GB1068278A - Railroad car retarder system - Google Patents

Abstract

1,068,278. Track brakes. AMERICAN BRAKE SHOE CO. Nov. 2, 1965, No. 46369/65. Heading F2E. In a rail car retarder of the type in which at least one of the traffic rails 11 is vertically movable and two series of levers 25 arranged on opposite sides of the traffic rail are pivotally mounted and interconnect the traffic rail with a pair of wheel engaging members, e.g. rails 15, so that entry of a wheel 16 into the retarder forces apart the members 15 to cause the levers to raise the traffic rail whereby the weight of the car acts on the members 15 to provide a retarding force in proportion to car weight, the respective series of levers are pivoted on eccentric portions 26 of rock-shafts 27 which extend between and are supported by wearing surfaces 70 on a pair of adjacent ties (or sleepers) which normally support both traffic rails, a piston-and-cylinder unit 60 being provided to rotate the rook-shafts via levers 63, 68 to cause movement of the pivot axes of the series of levers from the positions shown to positions in which the retarder is ineffective (Fig. 5, not shown). Each lever is provided with two apertures 28, 28a in either of which the portion 26 can be engaged according to whether a high or low mechanical advantage is required. Each aperture has an associated arcuate stop-member 76 which, together with an arcuate stop-member 75 carried by the associated rock-shaft 27, limits the rotation of the latter. The levers are made captive with the traffic rail 11 by being provided with cradle portions 45, each including a hump 46 supporting the rail and a flange 49 overlying the lower flange of rail 11 at the side thereof opposite to the associated rock-shaft. Each retarder rail 15 is adjustable for wear by adjustment of wedges 35 which are arranged between each rail 15 and the associated series of levers and which take the braking thrust, the adjustment being locked by bolts 32 and nuts 33. In the embodiment shown only one traffic rail 11 is equipped with a retarder, so that by fitting tie-bars of the form disclosed in either Fig. 8 or Fig. 9 (not shown), between the other, fixed, traffic rail and the vertically movable one the track gauge is maintained. Alternatively (Figs. 17, 18, not shown), the vertically movable traffic rail (11) may be guided by members (160) secured to the ties (10). In the embodiment of Figs. 1-7 (described above with reference to Fig. 4 only) each pair of levers 25 is associated with a separate pair of rock shafts, but in a second embodiment (Figs. 10-16, not shown) two pairs of levers (105) are associated with each pair of rock shafts (102), the latter being of a more robust construction, being formed from an I beam (125), (126), (127) (Figs. 14-16, not shown), and including eccentric portions (116). Also, the levers (105) are castings having a thickened edge portion (113). Either a single-acting piston- and-cylinder unit (101) (Fig. 11, not shown) or a double-acting unit (170) (Fig. 19, not shown) may be used for rotating the rock shafts.