IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES, & IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Godley Creamer, of New York, United
States of America, & of Woburn Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES,
& IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME."
Sealed the 28th February 1862, and dated the 20th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Godley Creamer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th September 1861.
I, WILLIAM GODLEY CREAMER, of New York, United States of America, &
of Woburn Place, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES, & IN
APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My improvements in railway brake apparatus relates, first, to an arrange-
ment of the brake apparatus, in which the brake blocks or friction surfaces
applied to four wheels of a carriage act in combination, they being applied in
pairs, the one pair to the fore wheels, and the other pair to the hind wheels of
a carriage, each pair being connected by a suitable bar affixed thereto. I
exert the pressure on these brakes by a lever which acts equally & simul-
taneously on both pairs of brakes, in which the fulcrum or point of resistance

page_text: of the one pair is opposed to and constitutes the point of resistance the one to
the other; the lever has an independent support to carry its weight merely, and
which does not in any way control or assist its action on the brakes. The
power is applied to the lever before mentioned either by apparatus of my
Invention herein-after mentioned, or it may be by any other power. Springs
are applied to the brakes to separate them from the wheels when the lever is
released. This arrangement of brakes requires less power to render them
effective than ordinary brakes.
The second part relates to the apparatus of a reserve power to railway
brakes produced by a spring composed of an alloy of metals consisting of
about 50 parts of zinc, 30 parts of copper, 5 parts of tin, and 15 parts of
antimony; this combination of metals is melted together, and rolled cold to a
suitable form for the spring required. This spring is coiled up in a box &
placed in connection with the shaft on which the chain or medium for applying
the brakes is wound by means of a jointed pawl. This pawl and its accom-
panying ratchet I dispose at or near the roof of the carriage, & apply to the
pawl a hand lever, whereby it can be readily thrown out of gear with the
ratchet when it is desired to release the brakes. The joint in the pawl is
disposed between its point and its abutment pivot or fulcrum, and is some-
what like a rule joint, which will transmit a thrust and remain rigid in its
extended position, but when deflected by movement on its joint it folds up;
this is effected by the hand lever applied to its fulcrum end, which effectually
frees it from its ratchet, & therefore disconnects the spring box from the brake
operating shaft. The spring is subsequently wound up and placed in tension
while the attendant is at leisure. One of such spring reserve
brake powers
applied to each carriage, the chain which it winds up and acts on being
attached to the brake lever first mentioned, & these reserve powers being
disposed at the top of the carriage, an attendant can readily disconnect the
whole number in a train in passing along the roof of the carriages.
is
The last part of my Invention relates to an arrangement of parts by which
I place the guard at the rear and the engine driver in front of the train in
communication with the several reserve brake powers of the train. This I
effect by means of a rope carried throughout the train, which rope also serves
as a means of signalling between the guard and driver. To this rope I
attach the detent pawls of the springs constituting the reserve brake powers by
means of short cords carried over pullies placed in the line of the signal rope;
these cords are carried a short distance from the pulley in the direction of the
engine driver, and attached to the rope; the other ends of the cords pass

page_text: downwards from the pulley, & are connected with the detent pawls. It will
be seen that the signal rope is free to signal from the guard to the driver
without producing any effect on the reserve powers, the cords being simply
slackened by pulling the rope a little; while, on the other hand, when the
signal rope is pulled by the driver, he detaches the whole of the reserve power
brakes, if desired. In case of an emergency, and it becomes necessary for the
guard to apply the brakes, he pulls the signal rope hard, and so as to detach
it from the signal apparatus at the driver, it being connected by a split metal
loop for that purpose, by which action he signals the driver, and at same time
pulls in sufficient slack to reverse the position of the brake detent cords, and
so pulling on them releases the reserve power brakes; pullies are disposed,
over which these cords turn in a direction towards the rear of a train for this
purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Godley Creamer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GODLEY CREAMER, of New York, United States of America, and of Woburn
Place, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of IIer reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Godley Creamer, Her special licence that I, the said William Godley
Creamer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Godley Creamer, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY BRAKES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Godley Creamer, 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

page_text: 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 Godley Creamer, 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to the application of a reserve power to railway
brakes produced by a spring composed of an alloy of metals, consisting of about
fifty parts of zinc, thirty parts of copper, five parts of tin, and fifteen parts of
antimony; this combination of metals is melted together and rolled into a
suitable form for the spring required. This spring is coiled up in a box placed
in connection with the shaft, on which the chain or medium for applying the
brakes is wound by means of a pointed pawl. This pawl and its accompanying
ratchet I dispose at or near the roof of the carriage, and apply to the pawl a
Land lever, whereby it can be readily thrown out of gear with the ratchet
when it is desired to release the brakes. The joint in the pawl is disposed
between its point, and its abutment pivot or fulcrum, and is somewhat like a
rule joint, which will transmit a thrust and remain rigid in its extended posi-
tion, but when deflected by movement on its joint it folds up; this is effected
by the hand lever applied to its fulcrum end, which effectually forces it from
the ratchet, and therefore disconnects the spring box from the brake operating
shaft. The spring is subsequently wound up and placed in tension while the
attendant is at leisure. One of such spring reserve brake powers is applied to
each carriage, the chain which it winds up and acts on being attached to a
brake lever, as herein-after described, and these reserve powers being disposed
at the top of the carriage, an attendant can readily disconnect the whole
number in a train in passing along the roofs of the carriages.
My Invention also relates to an arrangement of parts by which I place the
guard at the rear and the engine driver in front of the train, in communication
with the several reserve brake powers of the train. This I effect by means of
a rope carried throughout the train, which rope also serves as a signal between
the guard and driver. To this rope I attach the detent pawls of the springs
constituting the reserve brake powers by means of short cords carried over
pullies placed in the line of the signal rope; these cords are carried a short
distance from the pulley in the direction of the engine driver and attached to
the rope; the other ends of the cords pass downwards from the pulley, and are

page_text: the tripping lever o bears, by a small pulley on its short arm; at the extremity
of the tripping lever o is attached a ring and cord connecting with the main
signal rope p, p, supposing the train running in the direction of the arrow,
if in the opposite direction the branch liner connects the main line at s. The
working of the machine will be as follows:-The pawl m was turned out from
the teeth 1, 1; the pawls h, h, and k are in position. The brakesman takes
hold of the hand wheel and turns it in the direction of the arrow, and when
ho has turned it sufficiently to wind the spring up tight he places the pawl m
in position. The branch line being connected to the main line and to the
tripping lever, as shown by the Drawing, it is ready for action. In case the
guard at the rear of the train requires to signal the engine driver, he pulls the
main горе;
this does not necessarily apply the brakes, it simply makes slack in
the branch lines. It should be here remarked that the connection of the main
line with the engine bell is made in such way that a violent pull disconnects it
from the engine whistle or bell, and the several branch lines are then pulled
backward, instantly enabling the guard to apply all the brakes. In case the
engine driver wishes to apply the brakes he pulls the main rope at his hand,
which pulls the branch line and tripping lever o, which disengages the pawl k,
allowing the pressure of the spring to double it up, as shown by the red lines.
The drum then runs down, carrying with it the brakes of the carriage to which
the mechanism is attached. The drum in running down by its momentum
goes beyond the power of the spring, when the pawl catches it at the point of
reaction, thus holding the brakes against the wheel. When the brakes are to
be released, the brakesman lifts the handle of the top pawl h, h, and the brakes
are loosed. The brakes may be applied by hand in the usual way by the band
wheel, without using the mechanism, when required.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the combination of metals, herein-before described, in the manu-
facture of springs to be used for reserve power brakes, as herein-beforo
described.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement of connecting the brakes with the signal
rope, as herein-before described, by means of which it may be used as a means
of applying the brakes without interfering with its purposes as a signal rope.
Thirdly, the combination of the jointed pawl at the side of the spring drum
working substantially as and for the purpose described and shown in the
Drawings.
Fourthly, the application of a similarly constructed pawl h, i, Fig. 2, on

page_text: the top of spring drum, which facilitates the release of the brakes by the
brakesman.
Fifthly, the combination of the ratchet teeth under side the spring drum
with the pawl M for retaining the power exerted by the momentum.
Sixthly, the attachment of the reserved power to the brakes of railway
carriages, enabling the engineer or other person to apply the brakes of the
train simultaneously without interfering with their ordinary uses.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Godley Creamer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. G. CREAMER. (L.S.)