IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION OF BREAKS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGGON WHEELS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Griffith Brewer, of 89, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
** IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION OF BREAKS TO
RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGGON WHEELS."-A communication from
abroad by William Loomis, of Wilkes Barre, in the State of Penn-
inited States of Amering.
Sealed the 30th November 1869, and dated the 5th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Griffith Brewer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th June 1869.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION OF BREAKS
To RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGGON. WHEELS," "communicated to me from
abroad by William Loomis, of Wilkes Barre, in the State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America,) to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the construction and application of one or
more revolving breaks or wheels secured and adjusted in such a manner

page_text: that the break wheel or wheels is or are caused to grip or press against
the revolving carriage or waggon wheel or wheels upon the track or
permanent way when operated by the guard or other attendant of the
train, and so either to cause the break wheel to revolve in a contrary
direction to that of the carriage wheels, or to cause the motion of the
carriage wheels to be reversed, all substantially as hereafter described.
According to one arrangement the break wheels are mounted on an
adjustable transverse bar free to move parallel with the axle of the
running wheels of the carriage or waggon in slots provided for the pur-
pose by means of chains or wire ropes operated by the breaksman or
guard. The break wheels revolve upon the transverse bar, and are
carried out of contact with the carriage wheels by the action of an elastic
spring or springs fitted or secured in the slots or horizontal openings in
front of the adjustable bar to force the breaks clear of the carriage wheels
at the pleasure of the guard or other attendant.
By another arrangement a small break wheel or wheels is or are held
down upon the rails and in contact with the treading periphery of the
wheels of the carriage by means of stiff spiral or other springs operating
a diagonal rod or rods secured to the transverse axle of the break wheels
at the lower end, and connected at top to a chain passing over a pulley
and around a reel to which motion is communicated by a handle,
whereby the break wheels are taken off the track and out. of contact
with the carriage wheels by drawing the axletree up the inclined groove
before referred to. Sometimes the break wheels are made with grooves
upon the outer periphery or bearing surface, so that an increased amount
of friction may be thereby produced upon the bearing or treading
surface of the running wheels when the break is forced in contact with
the same.
This groove is not, however, recommended to be always
employed, but only in particular cases and where there is danger of the
breaks sliding off the rails in a lateral direction, for a simple plain-
surfaced wheel, when properly arranged and applied as a break power
according to this Invention for stopping, railway carriages, is most
effective in action.
The wire rope, chains, and springs before referred to have been found
efficient means of applying the breaks wheels, but the precise arrange-
ments before described for applying the same need not be wholly adhered
to, as apparatus of any known construction may be used.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Griffith Brewer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
GRIFFITH BREWER, of 89, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,.
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, Her special licence.
that I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, my executors, administrators,.
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,.
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Ohannel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION OF BREAKS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND,
WAGGON WHEELS," (communicated to me from abroad by William Loomis,.
of Wilkes Barre, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America),
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Griffith
Brewer, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing.
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed; and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six oalendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in' and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:
This Invention consists in the construction and application of one or
more revolving breaks or wheels secured and adjusted in such a manner

page_text: that the break wheel or wheels is or are caused to grip or press against
the revolving carriage or waggon wheel or wheels upon the track or
permanent way when operated by the guard or other attendant of the
train, and so either to cause the break wheel to revolve in a contrary
direction to that of the carriage wheels or to cause the motion of the
carriage wheels to be reversed, all substantially as hereafter described.
According to one arrangement the break wheels are mounted on an
adjustable transverse bar free to move parallel with the axle of the
running wheels of the carriage or waggon in slots provided for the pur-
pose by means of chains or wire ropes operated by the breaksman or
guard. The break wheels revolve upon the transverse bar, and arē
carried out of contact with the carriage wheels by the action of an elastic
spring or springs fitted or secured in the slots or horizontal openings
in front of the adjustable bar to force the breaks clear of the carriage
wheels at the pleasure of the guard or other attendant,
.
By another arrangement a small break wheel or wheels is or are held
down upon the rails and in contact with the treading periphery of the
wheels of the carriage by means of stiff spiral or other springs operating
a diagonal rod or rods secured to the transverse axle of the break wheels
at the lower end, and connected at top to a chain passing over a pulley
and around a reel to which motion is communicated by a handle, whereby
the break wheels are taken off the track and out of contact with the
carriage wheels by drawing the axletree up the inclined groove before
referred to, Sometimes the break wheels are made with grooves upon
the outer periphery or bearing surface, so that an increased amount of
friction may be thereby produced upon the bearing or treading surface.
of the running wheels when the break is forced in contact with the same.
This groove is not however recommended to be always employed, but
only in particular cases, and where. there is danger of the breaks sliding
off the rails in a lateral direction, for a simple plain-surfaced wheel,
when properly arranged and applied as a break power according to this
Invention for stopping railway carriages, is most effective in action.
The wire rope, chains, and springs before referred to have been found
efficient means of applying the break wheels, but the precise arrange.
ments before described for applying the same need not be wholly adhered
to, a as apparatus of any known construction may be used.
And in order that the Invention may be more fully understood I will
describe it with reference to the accompanying Drawings,

page_text: Figure 1 is a perspective view of so much of a railroad carriage or
waggon as will be necessary to illustrate the Invention, the revolving
breaks or wheels A. and A' being applied to the hind wheels 2 and 4;
B, B, is an adjustable transverse bar moving parallel to the axletree of
the carriage in the slots u, u, by means of chains or wire ropes c, c, c,
operated by the breaksman at W at the front end of the carriage, and
the wheels A, A', revolve upen the transverse bar B, B, and are carried
out of contact with the wheels 2 and 4 by the action of the elastic
spring 8 secured in the slots or horizontal openings u, u, in front of the
adjustable bar or axes B to force the breaks A, A', clear of the wheels
at the pleasure of the breaksman.:
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a railway carriage having a smaller
break wheel A" held down upon the rail R, and in contact with the
treading periphery of the front wheel 1' of the car by means of a stiff
spiral or other suitable spring S¹ operating the diagonal rod N, which is
secured to the transverse axletree B¹ of the break wheels A", A", at the
lower end and connected at its upper end to the chain which passes over
the pulley P and around the reel or base H of the break handle W;
which in this instance is employed to relieve or take the break wheels off
the track R and out of contact with the car wheels 1', 1', by drawing the
axletree B' up the inclined groove or slot u³, as shown at Figure 3. The
wheel or break A" may be provided with a groove upon the outer peri-
phery or bearing surface, as shown at G, Figure 4, so. that an increased
amount of friction is produced upon the bearing or treading surface of
the wheel 1' when the break 4" is forced in contact with the same by
the..spiral, or other spring S¹ when set free by the breaksman operating
the handle WA
Figure 8 represents the revolving break wheels A", A", raised off the
rail B and out of contact with the car wheels 1', 1'.
Figure 4 represents the treading surface of the break wheel A or A"
showing the groove G which receives the flange of the carriage wheel A
if thought best to increase the friction and prevent the lateral sliding of
the break wheels A, A, A".
It is therefore to be understood that the nature of the Invention
5 consists in the construction and application of one or more revolving
breaks or wheels A, A', and A", A", secured and adjusted in such a
manner that the break wheel A (Figure 1) is reversed or caused to revolve
in an opposite direction to the revolving carriage wheel 1 upon the track

page_text: R when operated by the breaksman turning the handle W which winds
up the wire rope upon the reel or bottom H of the handle W, thus
drawing the break wheel A. against the treading surface of the carriage
wheel 1, and when the handle W is reversed the rope and chains c, c, c,
are relaxed and the break wheels A, A', set free to be carried out of
contact with the wheels, 2, 4, by the springs S, S, in slots u, u, or by any
other device that will free the wheels A, A¹; and when a smaller break
wheel A is applied and arranged in front of the carriage, as shown at
Figures 2 and 3, or otherwise arranged so that the pressure is more direct
upon the smaller wheels A", A", the wheel 1' is reversed while revolving
upon the track R and not the break A", hence the revolving breaks
A, A, A, are equivalent in effect to reversing. the engine (upon the
moving train), and at the same time there is less wear upon the rails
and wheels than with any other device ever heretofore employed for the
purpose set forth.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
employment of a revolving break or wheels at either or both. ends of a
railroad carriage or waggon operating upon a transverse shaft or shafts
or axletree, and in horizontal or oblique slots, by means of india-rubber
or other springs secured in the aforesaid slots, the whole being operated
by means of a wire rope or ropes, chain or chains, or by any other suit-
able device for operating the same, all substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.