WESTINGHOUSE BRAKES.

Evening Star, Issue 14002, 8 March 1909, Page 1

WESTINGHOUSE BRAKES.

A SOUTHLAND PATENT,

[Special to the Star.]

INVERCABGILL, March 8. A large number of Invercargill bnsineas men were present at a 6uooe6eful trial of a ntw Westingbouse brake attachment at the .railway yards on Saturday, and the local Chamber of Commerce were well represented. . The invention belongs to Mr Normanby Christie (of the Westinghouse department of the railways-), Who is stationed, at Invercirgill. Mr Christie 'ie tlio ron of the latejMr-Wm. Christie, many years Registrar of Deeds at Dnnedin. the present system of Westinghouse brake is operated from the engine by means of hoses, which are connected between the carriages or waggons, and terminate in a tap or stopcock at the rear of the guard's van. At the end of each carriage, and connecting the hosing to the train pipe that passes below the carriage, is a tap which has to be turned off whenever the hosing is uncoupled in order to keep the air in the pipe. This little tap is ulwavs a source of interest to children, who take a delight in tuimng it up and down when no one is looking, and as like as not leaving it turned up, and consequently leaving the apparatus inoperative so far as the carriages to the rear of it are concerned. Another weakness in the old system is. that-carelessness in the yards sometime:; results m trains starting with a tap turned up, and the <rrivens can, of course, ha*e no idea that the apparatus is unworkable bv that cause. That is the point of the old system. The driver never knows when his l?«ake apparatus- is out of gear. The new attachment corrects all that, and has many advantages in addition It becomes impossiblelo tamper with the brake, and not indicate the fact to the driver. .Should anyone turn the tap, uncouple the hosing, cut the hosing, or in anv way tamper with the apparatus an electric bell nngs in the engine cab, and announces the tact that someone is up to something. Another improvement that should prove a great life-saver obviates all the frantic signalling and waste of time that at present result when the guard wishes to have the tram brought to a standstill. In case of accident under the new system all that has to be done when a man falls off the train is to break the glass that covers an electric button and press the button. Between the guard and the driver is a telephone or citophone service (as it is termed), so that they may be always in communication. It lias been mentioned as by no means improbable that the Sunshine (Victoria) disaster and the Rotorua accident might have been caused by someone turning up a tai> and leaving the brake inoperative. If that is the case it shows the necessity of an unlamperable brake such as Mr Christie'* invention, which, by the way, can be titled at the. extremely moderate outlay of 10s to 15s per carriage. An insulated protected electric wire runs adjacent to the tiain pipe of the Westinghouse brake, and when the ends of the hosing are completed .the electric circuit is automatically connected. An additional appliance enables the last carriage (Ihe van) to be connected with another carriage, and make the drivers' bell ring until the coupling is completed. This is a great advantage, because under the old system there is nothing to indicate to the driver that the coupling has been properly connected. When the engine is disconnected the bell can be silenced by a switch, which is ujwnitcd by the whistling rod. The well-known regulation which makes it compulsoiy for the driver to whittle on leaving the enehie shed results in the | )o ]] bcj np Bf . t . ringing, and it will not Mop until the train couplings are complete. Both from cheapness and effectiveness, to shv nothing o[ simplicity. Mr Christie's patent appears to till the breach between the present svdtcni and comparative immunity from danger. The fact that taps wore frequently left turned up. made it clear that some'improvement must he effected, and the idea of having the fact of something being wrong communicated to the driver .set Mr Christie thinking. The inventor gradually devoloped his idea, until after a lapse-of 'twelve, months the present perfected attachments were evolved. It may be mentioned that Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon. .]. A. Millar (Minister of Railways), and Mr T. Rona.yne (general manager) made an inspection' of the appliance, and thought it highly wtusfactory. Mr Millar .-aid that it certainly combined cheapness, simplicity, a.nd safety, while Hh Joseph AYard considered it: "very ingenious.'' The upshot of the inspection was that Mr Rcnayitc granted the inventor a three months' trial on the Wellington - Hull railway, where it would lie suhmitljd to the most varying climatic conditions.