Improvements in and connected with Slip Valves for use with Railway Brakes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Slip Valves for use with
Railway Brakes.
GEORGE HENRY SMITH of No. 25 Abyssinia Road Northcote Road Battersea
Rise in the County of Surrey Railway Carriage Examiner do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention is to maintain the automatic vacuum throughout a railway train
after being slipped by the guard, by means of a slip valve.
My method for fixing this slip valve is as follows. The valve is worked by two
rods attached to a lever. When the universal couplings are connected the valves
will be in running position open and when disconnected the valves will work
automatically and take their seatings. A spring may be attached at the end of
spindle if necessary.
Dated this 10th day of November 1801
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Slip Valves for use with
Railway Brakes.
I GEORGE HENRY SMITH of No. 25 Abyssinia Road, Northcote Road, Battersea
Rise, in the County of Surrey, Railway Carriage Examiner 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 :-
-
The object of my invention is to maintain automatically the vacuum in both
portions of an automatic vacuum brake throughout a railway train after the same is
divided into two portions by slipping.
Hitherto upon railways where an automatic brake is used and it is desired to slip
a portion of a railway train the automatic brake can only be carried through the
main portion of the train leaving the portion which is to be slipped either with no
brake at all or with only a brake in the guards van worked by hand but by using
my invention the automatic vacuum brake can be connected throughout the whole.
train and until the slip occurs the engine driver can apply it throughout the train
and after the slip has taken place he and the guard in the front portion of the train
have each the power to apply it in the front part of the train and the guard in the
slipped portion has the power to apply the vacuum brake throughout such portion
by means of the main valve fitted in his brake van.
My invention consists of spindle slip valves so arranged within two double headed
castings as to remain open while such castings are connected together and to close
automatically as soon as the castings are disconnected combined with a lever
apparatus working on a bracket fixed on the upper side of one of the castings so
arranged as to connect the lugs on the upper sides of both castings and keep them
connected until the couplings of the carriages are slipped and thus prevent them
from breaking away and allowing the valves to close should the coupling of the two
carriages break accidentally the effect in such case of the valves remaining unclosed
being to apply the brakes immediately.
I proceed to describe my said spindle slip valves and lever apparatus and the way
in which they are arranged within and on the castings by reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1, is a sectional elevation of the two double headed castings (as connected

page_text: between two carriages in a railway train) with the spindle valves arranged within
the castings and the lever apparatus on the upper side of the castings. These
castings are made preferably of malleable iron and are respectively fitted to two
ends of the flexible connections of an automatic vacuum brake and connected
together by lugs in the usual manner when a train is running and further connected
by the before mentioned lever apparatus.
Fig. 2, is a plan of the upper side of the two castings connected as before
mentioned and Fig. 3 is an end view of the outer joint of each casting and Fig. 4 is
an end view of the middle joint of each casting and Fig. 5 is a view of the castings
fastened to the ends of the two ordinary flexible connections of an automatic
vacuum brake and connected together by lugs and the lever apparatus on a running
train. One of the castings on this figure is not double headed being a casting
permanently fixed to the flexible connection of an ordinary automatic vacuum slip
brake van.
Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the single headed casting shewing the valve
closed.
My double headed castings shewn on Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are coupled on to the
universal coupling of the ordinary flexible connections of the automatic vacuum
brake between the carriages where the slip is to take place. Letter A on each of
Figs. 1 and 2 is a lever on one of the double headed castings, B is a bracket on
which the lever works, C is a slot cut across the two lugs on the upper side of the
two castings into which one end of the lever fits, D is a bolt working through a
socket D on Fig. 4 and inserted into a hole in the end of the lever and kept
in position by the spring E as shewn in Fig. 1. F is a spring fitted underneath the
lever so as to raise the end resting in the slot C as soon as the bolt D is withdrawn
from the end of the lever. The bolt D is connected with the guard's van by a cord
as shewn on Fig. 5. When it is desired to disconnect the two castings the bolt D
is withdrawn through the socket out of the lever by means of the cord and releases
the end of the lever which is raised out of the slot C by the spring F and nothing
remains to prevent the two castings parting as soon as the couplings are slipped.
G and G are valves with rubber washers marked H and H respectively fixed on
spindles marked I and I working through cross bars marked respectively J and J
on Fig. 3 and attached to valve seatings marked K and K on Fig. 3. L and L on
Fig. 1 are forks respectively fixed on the upper sides of the interior of the two
castings on which jointed levers marked M and M respectively work. The rods of
the spindles I and I are respectively connected with one end of the jointed
levers M and M and the other ends of the jointed levers are respectively connected
with shouldered rods N and N. These rods N and N pass through bearing holes
pierced on the upper side of the face of each casting and marked N¹ on Fig. 4.
O and O are respectively springs on the spindles I and I fixed so as to assist the
valves in taking their seatings immediately the castings are disconnected. The
bearing holes Ni for rods N and N should be pierced left and right side of centre in
the castings so that the ends of the rods may not meet when the castings are
connected but each rod should press against the face of the casting opposite.
My said invention is worked as follows:-
Two castings fitted with valves springs rods and levers as described are respec-
tively coupled by lugs in the usual manner to the two ends of the flexible connections
of an automatic vacuum brake at the point where it is desired to slip a portion of a
train or divide it into two portions and the two castings are connected as before
described. While the two castings are in contact each of the rods N and N are
pressed back by the face of the opposite casting so as to hold back the jointed
levers M and M and thereby respectively prevent the spindle valves from taking
their respective seatings. At the time when it is desired to divide the train the
guard in charge will pull the cord attached to the bolt D and thereby release the
lever A then as soon as he has disconnected the couplings and the train begins to
divide the flexible connections rise and the two castings commence parting and as
soon as the two castings commence to part and before the actual separation takes

page_text: place the rods N and N are respectively allowed to project from the face of each
casting and thereby the valve in each casting is released and closes automatically
and thus the vacuum in each portion of the train is maintained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is―
1. Removeable double headed castings fitted with spindle valves combined with
a lever apparatus as above described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
which can be coupled to the flexible connections of automatic vacuum brakes and
connected together between railway vehicles which it is desired to slip and
operating so as to preserve the vacuum in the brakes throughout the whole train
before the slip takes place and in both portions of the train after the same are
intentionally divided by slipping and yet destroying the vacuum and applying the
brakes automatically in both portions of the train in case the same should be
divided accidentally.
Dated this Oth do of August 1892