Improvements in Devices for Enabling Railway Travellers to Apply the Brakes by Electrical Means.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 2nd Apr., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Enabling Railway Travellers to Apply
the Brakes by Electrical Means.
We, EDWIN JAMES PRESTON, of the Firm of J. Stone & Co., Engineers, Deptford,
and ARTHUR BERNARD GILL, of Glencot, Blackheath Park, Electrical Engineer,
both in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to afford any traveller in a railway train the
facility for readily applying the brakes in case of emergency.
Various devices have been proposed and used for communicating between
passenger and guard or driver but this has often failed to prevent outrages on
travellers; mechanical devices have also been proposed and used for enabling a
passenger to apply the brakes, but such devices necessarily imply the application
of some amount of physical force not available in many cases when most needed
and involving cumbersome and complicated gear, likely to get out of order.
We provide the train pipe, whether it be for a continuous vacuum brake, or
Westinghouse or other Huid pressure brake with a suitable valve preferably
adjustable, on each coach (or in case of coaches already electrically connected with
each other one such valve in some suitable part of the train), and to operate this
valve we provide an electro-magnet or solenoid. In connection herewith wo
provide means for putting the said magnet into an electrical circuit. In each
compartment of the coach or where found necessary we provide pulls or pushes
for switching on the current. For an ordinary compartment two or more such
pulls or pushes would be provided. It will thus be understood that in contra-
distinction to any mechanical devices our invention involves the application of a
very small physical force and that only for a moment of time and with a short
range of motion.
The electric current may be obtained from various sources. It may for instance
be obtained from the accumulator or dynamo now used for electrically lighting
a train. Or the current may very conveniently be obtained from the dynamo or
accumulator provided on each carriage by the train lighting system of J. Stone & Co.
described in the Patent Specification No. 1611 of 1895. Or we may provide
special primary or secondary batteries or a dynamo with or without accumulator
for the object here in view, placed in each carriage, thus avoiding couplings
between the carriages, or placed in any other convenient part of the train when
couplings are used.
In connection with our aforesaid brake applying devices we provide in or on
the outside of each compartment or saloon visible or audible signal devices, or
both, to indicate to the guard the place whence the brake was applied.
In all cases the aforesaid train pipe valve may be made or adjusted with such
an aperture as to apply the brake gently or more suddenly.
Dated this Floventh day of May 1807

page_text: Improvements in Devices for Enabling Railway Travellers to Apply
the Brakes by Electrical Means.
We, EDWIN JAMES PRESTON, of the Firm of J. Stone & Co., Engineers, Deptford,
and ARTHUR BERNARD GILL, of Glencot, Blackheath Park, Electrical Engineer,
both in the County of Kent, 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:-
The object of this invention is to afford any traveller in a railway train the
facility for readily applying the brakes in case of emergency.
a
Various devices have been proposed and used for communicating between
passenger and guard or driver but 'this has often failed to prevent outrages on
travellers; mechanical devices have also been proposed and used for enabling
passenger to apply the brakes, but such devices necessarily imply the application
of some amount of physical force not available in many cases when most needed
and involving cumbersome and complicated gear, likely to get out of order.
We provide the train pipe, whether it be for a continuous vacuum, or
Westinghouse or other fluid pressure brake with a suitable valve preferably
adjustable, on each coach, (or in case of coaches already electrically connected with
each other one such valve in some suitable part of the train), and to operate this
valve we provide an electro magnet or solenoid. In this connection herewith we
provide means for putting the said magnet into an electric current.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of such a valve with a
solenoid for operating as applied to the end of a coach fitted with vacuum brake
train pipe, and Fig. is a vertical section. The cylindrical iron casing A with
cover A is by means of feet A2 fixed to the end of the coach. In the casing the
solenoid wiring B is coiled round the brass bobbin B. The iron solenoid core C
carries at its lower end a leather faced valve D which seats itself upon the
seating A in the lower brass cover or chamber A of the casing; this chamber
has one or more small air inlet holes A5 and is by a pipe E connected to the
vacuum pipe bend at the end of the coach. The lift of the solenoid and valve
is limited by the disc.C. When the solenoid core C is drawn into the bobbin B'
the valve is raised and air passing in through the holes A³ impairs or destroys the
vacuum in the pipe I so that the brakes are put on.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a solenoid and valve as applied to the end
of a coach fitted with a Westinghouse or other air pressure brake. In this case
the solenoid is normally held in the raised position by a helical spring D', .and
the effect of drawing it in and down is to open the valve D, so that the air pressure
in the train pipe can be lowered by escape through the holes A5 whereby the
brakes are put on.
In each compartment of the coach or where found necessary we provide pulls
or pushes for switching on the current. For an ordinary compartment two or
more such pulls or pushes would be provided. It will thus be understood that in
contradistinction to any mechanical devices our invention involves the application
of a very small physical force and that only for a moment of time and with a
short
range of motion.
Fig. 4 is a plan view or diagram illustrating one mode of actuating the brakes
by a push button on the left, and a pull button on the right. The push button G
serves to bring the contact lever H against the contact I and thus close the
circuit in which the solenoid or electro-magnet B is inserted, thereby opening the
valve D, Figs. 2 or 3 and destroying the vacuum or the pressure, as the case

page_text: may be, in the train pipe. The pull button G¹ serves to bring the contact lever H¹
against the contact I and thus close the circuit and similarly actuate the valve D.
The electric current may be obtained from various sources. It may for instance
be obtained from the accumulator or dynamo now used for electrically lighting a
train. Or the current may very conveniently be obtained from the dynamo or
accumulator provided on each carriage by the train lighting system of J. Stone & Co.
described in the Patent Specification No. 1611 of 1895. Or we may provide
special primary or secondary batteries or a dynamo with or without accumulator
for the object here in view, placed in each carriage, thus avoiding couplings
between the carriages, or placed in any other convenient part of the train when
couplings are used.
In connection with our aforesaid brake applying devices we provide in or on
the outside of each compartment or saloon visible or audible signal devices, or
both to indicate to the guard the place whence the brake was applied. The
indicator may be in the form of the usual electric bell indicator and be worked
from the same or a separate solenoid.
In all cases the aforesaid train pipe valve may be made or adjusted with such
an aperture as to apply the brake gently or more suddenly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The application of a solenoid or electromagnet to close an electric circuit
wherein it is inserted and thereby to open a valve for destroying the vacuum in
a brake vacuum pipe or the pressure in a brake pressure pipe and thus putting
on the brakes substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of a solenoid or an electromagnet and a valve in one
structure or apparatus substantially as set forth.
3. The constructions of combined solenoid and valve shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Dated this Eleventh day of February 1898
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.