IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS, AND IN WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edward McConnell, of Wolverton, in the
County of Buckingham, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY BREAKS, AND IN WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES.”
Sealed the 5th August 1862, and dated the 18th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward McConnell,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th February 1862.
I, JAMES EDWARD MCCONNELL, of Wolverton, in the County of Bucking-
ham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS AND IN WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that system of railway breaks, wherein the breaks
are applied simultaneously to any or all of the carriages in the train, and
consists in the use of a force pump situate in the guard's van, or other vehicle
forming part of the train, or on the engine or tender, and worked either by the
guard or by the engine, for the purpose of forcing any air or water into a
pipe or pipes extending along the entire train, and connected at suitable
intervals with horizontal cylinders placed between the pairs of wheels in each
carriage, such cylinders being provided with pistons or plungers which on
being forced outwards by the action of the force pump will apply the break

page_text: blocks directly to the tyres of the wheels simultaneously throughout the whole
train. A safety pipe is applied to the main pipe for the purpose of allowing
of an escape of the air or water, when the breaks are applied and means
are employed for causing such escape to work a signal, whereby the guard or
driver will be warned that the breaks are full on, whilst at the same time the
bursting of the pipes will be prevented by such escape. These pipes may
also serve to warm the carriages by passing steam or hot water through them
from the boiler.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Edward McConnell, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
EDWARD MCCONNELL, of Wolverton, in the County of Buckingham, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Edward McConnell, Her special license, that I, the said
James Edward McConnell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Edward McConnell, my executors, administrators,
or 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 RAILWAY BREAKS, AND IN WARMING RAILWAY CARRIAGES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Edward
McConnell, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 1,.the said James Edward McConnell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to that system of railway breaks wherein the
breaks are applied simultaneously to any or all of the carriages in the train, and
consists in the use of a force pump situate in the guard's van or other vehicle
forming part of the train, or on the engine, or tender, or both in the van and
on the engine or tender, and worked either by the guard, or by the engine,
or by eccentrics on the axles of the tender or van, for the purpose of forcing
air or water into a pipe or pipes extending along the entire train and con-
nected at suitable intervals with horizontal cylinders placed between the pairs
of wheels in each carriage, such cylinders being provided with pistons or
plungers, which on being forced outwards by the action of the force pump,
will apply the break blocks directly to the wheels or axles simultaneously
throughout the whole train. A safety pipe is applied to the main pipe for
the purpose of allowing of an escape of the air or water when the breaks are
applied, and means are employed for causing such escape to work a signal,
whereby the guard or driver, as the case may be, will be warned that the
breaks are full on, whilst at the same time the bursting of the pipes will
be prevented by such escape. These breaks may also be worked by steam
pressure from the boiler, if desired. The pipes above referred to may serve
to warm the carriages by passing steam or hot water through them from the
boiler.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet or Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a vertical section of a portion of a
carriage and guard's van with the improved break actuating mechanism attached.
Figure 2 represents an elevation of a modified arrangement for working
the breaks, and the rest of the Figures are details of the more important parts
of the apparatus. A represents an ordinary passenger carriage, and B the
guard's van; along the framing of each carriage in the train, and to the van
and tender or engine is attached in any convenient manner a pipe C, these
pipes being coupled together when the train is made up by any simple mode
of coupling, a short length D of flexible tubing being employed for connecting
the ends of the several pipes. A small force pump E, is fitted inside the van

page_text: or on the tender or engine, and is worked by an eccentric F, fast on one of
the axles as shewn, or simply by the band of the. guard if preferred. This
pump is in communication by means of a pipe G, with a water tank placed in
or under the van or with the tank of the tender as the case may be. A
second branch pipe H, connects the pump with the series of pipes C, running
along the framing of the several carriages; I is a third branch pipe, which is
connected by means of a two-way cock at K, with the branch H, and com-
municates back with the water tank again. A small cylinder L, bolted to a
bracket secured to the framing or otherwise attached thereto, is placed
between any two of the wheels on any or all of the carriages of the train.
This cylinder is provided with two pistons, the rods of which pass through
stuffing boxes on the opposite ends of the cylinder, and are connected either.
directly or by the intervention of links or connecting rods with the break
blocks M, M. The cylinders are connected with the water pipes C, by
means of short branch pipes N. A safety pipe O is also connected with the
pipe C, or with the force pumps, for the purpose of allowing of the escape of
the liquid, should the pressure inside the pipes and pumps become so great
as to incur the risk of bursting them, a safety valve P, properly weighted
being fitted to the top of each pipe O. One of these safety pipes and valves
will be placed in the guard's van and another on the tender, and the valve
lever of each is connected by a cord or otherwise, with the hammer of a gong,
or bell, or other alarm or signal apparatus for the purpose of signalling when
the full pressure is on and the breaks applied, the lifting of the valve lever
causing the signal to be sounded and indicating the application of the breaks
to the guard or to the engine driver, as the case may be. The following is
the mode of using this break apparatus:-The train having been made up
with the van behind, or with one or more vans in different parts, each provided
with a duplicate arrangement of forcing apparatus and the pipes C, C, all
tightly coupled with the short flexible pipes D, the whole length of the pipes
and the several cylinders are filled with water by a few strokes of the pump
on starting the train. So long as the breaks are not required to be in action
the two-way cock K, is so turned as to shut off the pipes C, from the force
pumps, and at the same time to open the communication through the branch
H, into the water tank, consequently although the pumps are at work as the
train proceeds, the water will merely be pumped out of the tank and back again
into through the branch H, but when it is necessary to apply the breaks the
two-way cock K, is reversed by the guard or driver, thereby shutting off the
return branch H, and establishing a direct communication with the pipes C,

page_text: and through them with the several cylinders I, along the train. The pressure
against the pistons in these cylinders causes them to move outwards simul-
taneously, and so force the break blocks firmly against the wheels or against
special break discs or drums fast on the axles. So soon as the break blocks
are driven home, the pressure inside the safety pipe will raise the valve and
by displacing the lever cause a signal to be given which will notify to tho
guard or driver the fact of the breaks having been applied. The pressure is
removed by reversing the two-way cock K, so as to bring the pump into
direct communication again with the water tank or tender through the branch
HI, and if found requisite weighted levers or other convenient arrangement of
mechanism may be employed for taking off the breaks.
The modification of the cylinder shewn in Figure 2 illustrates the applica-
tion of a single piston and rod to each cylinder in lieu of two pistons. In this
case the rod of the piston works a lever a, centred at 6 on a supporting
bracket, and connected on opposite sides of its fulcrum with the rods or links
c, c, which actuate the break blocks. It is obvious that either liquid or air
may be forced into the pipes and cylinders, or in lieu of having a mechanical
forcing apparatus, the breaks may be actuated by admitting steam into the
pipes direct from the boiler. This latter system will admit of the warming of
the several carriages by having branch pipes Q, Q, (Figure 1) passing across
the carriages under the seats or in any convenient and suitable part of the
carriage. A steam chest R, may also be laid upon the carriage floor and
supplied with steam from the pipes C, so as to form an effective foot warmer.
Suitable cocks are provided in convenient places for shutting off the steam
from any one or more of the carriages as desired, without interfering with the
action of the break mechanism. I do not confine myself to the preciso
arrangement of the apparatus, as illustrated in my Drawings, as it is obvious
that many different modes will suggest themselves to the practical man in
carrying out this Invention without altering the essential feature of the
Invention.
said
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is, or may be used, or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
or means for working any number of breaks simultaneously throughout the
entire length of a train, substantially as herein-before described.

page_text: 2nd, the general combination of steam pipes and appliances for warming
railway carriages, substantially as herein-before described.
3rd, the application and use of the safety pipes and valves in combination
with signal appliances for the purpose of preventing undue pressure, and of
intimating the application of the breaks to the guard or guards, or engine
driver, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edward McConnell, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
J. E. McCONNELL. (L.S.)