IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE BRAKES OF RAILWAY Пра
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Kesterton, of the Star Works, Hencage
Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE BRAKES OF RAILWAY
Пратко 39
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE BRAKES OF RAILWAY
DATTO "
Scaled the 12th September 1871, and dated the 16th March 1871. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Kesterton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th March 1871.
I, HENRY KESTERTON, of the Star Works, Heneage Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE BRAKES OF
RAILWAY TRAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
working the brakes of railway trains. For this purpose a chain is
employed running from end to end of the train, and apparatus is pro-
vided by which it can be strained tight or allowed to fall slack. This

page_text: apparatus consists of a winding drum on the tender driven by a pinion
on one of the axles. The drum is provided with a locking pawl for
holding it when a sufficient strain has been applied, and the driving
pinion slides on the axle out of gear. A friction clutch may be applied
to prevent an excessive strain from being thrown upon the chain. The
chain passes over guide pulleys along the sides of the carriages, about
on a level with the tops of the wheels. Each carriage is provided with
a brake lever, which is held up by a small wheel at its end resting upon
the chain when it is strained. On the axis of the brake lever is a short
arm which sustains a vertical stem against the downward pressure of
a strong coiled spring above it. On the stem is a cross piece adjustable
by a screw, and from it inclined rods descend to the brake blocks, one
in front of and the other behind it. The brake blocks are suspended
from the frame of the carriage. When by lifting the pawl locking the
drum on the tender the chain is allowed to become slack, all the brake
levers descend and leave the springs free to press down the stems on
which they act. The rods connecting each cross head with the brake
blocks are thus brought more nearly into a straight line, and so the
blocks are pressed outwards by the springs against the tyres of the
wheels. When the chain is again wound up and strained the brake
levers are lifted by it so as to releive the brake blocks from the pressure
of the springs.
In place of using springs in compression coiled springs in tension may
be employed, the brake blocks being placed on the outer sides of the
wheels and the stems lifted by the springs to hold the blocks to the
wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Kesterton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
KESTERTON, of the Star Works, Heneage Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the

page_text: thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-.
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Kesterton, Her special
license that I, the said Henry Kesterton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Kesterton, my
executors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS;
IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE BRAKES OF RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Kesterton, 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 Henry Kesterton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
working the brakes of railway trains. For this purpose a chain is
employed running from end to end of the train, and apparatus is
provided by which it can be strained tight or allowed to fall slack.
This apparatus consists of a winding drum on the tender driven by a
pinion on one of the axles. The drum is provided with a locking pawl
for holding it when a sufficient strain has been applied and the driving
pinion slides on the axle out of gear. A friction clutch may be applied
to prevent an excessive strain from being thrown upon the chain.
The chain passes over guide pulleys along the sides of the carriages
about on a level with the tops of the wheels. Each carriage is provided
with a brake lever, which is held up by a small wheel at its end resting
upon the chain when it is strained. On the axis of the brake lever
is a short arm which sustains a vertical stem against the downward
pressure of a strong coiled spring above it. On the stem is a cross
piece adjustable by a screw, and from it inclined rods descend to the

page_text: brake blocks, one in front of and the other behind it. The brake blocks
are suspended from the frame of the carriage. When by lifting the
pawl locking the drum on the tender the chain is allowed to become
slack, all the brake levers descend and leave the springs free to press
down the stems on which they act. The rods connecting each cross
head with the brake blocks are thus brought more nearly into a straight
line, and so the blocks are pressed outwards by the springs against
the tyres of the wheels. When the chain is again wound up and
strained the brake levers are lifted by it so as to relieve the brake blocks
-from-the-pressure of the springs. In-place of using springs in com-
pression coiled springs in tension may be employed, the brake blocks
being placed on the outer sides of the wheels and the stems lifted by
the springs to hold the blocks to the wheels.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed
to describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
At Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shewn a side
view of the lower part of a railway carriage fitted with brake apparatus
arranged as above described; Figure 2 is an end elevation partly in
section, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the same. In the arrangement
shewn in these Figures there are outside brake blocks and the springs
are in tension.
A is the chain running from end to end of the train, the chain
passes over the guide pullies B, and is made in lengths, which can
be connected and disconnected, so that when the carriages are detached
from one another each carriage may have its own length of chain,
and suitable holding apparatus may be used for thus securing the
chain to the carriage; C is the brake lever having at its end a
small wheel D resting on the chain A; the lever C is carried by the
axis F, which passes from side to side of the carriage and turns in
bearings as shewn. On the axis are short arms G which enter slots
in the vertical stems H, these stems are drawn upwards by the springs I
which are in tension; K is a cross piece screwing on to the lower ends
of the stems H; to the cross piece are jointed the rods L, which pass
to the brake blocks M. The brake blocks are in addition suspended
as shewn from the frame of the carriage. When the chain A is strained
the brake levers are raised clear of a catch hook (carried by the frame

page_text: of the carriage) and the brake blocks are kept away from the peripheries
of the wheels. But when the chain is allowed to become slack the
springs I draw upwards the stems H and draw the brake blocks against
the wheels. A similar arrangement of brake apparatus to that shewn
at Figures 1, 2, and 3 is shewn at Figures 4 and 5, except that the
springs are in compression instead of in tension, and that the brake
blocks are consequently placed on the inner sides of the wheels. A
side view of a train of carriages, each provided with brake apparatus
such as above described, is shewn at Figure 6. The arrangement of
mechanism I prefer to employ for keeping the chain strained tight, or
allowing it to fall slack is shewn at Figures 7 and S. N is a winding
drum mounted by preference on the tender, and to this winding drum
the end of the chain is attached. On the axis of the winding drum
is a toothed wheel O into which gears a pinion P, which can turn
freely around one of the axles of the tender; Q is a friction clutch which
can be slid endwise along the axle by means of the clutch lever R,
and thus concentric projecting rings on its face can be caused to engage
with corresponding concentric recesses in the side of the pinion and
thereby drive the pinion by friction and cause the drum to wind up
the chain. When the chain has been wound up taut the drum is
locked to prevent its again unwinding. by the catch S entering between
the teeth of the wheel O, and by shifting the clutch lever the clutch Q
can be thrown out of gear with the pinion P. When the brakes are
to be applied the catch S is raised and the drum N is thereby set free,
and the brake blocks are forced against the wheels by the springs
which actuate them as before described. When a train has, by the
application of the brakes, been brought nearly to a stand still, the
chain is again caused to be wound up on to the drum by shifting the
clutch lever R, and the brakes are thereby removed from the wheels.
Arrangements may also be provided for turning the drum N by hand
winding gear to cause the chain to be wound up on to the drum, so
that if the brakes are still on when the train is stopped they may be
removed by winding up the chain by hand, or the brakes on cach
carriage may be separately removed by raising the brake lever of each
carriage and springing it over the catch hooks.

page_text: is, the combined arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein
described for working the brakes of railway trains.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Kesterton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.