Improvements in Automatic Brakes and in Couplings relating thereto.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application; 4th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Brakes and in Couplings relating
thereto.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM LARKHAM of 21 Kerrison Road, Battersea, London
in the County of Surrey, Guard, London and South Western Railway, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
At the present time it is well known that upon those railways where the
automatic vacuum brake is in operation, that for short journey or block trains or
in fact any trains where it is desired that when the train has arrived at the end of
the journey at a terminal station and it is desired that the engine be reversed and
put on at the other end of the train, or when vehicles are detached and shunting
has to take place at any station, that a loss of time ensues in the following
manner :-
When the engine is detached and it has to run to the other end of the train or
when another engine has to be attached may be necessary for the train to be
moved for this purpose, or a portion of the train may have to be shunted at the
terminal or any other station happens that the brakes are all hard on owing to
the uncoupling of the brake pipes and the train or vehicles cannot be readily
moved.
When the brake pipes are uncoupled air is admitted to the pipes, the vacuum is
destroyed and the brakes are applied automatically.
It is obvious that before the brake blocks can be removed from the wheels the
brake must be released and this is accomplished at present by means of a trigger
and valve under each vehicle, the pulling of which admits air to the upper side of
the piston in the brake cylinder and by restoring equilibrium cause the piston to
fall by gravity and releases the blocks.
In order to do this it is necessary for a servant of the company to be employed
to pull the trigger which causes delay in shunting and much valuable time
is lost.
In order however to obviate the necessity of destroying the vacuum and recreating
it again I provide means whereby in the detaching of the engine the vacuum is left
intact precisely the same as when the engine is connected.
For this purpose I provide a coupling on the end portion of the train to be
disconnected (or at the ends of all vehicles if necessary), of the following form.
I arrange inside the coupling that the inner seating terminates in a diagonal form,
and hinged on the upper portion of the inside of the coupling is a clapper valve. A
projection on the said valve is arranged beyond the hinge or fulcrum and means
are provided to allow it to be operated. In the coupling which is connected to the
front portion of the train (in this case the engine) which it is desired to disconnect
from the remainder of the train, I arrange that a pin is provided projecting beyond
the facing of the coupling. This pin is of such a length that in the act of coupling
the pin operates upon the end of the clapper valve beyond its fulcrum and moves it
into a horizontal position freeing the aperture in the tube, and it starts its operation
when the couplings have approached each other or been connected at a prearranged
distance, to the extent that when the clapper valve is in its working or horizontal
position the couplings are together and air tight. When now it is desired that the
disconnection takes place the engine is uncoupled from the nearest carriage and as
soon as the pin is withdrawn to a very slight extent, before the actual separation
takes place, the clapper valve falls and is held in that position by suction. The
vacuum is not perceptibly destroyed to any appreciable extent. The train now is
provided with the vacuum exactly the same as if the engine was attached, and the

page_text: engine is changed and put on to the other end of the train, ready to start away
immediately.
If it is desired that the vehicles be moved, through the operation they can be
moved without any attention on the part of the company's servants, the object of
my invention being practically that the disconnection of a train may take place
without the vacuum being destroyed, for block trains and where it is necessary to
disconnect and shunt vehicles.
Dated this 4th day of November 1901
JOHN. P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, London, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Brakes and in Couplings relating
thereto.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM LARKHAM, of 21 Kerrison Road, Battersea, London
in the County of Surrey, Guard, London and South Western Railway, 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:
At the present time it is well known that upon those railways where the automatic
vacuum brake is in operation, that for short journey or block trains or in fact any
trains where it is desired, that when the train has arrived at the end of the journey
at a terminal station the engine be reversed and put on at the other end of the
train, or when vehicles are detached and shunting has to take place at any station,
that a loss of time ensues in the following manner :
When the engine is detached and it has to run to the other end of the train or
when another engine has to be attached it may be necessary for the train to be
moved for this purpose, or a portion of the train may have to be shunted at the
terminal or any other station it happens that the brakes are all hard on owing to
the uncoupling of the brake pipes and the train or vehicles cannot be readily
moved.
When the brake pipes are uncoupled air is admitted to the pipes, the vacuum is
destroyed and the brakes are applied automatically.
It is obvious that before the brake blocks can be removed from the wheels the
brake must be released and this is accomplished at present by means of a trigger
and valve under each vehicle, the pulling of which admits air to the upper side of
the piston in the brake cylinder and by restoring equilibrium cause the piston to
fall by gravity and releases the blocks.
In order to do this it is necessary that a servant of the company be employed to
pull the trigger, which causes delay in shunting and much valuable time is lost.
To obviate the necessity of destroying the vacuum and recreating it again I
provide means whereby in the detaching of the engine the vacuum is left intact
precisely the same as when the engine is connected.
For this purpose I provide a coupling on the end portion of the train to be dis-
connected (or at the ends of all vehicles if necessary), of the following form.
I arrange inside the coupling that the inner seating terminates in a diagonal
form, and hinged on the upper portion of the inside of the coupling is a clapper
valve. A projection on the said valve is arranged beyond the hinge or fulcrum
and means are provided to allow it to be operated. In the coupling which is
connected to the front portion of the train (in this case the engine) which it is
desired to disconnect from the remainder of the train, I arrange that a pin
is provided projecting beyond the facing of the coupling. This pin is of such a
length that in the act of coupling the pin operates upon the end of the clapper
valve beyond its fulcrum and moves it into a horizontal position, freeing the

page_text: aperture in the tube, and it starts its operation when the couplings have
approached each other or been connected at a prearranged distance, to the extent
that when the clapper valve is in its working or horizontal position the couplings
are together and air tight. When now it is desired that the disconnection takes
place the engine is uncoupled from the nearest carriage and as soon
pin is withdrawn to a very slight extent, before the actual separation takes
place, the clapper valve falls and is held in that position by suction. The
vacuum is not perceptibly destroyed to any appreciable extent.
as the
The train now is provided with the vacuum exactly the same as if the engine was
attached, and the engine is changed and put on to the other end of the train, ready
to start away immediately.
If it is desired that the vehicles be moved, through the operation they can be
moved without any attention on the part of the company's servants, the object of
my invention being practically that the disconnection of a train may take place
without the vacuum being destroyed, for block trains and where it is necessary to
disconnect and shunt vehicles.
An obvious modification and one which is illustrated and will be referred to here-
after, consists in extending the pin connected to the end of the clapper valve, making
it of such a length as to obviate the necessity of providing any pin in the other
coupling.
In order that my invention may be better understood and more readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of the couplings in which a separate pin is arranged
attached to the opposite coupling.
a, is the coupling which is provided with a clapper valve d, is the seating upon
which the clapper valve falls or to which it is drawn by suction, c is the fulcrum
upon which the valve works, d is the valve, and is the projection beyond the .
fulcrum.
The external appearance of the couplings and the horns, top and bottom, are
similar to those now used.
e is the pin in the coupling a, the pin in coupling h, and is the thumb piece
for holding the pin in position.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the two couplings, in which the pin is shown con-
nected to the clapper valve.
Figure 3 is a sectional view of my improved coupling.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the pin and the thumb piece.
Figure 5 is a front view partly in section, showing the slot in the thumb piece
through which the pin works.
Figure 6 is a front view of my improved coupling showing the clapper valve in
its raised position.
Briefly, the working of my invention is as follows:—
As will be seen in Figure 3, the clapper valve is down and the pin e is projecting
beyond the facing of the coupling. Immediately the facing of the coupling his
brought in contact with the coupling a the facing forces the pin e inwards, thereby
raising the clapper valve, and as the pin is being forced in, the indiarubber rings k
and I are pressed together thereby excluding air before the clapper valve is finally
raised. As soon as the valve is raised and the pin e is worked to its full position the
slot e' in the pine is opposite the thumb piece and the spring m under the head of
the thumb piece forces the thumb piece upward and holds, by means of the slot el,
the pin e in its worked position. The coupling is now complete, a free aperture is
provided right through the two couplings, and should an accidental break away
take place at these couplings the thumb piece holds the valve in its open position
and the brakes are applied as is now the case in an accidental break away where the
automatic vacuum brake is provided. To uncouple, the thumb piece is pressed,
the pin is therefore freed, and the valve drops and retains the vacuum in the hind
portion of the train or in the carriages or vehicles in the rear of the coupling a.
Although a downward projection o is provided on the face of the coupling, which

page_text: has been provided for the purpose of protecting the valve, yet if desirable such
protection might be omitted.
It is advisable that the pine be prevented from falling so that in the act of
coupling it may never be allowed to project into the next coupling h, as it must
always strike the face of that coupling.
It is obvious that although my invention has been described with reference to
passenger vehicles, engines and tenders, yet I am not debarred from using it in
connection with wagons or any other vehicles employed for railway purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In hose couplings for automatic brake apparatus for railway vehicles, engines
and tenders, the provision of a valve such as d, operating that in the act of
uncoupling the hose the vacuum may be retained in the desired portion of the train,
all substantially as set forth and as illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
2. In hose couplings for automatic brake apparatus for railway vehicles, engines
or tenders, arrangements whereby the act of coupling raises the valve and when the
coupling is complete the said valve is held in that position, all substantially as set
forth and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In hose couplings for automatic brake apparatus for railway vehicles, engines
or tenders, arrangements whereby in any accidental severing of the couplings the
valve is held in its raised position allowing the brakes to be applied, substantially
as described and as illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
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JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2, Great George Street, Westminster, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
2. Great George Street, Westminster, S. W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.