Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by BENTON CHARLES ROWELL, of Boston, in the County
of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic.]
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of Wm. Brookes & Son of 55 & 56
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of devices for auto-
matically operating railway car brakes where steam, air, vacuum or other power
than hand power is employed, and consists in connecting the steam or air valve by
which the brake is operated with a lever attached to the frame of the locomotive or
car, which lever is placed low enough to conveniently come into contact with an
inclined plane or cani-surface, located at the side of one of the rails of the track, when
the train passes. The plate or bar having this cam-surface is pivoted at one end to a
cross-tie and near its other end to a rod connecting it with a crank attached to a
railroad signal-target or switch.
The object of my improvements is to automatically open the valve which causes
pressure to be applied to the brakes, without the necessity of relying upon the
engineer, when a target is set to indicate danger either from an open switch or other
Cause

page_text: My improvements will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein I have shown them attached to
the pilot of a locomotive engine, as being one of the most convenient locations in the
present manner of using the air or steam brake; but they may be attached to any
other convenient part of the locomotive or to a car. Figure 1, is a side elevation of a
portion of a locomotive truck and the pilot having my improvements, attached to the
frame of the pilot and to the cross ties of the track.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the bar containing the inclined plane or cam-surface
pivoted to a cross-tic, at the side of one of the rails, and a signal target by which it is
operated.
Figure 3 is a rear view of my improvements in the position shewn in Figure 1, but
looking towards the front of the locomotive.
In the several figures, corresponding parts are indicated by the same letters.
B, is the frame of the pilot; C the cross-ties; D the rail; E is the bar or plate
having the cam-surface e, and pivoted to a cross-tie at ; G is the steam or air valve
fastened to an upright portion of the frame of the pilot and connected with the air or
steam pipe i is a slotted handle or lever attached to the valve G, and by means of
a pink, fastened to the end of the bar or lever L, and projecting into this slot the end
of the handle i, is caused to move in the are of a circle when the lever L, is moved up
or down, in guides m, fastened to the upright frame of the pilot. Near the end of the
plate E opposite to that of the pivot, a rod n is pivoted. The other end of the rod n
is connected with a crank attachment to the signal target t, so that when the target is
turned to indicate danger to an approaching train, the plate E, will be moved into the
position shown in full lines in the drawings, and as the train approaches, the end of
the lever I will strike the came at its lowest point, and then be forced upward until
it arrives at the highest portion as indicated in Figures 1 and 3. In order to facilitate
the operation and decrease the wear upon the parts, I hang a friction wheel 2,
in the lower end of the lever L. When the lever L is in the position shown at
Figures 1 and 3, the valve G, is open and the pressure of the condensed air in the
chambers beneath the cars is thereby made to act upon the brakes. When the signal
is turned to indicate safety the plate E is in the position indicated in dotted lines
Figure 2. To assist in holding the bar E firmly in place when brought into the
position shown in full lines in Figure 2, I fasten a metal piece r, to one of the cross-
ties, as a stop for the bar E.
It will be readily seen that instead of having the lever I attached directly to the
handle, and slide up and down in guides, it may be pivoted to the frame of the pilot,
or of a car, and connected to the handle i, by an intermediate link, and thus when the
lower end of the lever L, comes into contact with the cam e, it will be forced backwards,
thereby throwing the upper end forward which through the said intermediate link
would cause the handle to move forward in the arc of a circle and thereby operate
the valve.
The bar E may be placed immediately opposite the signal-target and connected
directly therewith, or it may be placed at any convenient distance from the target and
connected therewith by a system of rods and bell cranks.
A portable cam-plate E, may be carried upon every train or kept at every station,
which can be constructed so as to be readily clamped to the rail by a flagman, and
thus used instead of a danger signal to stop an approaching train, upon which my
improved devices are employed.
I prefer to have my automatic devices attached to an independent valve, so that it
will be necessary for the fireman or other person to get off the train in order to close
it, after it has been operated upon by the cam-surface, but if deemed advisable my
devices may be attached to the valve ordinarily operated by the engineer for applying
the brakes.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not limit my
invention to the exact details of construction shown for the purpose of explaining the
same, but what I claim is :-
1. In combination with the valve of a power car-brake a slotted lever or handle
directly connected therewith and to a sliding-bar attached to the frame of a railway-
car or locomotive, and a cam-surface located beside the rail to force the sliding-bar
upwards and thereby operato the valve to apply the brake when the signal-target or
switch is set to indicate danger to an approaching train.
2. In combination with a railway signal target or switch a pivoted bar having a
projecting inclined surface, adapted to be moved into the proper position to act upon
a sliding bar which is attached to the locomotive or car, and through its connection
with the air valve operate the same and thereby apply the brakes when the target is
set to indicate danger to an approaching train.