IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Balme at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 15th August 1881.
ALFRED BALME, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BRAKES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to means for retarding and arresting the movement of
railway trains, tram-cars, and other vehicles.
The brake blocks at opposite sides of a wheel axis are, according to this
Invention, carried each by a pendent lever formed or provided with a skid to act
upon the rail or way when the two said levers are caused to approach each other
by a toggle lever arrangement suitably arranged for that purpose. An elastic
medium is interposed between the brake blocks and the levers that carry them, so
that the blocks may be applied to the wheel without bringing the skids into
operation unless and until the pendent levers carrying the blocks are caused to
more nearly approach each other, whereupon the skids will take a bearing upon.
the rail or way so as to retard or arrest the progress of the vehicle and relieve the
wheel from frictional contact with the rail or way and the consequent wear and tear.
The levers for carrying the brake blocks may be mounted at their upper ends to
the body or under frame work of the vehicle at or about a position over the centre
line of the axle, or may be mounted to the axle box.
Near the lower end of one brake lever of the pair is connected a second lever, to
which is attached an adjustable link connecting it to the brake lever at the opposite
side of the wheel, in such a manner as to form a powerful toggle or compound
lever for moving the said brake levers and blocks towards each other for embracing
the wheel and stopping its revolving motion, the wheel thus becoming the support
or an additional support for the aforesaid levers and "skids" in carrying the weight
of the vehicle. It will be understood that each of the two wheels at opposite sides
of a vehicle is provided with a like arrangement of blocks with pendent levers and
skids. The said toggle lever at one side is connected, or may be in one piece with
the corresponding lever at the opposite side of the vehicle, so as to actuate the two
pairs of brake blocks simultaneously. The toggle levers are connected with and
operated by a bar running the entire length of the vehicle; the connection can be

page_text: so arranged that the toggle levers may be actuated from either end of the vehicle
as desired. End wise movement of the said bar is effected by pressure of the
adjoining vehicle, and when that does not suffice, the bar can be actuated both
from the guard's van and from the engine in a train by suitable mechanism
provided for the purpose.
It will be seen that as each vehicle is independently equipped, its brakes may be
operated without necessarily being connected with any mechanism of other
vehicles. Each end of the sliding bar for actuating the brake levers is provided
with a spring buffer for receiving the impact from a corresponding bar in the
adjoining vehicle.
In trains of vehicles fitted with this brake apparatus, any number of vehicles
may be added to or taken from the train by simply uncoupling in the ordinary
way.