AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING BREAK FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Beckett and Arthur
William Field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 1st April 1869.
We, JAMES BECKETT, of Llandudno, in the County of Caernarvon,
and ARTHUR WILLIAM FIELD, of the same Place, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SELF-ACTING BREAK FOR
RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object an improved, simple, and efficacious
system of self-acting breaks, applicable to all descriptions of railway
carriages.
To apply this Invention to, say, an ordinary railway carriage, the
hooks on the outer ends of the draw bars and the draw springs are of
the usual description (which latter may be spiral or of any other
ordinary form), but the inner ends of the draw bars, which extend nearly
to the centre of the carriage when the draw or tension is not on the draw
hooks, are each constructed to receive and carry an antifriction roller or
wheel, which when the apparatus is in the act of being thrown out of
gear travels upon a double camb placed between the front and back

page_text: draw bars of the carriage, and with a notch therein or ratchet tooth
formed thereon, at a point slightly in front of the frame of the carriage
(when drawn out by the power required to move the vehicle), when
applied to the draw hook on the front or back of the carriage, as the
case may be; and each draw bar is provided with a lateral stud
springing at right angles therefrom, or with the requisite projections
fashioned to joint a link rod thereto, as will be herein-after described. On
the front and back of the carriage frame there is mounted in suitable
fixed bearings (which by preference are placed on the right hand side
of the draw bar) a short horizontal transverse axle, one end of which
is formed with a pawl, and the other with a curved lever or arm
projecting at right angles therefrom, and sufficiently forward that when
the buffers of the preceding or following carriage are brought in contact
and depressed the under side of the curved lever comes in contact with
and slides across a transverse bar or ledge fitted to the back of the
preceding or front of the following carriage for that purpose, by which
arrangement the lever is elevated and the pawl released from the notch
or pawl tooth on the draw rod, thus allowing the draw bar to recede
by the action of the draw springs. Two transverse rocking shafts
are mounted in suitable bearings on the frame of the carriage within
and parallel to the axles of the running wheels. The outer ends of these
shafts are fitted with arms for carrying the break blocks and are each
constructed with a rigid lever arm springing at right angles therefrom,
the outer ends of which levers extend some distance beyond the camb
on the under side of the centre of the carriage body; their outer ends are
cranked or curved inwards so as to be brought towards the draw bar on
the opposite side. The draw bars are fitted on one side with a stud
piece on which is mounted an antifriction roller taking into slots
formed in the end of the break levers of an oblique OG or other suitable
shape, so that when the draw bars are forced inwards by the power of
the draw springs, the stud pressing against the lower inclined side of
the slot causing the lever to be depressed and held firmly down, thus
applying the expanding power of the draw springs to the breaks until
the draw bar is again drawn out, when the stud acting against the upper
inclined side of the stop elevates the lever, causing the rocking shaft to
turn on its axis the required distance to withdraw the break blocks clear
of the pair of running wheels to which they are connected.
By the foregoing arrangement it will be seen that the breaks on the
hinder pair of wheels are actuated through the front, and the fore pair

page_text: by the hinder draw bars. In some cases it is preferred to connect the
break lever with the draw bar by a link rod, one end of which is jointed
to the outer end of the break lever and the other to the draw bar. Under-
neath the carriage floor immediately above and in line with the draw
bars is mounted a rotating shaft which extends through both ends of
the carriage frame a given distance, and is provided in the centre of its
length with a worm screw which takes into and actuates a worm wheel
having a double camb on one side thereof. This camb and worm wheel
is mounted on suitable bearings attached to the under side of the carriage,
so that the camb works between and against the antifriction wheels on
the inner ends of the draw bars, that by turning round the worm shaft
the draw bars may be forced outwards and sufficiently apart to elevate
the break levers and withdraw the breaks from the running wheels when
desired. The worm shafts of the several carriages forming the train,
and connected together by means of a peculiar description of expanding
coupling, are actuated by hand from the guard's van or other carriage of
the train through wheel or worm or other suitable gear fitted for that
purpose. The worm shafts of each carriage are formed square at each end
and morticed or slotted to allow a cotter or pin to be passed therethrough
for holding back or keeping out a socket or sleeve piece, which is fitted
on and encompasses the square end of the shafts, and which sleeve piece
is formed at its outer end with a transverse plate or cross lever, one side
of which has a short fixed spindle at right angles to the plate or cross
and parallel with the worn spindle, and at the opposite end of the plate
or cross arms is constructed with a cylinder or tube, the bore of which
coincides with the diameter of the spindle on the opposite side and
parallel thereto. The square end of the worm spindle is provided
with a washer or other suitable stop to prevent the coupling piece
coming off, and with a cotter or pin to keep it out when coupled
with a sister piece on the end of the worm shaft of the next carriage
When the
and to hold it in position when withdrawn and out of use.
carriages are brought together the coupling pieces are pushed back and
turned round so that the spindle on one coupling plate will take into
the cylinder of the reverse or sister piece, and the cylinder will slide on
to the spindle of the opposite piece, when they are brought together
and held in contact with each other by means of the cotters or pins
described. By this arrangement it will be seen, although the carriages
may separate for a given distance by the partial separating of the
spindles and cylinders in a longitudinal direction, the worm shafts are

page_text: still in connection and will revolve together on their longitudinal axis
when acted upon for that purpose.
By the forgoing arrangement it will be readily seen that the whole of
the expansive power of the draw springs are exerted on the breaks when
the draw bars recede below the carriage and effectually retard and stop
the running wheels, which are at all times locked when the carriage is
at rest, but are immediately released on the draft requisite to move
the carriage being applied to the draw hook, or in case of requiring to
shunt by turning the worm shafts with their expanding and contracting
couplings all the breaks are thrown out of action.
The object of the pawl for preventing the draw bars returning beneath
the carriage when the tension is on the draw bar is to prevent the break
gear being brought into play by the oscillation of the train, but should
the carriages be brought together by the contraction of the train to a
certain extent by undue oscillation or otherwise the curved lever will
be acted upon and the pawl released from the notch or pawl teeth of
the several draw bars when the breaks are immediately in action, and on
further compression caused by design or accident the train immediately
checked or retarded or brought to a stand still, the whole system of
breaks are instantly thrown into action on the carriages being pressed
towards each other, the curve levers being thereby acted upon release
the pawls from the notches or pawl teeth on the several draw bars, thus
relieving the draw springs which immediately fly out and act on the
break gear should it not have been thrown out of action by the camb
motions described.