IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES." A communication from abroad
by Orson Branch Kendall, of Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States
of America, and Peter R. Miller, of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario,
Canada.
Sealed the 23rd January 1880, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
and dated the 8th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th July 1879.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
[A communication from abroad by Orson Branch Kendall, of Buffalo, in the State
of New York, United States of America, and Peter R. Miller, of Toronto, in the
Province of Ontario, Canada.]
This Invention is intended to produce a brake which can be operated by any one
of the train hands, and when put on locks simultaneously all the wheels of the
train so as either to stop it almost instataneously or else retard its speed to any
desired degree.
Its construction and operation may be thus briefly described,-
In suitable bearings secured under each carriage is carried a shaft of somewhat
greater length than the carriage itself. This shaft is composed of sections set at an
angle to each other, having at either end a bar of square or of some such section,
and to this shaft thus composed are attached the ends of the brake chains which
when wound on it operate through levers or other mechanism to bring the brake
shoes in contact with the wheels.
These several shafts.or .sections of .shafting.are, when the carriages are coupled
together to make up a train, connected so as to form one continuous shaft by means
of loose couplings into which are slipped the bars at the ends of the several sections,
these being provided with universal joints and the couplings being of sufficient
length to allow of the longitudinal play of the cars, i.e., their receding from and
approaching each other.

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pivotted at any suitable point, its other end operating to give forward and backward
movement to a clutch mounted on the continous brake shaft above described, which
is at this point square or of such section that it shall revolve with the clutch, the
end of the lever being attached to a loose collar set in the clutch or in such a manner
as to allow of its free rotation.
Upon the continuous shaft is mounted a loose clutch arranged to intermesh with
the one just described, and having made in one with it a sleeve carried in proper
bearings upon which is mounted a worm gear intermeshing with and driven by a
worm on the axle of any one pair of the wheels, the continuous brake shaft running
preferably through these, and the worm, worm gear, and clutch, all revolving loosely
when the brakes are off. Upon the brake shaft is mounted rigidly a friction disc
surrounded by a ring made in two parts hinged together, the free ends being
brought together so as to clasp the disc and prevent it turning by an arm or rod
operated by a subsidiary cam on the counter shaft.
The operation of the mechanism is as follows:-
When the brakes are to be put on the rotation of the countershaft (by the means
described, or any other which may be found suitable) 'will through the pivotted
lever operated by the cam throw the sliding clutch into gear with the loose clutch
rotating with the worm gear.
The revolution of the axle which, when the clutches are not intermeshing with
each other, simply rotates the worm gear and loose clutch, now, through the sliding
clutch set on the square part of the shaft, rotates the several sections forming the
continuous shaft, winding up upon it the brake chains and applying all the brake
shoes and thus stopping the train instataneously.
If it be merely desired to retard the speed of the train, such as when going down
a grade, the brakes can be put on in the way above described to the required extent
and then thrown off, so that the worm, worm gear, and loose clutch shall again,
revolve without rotating the shaft, which however with the brake chains wound
up upon it is retained in that position by the friction ring clasping the disc secured
on it, the mechanism for operating this being timed to act later than the device for
throwing the clutch in and out of gear.
Instead of placing this apparatus under the locomotive tender it may be secured
to a special brake van, and the several details of mechanism through which the
motion of the worm on the axle is communicated to the continuous brake shaft
may be varied in different cases.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
January 1880.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES."
A communication from abroad by Orson Branch Kendall, of Buffalo, in the State
of New York, United States of America, and Peter R. Miller, of Toronto, in the
Province of Ontario, Canada.
The object of this Invention is to produce a mechanical brake which can be
operated by one man, and is capable of locking simultaneously all the wheels of a
train, the momentum of the train giving, when the parts are put in gear, the necessary
motive power for imparting rotary motion directly to a continuous shaft on which
the chains for actuating the brake blocks are wound up.
The construction of this apparatus is as follows, viz., the continuous rotating
shaft upon which the chains are wound is made up of sections carried in hanger
bearings attached to the underside of the cars, the several parts making up a section
for each car consisting of a main length carried on one side of the longitudinal axis,
and short lengths passing out under the draw-bars or central points, and having
their ends either square or of analogous section. These lengths of shafting are
connected together by short shafts set at an angle and having their junctions formed
by universal joints.
Upon one of these main lengths is placed at any suitable point a loose clutch
arranged to be thrown backward and forward thereon, the brake shaft at this point
being of such a section as to ensure the clutch rotating with it.
This sliding clutch intermeshes at one end of its throw with a clutch or sleeve
set loosely on the brake shaft and carried in independent bearings. On one end of
this clutch or sleeve is keyed a worm gear which intermeshes with and is rotated
by a worm on the axle of any pair of the running wheels.
The sliding clutch before mentioned receives its forward and backward movement
from a pivotted lever one end of which is forked to embrace a loose collar surrounding
or let into the clutch while the other end takes into the groove of a cam mounted
on a counter shaft which is rotated by means of worm gearing and a brake rod in
the usual way, or the necessary rocking motion may be given by a lever under
the control of the driver.
For a better understanding of the Invention reference must be had to the
annexed Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the underside of a railway car
frame with the brake apparatus attached to thereto; Fig. 2 is a transverse section
taken on the line x, x, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the underside of
a car showing the arrangement of the shafting; and Fig. 4 is a detailed view on
on enlarged scale of the mode of joining two sections of the shafts between two
cars, Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the Figures.
A is the continuous brake shaft of any diameter required and carried in bearings
under the cars. The part shewn on Figures 1 and 2 is that on which the brake
apparatus is placed, which may be under the tender, the cab of the locomotive, or
any one of the cars.
B is a clutch sliding on the shaft A which at this point is made square, as shewn
at a, hexagonal,.or of any other section which will ensure its rotating simultaneously
with the clutch; B¹ is a loose collar either surrounding or let into clutch B so as
to allow of the free rotation of the latter in the collar.. This collar B¹ is secured
by a pivot pin to a fork at one end of a lever C, which is pivotted at c to the under
side of the car or the frame of the truck, the other end of the lever being provided

page_text: with a button C¹, which enters into the groove of the cam wheel D. This cam
wheel D is mounted upon and rotates with a countershaft E which is carried in
suitable bearings and receives motion through worm gearing operated preferably
by a vertical rod and wheel in the usual way.
F is a loose sleeve or clutch-mounted-on-the brake shaft A and carried in suitable
independent bearings F1 secured to the frame of the car. Upon the end of the
loose clutch. F is keyed a worm gear wheel G which intermeshes with and is rotated
by a worm H on the axle I of one pair of the wheels.
The--manner-in-which-the-shafting. is arranged under the car_will_now_be_
described.
The main sections of the continuous shaft A are carried in any suitable hanger
bearings, preferably pendent from the transomes of the cars. A', A', are short
shafts connected to the sections A by universal joints (of any approved construction,
such as a fork and ball) a¹. To the outer ends of the shafts A¹, A¹, are secured by
similar joints square bars M, M, which take into a socket N, the interior of which
corresponds in section to the bar, and is formed with a diaphragm N' which divides
it into two chambers of unequal length. The bar which takes into the smaller of
these chambers is secured in place therein by a chain and snap or links or other
convenient means, while the other bar is free to move in the larger chamber, thus
allowing for any change in the relative position of the cars. The bars M (which
with the sockets N may be of any desired section) are arranged in proper hangers
or bearings so as to bring them out at the longitudinal axis of the car and thus give
a central connection.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-When the brakes are to be put on
the rotation of the countershaft E (by the means described, or in any other suitable
manner) will, through the pivotted lever C operated by the cam D throw the sliding
clutch B into gear with the loose sleeve F which is constantly rotated during the
running of the train by the worm H on the axle I intermeshing with the worm
gear G on the loose sleeve F. The sides of the indentations in the meeting surfaces
of the clutch B and sleeve F are oblique to the axis of the shaft so as to slip easily
past each other and thus facilitate their locking.
The parts being brought into this position the revolution of the axle I (which
when the clutch B and sleeve F are not in gear simply through the worm gearing
rotates the latter) now through the sliding clutch B set on the square part a of
the shaft rotates the several sections forming the continuous shaft and winds
upon it the several chains attached to the brake blocks.
By reversing the action of the lever the clutch and sleeve are thrown out of
gear with each other and the brakes cast loose.
When the cars are to be uncoupled all that is needed is to detach the fastenings
of the bars M and thus disconnect the several car sections.
In some cases it may be thought desirable to bave the meeting faces of the clutch B
and sleeve F-without indentations, and simply to act as friction gears; so that
although perhaps so great an amount of power cannot be obtained, there is no
chance of breakage of the parts.
Instead of employing the countershafts E and cam D to operate the lever C it
may be worked by means of a vertical pivotted lever connected by a link with the
free end of. C and placed within reach of the locomotive driver or other train hand
working the brake.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention for "Improvements in
Railway Brakes," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The combination with one section of a continuous brake shaft of a clutch
rotating said shaft, said clutch being by suitable means thrown in and out of gear
with a loose sleeve (mounted on shaft) carrying worm gear rotated by a worm

page_text: on the axle of a pair of running wheels, all substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Second. The combination in a continuous brake shaft of the main sections A and
the angling shafts A' and bars M, all being coupled together by universal joints,
and the bars M being coupled by sleeves N, the whole constructed, arranged, and
operating substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
H. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)