IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CAR BRAKES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of Kensington, Middlesex for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CAR BRAKES A communication
to him from abroad by John F. Mallinckrodt, of Zaleski, State of Ohio,
United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners.of Patents on the 16th January 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CAR BRAKES," a communication to me from abroad by John. F.
Mallinckrodt, of Zaleski, State of Ohio, United States of America,
This invention relates to an improvement in Railway Car Brakes, the object
being to provide a car brake of such construction that the weight of the car may
be utilized in applying or "setting" the brakes, and compressed air, steam or other
power be used to release or take off the brakes.
The invention consists:
In a car brake wherein the weight of the car is utilized for applying or setting
the brake, and compressed air or equivalent power for releasing or taking off the
brakes.
Also in a car brake consisting of brake shoes and connections for transmitting a
portion of the weight of the car to the wheels through the brake shoes, and a
power cylinder and piston for releasing the brakes.
Also in a car body mounted on springs and adapted to be raised and lowered,
brake mechanism adapted to be set or applied by lowering the car body and a
power cylinder and piston for raising the car body and releasing the brakes.
Also in the combination with the car body, and brakes adapted to be set by the
weight of the car body, of a power cylinder and piston for raising the car body and
releasing the several brake shoes simultaneously.
Also in the combination with the car body and springs for supporting the same,
of brake bars provided with brake shoes, levers connected with the brake bars,
springs and car body, and a power cylinder, brake lever and connecting rods.
•

page_text: Also in the combination with the brake bars and shoes, of a power cylinder and
piston and connections for raising the car body and releasing the brakes.
Also in a car brake constructed to be applied by the weight of the car, and to be
released by a power cylinder and piston or by a hand wheel.
Also in a car brake, consisting of a brake mechanism applied to each car, for
applying the brakes by the weight of the car body, a power cylinder, piston and
connections for releasing the brakes and a reservoir and independent steam air
pump on the locomotive for supplying the compressed air.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th July 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CAR BRAKES," a communication to me from abroad by John. F.
Mallinckrodt of Zaleski, State of Ohio, United States of America
This invention relates to an improvement in Railway Car Brakes, the object
being to provide a car brake of such construction that the weight of the car may
be utilized in applying or "setting" the brakes, and compressed air, steam or other
power be used to release or tako off the brakes.
In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of the
improved brake as applied to an ordinary European car. Figure 2 is a
modification.
A represents the car sills, B the wheels, C the pedestals, D the axle boxes, and
E the car springs secured to the axle boxes. One end of each car spring is
connected to a hanger F by means of a. link a. To the underside of the car frame
are secured the hangers O, to which are pivoted the bell cranks H. The short
arms b of the bell cranks are connected to the ends of the springs E by means of
the pivotal links c. To the lower ends of the long arms d of the bell cranks are
connected the brake bars I having brake shoes attached to their opposite ends.
KK are connecting rods pivotally secured at their outer ends to the brake bars I
and at their inner ends to the lever L, the upper portion of the latter being
attached to the piston rod M, of the power cylinder N fastened beneath the car.
To the upper end of the brake lever is attached a chain e by means of the brake
chain g. In Fig. 2 I have represented brake shoes acting on opposite sides of the
car wheel. The construction and arrangement of parts shown and described simply
represent one method of embodying the invention and serves as an example in
order to disclose the principle of the improvement. To release or take off the
brake, power is applied to the piston thereby forcing outward the upper end of the
brake lever L, and thus drawing the brake bars toward each other and releasing
the brake shoes from the wheels.
As the brake bars are drawn toward each other the bell cranks are turned on
their pivots, but as the fulcrum of the bell crauks is situated at the extreme outer

page_text: end of their short arms at which point they are pivoted to the links c, the bell
cranks are raised vertically and through the hangers G, the entire car body is raised,
and supported by the car springs. To release the brakes it is simply necessary to
allow of the escape of the contained air or steam in the brake cylinder, when the
weight of the car operates to apply the brake shoes, through the intervention of the
hangers bell cranks and connecting rods described. Each car is furnished with a
complete outfit and the air pipes of each car are provided with flexible ends having
automatic couplings, so that the brakes of an entire train may be easily coupled
together. Each car may be provided with a separate air reservoir, and the latter
be supplied with compressed air by means of an air pump actuated by an eccentric
on one of the car axles, or the reservoir may be connected with the locomotive or
tender, and air supplied thereto by means of an eccentric operated upon one of the
axles of the driving wheels. But my preferred plan is to employ an independent
steam air pump situated at some convenient place on the locomotive and operate it
by steam from the locomotive boiler. This plan enables me to store the reservoir
while the train is at a stand still, as well as when in motion. Instead of operating
the brake cylinders by air pressure, I may accomplish this result by producing a
vacuum in a vacuum chamber situated on the tender, and by suitable pipe
connections with the brake cylinders, actuate the several brakes by producing a
vacuum in the brake cylinders. In applying the brakes, the pressure of the brake
shoes on the wheels may be regulated by the engineer and the brakes placed under
his full control. This may be accomplished in several ways. One method is to
produce a three way cock and thereby control the supply and escape of air to and
from the brake cylinders. In so far as details of construction are concerned I may
depart widely from the plan shown and described without departing from the
spirit and object of the invention. This improvement in car brakes has many
important advantages over the ordinary power brake. It is perfectly certain in its
operation, and operates as a safeguard to the travelling public, as the cars cannot
be operated if the brake mechanism is out of operative condition.
For switching purposes the brake may be operated by the hand wheel.
As shown in Fig 2, the brake shoes may be applied to both sides of the wheels
if desired. As it is evident that a variety of changes might be made in the
construction and relative arrangement of parts without departing from the
invention I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the
construction shown and described as the invention is designed to embrace any and
all forms of brake mechanisin embodying the same principle of operation.
1st A car brake wherein the weight of the car is utilized for applying or setting
the brake, and compressed air or equivalent power for releasing or taking off the
brakes, substantially as set forth.
2nd. A car brake consisting of brake shoes and connections for transmitting a
portion of the weight of the car to the wheels through the brake shoes, and a power
cylinder and piston, for releasing the brakes, substantially as set forth.
3rd A car body mounted on springs and adapted to be raised and lowered, brake
inechanism adapted to be set or applied by lowering the car body, and a power
cylinder and piston for raising the car body, and releasing the brakes, substantially
as set forth.
4th. In a car brake, the combination with the car body, and brakes adapted to be set
by the weight of the car body, of a power cylinder and piston for raising the car
body and releasing the several brake shoes simultaneously, substantially as set
forth.
5th. In a car brake, the combination with the car body and springs for supporting
the same, of brake bars provided with brake shoes, levers connected with the brake
bars, springs and car body, and a power cylinder, brake lever and connecting rods,
substantially as set forth,

page_text: 6th. In a car brake, the combination with the brake bars and shoes, of a power
cylinder and piston and connections for raising the car body and releasing the
brakes, substantially as set forth.
7th A car brake constructed to be applied by the weight of the car, and to be
released by a power cylinder and piston or by a hand wheel, substantially as set
forth.
8th. A car brake, consisting of brake mechanism applied to each car, for applying
the brakes by the weight of the car body, a power cylinder, piston and connections
for releasing the brakes and a reservoir and independent steam air pump on tho
locomotive for supplying the compressed air, substantially as set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Herbert John Haddan have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 14th day of July A.D. 1883.