IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BRAKES FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK AND TRAMWAY CARS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Andrew Robinson and
William John Kendall at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd May 1875.
We, GEORGE ANDREW ROBINSON, of Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Accountant, and WILLIAM JOHN KENDALL, of Heaton Norris,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BRAKES FOR
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK AND TRAMWAY CARS," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements relate, firstly, to cases where the carriage or wagon
is provided with six wheels, and the improved arrangement between the
outer pair of wheels of one end of the carriage and the centre pair will
be the same as the arrangement between the outer pair of wheels of the
other end and the centre pair, and consists of the following:-The
buffer rods of one end of a railway carriage or wagon are continued
inside the frame up to the two ends of a strong bow spring, supported in
a suitable manner, as used at present. Nearer to the centre of the
carriage and at convenient height over the line of the buffer rods, a
horizontal shaft is placed across the carriage in suitable bearings. To the

page_text: middle of this shaft a lever is secured and connected at its upper
end by
means of a rod of sufficient strength to the centre of the bow spring
before mentioned; to the outer ends of the horizontal shaft two levers
are keyed in about horizontal position and provided on their outer ends
with links which connect the levers to the centre pins of two toggle
joints arranged at a lower point between the outer and the centre pair of
wheels; the outer ends of the toggle joints are connected to the parts to
which the brake blocks are fastened, which parts may be either
suspended hangers or sliding blooks. The arrangement is the same on
the other end of the carriage, so that each centre wheel will be acted
upon by two brake blocks, and the outer ones by one brake block each.
When the buffers are forced back, acting on the bow springs inside the
frame, the connecting rods move the levers on the cross shafts above
mentioned, and by means of the side levers and vertical links straighten
the toggle joints which force the brake blocks against the wheels.
In case the carriage is provided with four wheels only the inner links
of the toggle joints are attached to fixed studs; or by another modi-
fication the two bow springs of the two ends are connected by rods to a
two-armed lever above and below one centre cross shaft to which the
two-armed lever is keyed. Horizontal levers are keyed to the ends of
the cross shaft acting by means of links on the toggle joints placed
between the one pair of wheels on each side of the carriage.
In order that the brakes may be prevented from locking the wheels
when the buffers are pushed entirely home in shunting, we mount two
two-armed levers horizontally inside each buffer spring in such manner
that the inner short arm of each lever acts against the inside of the
spring near the centre rod, while the outer and long arm of each lever
is placed within a certain distance of the spring end of the buffer rods;
throughout a certain distance the buffers and the ends of the bow
springs can work free, but if the buffers are pushed inwards beyond
that distance the ends of the buffer rods or ends of springs come into
contact with the long arms of the levers before described, the short arms
of which levers force back the centre part of the spring to which the rod
actuating the brakes is attached, and so release the brakes.
Another modification for the purpose of preventing the brakes from
acting when in shunting the buffers are driven in too far, consists in the
employment of a two-armed horizontal lever centred in about the

page_text: middle of the carriage frame and of sufficient length to be worked by
hand from the outsides of the carriage. A link is attached on each side
of the centre of this lever; these links are connected to two bell-crank
levers, the other arms of which are attached to two stop bars placed
across, below, or above the centre rods connected with the buffer springs;
these stop parts are provided with raised parts or projections, which
when the former are drawn by the movement of the hand lever are
placed in such position as to lock the centre rods of the buffer springs,
preventing thereby the brakes from being brought into action, but
otherwise leaving the buffers at liberty to move.
The Invention may also be used for tramway cars.