Westinghouse Air Brake Company

Wabco Gmbh

Eric G Smith

Wajih Kanjo

Scott Lee Natschke

Thomas McCabe

Thomas J Demoise

Charles B Fessler

Michael Girotti

Albert A McKay

David A Porteous

Ulf Stahmer

Jeffrey D Reid

Trevor A Scott

W Thomas Digweed

Stanley J Pasek

John Cape

Chuck Crawford

An apparatus for changing a condition of a hand brake system on a railway car which has both a hand brake system and a service brake system. The change of hand brake system is made in response to one or more of a group of predetermined conditions. The apparatus has one or more sensors for detecting predetermined conditions requiring a change in the hand brake system, and for generating a signal indicating need for a change. The signal is used to trigger an electromechanical device for operating a quick release mechanism for the hand brakes.

Railway braking apparatus to effect a change in a handbrake

Apparatus for indicating the condition of hand brakes on railway cars and for applying and releasing railway car parking or hand brakes automatically in response to predetermined conditions including movement of a train, wayside conditioning apparatus, wayside operating mechanism, a signal controlled by an operator and performance of predetermined railway operating procedures, such as completion of an air brake test procedure. The apparatus may respond to mechanical, electrical and electronic signals and may operate on pneumatic or electric power provided from the service air brake system of a train or from a source of power outside of such air brake system.

Railway hand brake apparatus with visual condition indicator

An electro-pneumatic brake control system for a railroad car including application and release solenoid valves having a fail-safe configuration in which full emergency brake pressure is delivered in the event of a power loss due to a train break-in-two for example. The present invention discloses a pressure limiting valve for the purpose of limiting the maximum pressure capable of being delivered in accordance with the existing car load weight sensed by an electric load sensor at the time a bower loss is experienced.

Electro-pneumatic freight brake control system

Railway parking braking apparatus

An electro-pneumatic brake control system for a railroad car including application and release solenoid valves having a fail-safe configuration in which full emergency brake pressure is delivered in the event of a power loss due to a train break-in-two for example. The present invention discloses a pressure limiting valve for the purpose of limiting the maximum pressure capable of being delivered in accordance with the existing car load weight sensed by an electric load sensor at the time a power loss is experienced.

Railway braking apparatus

A test connector for connecting an air brake test device to access ports of an air brake control valve device where such access ports are normally closed by check valves. A plurality of actuator devices corresponding in number to the access ports are provided in the test connector to unseat the check valves and conduct test air to the test device via central passages in the actuators. The actuators are piston operated in response to a pilot pressure received from a source of compressed air remote from the connector.

Test connector for accessing compressed air at test ports of a railroad

Apparatus for indicating the condition of hand brakes on railway cars and for applying and releasing railway car parking or hand brakes automatically in response to predetermined conditions including movement of a train, wayside conditioning apparatus, wayside operating mechanism, a signal controlled by an operator and performance of predetermined railway operating procedures, such as completion of an air brake test procedure. The apparatus may respond to mechanical, electrical and electronic signals and may operate on pneumatic or electric power provided from the service air brake system of a train or from a source of power outside of such air brake system. A brake system for a railway train equipped with brakes is disclosed comprising a first device for applying such brakes to inhibit movement of the railway train, a second device operable under certain predetermined conditions to cause the first device to apply such brakes, a third device normally in a first condition but responsive to the application of such brakes by operation of such second device to assume a second condition, and a fourth device effective when the third device is in its second condition to provide an indication thereof.

A hydraulic brake actuator including a hydraulic parking brake that can be applied by mechanically locking up either a normal service brake application or a hand pump operated brake application. The lock-up mechanism includes a friction collar that surrounds the piston push rod and a hand pump actuated locking member that surrounds the friction collar. The friction collar and locking member have complementary conical surfaces that are engageable when hydraulic hand pump pressure is applied to a piston face of the locking member to wedge the friction member into pressure engagement with the piston push rod, as a means of locking up the push rod to obtain a parking brake. The locking member also includes a plurality of spring-like fingers that project axially from the periphery of the locking member and are provided with latching tabs adapted to enter a recess in the body to prevent return-movement of the locking member when the hydraulic hand pump operation is terminated. A plug member is provided to prevent the tabs from being disengaged from the recess. This provides a means for releasing the locking mechanism by either manually or hydraulically withdrawing the plug member, thereby allowing the hand brake to be released by separation of the conical surfaces of the locking member relative to the friction collar.

Hydraulic brake actuator with parking brake

A combined hydropneumatic brake cylinder/air reservoir device having a hydraulic piston formed on the end of a push rod through which interconnected, different sized, pneumatic pistons operate to transmit the desired brake force. The hydraulic piston operates in a hydraulic cylinder having a slack adjuster piston arranged to supply or reduce the hydraulic fluid in the braking circuit in order to compensate for overtravel and undertravel of the pneumatic piston assembly due to brake shoe wear and brake shoe replacement respectively. The double-acting slack adjuster action results in the stroke of the pneumatic piston assembly being maintained constant to assure continued optimum operating efficiency.

Combined hydropneumatic brake cylinder/air reservoir device with

A two-stage, hydro-pneumatic actuator suitable for use as a railway vehicle brake. The hydraulic cylinder comprises a large diameter bore in which a low- and a high-pressure piston operate jointly during a first stage of operation to effect a high volumetric displacement of hydraulic fluid via a small diameter bore in order to take up the clearance between the brake shoes and wheel. As the brake shoes contact the wheel, the high-pressure piston enters the small bore to interrupt further displacement of hydraulic fluid from the large bore. The force of the high-pressure piston alone during this second stage of operation produces the required brake forces with a high multiplication factor. Make-up fluid is drawn into a chamber on the backside of the low-pressure piston during a brake application stroke an amount corresponding to the over-travel of the high-pressure piston and is subsequently discharged into the hydraulic cylinder during retraction of the brakes to compensate for brake shoe wear. Following brake shoe replacement, a pressure relief valve back dumps excess hydraulic fluid from the large diameter bore to the reservoir when the brake shoes engage the wheels prior to the high-pressure piston entering the small diameter bore.

Hydro-pneumatic actuator with automatic slack adjuster

In a brake actuator device having a fluid pressure actuated service brake and a spring-applied, fluid pressure released auxiliary brake that cooperates with the service brake via a friction clutch mechanism, there is provided a manual release mechanism for releasing the spring-applied brake in the absence of fluid pressure. The manual release mechanism operates to relieve the tension of the actuating spring by causing the piston through which the spring operates to engage a stop formed on the casing of the brake actuator device, so that the spring is caged at its opposite ends by the casing of the brake actuator device. Extension of a retracting screw to initiate the manual release operation is automatically retracted following engagement of the spring piston with its stop to reset the manual release mechanism in readiness for a subsequent operation.

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, Canada

Eric G Smith