IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Martin Sullivan, of Clapham, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Martin Sullivan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th October 1878.
ALEXANDER MARTIN SULLIVAN, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
My Invention of improvements in railway brakes is intended chiefly for railway
trucks and wagons, but is also applicable to railway carriages.
The principle upon which it is based is, firstly, that the cessation or diminution
of speed or draft-motion by the engine of a train shall of itself, and without any
further manual labor or attendance, apply brakes to every truck, wagon, or carriage
in the whole train; and secondly, that the commencement, or resumption, or increase
of draft motion by the engine shall of itself unbrake the whole train.
One manner in which the Invention may be carried into effect is as follows:-
A weighted fall-lever brake, to brake one or more wheels, is affixed to each
wagon or truck on which it is desired to have brake power, or a pair of weighted
fall-lever brakes may be so affixed, one of them working at each end of each such
truck or wagon, the fall or lowering of the lever handle applying the brake, the
lifting of the lever handle withdrawing the brake in each case.
A pulley-wheel is placed over or near the end of the lever handle; to the end of
the lever handle, or at a point near the end of it, a chain is attached, which I call the
fall-chain, which chain passes over or through the pulley wheel, and thence to a hook
or other fastening on the next adjoining truck, wagon, or carriage of the train, the
chain being so linked, hooked on, or fastened that when the train is pulled by the
engine the fall chain will pull up and will keep lifted the lever handle of the brake,
and so that, on the other hand, when the engine is slowed to stop, the fall chain will
slacken, the lever handle will fall, and the brakes will be thereby applied.

page_text: A spring latch stop or catch, which I call the stop latch, is affixed on or in con-
nection with the weighted-lever-handle, which stop latch, working against or to a
counterpart stop or rack affixed close by, will allow the lever handle-to-fall-ofits.
own weight when the fall-chain is slack, but which will stop or hold the lever-
-handle-down to whatever point it has so fallen until the fall-chain is again pulled
upwards; the upward pull of the fall-chain; through or by means of the mode in
which-it-is-affixed to the lever handle, works or turns a key or crank action, which
pulls back the stop latch and allows the lever handle to rise. as far as it may be
pulled by the fall-chain.
In place of the wheel-brakes being worked by lever handles affixed to or working
along the outside of the truck, wagon, or carriage, the lever handles-may be affixed
and work inside or beneath the floor frame of the truck, wagon, or carriage, and be
operated by one fall chain leading from or to the next adjoining truck, wagon, or
carriage at each end.
The same or like motions, effects, and results as to the lifting and the lowering of
the lever handle, and as to the braking and unbraking of wheels by the pull or the
cessation of the pull of the engine may be caused and obtained by either of several
variations, modifications, and combinations of the above and other mechanical means,
structures, and appliances as will readily suggest themselves.
The ordinary coupling irons of wagons, trucks, or carriages may also be adapted
and used for or in connection with the fall chain; or the guard couplings of wagons,
trucks, or carriages may be used, adapted, or applied for the same purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Martin Sullivan in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th April 1879.
ALEXANDER MARTIN SULLIVAN, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey.
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
« IM-
My Invention of improvements in railway brakes is intended chiefly for railway
trucks and wagons, but is also applicable to railway carriages.
The principle upon which it is based is, firstly, that the cessation or diminution
of speed or draft motion by the engine of a train shall of itself, and without any
further manual labor or attendance, apply brakes to every truck, wagon, or carriage
in the whole train; and secondly, that the commencement, or resumption, or increase
of draft motion by the engine shall of itself unbrake the whole train.
My improved brakes are constructed as follows:-
On the end of the lever-handle of a common brake lever on any truck, wagon, or
carriage, or of any lever handle of similar purpose or operation, I affix a metal
block or weight, which shall be sufficient by reason of its position or leverage to
press the brake block or brake blocks with the requisite force against the periphery.
of the wheel or wheels of the truck, wagon, or carriage. I affix this weight on or
to the end of the lever handle by any of several obvious methods, either perma-
nently or so attaching it or affixing it in such a manner as to admit of the position
of the weight being altered. By preference I affix it in the following manner, that
is to say, I cast the weight with a hollow core, through which the end of the lever
handle passes, and I hold the weight and lever handle firmly together either by
means of set screws or bolts or nuts screwing on the lever handle at each end of the
weight.
In, on, or through the outer or end face of the weight I cause a spring bolt or
spring latch to play against a vertical ratchet bar, the upper end of which is firmly
fixed in suitable position on the truck frame, and the lower end of which is if
necessary stayed by an iron rod or otherwise to the bottom of the axle frame or
other suitable fixture. The end of the weight next the ratchet bar has a groove
in which, or cheeks between which, the ratchet bar acts. The teeth of the ratchet
are so shaped that the spring bolt or latch will allow the weight to descend without
hindrance, but will, unless the bolt or latch be pulled back as berein-after described,
prevent the weight ascending. I place the spring bolt to work in the interior or
body of the weight in a groove or chamber provided for that purpose when casting
the weight, but I may at option work the spring bolt or a spring latch altogether
or mainly exteriorly by any one of several obvious means.
In connection with the spring bolt or latch I place a peculiar trigger-handle,
which when pulled upwards will draw back the spring bolt or latch and hold it
free of the ratchet teeth. As long as there is a pull or strain upwards on this
trigger handle the spring bolt will thus be free of the ratchet, but whenever an upward
pull or strain is not on the trigger handle the spring bolt or latch will operate
against and into the ratchet teeth.
In a suitable position near the top of the ratchet bar I place a double or twin
pulley wheel, the diameter of one of the said pulley wheels being smaller than the
diameter of the other, a movement or rotation of either wheel, however, involving
a movement and rotation of the other.
On the periphery of the larger diametered wheel I bolt or fix one end of a short
chain, which I call the lift chain, which lift chain I then lead or coil round the wheel
and attach the other end to the trigger handle above mentioned, the lift chain being
so led or coiled around the pulley wheel that any forward rotation of it will pull
upwards the trigger handle, and so free the spring bolt or latch.
On the periphery of the smaller diametered wheel I bolt or fix one end of a
somewhat longer and stronger chain, which I call the pull-chain, which pull-chain I;

page_text: then lead or coil around the wheel and attach the other end of it, or some link or
-part-thereof, to a hook or other suitable fastening on or near the end of the next
preceding or adjoining truck, wagon, carriage, or engine; the-pull.chain being so led
or coiled around the pulley wheel that any forward rotation of it will cause the
adjoining twin wheel to rotate likewise, and to pull up the trigger handle by the
lift chain-as-before-described.-
By having the diameter of the pull chain pulley wheel smaller than-that-of-the
lift chain pulley wheel I secure this effect, namely, that if there be but a small space
between the vehicles as coupled, the greater diameter of the pull chain pulley
wheel will nevertheless give a sufficient travel or space for rise and fall of the
weight.
When the trucks are coupled far apart I take an additional coil of the pull chain
around its pulley, and thus increase its diameter to counteract the effect of the
greater distance between the vehicles.
The brake by these means operates as follows:-
When the truck is coupled I link the pull chain to the preceding engine or
vehicle in such a manner that when the train is being drawn by the engine the pull
chain is so pulled that the differentiated pulley wheels rotate forward and the
weight is lifted to or near the top of the ratchet bar, while when the train is
slowed or is stopped by the slowing or stopping of the preceding engine or vehicle,
the pull chain is slacked, the differentiated pulley wheels rotate backwards, and the
weight descends by its own gravity, thereby lowering the lever handle and applying
the brake block to the periphery of the truck wheel. When so lowered, and while
the pull chain and lift chain are slack, the weight is held firmly down by the
operation of the spring bolt and ratchet, so that the pressure on the periphery of
the truck wheel obtained by the weight and momentum of the descending weight
is firmly maintained.
On the side of the ratchet bar, and in suitable position to act in conjunction with
the appliance described below, which I call a catch-nib, I hang loosely a metal disc
of peculiar shape, which I call the stop catch.
I form or shape one of the cheeks on the weight above mentioned in a peculiar
manner, which peculiar outline or configuration I call the catch nib. This catch
nib in the upward or downward motion of the weight operates in conjunction with
the stop catch above mentioned as follows, that is to say, if the weight descends
slowly the catch nib will hook into a certain configuration of the stop catch designed
for that purpose, and the further descent of the weight will be arrested even though
the chains be further slackened; but if the weight is descending rapidly the catch
nib jerks the stop catch aside and passes by it, and the weight goes down to its full
power. The object and effect of this arrangement are that whenever it is desired
to stop a train with a view to "backing" by slowing the engine gradually the
brakes will be arrested and the vehicles may be backed.
On or in connection with the pulley wheels I fix a short lever handle, whereby
when the truck is at rest and it is desired to lift the weight, an attendant may with
facility hang up the weight and keep the brake block off the wheel.
I propose if required to enable the stop catch to be at any time held out of gear
so that the brake may if deemed advisable be worked without it, which result may
be obtained by means either of a small pin through the stop-catch and ratchet bar
or a small paul hanging in a suitable position to work into the stop catch.
I propose at option to operate my pull chain in connection with the coupling of
the trucks of the train, and I propose at option to place my brake attachment under-
neath the centre or other part of the floor of the truck, wagon, or carriage, or at
the end thereof.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a general view of my brake attach-
ment, but without the hanging stop catch and catch nib; Figure 2 is a plan partly
in section showing the lever handle and weight; Figure 3 is an end view of my
brake attachment; Figures 4 and 5 represent the differentiated pulley wheels, side
and end view, showing in Figure 4 the arrangements for fixing the short hand

page_text: lever and the chain ends; Figures 6 and 7 represent the hand lever; Figure 8 is a
section of weight showing mode of attaching it to the brake lever handle; Figure 9
shows the catch nib and stop catch in conjunction; Figure 10 is a section of stop
catch; Figures 11 and 12 represent the spring bolt; Figure 13 is a cross section of
the weight. In Figure 1, A is the brake lever handle; B, the weight; C, the spring
bolt; D, the trigger handle; E, the ratchet bar; F, the pulley wheels; G, stay bar
to ratchet bar; H, lift chain; I, pull chain; J, K, holes in ratchet bar for bolt on
which the stop catch hangs.
I am aware that the idea of operating a brake by the forward or reverse move-
ment of the locomotive engine is not original, and I do not claim any originality
for sucli portion of this brake attachment, but by the special and peculiar means
herein-before described such forward or reverse motion is caused to operate more
effectually and with greater simplicity than any heretofore invented in the applying
of brake power, and by the simplicity of my mechanism I have greatly reduced
the cost at which a brake appliance so operated may be produced or manufactured.
The characteristic or distinguishing features of my improved brake as herein-
before described are, the fixture of the weight and the mode of fixing it on the end
of the lever handle; the spring bolt or latch working in a ratchet bar, whereby the
weight is held or pinned. firmly down in conjunction with the trigger handle,
whereby the weight is instantly at the moment required unpinned or freed and
allowed to be lifted; the differentiated pulley wheels whereby the requisite motion
is communicated for working the weight and giving sufficient "travel" under all cir-
cumstances to it; the catch nib and stop catch, whereby the descent of the weight
may be arrested and the brake suspended when it is desired to back the train; the
simplicity in linking or attaching the pull chain to the end of the preceding vehicle
instead of carrying a chain or series of chains along the whole length of the train
to the engine or brake van, so that the action of the brake is automatic, and in case
of accident to or severance of the train the brakes act instantaneously, and the
small hand lever whereby, independently of other uses of the brake, it may be
operated and handled readily in depôts or at stations.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The general arrangement or combination of parts forming an improved
railway brake, as herein-before described and represented in the annexed
Drawings.
Second. The spring bolt or latch, ratchet bar, weight, and trigger, combined and
acting substantially as herein-before described.
Third. The catch nib and stop catch arranged and acting in combination with the
weight and ratchet bar, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Martin Sullivan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-nine.
ALEXANDER MARTIN SULLIVAN. (L.S.)