Improved Means or Apparatus for Stopping or Retarding and Starting Tram-cars, Locomotives, Carriages, or other Vehicles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Stopping or Retarding and
Starting Tram-cars, Locomotives, Carriages, or other Vehicles.
We, JOHN DARLING of 64 Albert Road, Crosshill, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Engineer and ANDREW DARLING of Gartmore, in the County of
Stirling, North Britain, Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention relates to brakes for tram-cars, but it may be applied to other
forms of carriages or to locomotives and has for its object the storing of the energy
expended in stopping the tram-car or other carriage or locomotive for use in helping
to start the tram-car or other carriage or locomotive.
In one plan of carrying out this invention, we employ a spring which, by means of
the brake handle, can be connected through proper gearing with the axle of the
wheels of the car. The gearing is arranged so that the car, by the first action of the
bandle, stores sufficient power for starting. When this is done the further application
of the handle brings graduated brake power on the four wheels of the car.
When the car is to be started again the act of releasing the brake reverses the
gear and as the spring returns to its normal position it pulls the axle round in the
proper direction for starting.
The invention consists of a double rack resting in a sheath mounted on a shaft
extending the whole length of the car. This shaft is secured to the car by means of
eyes provided with teeth fixed to the bottom of the car at three or more places along
the line of the shaft. The parts of the shaft fitting into these eyes are also provided
with corresponding teeth to gear so that when the handle is turned round, the shaft
with the rack mounted on it is raised or lowered.
When the rack is in gear and runs its full length it becomes fixed by means of a
spring or catch fitting into a projection at the outside of the rack. At the front end
of the rack there is also a spring by means of which the rack is held to or becomes
fixed to the spring end of the sheath. When the rack and sheath have been extended
their full length this spring is detached allowing the rack to move forward sufficient
distance to clear the teeth of the cog in order to quiet the sound of motion.
The brake comes into gear when the rack has been extended its full length by a
further action of the handle which causes the framework of the rack to act on a
pilot or guide in such a manner as to bring the brake into action.
The handles of the brake are provided with means of disconnecting.
We may also use the weight of the car and its contents for putting on the brake
for stopping and for supplying the energy for starting. One way of doing this
would be to arrange the gearing so that when the brake is put on, the turning of the
axle lifts the body of the car. When the brake is taken off and the car allowed to
come down to its normal position, the descending weight of the car would be
utilized for starting the car.
Dated this 16th day of January 1890
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Stopping or Retarding and
Starting Tram-cars, Locomotives, Carriages or other Vehicles.
We, JOHN DARLING, of 64 Albert Road, Crosshill, in the County of Renfrew
North Britain, Engineer, and ANDREW DARLING, of Gartmore, in the County of
Stirling, North Britain, Agent, 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 brakes for tram-cars, but it may be applied to other forms
of carriages or to locomotives, and has for its object the storing of the energy.
expended in stopping the tram-car or other carriage or locomotive for use in helping
to start the tram-car, or other carriage or locomotive.
In one plan of carrying out this invention we employ a spring which by means of
the brake handle can be connected through proper gearing with the axle of the
wheels of the car. The gearing is arranged so that the car by the first action of the
handle stores sufficient power for starting. When this is done the further application
of the handle brings graduated brake power on the four wheels of the car.
When the car is to be started again the act of releasing the brake reverses the gear
and as the spring returns to its normal position it pulls the axle round in the proper
direction for starting.
The invention consists of a double rack resting in a sheath mounted on a shaft
extending the whole length of the car. This shaft is secured to the car by means of
eyes provided with teeth fixed to the bottom of the car at three or more places along
the line of the shaft. The parts of the shaft fitting into these eyes are also provided
with corresponding teeth to gear so that when the handle is turned round the shaft
with the rack mounted on it is raised or lowered.
When the rack is in gear and runs its full length it becomes fixed by means of a
spring or catch fitting into a projection at the outside of the rack. At the front
end of the rack there is also a spring by means of which the rack is held to or
becomes fixed to the spring end of the sheath. When the rack and sheath have
been extended their full length this spring is detached allowing the rack to move
forward sufficient distance to clear the teeth of the cog in order to quiet the sound of
motion.
The brake comes into gear when the rack has been extended its full length by a
further action of the handle which causes the framework of the rack to act on a
pilot or guide in such a manner as to bring the brake into action.
The handles of the brake are provided with means of disconnecting.
We may also use the weight of the car and its contents for putting on the brake
for stopping and for supplying the energy for starting. One way of doing this
would be to arrange the gearing so that when the brake is put on, the turning of the
axle lifts the body of the car. When the brake is taken off and the car allowed to
come down to its normal position, the descending weight of the car would be utilized
for starting the car.
In order that our invention may be properly understood we will now proceed to
describe the drawing hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a plan of the under side of the carriage.
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section; and
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of one end of the double rack when the spring is
extended..
a, a is a framework with double rack bb, carried on the shaft c c by the loose
collars 61, 2, and free to slide along the shaft. A spiral spring d is coiled round this
shaft and fixed at one end to the bottom of the car. The other end of the spiral
spring is connected to the framework a a. On one of the axles of the carriage there
is a spur wheel f, which works in the framework a a, and becomes engaged with one
or other of the racks by the action of the brake handle. At each end of the shaft c c,

page_text: there is a pinion g, which works in a rack h, on a bracket fixed to the bottom of the
carriage. When the brake handle is turned in one direction the shaft c c is also
turned by means of the geared wheels ii, shown at Figures 4 and 5, and the spur
wheel g, engaging in the rack h, raises the shaft cc, and brings the lower rack b, into
action with the pinion f. When the brake handle is turned in the opposite direction
the pinion f, working in the rack h, lowers the shaft c c, and brings the upper rack b,
into action with the spur wheelf. The action of the brake is as follows: Suppose
the car to be going in the direction of the arrow. When the brake is applied the
spur wheel g, working in the ratchet h, lowers the shaft and brings the spur wheel f,
into action with the upper rack and this action draws out the spiral spring d, as
shown in the drawings. When the spur wheel arrives at the end of the frame-
work a, a spring k catches in a notch 7 formed on a bracket attached to the bottom of
the car, which keeps the spiral spring d extended and the further action of the
brake handle causes a projection m of the framework of the rack to act on a lever n
which brings the brake power directly on to the wheels of the carriage. When it is
desired to use the stored up energy of the extended spiral spring to start the car
the brake handle is turned to take off the brake and by this action the spur wheel g,
acting in the rack h, raises the shaft c, and brings the spur wheel f, into action with
the lower rack b. The spring k is raised along with the shaft and becomes disengaged
from the notch by, passing out of the notch at its upper end on to the cover 12. The
spiral spring now draws the framework a back to its normal position and by this
action causes the spur-wheelf to turn round and start the car.
When the car is going in the opposite direction and the brake is applied, the
spur-wheel engages with the lower rack to draw out the spiral spring. The spring k
when the spiral spring is fully extended catches in the notch . This notch has a
cover 12, over which the spring k slides when released from the notch 1, and so does
not catch in l.
If desirable it may be arranged that the spiral spring becomes compressed instead
of becoming extended.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The apparatus for stopping and starting tram-cars or other vehicles, consisting of
a framework sliding on a shaft and containing a double rack, one or other of which
racks by means of the brake handle is brought into action with a spur wheel
attached to one of the axles of the carriage with a spiral spring as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 15th day of November 1890.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicants' Agents.