Up-to-date air brake catechism

Front matter

19M EDITION

BLACKALL

Class / r

Preface to the Twenty-Fifth Edition

THE fact that this is the twenty-fifth edition of this book indicates that there is an urgent need for a book of this nature written on the question and answer plan, by means of which it is possible to readily locate the particular point upon which information is desired.

The air-brake art has almost completely changed in the last four or five years, hence the necessity for an entirely new edition.

The changed conditions of service which now prevail, and which consist of longer trains, cars of heavier capacity and locomotives with power and weight commensurate with their increased duties, have made imperative some radical changes in the air brake. The original brake was designed with the idea in mind that the maximum length of train would be fifty cars, and the capacity of these cars 60,000 pounds. A large percentage of the cars of to-day have a capacity of 100,000 pounds, the number of cars in a train is often 100 and the hauling power of the locomotive has kept pace. The result of these changes has been that the apparatus which has been in use for so many years is not adequate to handle, with the desired efficiency, the long and heavy trains of to-day.

Passenger cars and engines have more than doubled in weight and it has also been necessary to re-design this equipment that stops may be possible within desirable and practical limits.

To meet these changed conditions in freight service i

Preface

the Westinghouse Air Brake Company has developed new engine and car equipment by the use of which even better results are obtained with the long and heavy trains than could be obtained with the older equipment and shorter trains.

They have also developed a passenger car equipment which, aside from the improvements in the way of flexibility and other new features, will permit of this heavier equipment being brought to a stop in about the same distance as was accomplished with the older form of high-speed brake and the lighter equipment in general use during the previous ten years.

The author takes this opportunity of thanking those interested in the air-brake art for the generous and cordial support which former editions of this book have received.

June, 1911. ROBERT H. BLACKALL.

Table Of Contents

PAGE

Chapter II

The Westinghouse Triple Valves — The Plain Triple Valve — Functions of the Triple Valve in the Operation of the Brake — Quick-Action Triple Valve — Peculiarities and Troubles of the Quick-Action Triple Valve— The Type "K" Triple Valve— The Type "L" Triple Valve 21-78

Chapter III

Westinghouse Freight Equipment — Piston Travel — The American Automatic Brake-Slack Adjuster and Piston-Travel Regulator — Pressure Retaining Valves 79-112

Chapter IV

Westinghouse Air Pumps — Nine and One-Half Inch Pump — Nine and One-Half Inch Pump, Peculiarities, Troubles, Care — Westinghouse "Right and Left-Hand" Nine and One-Half Inch Pump — Westinghouse Eleven Inch Pump — The Eight and One-Half Inch Cross-Compound Pump — The Present Standard (SF-4) Pump Governor 113-145

Chapter V

Main Reservoir — G-6 Engineer's Brake Valve — Westinghouse Slide-Valve Feed Valve — The Equalizing Reservoir or, Little Drum, or Cavity D — Peculiarities and Troubles of the G-6 Brake Valve — Duplex Main-Reservoir Regulation, as Used with all Standard Westinghouse Equipments .»,♦.,.♦ ♦ . 146-177

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAGE

Chapter VI

Westinghouse Old-Style High-Speed Brakes — Double Pressure Control Equipment or Schedule U — Westinghouse Old-Style Combined Automatic and Straight Air-Brake Equipment for Engines and Tenders— Straight Air-Brake Valve 178-205

Chapter VII

The Westinghouse No. 6 ET Locomotive Brake Equipment — Brake Valves for ET Equipment — H-6 Automatic Brake Valve — The S-6 Independent Brake Valve — The No. 6 Distributing Valve — Independent Application — Automatic Operation — The Quick-Action Cylinder Cap — The Use of the Safety Valve — Feed Valves— The B-6 Feed Valve— The C-6 Reducing Valve — The Pump Governor — Defects of ET Equipment — Principle Differences Between the No. 5 and No. 6 ET Equipments 206-260

CHAPTER VIII. Air-Signal System' — Peculiarities and Troubles of the

Signal System , 261-273

Chapter IX

Braking, Power and Leverage — Sizes of Cylinders to be Used on Cars and Tenders — American Brake Leverage — Cam Brake — Air Hose — Air-Brake and Signal- Hose Specifications — Bursting Test — Friction Test —Stretching Test . . 274-29S

Chapter X

The Sweeney Compressor — The Water Brake — Water Brake on Simple Engine — 'The Baldwin Water Brake on Baldwin Compounds — Air-Brake Recording Gages— Lubricants 299-309

CHAPTER XL Train Inspection — Train Handling — Description of Tests

CHAPTER XII. A Few Practical Formulae and Rules for Air-Brake

Inspectors 344-348

OF

WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE AND SIGNAL EQUIPMENT

Fig. 1. Old Style Plain Triple Valve, Release Position 23

Fig. 2. Plain Triple Valve, Service Position 25

Fig. 3. Plain Triple Valve, Lap Position 26

Fig. 4. Plain Triple Valve, Emergency Position 30

Fig. 4a. Colored Plate of Old Standard Quick-Action Triple

Valve — Release and Charging Position. • • .facing 3(5

Fig. 5. Quick-Action Triple Valve, Release Position 37

Fig. 6. Quick- Action Triple Valve, Service Position....... 38

Fig. 7. Quick-Action Triple Valve, Lap Position 39

Fig. 8. Quick-Action Triple Valve, Emergency Position 42

Fig. 9. Slide Valve Bushing 43

Fig. 10. Slide Valve 43

Fig. 11. K Triple Valve — Exterior View 54

Fig. 12. K Triple Valve — Cross Section 55

Fig. 13. K Triple Valve — Graduating Valve, Slide Valve, and

Slide-Valve Seat 57

Fig. 14. K Triple Valve— Full Release 58

Fig. 15. K Triple Valve — Service Position. 59

Fig. 16. K Triple Valve — Service-Lap Position. 60

Fig. 17. K Triple Valve — Retarded Release Position....... 61

Fig. 18. K Triple Valve — Emergency Position 62

Fig. 19. Type L Triple Valve 64

Fig. 20. Type L Triple Valve 65

Fig. 21. Diagram of Type L Triple Valve- Release and Charging Position 66

Quick-Service Position 67

Service-Lap Position 68

Full-Service Position 69

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Release-Lap Position 70

Fig. 27. Westinghouse Freight Equipment 80

Fig. 28. Showing Application of American Brake Slack

Adjuster to a Passenger Car Equipment 95

Fig. 29. Sectional End View of American Automatic Brake- Slack Adjuster 97

Fig. 30. Showing Proper Method of Drilling Brake Cylinders When Used with the American Automatic Brake- Slack Adjuster 100

Fig. 31. Sectional View of Pressure-Retaining Valve 103

Fig. 32. The Westinghouse Double-Pressure Retaining Valve 105 Fig. 33. Retaining Valve Used with 12, 14, and 16-inch Brake

Cylinders 110

Fig. 34. "Pullman" Retaining Valve, Used on Vestibule Cars 110 Fig. 35. Standard Retaining Valve Used with 6, 8 and 10-inch

Brake Cylinders 110

Fig. 36. Driver-Brake Retaining Valve Ill

Fig. 36a. Colored Plate— Nine and One-Half-Inch Pump . . facing 113

Fig. 37. Westinghouse 9%-inch Air Pump 114

Fig. 37a Westinghouse 9%-inch Air Pump 11 !>

Fig. 38. Right and Left-Hand Pump 127

Fig. 39. Eight and One-Half Cross-Compound Pump 130

Fig. 40. Diagram of Cross-Compound Pump —

Up Stroke High-Pressure Side 132

Fig. 41. Diagram of Cross-Compound Pump —

Down Stroke, High-Pressure Side 133

Old Standard Pump Governor 140

Colored Plate — Present Standard (SF-4) Pump Governor facing 143

Main Reservoir Drain Cock 149

D-8 Engineer's Brake Valve — Release Position.... 151 G-6 Engineer's Brake Valve — Release Position.... 152 G-6 Engineer's Brake Valve — Running Position... 153

G-6 Engineer's Brake Valve — Plan View 154

Feed Valve — Section Through Supply Valve Piston 162 Feed Valve — Section Through Regulating Part.... 163 Rotary Valve of G-6 Brake Valve (top view) 161

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

Fig.

51,

LIST OF ILLUSTRATION'S.

Fig. 52. Bottom View of Rotary Valve of G-6 Brake Valve.. 164

Fig. 53. The Little Drum, or Cavity D 167

Fig. 54. Diagram of Westinghouse Duplex Main — Reservoir

Regulation 175

Fig. 55. Method of Drilling Brake Valve for Duplex Main —

Reservoir Regulation 176

Fig. 56. Method of Drilling Brake Valve for Duplex Main —

Reservoir Regulation 176

Fig. 57. High-Speed Automatic Reducing Valve 180

Fig. 57a. Diagrammatic Illustration of Old Style Westinghouse High-Speed Brake Equipment 182

Fig. 58. Section of High-Speed Reducing Valve, Showing

Position of Ports in Emergency Stop 184

Fig. 59. Section of High-Speed Reducing Valve, Showing Position of Ports with Cylinder Pressure

Slightly Exceeding 60 Pounds 184

Fig. 60. Section of High-Speed Reducing Valve, Showing

Position of Ports in Release Position 184

Fig. 61. Showing Location of High-Speed Automatic Reducing Valve Under Car 186

Fig. 62. Progress of Air Brake Efficiency as Shown by Comparative Distances in Which Trains Are Stopped 188 Fig. 62a. Diagrammatic Illustration of Westinghouse Double- Pressure Control Apparatus or Schedule U 190

Fig. 63. Old Style Safety Valve 192

Fig. 64. New Style Safety Valve 192

Fig. 64a. Combined Automatic and Straight Air Brake Equipment as Applied to Freight Engine and Tender 194

Fig. 65. Double Check Valve 196

Fig. 66. Straight-Air Brake Valve 199

Fig. 67. Straight-Air Brake Valve 199

Fig. 68. Straight-Air Brake Valve 200

Fig. 69. Straight-Air Brake Valve 200

Fig. 70. Section Through Straight-Air Brake Valve 200

Fig. 71. Colored Plate— Piping Diagram of No. 6 E T Equipment • • facing 207

Fig. 72. The H-6 Automatic Brake Valve 212

Fig. 73. Colored Plate— The H-6 Automatic Brake Valve

facing 213 Fig. 74. Brake Valves — Positions of Handles..... 214

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Fig. 75. H-6 Automatic Brake Valve 216

Fig. 76. S-6 Independent Brake Valve 222

Fig. 77. Colored Plate— The S-6 Automatic Brake Valve

facing 223

Fig. 78. Interior Views of the S-6 Independent Brake Valve 224

Fig. 78a. Distributing Valve in Released and Charging

Position facing 228

Fig. 79. Distributing Valve and Double Chamber Reservoir 229

Fig. 80. Distributing Valve and Double Chamber Reservoir 229

Fig. 81. Release Position — Automatic or Independent..... 230

Fig. 82. Independent Application 231

Fig. 83. Independent Lap 232

Fig. 84. Automatic Service 233

Fig. 85. Service Lap 234

Fig. 86. Emergency 235

Fig. 87. Emergency Lap 236

Fig. 88. Independent Release When Brake Has Been Applied

Automatically 237

Fig. 89. Emergency When the Quick-Action Cap Is Used.. 238

Fig. 90. Graduating Valve, Equalizing Slide Valve and

Slide Valve Seat 239

Fig. 91. Distributing Valve, Showing Connections 242

Fig. 92. Quick-Action Cylinder Cap 248

Fig. 93. B-6 Feed Valve 252

Fig. 94. Single Equipment for Engine With Engines Not

Equipped With Schedule E T 262

Fig. 95. Location of Signal Apparatus on Coach 263

Fig. 96. Air Strainer on Engine 264

Fig. 97. Car Discharge Valve 265

Fig. 98. Westinghouse Signal Valve 266

Fig. 99. Westinghouse Signal Reducing Valve 267

Fig. 100. Signal Whistle 268

Fig. 101. Lever of First Class 277

Fig. 102. Lever of First Class Applied to Car Wheel 279

Fig. 103. Lever of Second Class 280

Fig. 104. Lever of Second Class, Applied to Car Wheel 281

Fig. 105. Lever of Third Class 281

Fig. 106. Lever of Third Class, Applied to Car Wheel 281

Fig. 107. Hodge System of Leverage 283

Fig. 108. Stevens System of Leverage 287

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Fig. 109. Hodge System of Leverage 287

Fig. 110. Leverage System for Tenders 287

Fig. 111. American Driver — Brake Leverage 289

Fig. 112. Showing Markings on Air-Hose 295

Fig. 113. Method of Testing Hose 297

Fig. 114. Water Brake on Simple Engine 301

Fig. 115. Baldwin Water Brake for Compound Engines —

Side View 303

Fig. 116. Baldwin Water Brake for Compound Engines —

Front View 304

Fig. 117. Air-Brake Recording Gauge — Revolving Type..... 308