IN BRAKES FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES."
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alfred Haughton at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th March 1881.
ALFRED HAUGHTON, of Grimsby, in the County of Lincoln.
IN BRAKES FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES."
"IMPROVEMENTS
The object of this Invention, which relates to improvements in brakes for
railway vehicles, is to provide an efficient and inexpensive means of retarding or
stopping railway trains, and which [shall be instantaneous and automatic in its
action, which can be with great facility adapted to and removed from the vehicles
of a train, and which shall meet the other necessary requirements appertaining to
this class of mechanism.
The principle upon which this Invention is founded is that the actuation of the
brakes will be effected by the concussion or running together of the vehicles
composing a train, so that any retarding influence brought to bear upon the front
vehicles of a train, by reversing the engine, or otherwise, or upon the rear vehicles
of a train running back or stationary upon an incline by a brake immediately
under the control of the guard, and in either case causing the carriages to run
together, will cause the brakes to be applied in proportionate force to the
momentum with which the carriages come in contact, and thus the brake
mechanism is automatically and instantly set in action, and will cause the train to
be brought to a speedy standstill.
The above mentioned concussion or running together of the vehicles of a train
(arising from whatever cause), I cause to be effective in effecting the actuation of
the brakes through the instrumentality of the spring buffers of such vehicles.
In carrying my Invention into effect, according to one modification, in lieu of
using the usual depending brake blocks which have a side action upon the wheels,
that is, a tendency to force the pair of wheels on one side together, I attach by
suitable means to the underside of the framing of the vehicle. for each wheel a
separate brake strap, in such a position as that when in action its tendency will
be to bear the wheel downwards and between itself and the rail. By this means
the wheel will, be more effectually held, and I am enabled to obtain a greater arc
of holding power. To the free end of the strap I connect a rod, the other end of
which encircles the buffer rod between its case and the buffer head. According to
another modification I make the connecting rod in two parts, which I connect by

page_text: -
means of a box nut; this modification will allow of a facility for adjustment not
present in the connection firstly described, and which is originally set to an average
adjustment.
I do not however limit myself to the use of the said brake-strap, though I prefer
it to the use of the ordinary depending brake blocks, to which latter I can adapt
my improved means of actuating or applying the brakes.
I prefer to form my improved brake strap of steel, though it may be made with
a lining of wood if required.
The use of the box screw or its equivalent, as herein before mentioned, will be
of great service in facilitating the setting or adjustment of the brakes at any time,
as by thus lengthening or shortening the joint the brakes can be brought into
action either when the buffers are partly closed or only when they are dead home.
In order to allow of a train being backed, the carriage or vehicle next the
tender should always have its brakes out of action, the connecting rods being
sufficiently shortened by means of the box screws.
.
In stopping trains, the rear guard should put on his brake immediately the
train is at a stand, so as to prevent any undue expansion of the buffers when the
brakes happen to be on.
If the rear guard does not apply his brake each of the vehicle brakes will be
released by the expansion of the buffer springs.
In such vehicles as are fitted with "dead" buffers, I cause the above mentioned
concussion or running together of the vehicles to be effective in effecting the
actuation of the brakes by so fitting or suspending the said connecting rods, as that
the end ones of adjacent vehicles shall come in contact with each other, and so
cause the application to the wheels of the brake straps or brake-blocks just before
the dead buffers themselves come in contact.