Improvements in Automatic Brakes for Railway Wagons.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Brakes for Railway Wagons.
We, EDWARD ROBERTS, Foreman Smith, 2, Orbiston Street, and JOHN DAVIS,
Smith, 49, Miller Street, both of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows;.
This invention which relates to brakes for railway wagons and is designed
mainly for use on goods and mineral trains has for its object to provide means
whereby the brakes upon the individual wagons are applied automatically when
the pull of the locomotive ceases in going downhill or in the event of any portion
of the train breaking away, whilst the application of the hauling power relieves
the brakes.
The invention also comprises means for holding the brakes off or on and
capable of being brought into operation from the locomotive or from the guard's
van in order to provide for shunting the train or a portion of it.
Under the invention the ordinary hand brake lever extending along one side
or each side of the wagon is used in conjunction with the usual brake block and
preferably an adjustable connecting link to allow of compensation for wear of the
block, and a helical or other spring or load is applied to act on the brake lever
so as to apply the brake block to the wheel so long as the brake lever is other-
wise unacted on. For the purpose of raising the brake lever and relieving the
brake pressure a cranked shaft or bell crank is fitted transversely under the wagon
frame at the end under the free end of the brake lever, a rocking crank shaft being
preferably used having its cranked end fitted to act on the brake lever whilst
its opposite end has secured to it a shackle through which is passed the coupling
chain of the wagon so that when the coupling chain is drawn taut by the pull on
the wagon the shackle is drawn upwards to an approximately horizontal position
and the rocking shaft is turned to bring the crank on its outer end against the
brake lever which is thereby raised to relieve the brake. Upon the cessation of
the pull on the coupling chain, the shackle is allowed to drop and the rocking shaft
turns so that the spring acting on the brake lever applies the brake.
In the case of wagons fitted with spring draw bars the rocking shaft or bell
crank whose end acts on the brake lever may be operated from the moving draw
bar, and the carrying of the coupling chain through a shackle dispensed with.
The brake lever passes through the ordinary guide bar on the side of the wagon
having holes through which a pin or bolt is passed to hold the brake off. "In
lieu of or in addition to the ordinary hand pin we fit a transverse bolt under the
wagon frame to slide in guides into and out of the pin holes in the brake lever
guide so that when the bolt is shot out under the brake lever it holds the brake
off and when shot over it the brake is held on. This bolt is operated by means
of a lever arm on a rocking bar extending longitudinally under the wagon frame
and whose ends are fitted with blocks terminating in flat blades projecting beyond
the wagon buffers. The whole of the wagons of a train being fitted with these
rocking bars and their end blades being fitted to overlap and so interlock whether

page_text: the wagons be closely or loosely coupled the whole of these longitudinal bars
in a train may be simultaneously rocked or partially turned by means of a suit-
able lever connection on the locomotive or in the guard's van so as to shoot out or
withdraw the brake lever locking bolts on each wagon and thus hold the brakes
off or on. By preference two longitudinal rocking bars are fitted one on each
side under each wagon frame and coupled together by a connecting rod and lever
arms so as to ensure engagement of the end blades in turning curves. In shunt-
ing a train the locking bolts are shot out whilst the pull is on the wagon coup-
lings and the brakes off, so that the brakes are not applied in the shunting opera-
tion, but the brakes of any portion of the train may be applied by hand or from
the van by withdrawing the locking bolts during the shunting operation.
Dated this 11th day of May 1898.
Improvements in Automatic Brakes for Railway Wagons.
We, EDWARD ROBERTS, Foreman Smith, 2, Orbiston Street, and JOIN Davis,
Smith, 49, Miller Street, both of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, 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:-
This invention which relates to brakes for railway wagons and is designed
mainly for use on goods and mineral trains has for its object to provide means
whereby the brakes upon the individual wagons are applied automatically when
the pull of the locomotive ceases in going downhill or in the event of any portion
of the train breaking away, whilst the application of the hauling power relieves
the brakes.
The invention also comprises means for holding the brakes off or on and
capable of being brought into operation from the locomotive or from the guard's
van in order to provide for shunting the train or a portion of it.
The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 of which
is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a transverse vertical section of a
railway wagon fitted with the improved automatic brake. Fig. 4 is a view of
a detail hereinafter particularly referred to.
Under the invention the ordinary hand brake lever A extending along one side
or each side of the wagon B is used in conjunction with the usual brake block C
and preferably an adjustable connecting link D to allow of compensation for
wear of the block C and a helical or other spring E or load is applied to act on
the brake lever A so as to apply the brake block C to the wheel so long as the
brake lever A is otherwise unacted on. For the purpose of raising the brake
lever A and relieving the brake pressure a cranked shaft G or bell crank is fitted
transversely under the wagon frame B at the end under the free end of the brake
lever A a rocking crank shaft being preferably used having its cranked end G¹
fitted to act on the brake lever A whilst its opposite end G3 has secured to it a
shackle G through which is passed the coupling chain H of the wagon B so that
when the coupling chain H is drawn taut, as shewn by the dotted lines, Fig. 1,
by the pull on the wagon B the shackle G2 is drawn upwards to an approxi-
mately horizontal position and the rocking shaft G is turned to bring the crank G¹
on its outer end against the brake lever A which is thereby raised to relieve the
brake. Upon the cessation of the pull on the coupling chain H, the shackle G³

page_text: is allowed to drop and the rocking shaft G turns so that the spring E acting on
the brake lever A applies the brake C.
In the case of wagons fitted with spring draw bars the rocking shaft G or bell
crank whose end acts on the brake lever A may be operated from the moving
draw bar, and the carrying of the coupling chain H through a shackle dispensed
with.
The brake lever passes through the ordinary guide bar I on the side of the
wagon B having holes through which a pin or bolt is ordinarily passed to hold
the brake off. In lieu of or in addition to the ordinary hand pin we fit a trans-
verse bolt J under the wagon frame to slide in guides K into and out of the pin
holes in the brake lever guide I so that when the bolt J is shot out under the
brake lever A it holds the brake C off and when shot over it the brake C is
held on.
This bolt J is operated by means of a lever arm L on a rocking bar M
extending longitudinally under the wagon frame B and whose ends are fitted
with hollow blocks M¹ terminating in flat blades M2 projecting beyond and beneath
the wagon buffers N. The whole of the wagons of a train being fitted with
these longitudinal rocking bars M and their end blades Ms being fitted to over-
lap, as shewn at Fig. 4, and so interlock whether the wagons be closely or
loosely coupled, the whole of these longitudinal bars M in a train may be simul-
taneously rocked or partially turned by means of a suitable lever connection on
the locomotive or in the guard's van so as to shoot out or withdraw the brake
lever locking bolts J on each wagon B and thus hold the brakes C off or on. By
preference two longitudinal rocking bars M are fitted one on each side under each
wagon frame B and coupled together by a connecting rod M³ and lever arms L, M,
so as to ensure engagement of the end blades M2 in turning curves. In shunting
a train the locking bolts J are shot out whilst the pull is on the wagon coup-
lings H and the brakes C off, so that the brakes C are not applied in the shunting
operation, but the brakes of any portion of the train may be applied by hand
or from the van by withdrawing the locking bolts J during the shunting operation.
The brake lever, brake block and connecting links are preferably duplicated as
shewn, the second rocking bar G being provided with a lever Ŏ connected by
a link P to the arm G³ of the crank shaft G so that the brakes act in unison,
irrespective of the end at which the traction is applied.
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. An automatic brake for railway wagons, in which a spring or load is applied
to the free end of the brake lever to hold the brake block normally in contact with
the wheel, and wherein the arrangement of devices for releasing the brake from
the wheel consists of a crank arm on a crank rocking shaft to which is attached
a shackle operated by means of the coupling chain to turn said rocking shaft and
raise the brake lever when the pull is upon the wagon substantially as described.
2. In conjunction with automatic brakes for railway wagons the arrangement
of a rod or rods extending longitudinally under the wagon frame, said rods having
on their ends hollow blocks and blades adapted to engage with the blocks and
blades of the adjacent wagons in order that these rods may be turned simul-
taneously from the locomotive or van to lock the brakes off or against the wheel,
substantially as described.