JMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ACTUATING THE BRAKES OF CARRIAGES AND WAGONS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of 65 JMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MEANS OF ACTUATING THE BRAKES OF CARRIAGES AND WAGONS FOR
RAILWAYS." A communication from abroad by Albert Fred. Gue and George
Franklin Field, both of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts, United
States of America
Sealed the 22nd March 1878, and dated the 27th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th December 1877.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ACTUATING THE BRAKES OF CARRIAGES
AND WAGONS FOR RAILWAYS." [A communication from abroad by Albert Fred.
Gue and George Franklin Field, both of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention of improvements in the means of actuating the brakes of carriages
and wagons for railways, relates to railway brakes of the class wherein the power
to apply the brakes is derived from a rotating axle of a car or truck in motion, such
axle having joined with it longitudinally moveable friction clutches, adapted to
engage or release at will the ends of a spool loose on the axle, the spool having
connected with it a brake chain, which is wound or unwound as it is desired to
apply or release the brakes. This chain, as it is wound upon the spool, operates the
long end of an auxiliary lever, preferably an elbow lever, connected at its other end
through a rod with levers, such as are commonly employed on railroad cars, to
operate the brake beams as usual; or, if desired, an intermediate lever may be
employed between the auxiliary lever and the usual levers.
This Invention consists,-
Firstly. In the combination of the loose spool, its chain brake, beams and friction
clutches, with the usual brake levers.

page_text: Secondly. In connecting the upper ends of forked clutch operating levers with a
clutch lever by means of links at opposite sides of its fulcrum, so as to move the
friction clutches positively to engage and rotate the spool, or to free it.
Thirdly. In the combination, with the devices enumerated in the first part of this
Invention, of sheaves to support the chain and connect it with the auxiliary
lever.
Brakes actuated by power other than hand, as now applied to railroad cars, are
operated from the engine or tender, and consequently such power brakes are not well
adapted for use on freight cars, because when the cars of the train are separated, as
is frequent in dropping out and taking up cars, the power brakes cease to be effective
on the cars separated from the forward cars of the train.
One great object of this Invention is a suitable combination of power brake
devices applicable to freight trains, and to that end this Invention consists,-
Fourthly. In the application to the axle of the caboose car or guard's van, at or
near the rear of the train of friction clutches, a spool and chain and intermediate
mechanism between the chain and brake beams, to enable the conductor or manager
of the train, while on the caboose, detached with other cars from the engine and
tender, to brake by power the caboose and its attached cars.
Where a long chain is employed to operate the auxiliary levers of several cars,
the brakes are apt to be applied to the cars separately instead of exactly simul-
taneously, and the cars will bump a little; to obviate this, which would be
objectionable in passenger cars, a modified form of device has been contrived to
simultaneously actuate a clutch and spool mechanism on each car, and to such end
this Invention consists,-
Fifthly. In the combination of the following instrumentalities, viz., a spool loose
upon one of the axles of a car, suitable friction clutch mechanism for connecting said
spool and axle to rotate together, brake beams operated by reason of their connection
with said spool, a rod extending longitudinally under the car, and provided with a
loose drum and fixed friction collars, and mechanism to rotate the rod from an axle
and devices by means of which the rotation of the rod is made to cause the applica-
tion of the friction clutches to the spool to thereby operate the brakes.
Sixthly. In combination, the axle, the pinion, the loose pinion, the shaft and
clutching mechanism to cause the shaft to rotate with the pinion.
And, lastly. In the several combinations of devices named.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
June 1878.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF ACTUATING THE BRAKES OF CARRIAGES
AND WAGONS FOR RAILWAYS." A communication from abroad by Albert Fred.
Gue and George Franklin Field, both of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.
This Invention of improvements in the means of actuating the brakes of carriages
and wagons for railways, relates to railway brakes of the class wherein the power to
apply the brakes is derived from a rotating axle of a car or truck in motion, such
axle having joined with it longitudinally moveable friction clutches, adapted to
engage or release at will the ends of a spool loose on the axle, the spool having
connected with it a brake chain, which is wound or unwound as it is desired to
apply or release the brakes. This chain, as it is wound upon the spool, operates the
long end of an auxiliary lever, preferably an elbow lever, connected at its other end
through a rod with levers, such as are commonly employed on railroad cars, to
operate the brake beams as usual; or, if desired, an intermediate lever may be
employed between the auxiliary lever and the usual levers.
This Invention consists,-
Firstly. In the combination of the loose spool, its chain brake, beams, and friction
clutches with the usual brake levers, to operate substantially as described.
Secondly. In connecting the upper ends of the forked clutch operating levers with
the clutch lever by means of links at opposite sides of its fulcrum, so as to move the
friction clutches positively to engage and rotate the spool, or to free it
Thirdly. In the combination, with the devices enumerated in the first part of this
Invention, of sheaves to support the chain and connect it with the auxiliary lever,
as herein-after described.
Brakes actuated by power other than hand, as now applied to railroad cars, are
operated from the engine or tender, and consequently such power brakes are not
well adapted for use on freight cars, because when the cars of the train are separated,
as is frequent in dropping out and taking up cars, the power brakes cease to be
effective on the cars separated from the forward cars of the train.
One great object of this Invention is a suitable combination of power-brake
devices applicable to freight trains, and to that end this Invention consists,―
Fourthly. In the application to the axle of the caboose car or guard's van, at or
near the rear of the train, of friction clutches, a spool and chain and intermediate
mechanism between the chain and brake beams, to enable the conductor or manager
of the train, while on the caboose, detached with other cars from the engine and
tender, to brake by power the caboose and its attached cars.
Where a long chain is employed to operate the auxiliary levers of several cars,
the brakes are apt to be applied to the car separately instead of exactly simul-
taneously, and the cars will bump a little; to obviate this, which would be
objectionable in passenger cars, a modified form of device has been contrived to
simultaneously actuate a clutch and spool mechanism on each car, and to such end
this Invention consists,-
Fifthly. In the combination of the following instrumentalities viz., a spool loose
upon one of the axles of a car, suitable friction clutch mechanism for connecting said
spool and axle to rotate together; brake beams operated, by reason of their con-
nection with said spool, a rod extending longitudinally under the car, and provided
with a loose drum and fixed friction collars, as herein-after described, and mechanisın
to rotate the rod from an axle and devices, by means of which the rotation of the
rod is made to cause the application of the friction clutches to the spool, to thereby
operate the brakes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Sixthly. In combination, the axle, the pinion, the loose pinion, the shaft and
clutching mechanism, to cause the shaft to rotate with the pinion, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-after set forth.
And, lastly. In the several combinations of devices named, and herein-after
pointed out in the claim.
In the Drawings forming part of this Specification,-
Figure 1 represents an under side view of a caboose car, fitted with this improved
brake mechanism.
Figure 2, a side elevation of the lower portion of such a car.
Figure 3, an under side view of one end of a freight or other car, provided with
brake levers and intermediate lover.
Figure 4, a detail of the levers for operating the clutches.
Figure 5, a longitudinal section taken through one of the spools and clutches.
Figure 6, a modification of the Invention applied to a passenger car.
Figure 7, a section through the loose drum, shown in Figure 6, and Figures 8 and
9 are details to be referred to.
;
The car body, trucks, a, b; brake beams, c, c¹, c², c³; brake levers d, d¹, d³, 3
rods, e, e¹, e, e³, et, e; the eqilizing rod e; chains f, f', and hand wheels g, g¹, are
of ordinary construction; and by turning the hand wheels the brakes may be
applied in the usual way. To convert this usual brake mechanism into a power
brake a spool h is applied loosely to an anxle h¹ of the caboose, and one to an axle
of the locomotive or tender, between two friction clutches h2, h3, keyed to the axle,
so as to rotate with it and to be moved longitudinally on the axle, to engage the
ends of the spool and cause it to rotate with the axle or to release it. These
clutches are moved to engage the spool between them by the action of levers ¿, i',
pivoted at 2 on a pivoted yoke ³, rollers 3, on the levers i, ¹, reducing friction
between the levers and faces of the clutches. The levers i, i, at top are connected
by links j, j, with a lever pivoted at 4, the lever j being in turn connected by
rod k, lever k¹, and rod with the hand lever, the latter in its movements
operating the clutches to engage or free the spool.
The faces of the clutches and ends of the spool may be of any construction common
to friction clutch pulleys, and between them will be placed friction washers of
leather, wood, raw hides, or other usual material. One such hand lever will be
placed upon the caboose and one upon the engine or tender, and the lever moved in
the direction of the arrow near it, Figure 2, will cause the clutches to engage the
spool and wind the chain.
The chain l, connected at one end with the spool h, is passed over suitable
sheaves 6 on the car bottom, then under the sheave 7 on the auxiliary brake lever m,
thence over other sheaves 8 attached to the car body, and along under the car next
to it in the train, where it will be similarly supported, and will actuate other
auxiliary brake levers, one for each car.
The auxiliary lever, preferably an elbow lever, is pivoted on a horizontal axle,
which permits the pulleys to be so placed as to always retain the chain in its best
position on a rolling surface; and the lever, through the action of a suitable spring h²
or equivalent, is also made as the chain is slackened to assist in releasing the brake
mechanism. The winding of the chain lifts the longer end of the auxiliary lever,
causing its shorter end, by the rod n, to turn the intermediate lever m¹ in the
direction of the arrow near it, and such lever, through the chain n³, will operate the
usual brake lever d² with much power, it applying through its connection, before
described, the brake beams to the wheels of both trucks, if both trucks are supplied
with brakes; at the same time the chain operating the auxiliary lever of another
car applies the brakes to it.
In Figure 3, the rod n of the auxiliary lever is shown connected with an inter-
mediate lever n¹, joined by chain n with the brake lever n³, pivoted upon one
of the brake beams and connected by rod n with the opposing brake beam. In
this Figure 3 the car is supposed to have brake beams for one truck only. The
spool and clutches on the caboose axle are capable of operating the brakes of a

page_text: number of cars in advance of it, and a similar spool and clutches on the locomotive
or tender a number of cars behind it, which permits the train to be controlled by a
power-brake from its front or rear cars, whether the cars of the train are connected
or separated.
In connection with passenger cars, wherein it is desired to apply the brakes
simultaneously to each car, a spool adapted to be engaged by clutches, as before
described, one for each car, is caused to wind a short chain o connected through rod o'
with a brake lever o² pivoted upon a brake beam c, and connected by rod o³ with
the other brake beam c', as in Figure 6, or in any usual way. The clutch lever j³,
before described, instead of being operated through the hand lever, is moved to
engage the clutches with the spool by means of a rope or chain p connected with a
tension drum p' placed loosely on a shaft på between two collars 9, 10, fast on
such shaft, and made to engage the drum with more or less force by the adjustment
of the nut 11, suitable india-rubber washers being interposed between the collars
and drum. The shaft p³ is rotated from a bevel pinion on one of the axles of the
locomotive or tender, it engaging a second, but loose bevel pinion r₁ on the end of
the shaft p. The bevel pinion ¹ is adapted to be engaged by a friction or other
ordinary clutch box, see Figure 8, keyed upon and so as to rotate with shaft p³,
and so as to be slid longitudinally thereon by a lever ³, which moves a sleeve
against the end of the clutch box, and forces its face forward to engage the pinion rl
with such force that it will rotate the shaft p². The forward end of this shaft rests
in a bearing piece s on the axle next the pinion r, see Figure 8.
pivotted on the bar t, having a rim t¹ surrounding the shaft på between collars t³
and t, and joined with the bearing 8 by moving the lever and the parts ³, ², so
that the shaft p² is rotated, the collars 9, 10, pressed firmly against the drum turns
it and winds the chain p and operates the clutch lever
The lever
is
A piece or section of shaft, like p³, provided with a drum and collars, will extend
under each car; the shafts at suitable intervals will be provided with universal or
globe joints u to accomodate curves in the track, and the ends of the shafts of
contiguous cars will be connected by the end of one shaft entering an opening or
socket in the end of the other, as shown in Figure 9.
The friction between each drum p¹ and its collars may be adjusted according to
the weight of the car. On the first application of the brakes each drum will adjust
itself in such position on the rod that thereafter all the brakes of the cars of the
train will be simultaneously applied.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
First. The combination of the loose spool, its chain, brake, beams and friction
clutches, with the usual brake levers, to operate substantially as described.
Second. The combination with the spool, the brake chain and brake lever, to
operate the brake beam and shoes of an auxiliary brake lever and an intermediate
lever, loosely connected with the chain, and interposed between it and the brake
lever.
Third. The combination with the car body and sheaves 6, 8, of the brake chain l,
its winding spool, the auxiliary brake lever connected with the main brake lever,
and the pivotted sheave 7 arranged on a bight of the chain, between the sheave 6, 8,
substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination with the clutches and their operating levers i, i, of the
clutch lever and the links j, j³, connected therewith at different sides of its fulcrum,
to operate the clutch levers positively and simultaneously, all substantially as
described.
Fifth. The application to the axle of a caboose car of a spool and chain and
clutches, to apply the brakes to the cars, in operative connection with the caboose
car and the chain carried by its spool, to operate substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination of the following elements, viz., a spool loose upon one of
the axles of a car, suitable friction clutch mechanism for connecting said spool and

page_text: axle to rotate together, brake beams operated by reason of their connection with
said spool, a rod extending longitudinally under the car, and provided with a loose
drum and fixed friction collars, as described, and mechanism to rotate the rod from
an axle and devices, by means of which the rotation of the rod is made to cause the
application of the friction clutches to the spool, to thereby operate the brakes, 5
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Seventh. In combination, the axle, the pinion 7, loose pinion 1, the shaft p³ and
clutching mechanism to cause the shaft to rotate with the pinion r¹, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth. The combination of the drum p³, collars 9, 10, shaft p³, and nut 11, to
operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)