IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
BREAKS." A communication from abroad by Eugène Etienne Bertho-
mieux, Jean Massieu, and Louis Duverdier, all of 33, Boulevart Saint
Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 20th February 1866, and dated the 18th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th September 1865.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY BREAKS," communicated to me from- abroad by Eugène Etienne
Berthomieux, Jean Massieu, and Louis Duverdier, all of 33, Boulevart Saint
Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is an improved arrangement whereby the breaks
of all the carriages of a train may be worked by one attendant. According
to this arrangement a roller or stud or head, on a bar, lever, or piece actuated
by a chain or cord or like agent, is so fitted as to engage in an angle piece on
a weight carried by a lever or arm connected with the breaks or friction pieces
to be applied against the wheels.. When the roller engages in the angle piece
it holds up the weight, and keeps the breaks off the wheels. When the breaks

page_text: are to be put on, the chain or cord is worked, and the roller is depressed, so
that it moves out of the angle piece, and thereby releases the weight, and
allows it to descend. The weight in its descent works the connections of the
breaks or friction surface, and applies them against the wheels. The weight
of each carriage is connected with the chain or cord of the next, the first
weight of the series being worked by a lever or handle, so that when this
weight is depressed all the weights will be depressed, and all the breaks of the
train will be thus applied by one 'attendant, and all almost simultaneously.
The weights may be held in their depressed position by a rack 'and catch, or
like contrivance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent. Office on the
17th March 1866.
A
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS: SHALL COME; I, MICHAEL
HENRY, formerly of 84, Fleet Street, and now of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of
London; Patent Agent, send-greeting...
WHEREAS .Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by: Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Henry, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Michael
Henry, my executors,' adininistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might, make, use, exercise, and
vend,, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel:
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS,"
communicated, to me from abroad. by Eugène, Etienne Berthomieux, Jean
Massieu, and Louis Duverdier, all of 33, Boulevart, Saint Martin, Paris,
France, upon the condition (amongst others); that I, the said Michael Henry,
my.executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
for one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner stlie same was to be:per-
>formed, and cause' the same to be filed, in the Great Séal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately, after the date of the said Letters
Patent

page_text: NOW KNOW: YE, that I, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, as communicated to me, reference, being had to the accompanying,
Drawings, and to the letters and figurés marked thereon, that is to say:
The object of this Invention is an improved arrangement whereby the breaks,
of all the carriages of a train may be worked by one attendant. According to
this
arrangement a roller on a bar, lever, or equivalent piece, actuated.by. a
chain, cord, or like agent; is so fitted as to be capable of engaging in an angle
piece on a weight carried by a lever or arm connected with the break blocks
or friction pieces to be applied against the wheels. When the roller engages
in the angle-piece it holds up the weight, and keeps the break blocks or
friction surfaces off the wheels. When the breaks are to be applied the chain,
cord, or like agent is worked, and the roller is thereby depressed, so that it
moves out of the angle piece, and thus releases the weight, and allows it to
descend. The weight in its descent works the break blocks or friction pieces
of the breaks, and applies them against 'the wheels.. The weight of each
carriage is. connected with the chain or cord of the break apparatus of the.
next, one weight of the series (that is to say, the weight of the break appa-
ratus of one carriage of the train) being worked by a lever or handle, so that
when this weight is depressed,, all the other similarly acting weights through-
out the train will be depressed. Thus all the breaks of the train will be
applied by one attendant, and all almost simultaneously. The weights are
beld in their depressed position by racks and catches, or like contrivance.
:
I now proceed with reference to the Drawings more particularly to describe
in what manner the Invention may be carried into effect.
Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations' of the improved break apparatus, shewn
as fitted to a railway carriage. In Figure 1 the breaks are represented. as
not in action; in Figure 2. the break apparatus is represented in action;
Figure 3 is.a plan; and Fig. 4, back end; view.
O is a chain, to which is attached a bar L, carrying at one end. a friction
roller V. This roller is capable of engaging, in an angle piece X formed on
or fixed to a weight A, connected with a lever. working on a pin f, supported
inn bracket fixed to the carriage. On the weight A is a rack B, into the teeth
of which a catch C is capable of engaging. The lever F is connected with
and actuates the ordinary break, shaft E, to which are attached by the ordinary
rods G, H, the, ordinary. break blocks or friction pieces s, that is to say, the
parts of the break. apparatus which come in immediate frictional contact
with the wheels in order to retard or stop them. These break blocks or friction

page_text: pieces s may be of any ordinary form or construction. Ox is á chain, fastened
at one end. to the weight A, and connected at the other end with the chain O.
of the next carriage, that is 'to say, with the chain O attached to the bar L;
carrying the roller V in the break apparatus of the next carriage; thus the
chain Ox of each carriage is connected with the chain O of the next, and so
connected together as
on throughout the train. The chains O, Ox, are
described when the carriages are to be made up into or to form a train'; D is
When the breaks
a crank arın for connecting the lever F with the shaft E.
are not in action the bar L, as in Figure 1, keeps the roller V engaged in the
angle piece X, thereby keeping the weight A raised, and the break blocks off
the wheels or out of action, and the chains O, O*; being connected as described,
all the weights-A will be kept-raised-by-their-respective-rollers-V-
I now proceed to describe how the breaks are put into action to retard and;
stop the train.
In one of the carriages the guard or person who works the breaks travels..
In the break apparatus of this carriage a handle G', 'Figure 4, is connected by,
chains and rod O', with the bar L: When the guard depresses the handle G¹.
lie thereby through the connections O, O', depresses the further end of the.
Bar L, and thus moves its roller V out of and clear from the angle piece X,
and the weight A being no longer held up by the roller at once descends, and
in its descent moves the shaft E and rods G, H, by means of the lever or
arm F, and thereby brings the break blocks or friction pieces s against the
wheels to retard or stop them. At the same time the catch C drops into the
teeth of the rack B, and thereby keeps the weights steady in its depressed
position, and prevents it from being jerked upward. As the weight A of
the guard's carriage drops it moves with it its chain Ox, which being con-
nected with the chain O of the next carriage moves the roller V and weight A
of that carriage in like manner, causing the weight to descend and apply the
reak blocks to the wheels; and the chain Ox of this carriage in its turn
moves the roller V and weight A of the next carriage in the same manner,
and so on throughout the train, thereby causing the breaks of all the carriages
to act almost simultaneously, and all by actuating one handle G¹. The
chains 0, 0, are hooked or coupled together like ordinary coupling
chains. The angle piece X prevents the roller V from being slipped away
from it unintentionally by the vibrations of the carriages in motion. P is the
ordinary-break-rod-used-when-the-breaks_are_to_be_worked in the ordinary
manner. p are hooks, and q are grooved pulleys or rollers, by which the
chains are guided and supported.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as constituting the said
Invention,-
First, the employment in railway breaks of a lever or arm carrying a
weight on which is an angle piece, into which angle piece a roller is made to
engage to keep the weight raised, and from which such roller is disengaged
to allow the weight to descend for the purpose set forth, substantially as
described.
Second, the general arrangement and combination of parts herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
M. A. GREEN,
68, Fleet Street.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)