US157697A - Improvement in car-brakes - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J ONAH SADLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOE OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO THOMAS P. STEPHENSON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,697, dated December 15, 1874; application filed September 14, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ONAH SADLER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Device for Operating Oar-Brakes; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and clear description thereof, which will enable others to use my improved brake-connections.

This invention consists in the application of a crank, having a sliding rateheted sleeve, to the brake-rod, so arranged as to automatically engage the brake-rod when the crank is operated in the direction required to apply the brake, and a clutch, operated by a lever and treadle, is used to disengage the aforesaid ratcheted crank from the brake-rod when the brake is to be released.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure I is a plan of a car-platform provided with the improved brake device. Fig. II is a front elevation of the same.

The brake-rod A is connected with the carplatform B in the usual manner, and the lower end of the said rod is to have the brake-chain wound upon it for tightening the brakes, as in the ordinary method of tightening brakechains. Near the top end of the brake-rod A, and concentric with it, is a ratchet, a, and on the said rod, higher up, is an annular sleeve, 0, fitted to slide up and down on the said brake-rod, and a ratchet, 0, formed on the lower end of the said sleeve is arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet a when the sliding sleeve is thrown down. A crank, G, projecting from the side of the sleeve 0 at or near its top end, is used to turn the rod A and'set up the brake in the usual manner. A brakewheel might of course be used in lieu of the crank; but I prefer the crank, or at least a crank-pin if a wheel is used, for, by the ratcheted connection between the crank and the brake-rod, the operator can always apply the crank in the position to secure the greatest leverage. For the purpose of disengaging the ratchet c from the ratchet a, and thereby-releasing the brake instantly, I employ a lever, D, arranged to engage the sleeve 0 and slide it up on the brake-rod. The lever D is fulcrumed to the post d, which rests on the railing of the car-platform, and is connected, by means of the link E, with a treadle-lever, F, which lastnarned lever is fulcrumed to the ear-platform. When the operator places his foot on the rest f and presses down, the link E and its connecting-levers are moved in the direction of the arrows, and the aforesaid rat-chets are thereby disengaged, as required. A spiral spring, 0, within the sleeve is arranged to occupy an annular chamber concentric with the rod A and sleeve 0, and hold the ratchet 0 down upon the ratchet a, except when thrown up by the action of the treadle-lever F, as above described. A retaining-ratchet, G, on the lower part of the brake'rod just above the car-platform, is engaged by the spring-pawl H, so as to hold the brake firmly set in the usual manner. The pawl H is released from its ratchet simultaneously with the release of the clutch a c by the action of the same lever F which has a lug, f, arranged to press against the lever F and disengage it as the said lever F is pressed down.

The brake-operatin g device herein described is especially adapted to use on street-cars; yet it may be readily applied to steam-cars as well.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The device for operating a car-brake, consisting of the ratchet brake-rod A a and ratchet-sleeve O 0, combined to operate as set forth. 2. The unshipping device, consisting of the parts D E F G H, combined to operate as set forth.

J ON AH SADLER. Witnesses:

FRANKLIN BARRITT, ANToN O. ORONDAL.

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