THE WESTINGHOUSE BRAKE.

Evening Post, Volume LXII, Issue 79, 30 September 1901, Page 6

THE WESTIN GHOUSE BRAKE.

A. TRIAL RUN TO-MORROW. Such entirely satisfactory results have attended "'the application ot the Westingliouso brake to the railways in various parts of the world that tho Now Zealand Government decided some time ago to introduce the bvako heVo, and a trial of the brake fitted to tho express train betwoen Wellington and Napier is to bo made to-morrow. Tho Weatinghouso Brako Company has forty men engaged' in fitting the brakos to tho Government, rolling-stock in the North Island, and is •to equip tho whole of the rolling-stock, in the one is/land within three years. The brake is to be applied; within five months to all the rolling-stock on the Welljng-ton-Napier-Taranaki section of tho Government railways, and the Manawatu Company is having its cars similarly lit ted out. HOW THE BRAKE WORKS. According to a description given by Sir. John Nisbet, the Australasian representative of the Wcdtinghouse Brako Company (who came over to confer with the New Zealand Government in connection with its introduction here) the brake gear is as follows:— Tho engine, tender, and every other vehicle are separate/ly fitted with sets of brake apparatus placed beneath each vehicle. The principal parts are a triple valve, a brako cyhndor, and an auxiliary vosorvoir. A line of piping runs the entire length of the train, tho apparatus being connected thereto by a branch leading from the? main pipe, which supplies each auxiliary reservoir with air. In addition to its sets of brake apparatus the engine lias an air-compre&ser worked by steam, tho compressor discharging air into a main reservoir also fitted on tho locomotive. Through a brake valve on the engine the driver allows air to pass, also along the continuous line of piping, and through each branch pipe to tho auxiliary reservoir stored with air for tho application of tho brakos. Boforo the air pressure enters the auxiliary reservoir it passes along a groove in the triple valvo body and enters upon tho top side of the piston — thence into the auxiliary reservoir. At a pressure of 601b to the square inch the biakes are ready for use. To put tho brake on the driver permits a certain amount of uir to escape from the main./ pipe through tho braae-valve, and this leuuction ot pressure forces the triple valve piston tluwnwaids bsr tho pressure above it, stored in tho supplementary reservoir. A comnuiaication is thus established between the reservoir and the biake cylinder. The air entering the hruko cylinder forces but the piston, to which is'uttached a aeries of levers and Kids, winch lead down to the brakeblocks. These block* ure, as a result,, pressed hard to the wheels of every carriage, including tho engine and tender. 'I he brake is now "on," and can be lightly or fully, applied, at tho discretion ot tho driver. In rejeaefing the brake the driver, by a movement of the brako vajye, sets up commuiAcatfon between the 'main reservoir and tie main train-pipe, and thus the triple valve piston returns to its original position. The brake pan also act automatically. Should any of the connections uttached to the apparatus under any vehicle- become disconnected or fractured, the brake would at once automatically be put %n." Or should a trainbo separated by accident or otherwise, or if a looso pipe which, forms the connection between the vehicles should burst, the brake would immediately apply "hard on" throughout the whole length of the train, because tho brako applies itself if tho air in the miuin pipe is allowed to^ escape. By means of a valve in the* brake-van, tho guivrd-cun apply the brake, ' but this viould only be done in. an emergency, as tho dtriver is the responsible brakes num. The best test of the bruke should be afforded in coming dowh an incline «uch as that from Mungaroa to Upper Hutt, whore a train ran away some time ago^ with rather serious resnlts. ,