CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Pierce, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
BREAKS."
Scaled the 24th October 1871, and dated the 28th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Pierce at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th April 1871.
I, WILLIAM PIERCE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN Improve-
MENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS," to be as follows:-
The Invention is designed for the purpose of retarding or stopping the
revolution of. the wheels of railway carriages so as to "break" the same
by self-acting means when it is desired to retard or stop the train; the
improvements consist in providing each axle of the carriage with a fixed
flanged pulley or disc around the periphery of which a steel band or
clip is placed, and which is caused to embrace such disc with a greater

page_text: or less pressure by means of set screws binding the junction of the clip
together, from this clip a finger projects for the purpose herein-after
mentioned. A shaft, longitudinally supported underneath each carriage,
is provided with projecting fingers which in their normal position
support links or tumblers secured by hinges to the carriage framing in
a position linable with and above the before-mentioned clip embracing
the axle discs, these longitudinal bars or shafts are coupled by ordinary
universal joints between the carriages, and are so arranged that the
guard can act upon the whole series of bars throughout the train
simultaneously when it is desired to put on the break in the manner
following. During the time the train is in transit, and the break
apparatus at rest, the fingers of the longitudinal shafts support the
tumblers or links in a position that will allow the clips with their pro-
jecting fingers to revolve freely, and with the pullies or discs secured to
the carriage axles, but when it is desired to put on the breaks the guard
relieves the handle retaining the shafts in their normal position sup-
porting the tumblers or links, the effect of which is to cause such links
or tumblers to lower into a position forming abutments or stops to the
free revolution of the steel or metal clip or bands embracing the axle
pullies or discs, thereby exciting an amount of friction between the clip
in a state of incrtion and the internal revolving disc which gradually
but effectually stops the onward movement of the train in the shortest
distance possible consistent with the safety of the passengers.
The breaks can be applied by a pointsman from his box or by a person
in authority at the station through the medium of a connecting chain
or wire, the termination of which at any distance required from the
spot where motion is transmitted is caused to act upon a tappet or lever
which when placed in position comes into contact with a corresponding
lever on the advancing train which acts upon the longitudinal bars so as
to turn the same and relieve the aforesaid links or tumblers which
thereby form abutments to the revolving clips, and the train is stopped
in the manner described. Again, if the couplings between the carriages
break so as to cause a division in the train, a connection between the
ends of the carriages with the ends of each longitudinal bar causes such
bars as the carriages recede from each other to be turned so as to relieve
the abutments in the manner and for the purpose before mentioned;
thus it will be seen that the breaks of the train can be effectually applied
by the guard or other person in authority travelling with the train or

page_text: by a pointsman or a station master at a distance from the incoming
train or by a self-acting means in the event of the couplings between
the carriages becoming disconnected or broken.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Pierce in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PIERCE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Picrcc, Her special license, that
I, the said William Pierce, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Pierce, my exccutors, adminis-
trators, 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY BREAKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Pierce, 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 calendar months next.
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Pierce, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say: -
My Invention of "Certain Improvements in Railway Breaks," has
for its object the arrangement or combination of apparatus for retarding

page_text: or stopping the revolution of the wheels of railway or other carriages,
such apparatus being susceptible of application as a means of retarding
or stopping the revolution of the said wheels, either by the guard or
driver on a train, or by a pointsman or a station master at a distance
from an arriving train, or by self-acting means in the event of the
couplings between the carriages becoming disconnected or broken. For
this purpose each axle of the several carriages is provided with a fixed
flanged pulley or disc, around the periphery of which a steel or iron
band or clip is placed, and which is caused to embrace such disc with
a greater or less pressure by means of set screws binding the junction
of the clip together. From this clip a projecting piece extends, which
when free from obstruction revolves with the clip and disc, but when
stopped by contact with a tumbler produces a friction between the clip
and the disc which gradually retards and eventually stops the revolution
of the axle.
The mechanism for connecting together the clips and discs on the
several axles throughout the train and admitting of their being simul-
taneously brought into action consists of a longitudinal rod or bar
supported underneath each carriage and provided with projecting fingers,
which in their normal position support tumblers suspended by hinge
joints, secured to the carriage framing, but which fingers when moved
from under the said tumblers by the turning of the rod or bar, allow
the ends of the tumblers to fall, so as to produce an obstruction to the
revolution of the projecting piece on the clip. The several rods or
bars are coupled by self-acting couplings between the carriages, and
are so arranged that the guard can act upon the whole series of rods
or bars throughout the train when required in the manner following.
While the train is in transit and the break apparatus at rest the several
rods or bars are retained in such a position as will keep the supporting
fingers under the ends of the tumblers and raise them out of the way
of the revolving projections on the clips, but when it is desired to bring
the breaks or retarding apparatus into action the guard or driver relieves
the handle retaining the rods or bars in their normal position of rest,
and thereby removes the supports from the tumblers, and allows them
to fall and thereby form obstructions to the revolution of the clips.
By thus stopping the revolution of the several clips a friction break is
applied to each of the several revolving discs by which the motion
of the train is gradually but effectually stopped within the shortest

page_text: bar or rod h¹ is supported in suitable bearings on the framing, and placed
on the other side of the centre of the guard's van and tender. This bar
is connected by means of levers o and connecting link p to the lever n
or bar h, thereby partaking of their turning movement. The end of this
short shaft h¹ projecting from the carriage is provided with a terminating
piece contrary to that of the end of the longitudinal bar h, so that as if
shewn in the Drawing at Fig. 2, the longitudinal bar terminates in the
slotted part i, provided with the guides , the short bar or rod ³
terminates with the elongated taper part ³. By means of this arrange-
ment guard's van and tender can be turned or joined to each end of
a train, the one part of the coupling on the guard's van or tender being
opposite to the end of the longitudinal bar, and a carriage always
meeting with the fitting counterpart on the end of the said longitudinal
bar. By moving the lever n so as to turn the rods or bars h, h, the
several supports g, g, are withdrawn from the ends of the tumblers ƒ, f,
which are allowed to fall and act as stops for preventing the revolution
of the clips c, c, by presenting an obstruction to the motion of the
projecting parts e, e, of the clips, which thus become friction breaks,
acting all round the periphery of the discs b, b; and it will be obvious
that the same effect will be produced by whatever means the rods or
bars h, h, may be simultaneously turned in their supports; that is to say,
whether the rods or bars be turned as required, either directly, by a
lever as at n, or by a hand wheel and gearing, or through the intervention
of a connecting chain and other mechanism as above referred to, or
by the connections described on the separation of the carriages resulting
from the breaking of the ordinary couplings of the carriages.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner it is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
of my Invention is,―
First. The arrangement or combination of breaks or retarding apparatus,
consisting of flanged pulleys or discs fixed on the axles between the
running wheels and friction clips acted upon by tumblers through
longitudinal rods or bars, moved as required by the working of a lever
from the guard's van or tender as described.
Secondly. The same apparatus worked through intervening mechanism
from the points or a part of the line contiguous to a station

page_text: And lastly. The same apparatus worked through the connections,
described by the receding or separation of the carriages on the breaking
of the ordinary couplings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pierce, have hereunto set
my hand and seal. this Twenty-seventh day of October. in the
described by the receding or separation of the carriages on the breaking
of the ordinary couplings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pierce, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pierce, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
W. H. DAWSON,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
WILLIAM PIERCE. (L.S.)