AN IMPROVED DOUBLE-ACTING AND CONTINUOUS BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Groves, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED DOUBLE-ACTING AND
CONTINUOUS BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS."
Sealed the 5th January 1875, and dated the 6th July 1874.

page_text: .
a square rod at one end and a socket at the other end of the shaft under
the carriage or wagon, I employ at each end of the shaft a socket of
sufficient depth to allow for the expansion and contraction of the buffers
of the train, and place in each socket a square rod having at its outer
end a disc, so that when the carriages have to be connected the two
discs have simply to be held together by pins or bolts having knuckle
joints or flaps capable of falling downwards, and the square rods are of
such length as to have sufficient play in the socket to allow of the
expansion and contraction of the buffers, and in cach disc there is a
number of slots for the pins or bolts, so that if the carriages come
together transversely or vertically out of line, and the brake is put in
its normal position, the discs are always applicable.
Secondly. My Invention consists in improved modes of working the
brake levers and brake blocks, so that the levers and blocks can be
worked without inconvenience when the carriages or wagons are
reversed. In one mode I fix on the shaft under each carriage an
eccentric having an internal groove extending for some distance at both
sides, and place in this groove a pin or bowl at the end of a lever fixed
to the cross shaft carrying the levers for working the brake blocks, and
as the slot extends on both sides it works the lever on the cross shaft if
the continuous shaft should be turned in reverse directions, and as
modifications of this arrangement I use instead of the slotted eccentric
either a simple lever or a link having a slot extending to any required.
distance on both sides of the centre, or a chain pulley encircled by chains
in opposite directions.
And, Thirdly. I employ on each cross or brake shaft a steel lever
strong enough to block the wheels, and yet have elasticity sufficient to
allow the continuous shaft to have control over those carriages whose
brake blocks may be worn more than others. I prefer the braking
power of the train to be divided into two portions, of which the guard
shall have one and the driver the other, the advantage of which is not
only that the guard and driver have each control of their respective
portions, but the amount of torsion which takes place in the continuous
shaft is greatly diminished by so dividing the train.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Groves in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
GROVES, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Groves, Her.special license
that I, the said Frederick Groves, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Groves, 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 "AN IMPROVED
DOUBLE-ACTING AND CONTINUOUS BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Groves, 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
Scal Patent Office, within six calendar, months. next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Groves, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the figures on the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings and to the letters of reference marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in an improved mode of connecting the brakes
of the carriages or wagons so that when the carriages or wagons are
turned from end to end there shall be no difficulty in connecting them.
Instead of having a square rod at one end and a socket at the other end
of the shaft under the carriage or wagon I fix at each end of the shaft a

page_text: socket of sufficient depth to allow for the expansion and contraction of
the buffers of the train, and place in each socket a square rod having
at its outer end a disc in which there are slots, so that when the carriages
have to be connected the two discs have simply to be held together by
pins or bolts having knuckle joints and flaps capable of being passed
through the slots and falling downwards, and the square rods are of such
lengths as to have sufficient play in the sockets to allow of the expansion
-and contraction of the buffers.
In one arrangement to each shaft carrying the sockets I fix an
eccentric having an internal slot extending for some distance at both
`sides, and place in this slot a pin or bowl at the top of an elastic or
spring link jointed at the bottom to a lever fixed to the cross or brake
shaft, communicating by any suitable combination of levers and shafts
with the brake blocks, the spring being strong enough to block the
wheels and yet have elasticity. sufficient to allow the continuous shaft to
have control over those carriages whose brake blocks may be worn more
than others, and when desired, instead of the slotted eccentric fixed to
the shaft under each carriage or wagon, I fix to the shaft a chain drum
or pulley encircled by a chain connected at both ends to the lever on
the cross or brake shaft or other strong lever.
I modify the foregoing arrangement of shafts, fixed sockets, and
couplings by placing for each carriage or wagon a loose socket on each
end of a shaft working in bearings below the framework, and make the
outer end of each socket in the form of a rectangular block, having
circular and slotted spaces for receiving a double coupling pin or holder
when two opposite blocks are brought closely together, and as the
buffers expand and contract the sockets move to and fro on the ends of
the shafts, there being sufficient depth in each socket to allow them to
do so.
To each shaft extending under the carriage or wagon I fix a slotted
eccentric, as before, and place in the slot a bowl connected by an elastic
or spring link to a long lever communicating with any desired combi-
nation of levers, rods, shafts, and movements with the arms carrying
the brake blocks, or, instead of the eccentric, the chain drum and chain
may be used, and in all cases I prefer the braking power of the train to
be divided into two portions, of which the guard shall have one and the
driver the other.

page_text: . On Sheet 1 of the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings. Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal section and Fig. 2 a plan of the lower part of a railway
carriage provided with one arrangement of the continuous shafts, sockets,
and couplings, and also one mode of acting on or communicating with
the brakes.
Fig. 3, a front view of the slotted eccentric; and Fig. 4, a side view
of part of the shaft under the carriage or wagon, having a chain drum
or pulley fixed to it; and on Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section,
and Fig. 6 a plan of another arrangement of shafts, sockets, and
couplings, and also another mode of acting on or communicating with
the brakes.
In Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6 a represents the main framework of the
carriage; b, the buffers; c, the wheels; and d, the brake blocks. To
the framework of each carriage, Figs. 1 and 2 are bolted bearings e
carrying a shaft f, to the ends of which are fixed sockets 9 working in
bearings h, also bolted to the framework. Into each socket, which is of
sufficient length or depth to allow for the expansion and contraction of
the buffers of the train is placed a square rod i, having at each end a
slotted disc k, and when the discs of two adjacent carriages are brought
together, and the knuckle-jointed bolts passed through the slots, and
the knuckle ends moved down, the shafts f of the several carriages are
coupled together. To the shaft fis fixed the slotted eccentric m, Figs. 1
2, and 3, in the slot of which there is a bowl n working on a pin o in a
small frame p, having rods q bolted at the bottom to a plater, to which
is fixed a link 8 having its upper end fixed to an upper plate t.and its
lower end jointed to the lever u fixed to the cross or brake shaft v, to
which are fixed the double levers w, communicating by rods x and
levers
y with the brake blocks d, and between the two plates r, t, there
is a spiral spring z strong enough to block the wheels, and yet have
sufficient elasticity to allow the continuous shaft to have control over
those carriages whose brake blocks may be worn more than others.
In the arrangement shewn in Figs. 5 and 6 there are bearings e
carrying the shaft a³, having its ends entered into sockets 6¹ fitted to
bearings c² fixed to the framework, and the outer ends of the sockets are
formed as blocks d¹, having holes or spaces e¹, into which are placed the
double-pinned holders or couplings ¹, and in each socket there are slots
g, through which is passed a key h¹ fixed to each end of the shaft a', the

page_text: "slots being of sufficient length to allow for the expansion and contraction
of the buffers of the train. To the shaft a¹ is fixed the slotted eccentric
m, connected by the bowl ¹ to the top of a elastic link, similar to that
before described, and shewn in Fig. 1, the bottom of the link being
jointed to the lever ƒ³, working on a pin or fulcrum in the hanger or
bracket fixed to the framework; and on this lever there are friction
pulleys ¹, which can come into close contact with the pulley n¹ fixed
to the shaft o¹, and the friction pulleys m¹ are connected by rods p¹ and
levers q¹ to the brake blocks d, and it is evident that when the continuous
shaft is turned by the guard or driver, or both combined, the friction
pulleys m¹ will be forced into close contract with the pulley n¹ on the
shaft o¹, and thereby acquire an amount of power to cause the brake
blocks to press with such force on the wheels as to stop the train in a
few seconds.
In the detached view, Fig. 4, I represent a chain drum or pulley 21
fixed to the shaft funder one of the carriages, the drum being encircled
by a chain 8' fixed in the middle to the drum, and connected at its two
ends to the lever u, Fig. 1, or to the lever f1, Figs. 5 and 6, the drum
and chain being used instead of the slotted eccentric, and as the
continuous shaft which I have described serves merely to communicate
throughout a train the movements necessary for operating the brakes
they may themselves be worked by any known mechanism, as by the
ordinary hand screw brake gear or by other power, such as fluid under
pressure or by motion communicated from any of the running axles or
wheels, or otherwise.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be under-
stood that for working the brakes of railway carriages, and wagons I
claim,―
First. The employment of sockets at each end of a shaft under each
carriage or wagon, and the connection of these shafts by discs or blocks

page_text: brake blocks.
And, Thirdly. The chain drum or pulley fixed to the shaft under each
carriage or wagon if desired instead of the slotted eccentric, as such
improvements are herein described and illustrated on the accompanying
two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, the said Frederick Groves, hath hereunto set
his hand and seal, the Fifth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Signed, scaled, and delivered by
the within-named Frederick
Groves, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
FREDERICK GROVES. (L.S.)
Manchester.