CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, AND IN THE MODES OF CONNECTING AND RETARDING RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABRAHAM
CONEN, of Islington, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of November now last
past, did give and grant unto me, the said Abraham Cohen, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Abraham
Cohen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said Abraham Cohen, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
CARRIAGES, AND IN THE MODES OF CONNECTING AND RETARDING RAILWAY TRAINS;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the
said Abraham Cohen, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto bad, will more fully appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Abraham Cohen, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention of "Certain
Improvements in the Construction of Railway Carriages, and in the Mode of
Connecting and Retarding Railway Trains," and the manner in which the said
Invention is to be performed, is described and ascertained as herein-after
mentioned or expressed, and also by means of two several Sheets of Drawings
hereunto annexed, in all of which said Drawings and Figures similar parts are
marked with similar letters.
My Invention consists of four parts,-
First, of certain improvements in the construction of that part of a railway
carriage called the wheel and axle, in which I make one of the wheels to move
freely upon the axle, and the other to be fixed in the usual manner on the
other end of the same axle, such axle being mounted in what are usually
termed outside bearings.
Second, my Invention consists of apparatus for steadying the connexion of
one railway carriage to another.
Thirdly, in the connecting of the several carriages forming a railway train
by conical connecting pieces, as is herein-after described.
Fourth and last, the modes of retarding or breaking the speed of or stopping
railway trains by employing the momentum of any or all of the carriages com-
prised in such railway trains in retarding or stopping the same.
I shall firstly describe the fourth part of my said Invention, as follows (that
is to say):-
Figures 1, 2, and 3 (in the Sheet of Drawings No. 1) represent different views
of machinery for carrying into effect one of the modes of retarding, breaking
the speed of, or stopping railway trains, by the fourth part of my said Invention.
Figures 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, in the same
Drawing, represent different parts of such machinery. Figure 1 is an upper
plan or bird's-eye view; Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof; and Figure 3, an
under plan. A, B, C, D, Figures 1 and S, are four carriage wheels supporting
the carriage frame E, E, Figures 1, 2, and 3. These wheels and frame are made
in the usual way, or in any other fit and proper manner. Under each side of
the carriage frame are placed a pair of metal plates F, F, G, G, Figures 1 and 3
(the outside plate on one side of the carriage being shown at F, F, in the side
elevation, Figure 2). These plates are attached to the bearings or chairs of the
axle of the wheels A, B, C, D, by bolts or other proper fastenings, shewn at I, I,
in Figures 1 and 2.. Each plate F, F, is firmly bolted to its respective plate G, G,
sufficient space being allowed between them to free the bearing or chair guides
K, K, Figures 2 and 3, and allow them to pass up and down during the up and

page_text: down motion of the springs.
Figures 4, 5,
Each pair of plates is connected with the corre-
sponding plates on the opposite side by means of proper ties, bars, or rods, one of
which is shewn at L, L, Figure 3, and the bolted ends of two such rods at L, L,
Figure 2. Each pair of wheels A, B, and C, D, has a brake frame M, M, and
N, N, Figures 1 and 3. Each of these frames is composed of two plates, the
one working above, and the other beneath the plates F, F, and G, G, as shewn
at M, M, and N, N, Figure 2. Between the plates composing the frames
M, M, and N, N, are bolted the wooden brake pieces O, O, and O, O. Near
each extremity of the brake frames M, M, and N, N, is fitted a sliding piece,
as shewn at P, P, P, P, Figures 1 and 3, shewn separately at
and 6). Figure 4. P is a side view of one of the sliding pieces. Q.Q, are two
slits which admit of the piece P sliding upon the plates F, F, and G, G,
Figures 1 and 3. Figure 5 is a top or under view of a sliding piece P, the
dotted lines in this Figure representing a portion of the plates F, F, G, G.
The steadying rod R is attached firmly to the picce P (Figures 5 and 6).
There are four of the steadying rods, as shewn at R, R, R, R, Figure 3,
which serve to preserve the parallelism of the brake frames M, M, and N, N.
The sliding pieces P, P, P, P, slide upon the plates F, F, and G, G, carrying
with them the brake frames M, M, and N, N, to which they are attached.
Figure 6 is a side view of the sliding piece P, with the steadying rod R. This
steadying rod works in a guide piece which is firmly bolted between the
frame plates F, F, and G, G, which it likewise serves to strengthen. These
guide pieces are shown in sitû at S, S, S, S, in Figure 3. Between each of the
sliding pieces P, P, P, P, and the guide pieces S, S, S, S, is placed a spiral spring
supported by the steadying rods R, R, R, R, the use of which will be herein-
after explained. T, T, T, T, Figures 1 and 3, are four stop pieces (shewn in
Figures 1 and 3, firmly bolted to the plates F, F, and G, G,
with centres above and beneath the last-mentioned plates.
these centres works one of the ends of a lever U, as shewn in
and S, and opposite thereto one end of a similar lever V works upon a like
centre above and beneath each of the sliding pieces P, P, P, P; the other
end of each of these opposite levers works upon a centre above or below
at the forked end of the bent levers W, W, W, W, Figures 1, 2, and
3, and a side view of the forked lever W is shewn at Figure 6. The
opposite ends of the bent levers W, W, W, W, have centres at Z, Z, Z, Z,
Figures 1 and 3, and work in guide boxes X, X, Figures 1 and 3. The
guide boxes X, X, fit into and slide between the upper and lower plates com-
posing the brake frames M, M, and N, N, as shewn in section. at Figure. 7.
A groove or a slit is cut on the top and bottom plate of each guide box..
and furnished
Upon each of
Figures 1, 2,

page_text: The rods pass
Into these grooves or slits fit projecting studs from the inner sides of the plates
M, M, and N, N; these studs are indicated by dotted circles at Y, Y, in
Figures 1 and 3, and shewn in section in Figure 7. At the inner end of
cach guide box X, X, are four curved arms, for the purpose of supporting and
guiding the bent levers W, W, W, W. These guide arms a, a, a, a, are seen
in their proper situation in Figures 1 and 3, and separately in Figure 8,
which last Figure is an end view of the box X. The boxes X, X, are jointed
to the connecting rods b, b, Figure 7, in the following manner. In Figure 7
at c, c, are centres into which the ends of the rods b, b, work.
through a gap or slit cut in the ends d, d, of the boxes X, X. These gaps are
made of sufficient length to allow of a small angular up and down motion of
the connecting rods b, b. The end e of each connecting rod 6 works into a
knuckle joint, as shewn at Figure 7. Over each axle of the carriage wheels
are a pair of buffer springs, shewn in Figures 1 and 3, tied together in such
a manner that they are always brought into action either by pulling or by
pushing; they are held and supported by sliding frames. Each sliding frame
is composed of two plates f, f, and g, g, firmly connected together by the
rods h, h. One of these plates f, f, is shewn separate at Figure 9, where i, i,
are two arms with holes in them, by which the buffer sliding frame is sup-
ported and slides on the long guide rods (shewn at j, j, Figures 1, 3, and 7).
k, k, Figure 9, are two holes through which the rods h, h (Figures 1 and 3),
pass and are bolted. The dotted lines at e (Figure 9), indicate the situation
of the knuckle joint on the inner side of the plate which receives the end of
the rod b. This lower and lastly described part is omitted in the opposite
plate g, g, which in every other respect is similar (except as is herein-after
mentioned). A socket m is attached to the inner side of each plate f, f, and
9, 9, as shewn in the top view of this plate in Figure 10, where the mode of
its attachment to the short rods h, h, is seen. Two buffer springs n, n,
and o, o, shewn in Figures 1 and 3, are connected together by means of
the rods p, p. Each spring has in the centre a projecting pin affixed to it, as
shewn at q, Figure 11. This pin fits into the socket m in the frame plates
f, f, and g, g, and the two springs are held in their proper positions in
the frames by their tie rods p, p, fitting into and sliding in the notches or
forked ends of the plates f, f, and g, g, as seen at Figure 9. In the centre of
each buffer slide frame f, f, g, g, and h, h, is a cross pièce, shewn in section at
r, r, Figure 7, in front view at Figure 12, and separately at Figure 13, in
which latter Figure is shewn two cylindrical pins ", ?". These pins fit into the
socket m, m (Figure 7), of each of the frame plates f, f, and g, g, and forms
a continuation of the pins q, q (Figure 7), attached to the centre of each buffer

page_text: spring. The pins 'q, q, have hollows to permit the reduced ends of the
cylindrical pins ", r, to enter into them, by which arrangement, should. an
extreme action of the springs take them out of the sockets, they may be
guided into them again. The arms s, s (Figure 13), of the cross piece have
holes, as shewn in Figure 12, and dotted in Figure 18; through which the
frame bars h, h, pass. The extremities of the arms's, s, are provided with
pivots t, t, Figures 12 and 13. The pivots t, t, work in the screws at the end
of the swinging loop piece u, u, às shewn in Figure 12. The swinging loop
piece u, u, shewn in Figures 1, 3, and 12), passes around the arms of the
cross piece (s, s, Figures 12 and 13), and is connected above and below
its centre by means of screwed centres v, v (Figures 1, 2, 7, and 12), to a
swinging fork piece w, w, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7. This swinging fork pièce.
w, w, has a strong screw formed upon it at the end, as seen as x, Figures:
1, 2, 3, and 7, the fork piece belonging to the franie towards the right hand-
in Figure 7 being in section.
pists.
.
af!
1
Upon the screw a is to be fastened a conical connecting piece y, which
forms the third part of my Invention, as herein-after mentioned or described.
In certain cases, herein-after to be mentioned, I employ a locking bar, as.
shewn at 2, 2, 2, 2, Figures .1 and 3, and partially in Figures 2 and 7. This
locking bar works in a centre 3 (Figures 1, 3, and 7). At a proper distance
on each side of the centre of this locking bar is a projecting tooth 4, 4
(Figure 1), which when in action takes hold of a projection made in the plates
9, g, of each of the buffer spring frames, as shewn at 5, Figure 16, which
is a side view of one of the frame plates g, g. At 6, 6 (Figures 1 and 3),
are two springs for keeping the teeth 4, 4, in action. The ends of the
locking bars 2, 2, 2, 2, may be so formed that it can be thrown out. of
action by a brakesman, or it may be inclined, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3,
so that, if the carriage shall run against the next carriage in advance,
the inclined end of the locking bar may be struck by a roller 8, 8 (Figures
1 and 3), placed upon the carriage in advance, by which each end of
the locking bar would be driven outwards and the teeth 4, 4, would be
liberated from the projections 5, 5, and thus permit the brake to come
into action, as herein-after is described. Figure 17 exhibits one of the
end timber bars of a carriage, to the lower part of which is bolted a-bent
piece of iron or stay 7, 7, with a roller 8 so placed as to release the locking
bar of the succeeding carriage when, from any cause, it shall come into contact
with it. The space 9 is intended to allow of the free passage of the conical
connecting pieces, and the space 10 the projection of the locking bar 2, 2,
from the carriage. The action of this mode of retarding railway trains is

page_text: as follows: In starting a railway train composed of carriages constructed
according to the plan berein-before described, the engine, being propelled
by the steam or other motive power, pulls forward the conical connecting
piece y of the first carriage, and with it the buffer slide frame f, f, g, g, h, h,
against the stops 11, 11, upon the long guide rods j, j, at the fore part of the
carriage, as is represented in the left-hand portion of the Figures 1 and 3; the
carriage is then drawn forward. The buffer apparatus belonging to the after
parts of the carriage remains stationary with respect to the railroad (as repre-
sented in the right-hand portions of the Figures 1 and 3), and will continue
so until urged forward by the stops 11, 11, on the long guide rods j, j, at the
after part of the carriage. When the buffing apparatus at the after part of
the carriage comes into a position similar to that of the buffer apparatus at
the fore part of the carriage, as represented in the left-hand portions of the
Figures 1 and 3, a like action will be communicated to each succeeding
carriage, until the whole train is in motion; the carriages will now be at their
greatest distance apart from each other. The buffer frames, in being drawn
towards the ends of the carriage, have pulled out the connecting rods b, b, with
the boxes X, X, carrying with them the ends Z, Z, of the bent levers W, W,
W, W, which again, by their forked ends, act upon the pairs of levers
indicated at U, U, U, U, V, V, V, V, drawing inwards the brake frames
M, M, and N, N, and thus keep the wheels A, B, C, D, frce of the brakes
0, 0, 0, 0, the spiral springs upon the guide rods R, R, R, R, assisting
the levers in this action. When a train is in motion, and a retarding force
is applied in advance of the carriages, as in the case of shutting off or reversing
the steam, or otherwise, the first carriage will advance upon the engine, and
the conical connecting rod y, with the sliding buffer frame belonging to
the fore part of the carriage, will recede into the position shewn at the right-
hand portion of the Drawing, Figures 1 and 3. The connecting rod 6 is
then forced inwards, and with it the box X, carrying along with it the bent
levers W, W, and thus tend to bring the levers U, U, in a line with the
levers V, V, forcing the brake frame N, N, with its brakes O, O, against the
wheels C, D, and thus retard the motion of. the wheels at the fore part of. this
carriage. The first carriage being thus retarded, a similar effect is imme-
diately communicated to the second or succeeding carriage, and the conical
connecting rods y, y, of the after part of the first carriage, and also the fore
part of the next or succeeding carriage, are pushed inward; and thus, in the
way herein-before described, the brakes at the after part of the first carriage,
and the fore part of the succeeding carriage, are forced against the wheels to
which they respectively belong, thus retarding the motion of the two carriages.

page_text: As many of the carriages of a train may be braked in this manner as may
be required by means of the machinery herein-before described, I employ
the momentum of the carriages in a railway train for the purpose of retarding,
breaking the speed of, or stopping the carriages and train; but the momentum
of the carriages may be employed for that purpose not only by means of the
particular modification of my Invention herein-before described, bu by any
other machinery, or modification of it, whereby the momentum may be em-
ployed for causing or procuring adhesion to the rails of the railway. In the
action of the mode of retarding railway trains herein-before described, the
locking bar 2, 2, is supposed either to be held back by a hook or catch, so
that the teeth 4, 4, do not come into contact with the projections 5, 5,
of the plates g, g, and g, g, or is entirely removed. In all cases where it is
desired to propel the train of carriages from behind, it is necessary that each
carriage possessing this apparatus should be provided with a locking bar, or
some similar contrivance, to prevent the running-in of the sliding buffer frames,
which without it would brake or retard the train.
The third part of my Invention consists of a mode of connecting the several
carriages forming a railway train by means of conical connecting pins, as
herein-after mentioned or described; that is to say, upon the screw a is
fastened a conical connecting piece y, Figures 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 15, Sheet
of Drawings No. 1. Each end of the carriage is furnished with one of these
conical connecting pieces, the use of which is to fasten one. carriage to
another. These pieces are so disposed that the projecting semicone at the
end of one carriage shall fit into the semiconical cavity of the connceting
piece belonging to the next carriage when they are to be bolted together,
and thus the several carriages of the train are connected to each other.
This part of my Invention may be more clearly understood by reference
to the following Figures :-Figure 1 exhibits two conical connecting pieces
3, y, and y, y, attached to each end of the carriage, and thus uniting it
with a carriage both before and after it. 2,2,,,Figure 1, are bolts
or pins passing through the hollow cone, and each projecting semicone.
Figure 2 exhibits a side view of one such connecting piece y at each end of
the carriage, and likewise shews the holes into which the bolts or pins,
enter. Figure 3 shews a pair of conical connecting pieces at one end of
the carriage, similarly attached to those in Figure 1. Figure 7 shews one
of them in section, and Figures 14 and 15 top views of them separated.
In order to adjust the distance, of the one carriage from another, to obtain the
proper action of the springs of the brake frames, I make a screwed nut 11,

page_text: (Figures 1, 8, and 7), to fit upon the screw x of the connecting fork u, by
which the conical pieces. y are firmly held in any required part of the screw a.
The first part of my Invention consists of certain improvements in the
construction of that part of a railway carriage called the wheel and axle, as
herein-after mentioned or described (that is to say); I make one of each
pair of wheels to move freely upon the axle, and the other to be fixed'in the
usual manner on the other end of the axle, such axle being mounted in
what are usually termed outside bearings, as represented in the Sheet: of
Drawings No: 2, Figure 18, in which 11, 12, 13, 14, is a railway carriage
axle, formed for mounting in outside bearings; a little within the part on
which the bearing or chair rests on the end 14 is a shoulder at 18; a
tube or axle box, with proper bearings at 16, 17, is' fitted upon that part
of the axle marked 12, 13, the parts 12 and 13 of the axle being properly
made, so that it may move freely on the bearings 16, 17, in the tube or axle
box. The wheel 15, 15, is keyed upon the axle in the usual manner of
railway carriage wheels; the wheel 18, 18, has its nave hollowed out-on
the inside so as to admit the end 17 of the tube or axle box, which is firmly
keyed within it, the shoulder at 13 being allowed sufficient space for end
shake, as shewn in the Drawing...
The second part of my Invention consists of apparatus for steadying the
connection of one railway carriage with another. In the Sheet of Drawings
No. 2, Figures 19, 20, 21, represent different views of part of a railway car-
riage frame to which is attached my apparatus for giving lateral steadyment
in the connection of two carriages 19, 19. At Figure 19 is a portion of the
end of a carriage frame, and 20, 20, a portion of another carriage frame. The..
ends of these carriages are represented connected by Mr. Booth's Patent
Drawscrews, but they may be connected in any other convenient manner. On
the end timber 19, 19, is attached a strong iron bar or rod 22, 22, shewn
in the side view, Figure 20. The end of this bar works into a strong guide
loop attached to the end timber 20, 20, at 23, at which Figure 21 shews a
front view. A similar bar to 22 is attached to the end timber 20, 20, at
24, 24, and a guide loop fitting it at 25 attached to the end timber 19. These
loops and bars are at equal distances on each side of the centre of the carriage
frames, and so arranged that the bar of one carriage shall enter the loop of
the one to be connected with it, let their ends be turned in any way. I do
not mean or intend to claim as my Invention any of the parts herein-before
described or shewn in the Drawings which are known or in use, but which
it was necessary to introduce and to describe for the full and clear under-

page_text: standing of my Invention, nor do I limit or confine myself to the particular
modifications shewn and described. But I do claim, as my Invention of
"Certain Improvements in the Construction of Railway Carriages,"
First, the peculiar method of mounting the wheels and axles on the tube
or axle box, as shewn in the Sheet of Drawings No. 2, Figure 18.
. Second, my Invention of steadying the connexion of carriages to each
other by reciprocal steadying or projecting bars attached to the end timbers
of the carriages, and whether they be in the forms shewn in Figures 19, 20,
and 21 of the Sheet of Drawings No. 2, or otherwise.
And, thirdly, I claim as my Invention the mode of connecting railway
carriages together by conical connecting pieces, as herein-before described.
And, lastly, I claim, as the said fourth and last part of my said Invention
(which is firstly herein before described), the use, employment, or application of
the momentum of railway carriages by means of brakes, or any other proper
machinery or apparatus to procure adhesion to the rails of a railway, for the
purpose of retarding or stopping a railway train of carriages, one particular
modification of this part of my said Invention having been herein-before fully
mentioned or described, for the purpose of shewing more clearly in what
manner this part of my said Invention is to be performed; but it is evident
that many varieties of the machinery and mode of applying this part of my
said Invention may be adopted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abraham Cohen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
.