IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES AND BRAKE APPARATUS
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Aubrey Essery at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd June 1876.
RICHARD AUBREY ESSERY, of 19, Salisbury Street, Strand, London, Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES AND BRAKE APPARATUS."
This Invention has for its object the novel arrangement and disposition of the
motion transmitting apparatus and mechanism for applying brake power throughout
the whole of a train or a given number of carriages composing such train simul-
taneously from end to end thereof; and by the novel arrangement and disposition
of the parts of the apparatus which I propose for this purpose, whilst the brake
action is brought into play by and during the retardation of the motion of the
engine or engine and tender, as also facilities are thereby afforded for at once
enabling the entire train to be backed when necessary, that is to say, the ordinary
action which would be produced upon the brake mechanism is for the time enabled
to be suspended for the purpose of backing the train should it have overrun a
platform or have to be backed into a siding.
The improved apparatus is equally applicable to carriages having 4 wheels or
6 wheels as to 8 wheel carriages; and each pair of wheels in each carriage com-
posing the train may be skidded or subjected to the brake action, and the action of
such brake apparatus may be called into play either upon the wheels of the rear
carriage of the train seriatim advancing progressively forward in the order of each
set of wheels of the carriages so fitted until the carriage nearest to the engine or
tender shall be the last that is brought into action; and this is by far the most
effective system of applying brakes in railway trains, more especially when tra-
velling at high speeds; or the order in which the brakes may be applied may be
that ordinarily in use, viz., the first pair of wheels of the first carriage nearest the
engine and tender, and then the next, and so on, but in either case it is rather to
be considered as relating to the order than to the time of application, as practically
the action may if desired be instantaneous or be more or less prolonged in the time
of its application and also in the degree of its application, but the facility for
arranging the order and disposition of the application of the brake power throughout
a train of any length may by reason of the peculiar mechanical arrangement of the
apparatus be prearranged and provided for.
I apply to each under carriage or frame brake blocks suitably arranged and
disposed for acting upon the peripheries of each pair of wheels, and which are sus-
pended so that they are brought together or expanded, or brought into and taken
[Price 2d.]

page_text: out of action by or through the motion of the connecting bar or rod which actuates
the levers or arms to which the brake blocks are connected. Where it is convenient
to arrange and dispose of such connecting bars or levers so that a vertically moving
connection may be arranged to act upon more than two of such brake blocks or
upon two pairs of brake blocks and can be conveniently arranged beneath the
carriage frame so as to move vertically up and down, and so to keep the blocks
out of action when in their normal position by means of a semi-elliptical or other
form of spring, a wedge piece at the end of a horizontally sliding bar, or it may be
fitted in connection with the ordinary buffer bars or a central buffer bar or extra
buffers may be applied for the purpose of operating the brake apparatus, and such
horizontal wedge piece when pushed in will bring its incline surface upon the
vertically moving portion of the apparatus and force it down against the power of
the spring, and so bring the brake blocks into action.
Where in a four-wheel carriage independent brake apparatus is applied to each
pair of wheels separately, the brakes of the four wheels may be operated by one
inclined plane or wedge and the hinder wheels be operated by a separate and
independent bar having an incline plane or wedge thereon, and which may either
be operated by the following carriages whilst in motion acting upon it, or the two
sets of brake blocks, i.e., both the fore and hind wheels may be connected together
and operated conjointly.
The central actuating bar (or fork) should be guided between friction rollers
fitted to the frame, whilst the wedge or incline plane attached to or forming part
of the horizontal sliding bar or buffer like apparatus acts upon a friction roller
fitted to the connecting bar, so as to allow of its being forced readily into the
required position to bring the brakes into action and permit of the reacting spring
bringing the apparatus readily back to its normal condition or position.
Thus cach carriage so fitted will be capable of being acted upon, and in turns
acting upon others, and vice versa, and the use of an additional or central hinged
or jointed buffer head fitted on the rear end of the engine or tender and capable
of being raised or lowered will by its use enable the backing of the train so fitted
to be readily effected.
The brake apparatus, according to my Invention, may be brought into action by
means of suitable connections or attachments to the existing buffer rods to a carriage
such as, for instance, levers or chains over pullies actuated either from the guard's
van or engine as also by the steam being shut off from a steam cylinder; or an
additional buffer rod or bar may be provided for, calling the brake apparatus into
and taking it out of action for producing a self-acting continuous brake.