April 30, 1853
1 min read
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A brake of the above mentioned kind has been intented by John T. Denniston, of Ly ons, N. Y., who has taken measures to secure a patent. This brake is self-acting and the engineer by reversing the engine, and thereby retarding the velocity of the train, causes the brakes of each car to act upon the wheels in dependently of the attention of the brakes man. It consists in having two sets of springs to each buffer rod, and so arranged that one set acts upon the buffer rods when they are drawn out from the cars (as when the train is going at a high speed), whilst the other set acts upon the buffer rods when they are forced linwards (as when the speed is relaxed). The buffer rods are connected to brake levers which cause the shoes to bear upon the wheels when the buffer rods are forced inwards. At it is occasionally necessary to back the trairi, a simple device enables the engineer to opei-rate all the brakes, so that toe above arrange* ment offers no impediment to the backing.
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