IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of N° 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND
STOPPING RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY VEHICLES" (a communication to me from abroad
by Julius Seubich of Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Empire of Gormany,) to
be as follows: —
According to this invention the motion of a moving railway or tramway vehicle
is retarded or stopped by causing air in a cylinder to be compressed to a greater or
less extent at the will of the driver or guard. To this end an oscillating cylinder
is arranged beneath the vehicle and is provided with suitablo air passages and inlet
valves to each end.
On one axle of the car a pinion is keyed, gearing into a toothed wheel fixed on a
shaft which is supported in suitable brackets. At each end of this shaft a crank is
keyed, and the two crank pins are coupled by connecting rods to the ends of a bar
supported by two links pivoted to the vehicle. While the vehicle is running the
pinion on the axle drives the second wheel and the cranks, by means of the con-
necting rods, impart a swinging or oscillating motion to the two links to the lower
ends of which the rods are connected. These two links form slotted guides, in
which the crosshead of the piston rod of the afore-mentioned cylinder can be
moved at the will of the driver or guard. When the cross-head is at or near the
pivots of the guides then the swinging motion of the said guides does not or does
only to a very small extent, impart a to-and-fro motion to the piston. When the
crosshead is removed to a distance from the pivots then the travel of the piston is
proportionately increased. Connected to the said crosshead are two levers which
are mounted on a shaft carried on brackets capable of a small radial motion; the
said shaft carries a short arm on which is a heavy weight, which by means of a
chain or cord running over pulleys is kept in an elevated position. This chain or

page_text: cord is under the control of the driver or guard, and if it be slackened, so that the
weight drops, the shaft to which it is attached will turn and cause its levers to
bring the crosshead of the piston rod in to the part of the slotted links farthest
from the pivots. Thereby the travel of the piston is increased to its largest extent,
and as the cylinder is only provided with suction valves, air is drawn in at both
ends of the cylinder and as there are no means for its escape it will be compressed
within the cylinder and will form a counter force to the turning of the axles, to
such an extent that these axles will be retarded and finally stopped.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RETARDING
AND STOPPING RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY VEHICLES" (a communication to me from
abroad by Julius Seubich of Dresden in the Kingdom of Saxony, Empire of
Germany), and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
According to this invention the motion of a moving railway or tramway vehicle
is retarded or stopped by causing air in a cylinder to be compressed to a greater or
less extent at the will of the driver or guard. To this end an oscillating cylinder
is arranged beneath the vehicle, and is provided with suitable air passages and
inlet valves to each end.
On one axle of the car a pinion is keyed, gearing into a toothed wheel fixed on a
shaft which is supported in suitable brackets. At each end of this shaft a crank
is keyed, and the two crank pins are coupled by connecting rods to the ends of a
bar supported by two links, pivotted to the vehicle.
While the vehicle is running the pinion on the axle drives the second wheel, and
the cranks, by means of the connecting rods, impart a swinging or oscillating
motion to the two links, to the lower ends of which the rods are connected.
These two links form slotted guides, in which the cross-head of the piston rod of
the afore-mentioned cylinder can be moved at the will of the driver or guard.
When the cross-head is at or near the pivots of the guides then the swinging
motion of the said guides does not or does only to a very small extent impart a
to-and-fro motion to the piston. When the crosshead is removed to a distance
from the pivots then the travel of the piston is proportionately increased.
nected to the said cross-head are two levers which are mounted on a shaft carried
in brackets, capable of a small radial motion; the said shaft carries a short arm on
which is a heavy weight, which by means of a chain or cord running over pulleys
is kept in an elevated position.
Con-
This chain or cord is under the control of the driver or guard and if it be
slackened, so that the weight drops, the shaft to which it is attached will turn and
cause its levers to bring the cross-head of the piston rod into the part of the slotted
links furthest from the pivots. Thereby the travel of the piston is increased to its
largest extent, and as the cylinder is only provided with suction valves, air is
drawn in at both ends of the cylinder, and as there are no means for its escape,
it will be compressed within the cylinder and will form a counter force to the
turning of the axles, to such an extent, that these axles will be retarded and finally
stopped.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig 1 is a side view and
Fig 2 is a ground plan of so much of a car as is necessary to illustrate this
invention.
H is the cylinder, oscillating on trunnions and provided with a piston and
piston rod P and the air suction valves X, Z at the ends of the air passages X' Z.

page_text: Upon the axle V a pinion A is keyed gearing into the wheel B on the shaft W.
This shaft is provided at both ends with cranks C connected by rods D to the
shaft E which is carried by the swinging pieces K. As shewn in Fig 1 in dotted
lines the piston rod P is located with its cross-head in the uppermost part of the
slotted guides, so as not to partake of the swinging motion of the latter. But as
soon as the weight N is lowered by the cord or chain over the pulley O, this weight
will turn its shaft L, thereby turning the levers M which at R are connected to the
cross-head F, bringing this cross-head down the slotted guides. By this means a
to-and-fro motion is imparted to the piston-rod P and to the piston in the
cylinder Hand there is created an air pressure which will retard and stop the
car. When the air pressure attains a determined height the air escapes through
adjustable loaded valves.. The incoming air may also be passed through adjustablo
valves or cocks which oppose its entrance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In railway and tramway vehicles the use for the purposes of a brake of an
air cylinder the piston of which derives its motion from an arm or lever such as K,
geared to one of the axles and caused to oscillate about a fixed point, the connection
between the piston and the arm or lever being such that the travel of the piston
can be varied through a considerable range at the will of the attendant, substan-
tially as described and illustrated.
2. The improved brake, constructed arranged and operating substantially as
described with reference to the drawings.