IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Osborne, of Leicester, Engineer, and
William Eldred, of the same Place, Railway Contractor, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY
"
Sealed the 6th February 1855, and dated the 31st October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Osborne and
William Eldred at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 31st October 1854.
We, THOMAS OSBORNE, of Leicester, Engineer, and WILLIAM ELDRED, of the
same Place, Railway Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY
CARRIAGES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of apparatus for retarding
and stopping railway carriages, and the apparatus is so arranged as to act only
on one or on several carriages simultaneously, as may be required. For this
purpose, on one of the axles of a railway carriage (whether a passenger or
other carriage) are placed two cones, which revolve therewith, but are capable
of sliding thereon. Over these cones is placed and suspended a hollow drum,
the hollow ends of which correspond with the cones on the axle. The hollow
drum is kept suspended, so that its interior conical surfaces are at a distance
from the revolving cones, and it will be stationary and not rotate in its bear-
ings till necessary to put on the breaks. The two cones are arranged in such
manner as to slide towards each other, and thus enter and fill the interior of
the drum, and offer such a friction as to cause the drum to rotate, with the

page_text: cones, for which purpose two screws on an axis act on nuts carried by levers,
which move the two cones. The screw axis is put in motion by another screw,
acting in a screw wheel fixed on the screw axis which moves the levers. To
the outer surface of the drum are fixed two cords, and they pass round it in
opposite directions. To the other ends of these cords is fixed another cord,
which passes round the breaks, which are formed in two parts, each partly
embracing another axle of the carriage, and these parts are suspended on
hinges or joints, and kept apart by springs in such manner that they will not
come into action and bind on the axle till the drum is put in motion, and one
of the cords thereon wound up. The cord, having passed round one set of
breaks, may then pass on and be connected with any number of breaks of
other carriages by other cords passed round such other breaks; but the first-
mentioned cord may be prevented acting on more than its own break, when
desired, by a suitable stop interposed by a handle and connecting rod. In
place of the breaks acting directly on the axle, they may act on bosses or
enlargements formed on the axle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Osborne and William Eldred in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
OSBORNE, of Leicester, Engineer, and WILLIAM ELDRED, of the same Place,
Railway Contractor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the cighteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Thomas Osborne and William Eldred, Her special licence
that we, the said Thomas Osborne and William Eldred, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Osborne
and William Eldred, our 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, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RETARDING AND STOPPING RAILWAY CARRIAGES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Osborne and

page_text: William Eldred, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascer
tain 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 I, the said William Eldred, on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas Osborne, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is
to say:
This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of apparatus for retarding
and stopping railway carriages, and the apparatus is so arranged as to act
only on one or on several carriages simultaneously, as may be required. For
this purpose, on one of the axles of a railway carriage (whether a passenger or
other carriage) are placed two cones, which revolve therewith, but are capable
of sliding thereon. Over these cones is placed and suspended a hollow drum,
the hollow ends of which correspond with the cones on the axle. The hollow
drum is kept suspended, so that its interior conical surfaces are at a distance from
the revolving cones, and it will be stationary and not rotate in its bearings till
necessary to put on the breaks. The two cones are arranged in such manner
as to slide towards each other, and thus enter and fill the interior of the drum,
and offer such a friction as to cause the drum to rotate with the cones, for
which purpose two screws on an axis act on nuts carried by levers, which move
the two cones. The screw axis is put in motion by another screw, acting in a
screw wheel fixed on the screw axis, which moves the levers. To the outer
surface of the drum are fixed two cords, and they pass round it in opposite
directions. To the other ends of these cords is fixed another cord,..which passes
round the breaks, which are formed in two parts, each partly embracing another
axle of the carriage, and these parts are suspended on binges or joints, and
kept apart by springs in such manner that they will not come into action and
bind on the axle till the drum is put in motion, and one of the cords thereon
wound up. The cord, having passed round one set of breaks, may then pass
on and be connected with any number of breaks of other carriages by other
cords passed round such other breaks; but the first-mentioned cord may be
prevented acting on more than its own break, when desired, by a suitable
stop interposed by a handle and connecting rod. In place of the breaks
acting directly on the axle, they may act on bosses or enlargements formed
on the axle.

page_text: .
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a back view, Figure 2 a plan, and Figures 3 and 4 show
two side views, partly in section, of apparatus constructed according to our
Invention. Figure 5 shows a section, on a larger scale, of the drum and cones.
In each of these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts. a is the axle
of a railway carriage; b, b, are two cones, capable of sliding along, but not of
rotating on or separate from the axle a. Over these cones is a hollow drum c,
which is suspended by the stays d, d, as shown, in such manner that the axle a
may rotate freely without coming in contact with the interior of the drum.
The cones b, b, are caused to move towards or from each other on the axle a,
by means of left and right handed screws e, e, on the shaft f, which shaft f
receives motion from the upright axis g, put in motion by a guard or person
travelling in the carriage, such axis 9 giving motion by a screw to a screw
wheel fixed on the axis f, as is shewn. h is a cord, fixed to the drum c, as
shewn, so that when the drum c is put in motion by the cones b, b, the cord
will be wound up on the drum, and by so being wound up it is to put on the
breaks in any convenient manner; but we prefer to employ the arrangement
shewn at Figure 4, where the cord is conducted over a pulley i, and thence
under a pulley j, carried by the lever of the breaks, and it passes over another
pulley at i, and from thence in a similar manner is conducted to, and acts on,
the levers of other breaks.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to
any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do we confine ourselves to the
precise details; but what we claim is, the combined apparatus herein described
for retarding and stopping railway carriages.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Eldred, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM ELDRED. (L.s.)
Witness,
HENRY WILLIAM CARPMAEL.