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James Hardie Brakes Pty. Limited

James G Rees

William R Page

An automatic, computer controlled air brake testing system having an opening and closing means for opening and closing air passages of a railroad car brake system, a pressure measuring means for determining pressure in the car brake system, a flow measuring means for measuring the air flow rate in the brake system, and controller means for controlling the flow measuring means and the opening and closing means.

Electronic brake control valve tester for rail cars and trains

An empty and load air brake control apparatus is disclosed, which is especially adapted for use on a unitized railroad train. Such a train includes a plurality of railroad car body segments articulated together in end-to-end array, and each car body segment can be loaded with coal or other material independently of the other car body segments. A plurality of railroad car trucks are provided to support the car body segments, and are arranged so that a single truck supports two adjacent car body ends. The air brake control apparatus includes a control valve, and a plurality of brake modulator valves are each connected to the control valve by compressed air piping. Each brake actuator is associated with a single truck and a single corresponding modulator valve. The modulator valves each have a sensor for sensing whether an associated truck is supporting loaded car body segments or empty car body segments. The sensor includes a mallet having an elastomeric or resilient member disposed within a well formed in the mallet head.

Empty and load brake apparatus for unitized railroad trains

A braking system for railroad freight trains and a novel relay valve for use in the system are disclosed. The relay valve permits the brake system to be configured so that the requirement for expensive control valves is minimized. The novel relay valve is interposed between the control valve and a number of brake cylinders. Upon a signal from the control valve, the relay valve delivers brake air to the cylinders from a pre-charged reservoir or other source. The novel relay valve includes primary and secondary flow valves to cause air to be delivered to the brakes in a controlled manner. An exhaust valve arrangement in the relay valve permits the brakes to be released.

Brake system and relay valves for railroad trains

A railway brake shoe adapted to be mounted on a standard brake head and having a wheel engaging surface with portions having a plurality of radii for matching rail wheels of different diameters. The portion having the smallest radius extends along the entire wheel engaging surface such that during braking the relationship between the brake head and shoe is such that the shoe will not vibrate.

Railway brake shoe

A strainer device for railroad car air brake combined dirt collector and cut out cocks, and arranged to be applied within the swirl chamber of such cocks, and between the collector bowl, about the pedestal thereof, and the lip of the cock throat chamber, which strainer device comprises an outer shell that is open and flanged at both ends, with one end of the outer shell being disposed adjacent the throat lip, an annular seal applied between the said outer shell one end and the throat lip, an inner shell disposed within the outer shell and secured at the other end of the outer shell and adapted to receive the cock collector chamber pedestal, and a compression spring received about the pedestal within the cock collector bowl and resiliently seated against the outer shell end flange at that end of same for spring biasing the other end of the outer shell and the seal against the throat lip. The outer shell is formed from a foraminous material defining mesh openings that in total area exceed the area of the cock throat by a factor of at least thirteen, for accommodating possible extensive foreign material occlusion of the mesh openings free of reduction of air flow capacity through the combined dirt collector and cut out cock. The inner sleeve is optionally provided with a check valve arrangement to provide a stand-by path for air needed to charge and release the brakes in the event that the strainer itself becomes so occluded that it could not pass air through its mesh openings.

Strainer arrangement for combined dirt collector and cut out cocks

An empty and load air brake control apparatus for railroad freight cars, for applying full braking forces to the car wheels when the car is riding loaded, but for applying reduced braking forces to the car wheels that are at appropriate force levels when the car rides empty, in which in addition to the conventional brake pipe, AB or ABD control valve, the auxiliary and emergency reservors, the brake cylinder, and the retaining valve, are included a special load sensing device and a modulating valve for supplying full braking air pressures to the brake cylinder when the car rides loaded and reduced braking air pressures to the brake cylinder when the car rides empty. The components of the apparatus are arranged and connected so that the load sensing device controls the operation of the modulating valve to supply the braking air to the brake cylinder that is appropriate for either loaded or empty braking, while providing for full braking air release at the retaining valve to the exclusion of the load sensing device, even when rock and roll are occasioned. The arrangement is such that once the control apparatus is set to provide for the appropriate car braking, as sensed by the load sensing device, no amount of rock and roll can change the setting to loaded car braking where the car is riding empty or vice versa.

Empty and load apparatus for railroad cars

A modulating valve for railroad car brake cylinders to adapt them for operation with composition brake shoes, in the form of an assembly comprising a bracket plate arranged for connection in the brake cylinder pipe, at a convenient location between the brake cylinder and the AB control valve, in place of a portion of the brake cylinder pipe removed for that purpose, and a modulating valve mounted on the bracket plate and in communication with the brake cylinder pipe and brake cylinder to limit the fluid pressures supplied to the brake cylinder so that composition brake shoes will deliver the proper brake applying force to the truck wheels without interferring with proper operation of existing brake control equipment.

Modulating valve assembly for railroad car brake cylinders

A modulating valve for railroad car brake cylinders to adapt them for operation with composition brake shoes, in the form of an assembly comprising a bracket plate shaped for mounting between the brake cylinder pipe flange type fitting that connects the brake cylinder pipe to the brake cylinder and the cylinder head, and that is arranged for a three point securement to the cylinder head, and a modulating valve mounted on the bracket plate and in communication with the brake cylinder pipe and brake cylinder to limit the fluid pressures supplied to the brake cylinder so that composition brake shoes will deliver the proper brake applying force to the truck wheels without interferring with proper operation of existing brake control equipment. This invention relates to a modulating valve assembly for use with railroad car pneumatic brake equipment, and more particularly, to a modulating valve assembly for application to the car brake cylinder to adapt the brake cylinder to deliver the amount of brake applying force to the truck wheels that is proper for the modern composition brake shoes.

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

James G Rees