Improvements in Hand-brakes for Railway Wagons and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hand-brakes for Railway Wagons and the like.
I, ALEXANDER PRESTON PARKER, of 45, New Fillebrook Road, Leytonstone, in
the County of Essex, Railway Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in brakes for railway goods wagons and
the like and has for its object to provide a brake which shall be simpler and more
efficient than those hitherto in use. With my invention the brake blocks can be
readily applied from either side of the wagon and released from either side of the
wagon irrespective of the side on which they have been applied so that there will
be no need in any circumstances for shunters or brakesmen to pass under or
between the wagons to apply or release the brake.
I carry out my invention in the following manner:-
I provide on one side of the wagon two levers, or as it were divide the one long
lever ordinarily used into two, one of which has a projecting arm. I sometimes use
a pawl in place of this projecting arm. One of these shorter levers is attached to
the ordinary brake shaft at one end and is provided at or about its other end with
a rack of suitable form. The other lever which is operated by the shunter or
brakesman is the lever with the projecting arm; the arm end of this lever is
attached to one end of a transverse shaft at the other end of which shaft, on the
opposite side of the wagon, there is attached a similar lever but without
jecting arm. This lever works in unison with the projecting arm lever and
enables the brake to be worked with equal facility from either side of the wagon.
To apply the bake one of the levers attached to the transverse shaft is depressed
at the end near the end of the truck the lever on the opposite side making the same
movement.
pro-
This causes the projecting arm to engage in the rack and depress the rack lever
thus applying the brake. To release the brake, one of the two levers attached to
the transverse shaft is raised by the shunter or brakesman the opposite lever
making the same movement. This releases the projecting arm from the rack of
The brake rack lever
the rack lever and the pressure in the brake blocks ceases.
may be assisted to return to its normal or "off" position by means of a balance
weight or spring or of a suitable connection to the projecting arm lever or to the
arm thereof.
The two hand-operated levers each work in a guide at or about the end farthest
from the transverse shaft one or both of which guides may be provided with a
spring catch or other suitable means for holding them up when in the "off"
position.
This arrangement of levers and rack can readily be applied to the brake work
of existing wagons.
JOHN P.. O'DONNELL, FEL.CHART.INST.P.A.,
Agent for the said Applicant,
70 and 71, Palace Chambers, Westminster, S.W.

page_text: Improvements in Hand-brakes for Railway Wagons and the like.
I, ALEXANDER PRESTON PARKER, of 45, New Fillebrook Road, Leytonstone, in
the County of Essex, Railway Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to improvements in brakes for railway goods wagons and
the like and has for its object to provide a brake which shall be simpler and more
efficient than those hitherto in use. With my invention the brake blocks can be
readily applied from either side of the wagon and released from either side of the
wagon, so that there will be no need under any circumstances for shunters or.
brakesmen to pass under or between the wagons to apply or release the brake.
The operation can be performed by one hand, leaving the other free to carry lamp
and shunting pole, and the apparatus is so designed as to lend itself readily to the
economical conversion of the ordinary one side brakes to either side brakes.
I carry out my invention in the following manner, reference being made to the
accompanying drawings in which :-
:―
Figure 1 is a part side view of a wagon fitted with my invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view of the opposite side of the wagon shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a part side view showing a modified arrangement.
Figure 4 is a similar view of the opposite side of the wagon shown in Figure 3.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 show various forms of spring guides for the operating
levers.
Figures 11 and 12 illustrate the means for holding the operating levers in the
guides as hereinafter described.
In the drawings I have not shown the brake blocks and means for adjusting
same to the wheels are these are of the ordinary well known type.
-
The same letters refer to the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, I provide on one side of the wagon two levers a
and b, or as it were divide the one long lever ordinarily used into two, one of
which levers, u, has a projecting arm c. I sometimes use a pawl in place of the
projecting arm c. The lever is attached to the ordinary brake shaft dat one
end and is corrugated or roughened at its other end e. The other lever a with
the projecting arm is attached to one end of a transverse shaft f at the other.
end of which shaft, on the opposite side of the wagon, there is attached a similar
lever ( Fig. 2) but without a projecting arm. This lever g works in unison
with the lever a so that the brake can be worked with equal facility from either
side of the wagon. One end of lever a works in a guide h and is held in the "off"
position by the spring catch j, Fig. 5, or by a counter-balance weight or spring,
or by a spring in the guide as shown in Figure S, or by spring guides as shown
in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10. The end of lever g (Fig. 2) also works in a guide.
To apply the brake one or other of the levers a or g (Figures 1 and 2 respec-
tively) is depressed so that the arm c engages with the corrugated or roughened
surface c of lever 6 moving said lever b and causing it to partly rotate the brake
shaft d and so apply the blocks to the wheels. With this arrangement the brake
is held firmly in the on position without the aid of the tooth or pin racks
usually employed.
"
"
I do not confine myself to the particular shape of the lever b shewn, as I some-
times use a lever which has the part on which the arm c works bent at an angle
with the other part of the lever, and said bent part may itself be either straight
or curved.
When the lever a is in the "off" position lever is held up, so as to keep the

page_text: brake blocks off the wheels, by means of a link or catch c¹ on arm c, or by means
of a connection from lever bengaging lever a.
In the modification shown in Figures 3 and 4, I provide a plane surface 61 on
lever b on which works a roller on arm c. The brake is operated in the manner
already described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, but instead of the end of
lever a working in a plain guide (as / Figure 1) it works in a guide (h¹ Figs. 3,
4 and 6) which is roughened or corrugated as shown. The lever
also works in a guide. The levers a and g (Figs. 3 and 4) are connected by a
g (Fig. 4)
rod m (see Fig. 12) which has a spring m¹ tending to hold the levers a and close
to the inner sides of the guides yet allowing them to move readily over the cor-
rugated or roughened portion, and this rod or spring may be provided with
adjusting screws. Or instead of the rod and spring m m', I give either or both
of said levers (a and g Figs. 3 and 4) a "set" inwards so that they will have a
natural tendency to hold on the corrugated or roughened portion of the guides:
or I effect the same purpose by means of spring washers or plates bearing on said
levers a and g as shown in Fig. 11.
In another modification I place the arm c on the upper side of lever a or on
transverse shaft f and connect it to lever b, or to an arm thereon or on the brake
shaft d, by means of a tension rod.
A joint might be provided on the end of lever in lieu of the corrugations.
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:
1. In hand brake apparatus for railway wagons and the like the combination
of a lever (b) on the brake shaft said lever having a corrugated or roughened end,
levers a and g on opposite ends of a transverse shaft f lever having an arm for
engaging lever b, a link connecting levers a and b, means for holding levers a
and g in the raised or
off"
position, and guides for levers a and g, all substan-
tially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In hand brake apparatus for railway wagons and the like, spring guides for
the operating levers substantially as illustrated in Figures 7 to 10 inclusive of
the drawings annexed.
3. The improvements in brake apparatus for railway wagons and the like sub-
stantially as herein set forth with reference to Figures 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of
he drawings annexed.
Dated this 2nd day of Documben 1900.