Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
I, HARRY EDWARD GRESHAM, of Craven Iron Works, Salford, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention, to be as follows:
My improvements relate to mechanism for actuating the brakes of railway
wagons or vehicles.
These are generally operated by a lever on the brake shaft
on one side of the wagon, to which shaft arms are applied connected by rods with
the brake blocks which are suspended to withdraw from the wheels when the
brake lever is lifted.
1. My invention relates to improved combinations for actuating the brake
shaft from either side of the wagon.
There is a hand lever on each side of the wagon, at each end of the brake shaft,
which lever is jointed to the end of a short arm fast on the brake shaft, the hand
lever being bent near the brake shaft to pass over and rest upon it in each case,
so that the brake shaft may be actuated by either hand lever, the hand lever
not acted upon to rotate the brake shaft to apply the brake, simply lifting a little
without interfering with the action of the hand lever applying the brakes
2. An arm is secured on the brake shaft carrying a weight to counter-balance
the weight of one of the brake levers and lift it when at liberty.
3. There is an oval link having teeth or notches on one edge of its slot to take
upon and hold the brake lever down when "put on," the upper end of this oval
link is jointed to the framing of the wagon to move in a direction across the
brake lever. There is also a plate secured to the wagon framing, to prevent the
hand lever from moving in one direction laterally. There is a similar arrange-
ment of oval link for the brake levers on each side of the wagon.
The oval links or equivalent arrangements are connected so that they can be
released on either side of the wagon, that is to say, either the brake lever on the
nearest or further side can be released from either side, and when the hand brake
lever is lifted and held up on one side, the balance weight will lift and hold up
the brake lever on the opposite side.
These arrangements for holding and releasing the brake levers can be combined
with other arrangements of mechanism for actuating the brake shaft.
4. With railway wagon brakes actuated by hand levers, as herein before
described, my invention also consists in combining the automatic vacuum or
pressure brake cylinders so that the brake shaft may be operated and the brakes
applied without interfering with the hand brake levers, and the hand brake

page_text: levers may be operated without interfering with the automatic mechanism. To
effect this object the piston or diaphragm rod of the vacuum or pressure brakes
is jointed to one end of a lever which at its other end is jointed to the end of a
short arm fast on the brake shaft, this lever is bent under the brake lever shaft,
or the boss of the short arm to the end of which it is secured.
Dotad this Canth N
1
1007
Improvements in or applicable to Mechanism for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Wagons or Vehicles.
I, HARRY EDWARD GRESHAM, of Craven Iron Works, Salford, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement: -
My improvements relate to mechanism for actuating the brakes of railway
wagons or vehicles. These are generally operated by a lever on the brake shaft
on one side of the wagon, to which shaft arms are applied connected by rods with
the brake blocks which are suspended to withdraw from the wheels when the
brake lever is lifted.
1. My invention relates to improved combinations for actuating the brake
shaft from either side of the wagon.
There is a hand lever on each side of the wagon, at each end of the brake shaft,
which lever is jointed to the end of a short arm fast on the brake shaft, the hand
lever being bent or arranged near the brake shaft to pass over and rest upon it in
cach case, so that the brake shaft may be actuated by either hand lever, the hand
lever not acted upon to partly rotate the brake shaft to apply the brake, simply
lifting a little without interfering with the action of the hand lever which is
applying the brakes.
2. An arm is secured on the brake shaft carrying a weight to counter-balance
the weight of one of the brake levers and lift it when at liberty.
3. There is an oval link having teeth or notches on one edge of its slot to take
upon and hold the brake lever down when "put on," the upper end of this oval
link is jointed to the framing of the wagon to move in a direction across the
brake lever. There is also a plate secured to the wagon framing, to prevent the
hand lever from moving in one direction laterally. There is a similar arrange-
ment of oval link for the brake levers on each side of the wagon.
The oval links or equivalent arrangements are connected so that they can be
released on either side of the wagon, that is to say, either the brake lever on the
nearest or further side can be released from either side, and when the hand brake
lever is lifted and held up on one side, the balance weight will lift and hold up
the brake lever on the opposite side.
These arrangements for holding and releasing the brake levers can be combined
with other arrangements of mechanism for actuating the brake shaft.
4. With railway wagon brakes actuated by hand levers, as hereinbefore
described, my invention also consists in combining the automatic vacuum
pressure brake cylinders so that the brake shaft may be operated and the brakes
or

page_text: applied without interfering with the hand brake levers, and the hand brake
levers may be operated without interfering with the automatic mechanism. To
effect this object the piston or diaphragm rod of the vacuum or pressure brakes
is jointed to one end of a lever which, at its other end is jointed to the end of a
short arm fast on the brake shaft, this lever is bent under the brake lever shaft,
or the boss of the short arm to the end of which it is secured.
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of so much of the parts of a railway wagon or vehicle
as will be required to explain my invention.
Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the parts or some of them shown by Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is an elevation similar to Fig. 1, but showing other modifications and
combinations.
Fig. 4, is an enlarged detached detail showing the connection and arrangement
of the end of the hand lever for applying the brake with the short arm on the
brake shaft.
Fig. 5, is a plan view of the parts shown by Fig. 4.
Fig. 6, is a plan showing the connection of the lever actuated by the vacuum
brake piston or the lever actuated by the pressure brake piston with the brake
shaft, when also arranged to be actuated by either, or by hand, without one inter-
fering with the action of the other.
a, the side framing of the wagon or vehicle; b, the wheel or wheels carrying
the vehicle against which wheels the brake blocks are applied when used.
c, ordinary brackets secured to the side frames of the vehicle for carrying the
bearings of the brake shaft.
d, is the brake shaft, which has a two armed lever d¹, secured upon it, one on
each side, to one end of one arm d³, one end of a rod d², is jointed, the other end
of this rod being jointed to a lever or part d³, the upper part of which is jointed
to the lower end of an arm d, the upper end of which arm is jointed at 5, to a
bracket on the framing.
The part 3, acts as the brake block which comes against the wheels, or this
part carries or has the brake block secured to it.
This is the arrangement for one wheel and there is a similar arrangement for
the other wheel on the same side of the vehicle except that it is actuated from
the other arm of the two armed lever d¹, secured on the brake shaft d.
The point d, from which the brake block lever d4, is suspended is such that
when the handle lever e, for actuating the brake shaft d, is lifted, the brake levers
and blocks and d, by their own weight swing clear of the wheels.
The arrangement of brake shaft d, and the mode in which it acts upon the brake
blocks and their mode of suspension is ordinary and well known.
According to my invention an arm e¹, is secured upon the square end of the
brake shaft d, (see Figs. 4 and 5) and to a pin or stud e³, in this arm e¹, the brake
hand lever e, is jointed, so that when it is operating to apply the brakes, its lower
edge rests upon the square end of the brake shaft d, as shown, most clearly in
Figs. 4 and 5.
As there is a brake lever handle e, on both ends of the brake shaft d, that is,
on both sides of the vehicle, arranged in the same manner it will be seen that
either lever e, may be pressed down to apply the brakes when the other brake
lever e, is held up without interfering with it as the action of one brake hand
lever e, only operates through its partial rotation of the brake shaft d, to slightly
lift the end of the other hand brake lever e, where it is jointed to the arm o¹.
The brake lever handles e, may be arranged in the ordinary manner so far as
being held up to withdraw the brakes or held down to apply them as shown in
Fig. 3, in which ordinary arrangement, a pin eb, chained to the brake hand lever e,
is used to pass through holes in the plate or guide bars e, within the slot in which
it moves, to hold it up or down. In the modification illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2,
the brake lever handle e, passes in front of a looped bar e³, secured to the side
framea, of the vehicle, and to this looped bar, the upper end of a looped lever *,

page_text: is hinged at e, the inside of this loop on one side of it having ratchet teeth ®,
formed upon it, into which teeth a tooth e, can enter formed on one side of the
brake lever handle e, opposite these ratchet teeth in the looped lever.
The looped lever e, on one side has a projection from it to which one end of a
rodes, is jointed, the other end of which rod being jointed with a similar projection
on a similar ratchet toothed looped lever et, on the opposite side of the vehicle
for the brake hand lever e, on that side.
The brakes by this arrangement can be applied or released from either side of
the vehicle, as in releasing the ratchet teeth of the looped lever et, on the opposite
side of the vehicle to that at which this is effected by the operator, it is only
necessary to press down the brake lever and draw the ratchet looped lever et, on
the side nearest the operator towards himself and this releases the looped lever e*,
on the other side.
:
On the brake shaft d, an arm e³, (see Fig. 1) is secured to carry a weight e³,
sufficient to counterbalance and lift one of the brake lever handles e, so that
when one brake lever handle is lifted on one side, this weight e", acting through
the brake shaft d, will lift the other brake lever handle e, on the other side of the
vehicle and both will be thus held up by the brake lever handle catching upon
a hook 9, secured to the framing in the usual manner as shown in Figs. 1 and 3,
but omitted from Fig. 2, to avoid confusion.
The looped fixed bars e³, prevent the brake lever handles e, from moving inwards
laterally towards the side of the vehicles. Figs. 3 and 6 show how brakes arranged
according to my invention are combined with automatic apparatus, either the
vacuum or pressure system, without interfering one with the other or the hand
mode of action.
f, represents the vacuum brake cylinder arranged in the ordinary manner.
The lower end of its piston rod f', is jointed with one end of a lever f, the other
end of which lever is jointed to an ann f³, secured upon the brake shaft d, the
upper edge of the lever f2, coming against the underside of the brake shaft d,
when the piston acts to apply the brakes.
The dotted lines f*, indicate the cylinder and the dotted lines f³, the piston
rod of ordinary pressure brake apparatus, either vacuum or pressure apparatus
or both can be applied to the brake shaft d, of the same vehicle, so that either
may be used accordingly as the brakes are to be actuated by one or the other
without interfering with, those not acted upon. The piston rod f5, of the pressure
cylinder is jointed to a lever f6, (which corresponds to f2) and arm f³, on the
brake shaft d, same as that for the vacuum piston rod except that one acts on a
lever, nearly horizontal, the other on a lever f", nearly vertical.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
J. The combination of two lever handles, each with an arm on the brake shaft
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the drawings.
2. The combination of two lever handles with arms on a brake shaft, and with
arrangements for holding the handles and releasing them from one side of the
vehicle and the use of a counter-balance weight in combination therewith sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
3. The combination of lever handles with brake shafts and automatic vacuum
or pressure apparatus substantially as and for the purpose herein before described
and illustrated by the drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of brake mechanism substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the

page_text: 5. The combination and arrangement of mechanism to be actuated by hand or
automatically substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 3, 4,
5 and 6 of the drawings.
2000
PETER J. LIVSEY.
Agent.