IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Simon Fairman, of the City of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, one of the United States of America, Engineer, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY
VEHICLES."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Simon Fairman at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th October 1880.
SIMON FAIRMAN, of the City of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, one of the
United States of America, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND COUPLING
APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES."
This Invention relates to an improved brako and coupling apparatus for railway
vehicles, to be used independently of the ordinary braking mechanism, in case of
accident, to stop and separate the cars. The Invention admits, however, of the
independent use of the the brake devices and the coupler, whereby the train may
be stopped at stations without the cars being separated, and the cars coupled and
uncoupled as may be desired.
The said Invention, briefly stated, consists first in providing a railway
vehicle or car with a system of brake-shoes adapted to be thrown beneath tho
wheels of the car, and between the said wheels and the rails of the track, and in
combining with the brake-shoe operating mechanism, a coupler which is arranged
to open and discharge the coupling link upon the application of the shoes to the
car-wheels, as aforesaid.
The said Invention consists, secondly, in utilizing the movement of the said
brake-shoes as the same are drawn beneath the wheels of the car, to operate the
ordinary braking devices of the car; and thirdly, in the peculiar construction and
arrangement of the braking and coupling devices, and in the manner of applying
the same to the car, as will hereinafter fully appear.
In the further description of the said Invention which follows, reference is made
to the accompanying Drawing forming a part hereof, and in which,-
Figure I. is a partly-sectional side elevation of parts of two cars, to which the
said Invention is applied. Fig. II. is a view of the under side of the cars; Fig. III.
is an end view of a car embodying the said improvements, and Figures IV., V.,
VI., VII., VIII, IX., and X. are views of parts of the Invention on an enlarged
scale.

page_text: A is the car body, and B, B, are the wheels of the car secured to the trucks B, B¹
in the usual manner. C, C, are plates, one of which is located over each truck and
under the car body, adapted to have a limited sliding movement longitudinally of
the car.
D, D, represents the brake-shoes which are to be used only in case of danger of
collision, and they consist of shells conforming somewhat in form to the tread and
flange of the wheels. The said shoes are connected to the plates C, C, by means of
flexible bars E which are hinged to the said plates at their upper ends, and at their
lower ends fitted for ready attachment to the shoes. The bars E and shoes D are
shown on an enlarged scale in Figures VII., VIII, IX., and X. of the Drawing,
F, F, are swinging bars dependent from the car body and connected loosely to
rods a, one of which is used to couple each pair of flexible bars E. Each pair of
the brake-shoes D operate independently of the others, and fall beneath the car-
wheels by reason of their weight when the sustaining mechanism, hereinafter
described, is detached or liberated. The sustaining mechanism for each pair of
brake-shoes D consists of a suitably supported forked brake-rod b pivoted to the
swinging bars and extending to near the end of the car, where it connects with a
yielding block b¹ which projects slightly beyond the said end of the car.
The yielding block b¹ of each brake rod, except the one projecting from the rear
end of the rear car, comes in contact with a similar block projecting from an
adjoining car. By this means, when the train is made up, the brake-rods, which
are in contact through the medium of the yielding blocks as described, are forced
inward, and the brake shoes D, except those connected to the rod whose yielding
block projects from the rear end of the train, are removed from the wheels, the
latter pair being retained in a similar position by means of a lever e which engages
with a projection on the said block. The blocks b₁ are made yielding to coin-
pensate for irregularity in the lengths of the rods b, and to render absolute
accuracy in arranging the said rods unnecessary.
As any one of the cars may be placed at the rear of the train, and either end of
the car used as the forward one, both ends of the cars are provided with the levers e,
and all the yielding blocks b¹ with projections f. I do not, however, limit myself
to the devices herein described for securing the brake-rods, as other contrivances
may be used in lieu thereof without affecting the nature of the Invention.
The coupler before alluded to, and which is represented by G, consists of two
parts, viz., fixed block g adapted as a bumper, and a jaw ¹ pivoted to a part of the
said block and fitted to open as the coupling link i is inserted thereto. The coupler
is held in a closed position by means of a weighted lever le which passes through a
slotted arm Z extending from the plate C, and the said arm is provided with a
sheave m for obvious purposes.
The weighted lever is bent, substantially as shown in the Drawings, to enable
the sheave m to clear it when the plate C is thrown back and the shoes D. removed
from contact with the wheels, and to cause the said sheave to strike an inclined
surface and open the jaw when the said plate is drawn forward by the passage
of the shoes beneath the wheels.
By reference to the Drawings it will be seen that the coupling link engages with
the bumpers only when the cars are coupled; and in order to disengage the link from
the bumpers as the jaw is opened, I. provide the said jaw with a curved plate n,
which, as the jaw is lowered, strikes the link and forces it below and clear of the
bumper.
In the description of the operation of my improved brake and coupler which
follows parts of the Invention not yet alluded to will be described and their uses
fully set forth.
To make up a train equipped with the present improvements, the brake-rods of
the separated cars must be locked by means of the levers, as described, to remove
the brake-shoes from the wheels and allow of the free rotation of the latter, and
after the coupling operation, which is accomplished by the backing of one car
against the other, all the brake rods, except the one at the rear end of the train, are

page_text: liberated. A line o, extending from the engineer's cab through the cars, is next
attached to the rear lever, when the apparatus is ready for use, and remains in
this condition until circumstances require the instant checking and separation of
the cars.
When the engineer deems it prudent to apply the brakes and separate the cars
he draws the line o, which disconnects the rear lever from its yielding block, and
allows the forward brake-shoes of the rear car to fall, and at the same time the
rear car is detached from the next forward one. As the rear car is detached, the
forward brake shoes on the next car are applied in consequence of the release of
the yielding block from contact with the adjoining one, and the second car is thus
separated from the train. This operation is repeated until the entire number of
cars are stopped and isolated.
.
When it is desired to detach the rear car without affecting the remaining portion
of the train, the brake-rod connected to the forward brake-shoes of the second car
is secured by lowering the rear lever e over the projection f of the yielding block
forming a part of the said brake-rod, and the check line o attached to the said lever.
The coupler of the rear car is then opened by means of a lever and cam or crank
(shown in connection with the coupler in Figure 4 of the Drawing), which forces
the coupling link to below the bumper and effects the separation of the cars.
Each
In the foregoing description of the construction and operation of my combined
brake and coupler, no allusion is made to the use of the brake shoes alone, whereby
the Invention is adapted as a station brake. I will now, therefore, describe the
mechanism for applying a system of shoes, independent of those before alluded to,
to the car wheels without affecting the couplers or separating the cars.
inner wheel of the truck is provided with a brako-shoe H similar to the ones D,
before described, which is attached to the end of the lower arm of a lever I pivoted
to the truck. The said lever I is placed in a position to cause the shoe H to fall
when not supported to beneath the wheel; or if the fulcrum of the said lever is at
such distance from a vertical line running through the centre of the wheel as to
prevent the engagement of the shoe with the wheel by its own gravity, as shown
in the Drawing, the said line is provided with a woighted arm K which accomplishes
the same result..
The tendency of the shoe to pass to beneath the wheel and brake it is obviated
when the train is in motion, by the weight of a ball L adapted to slide on a bar p
projecting from the lever I. When the ball L is at the end of its bar the shoe H
is retained from contact with the wheel, and is inoperative; but when the ball L is
drawn towards the fulcrum of the said lever, its weight is overcome by that of the
weighted arin K, and the shoe falls to beneath the wheel. The elevated position of
the ball L is indicated by its dotted delineation, Figure 1 of the Drawing. The
ball L is elevated by means of suitable bars and chains from the engine cab, and it
will be understood that the length of the chains may be regulated to brake the
wheels, not simultaneously, but in quick succession, so as to make the stoppage of
the train gradual.
I propose further to connect the lever I to the ordinary brake-shoes M, applied to
other wheels of the truck, and thereby utilize a force which under other circum-
stances would be wasted.
In the Drawing, the upper arm of the lever I is connected to a second lever
acting upon the ordinary brake-shoes by means of a rod r. I do not however
limit myself to any peculiar mechanism for operating the shoes H from the engine
cab, or to the precise arrangement of the device for connecting the shoes H
with the ordinary brake-shoes M, as various contrivances different from those
shewn herein may be employed without affecting the nature of this part of my
Invention.
I claim as my Invention,―
I. A combined car-brake and coupler having the following essential elements in
-Sauming

page_text: bars to a plate adapted to have a sliding movement longitudinally of the car, and
a coupler having a movable jaw which is depressed or opened to discharge the
coupling-link upon the falling of the said brake-shoes, and the movement of the
said plate consequent thereupon, substantially as herein described.
II. In combination with a pair of brake-shoes D, D, suspended as described, and
provided with the connecting-bar a, the swinging bars F, and brake-rod b, the said
brake-rod being fitted with suitable locking mechanism, whereby the said brake-
shoes may be sustained from contact with the wheels of the car, substantially as
herein specified.
III. In combination with the brake rods b, having the projection f, the levers e, ]
whereby the said brake-rods may be locked and the brake-shoes sustained in an
elevated position, substantially as herein specified,
IV. The brake-rods b made extensible and compressible by means of the yielding
blocks b' or their equivalent, substantially as herein specified.
V. The car coupler G, having in combination the fixed bumper g, vibrating 1
jaw h, and curved plate u, forming a part of said jaw, constructed substantially as
described, whereby the said plate when the jaw is depressed falls on the head of the
link, substantially as herein specified.
VI. The sliding plate C, roller m, weighted lever k, vibrating jaw h, and fixed
bumper g, combined substantially as herein specified.
VII. A car-brake consisting of a system of brake shoes, adapted to be carried to
between the wheels of the car and the rails of the track, levers for sustaining the
said shoes, and suitable mechanism for effecting the removal of the said shoes to
and from the said wheels, substantially as herein specified.
VIII. In a car-brake, a suspended shoe adapted to be thrown to beneath a car
wheel, combined with a weight which may be changed in its position with reference
to the said suspended shoe, and thereby influence the movement of the same towards
or from the said wheel, substantially as herein specified.
IX. As means for operating an ordinary brake-shoe of a car, a lever, one arm of
which is connected to the suid ordinary shoe, and the other arm thereof attached 3
to a device adapted to fall to beneath a wheel of the car, or to between the said
wheel and a rail of the track, substantially as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Simon Fairman, have hereunto set my hand
and affixed my seal, this Third day of September, A.D. 1880.
In presence of
WILLIAM THOMPSON HOWARD.
HARRY VALENTINE ALBAUGH.
SIMON FAIRMAN. (L.S.)