the chest G, and thence by the
passage or port c into the cylinder A, pushing the piston Boutward and drawing
the chain M inward. If the power is too great the nuts e are slackened to expand
the spring d. If the power is too weak the nuts e are screwed up to compress
said spring. P represents a support for two pulley frames Q, Q; this
support is firmly secured to the bottom of the carriage bed. These pulley
frames are simply standards, the lower ends of which are pivoted in the
support P, as shown at n. There are two pulleys o, o¹, in each frame Q, the
lower pulleys o having their axes on the pivots n. R, R, are two rods,
which connect the frames Q to the ordinary brake levers p; and q is a chain by
which the two frames Q are connected at their upper ends; and S represents
the ordinary windlass rods connected by chains r to the brakes in the usual
way. The connection between the hand brakes is thus rendered complete
throughout an entire train.
In Fig. 3 a modification of the plan to regulate the power applied by a
brakesman is shown. T is a windlass; s, a ratchet keyed on the chain
barrel, the ratchet being the reverse of the common ratchet; t is a pawl; u, a
rod; and v, a spring or weighing apparatus; w is a lever; and a¹, a chain
that winds on the chain barrel to tighten the brakes; b' is a rod connecting
the lever w with the lever c'; d¹ is the brake shoe, and e' the carriage wheel.
The pawl t must be set within one quarter of an inch of the ratchet s; then
the spring v must be compressed by the nuts f¹ to any degree that may be
desired, so that when that degree is attained the spring will begin to yield,
when the pawl will fall into the ratchet s, and prevent any increase of
power.
When different degrees of power are required to suit different degrees of
wet, dry, or lubricated rails, the nuts must be changed so as to slacken or
increase the tension of the spring.
In Fig. 4 another mode of accomplishing the same result is attained by
weighing or pressing two friction plates together by a spring or weighing
apparatus. This plan can be effected by hand, or by having the shaft properly
hung in close proximity to the driving wheel of the engine or pressed against
the rail; or the friction wheel represented by U may have cogs to gear into a
pinion on the axle to be started by a clutch or any suitable device. The most
feasible plan would be to put the left end of the shaft V in a permanent
bearing near the left driving wheel, and put the right bearing in a pendant or
swinging lever to be swung behind the driving wheel of the locomotive.

page_text: Then connect the lever by a rod to a lever that passes in front of the engineer.
The pull of this lever will cause the chain barrel to turn until the desired
maximum pressure is attained, when the wheel will slip between the plates C', D'.
V represents the shaft or chain barrel; U, the friction wheel, having a groove
in its rim to receive the flange of the driver; C, a plate keyed firmly on the
shaft V; D', a counter plate slipped over a feather loosely, so that it cannot
turn; E¹ is a volute spring to weigh the degree of pressure on the plates; F¹,
two nuts, to compress the spring against the plates D', which slips or slides on
the shaft V; G¹ is a ratchet, into which a pawl catches to hold or retain the
power or pressure applied to the brakes. These different plans only show
different ways of accomplishing the same general purpose, to wit, to determine
the pressure on the brakes in pounds, or to any degree that the engineer may
desire, regardless of all contingencies of wear of brake shoes, lengthening of
the chain, &c., &c.; in short, the pressure required is the governor of the
cut-off valve h, the check pawl t, and friction wheel U. In applying power to
the brakes through the medium of the steam cylinder A it will be seen that
the brakes may be relieved at once by opening the valve F, and that any
sudden increase of tension or pull on the brake chain may be stopped at once
by the arrangement of the pulleys.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the operating or applying of power to railway carriage brakes through
the medium of steam from the boiler of the locomotive, substantially as herein
set forth.
Secondly, the arrangement of the steam cylinder A, piston B, with the steam
supply tube O provided with the valve m, and the valve chest G provided with
the valve h, for the purpose of using and applying the steam from the boiler of
the locomotive for the purpose specified.
Thirdly, the escape valve F applied to the steam cylinder A, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly, the arrangement of the pulleys E, i, l, with the chain M and
piston rod C, substantially as shown, for the purpose of actuating the brakes
under a short movement of the piston rod, as set forth.
Fifthly, the employment or use of frictional plates, as described and shown in
Fig. 4, for the purpose of regulating the pressure on the brakes to any degree
the engineer may desire.
Sixthly, the employment or use of a ratchet, pawl, spring, and levers, or their

page_text: equivalents, with a windlass, as described and shown in Fig. 3, for the purpose
set forth.
Seventhly, combining the chains and rods of the ordinary hand brake with
the chains and rods of the steam power brake in such a manner that the
brakes may be operated either by hand or steam separately, or by both
simultaneously, as shown in Fig. 1.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 22nd day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
58, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)