Reading a Machine

1. Reading a Machine Teachers as ScholarsSummer Institute 2005 Professor Michael Mahoney, Department of History and Program in History of Science Steve Gingo

2. What is this man doing? “The position of a freight-train brakeman is one of peculiar hardship and peril, especially in winter, when he must stand, without shelter, exposed to wind, rain, or snow, ready to obey the sharp warning of the engineer's whistle. For this duty young men of hardy frame, strong nerve, and steady habits are selected; for it requires all these qualities to perform the duties of the post. No one whose nerves are unstrung by drinking could be trusted where a slip of hand or foot, or unsteadiness of sight, might plunge him headlong to destruction. Our sketch, true to life, gives a graphic idea of what he must endure on a stormy winter night, when the brake handles chill through his heavy gloves, and the steps and car roofs are as slippery as the surface of a skating rink.” HARPER’S WEEKLY- MARCH 10, 1877

3. Previous Methods of Braking Trains • Rotary brakes, applied braking to individual cars manually by brakeman or conductors. Many men lost their lives trying to race between the tops of freight cars to regulate the braking of the train. • Stephenson Steam Brake, which both propelled AND stopped the train. • Cramer Spiral Spring System-- Springs on each car were hand wound by the brakeman immediately after the train left the previous station. When needed, the brakeman would pull a cord which released latches that moved the brake pads against the wheels. • Loughridge Chain Brake -” Both train length and speed were restricted because of the inadequacy of these and other similar forms of brakes that were used up to 1869.”

4. This machine system solves a problem for railroads. BRAKE CYLINDER CYLINDER AUXILIARY RESERVOIR RESERVOIR TRIPLE VALVE TRIPLE VALVE

5. INVENTOR George Westinghouse George was born in Central Bridge, New York in 1846. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he first invented a device to replace derailed freight cars more easily in 1865 at age 19. One of his most famous inventions is the air brake system, which he first patented in 1869 at age 22. He subsequently patented 103 improvements to the air brake system during his lifetime. It has been said that Westinghouse first seriously considered developing a better braking system for trains after witnessing a near collision of a train he was traveling on with another train. He apparently had seen power rock drills and toyed with the idea of using air to power the application of brakes.

6. READ THIS MACHINE ENGINE COMPRESSOR BRAKE CYLINDER AUX. RESERVOIR BRAKE PIPE

7. How does the system work?

8. LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMESJUNE 1ST, 1873 “On the 20th, a special train carrying the directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the members of the Franklin Scientific Institute, left West Philadelphia for the purpose of experimenting with the famous Westinghouse Air Brakes. The results being satisfactory and the experiments principally new, are worthy of record. The Franklin Institute proposed to confer on the inventor the “Scot Legacy Medal.”… Not satisfied, however, with the ordinary train brake, the parties have matured from the original idea to what appears to be a perfect automatic safety system. Every contingency where the quick stopping of the train is necessary to avoid accident has apparently been provided for.” G.L.D. Washington May 22, 1873

9. HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

10. Brief History of Railroad Couplers • The earliest and most known coupler is the link and pin. It required a railroad employee to affix the correct height of the link to the next car and drop in a pin to hold it. • Railroad companies often affixed “dead wood” blocks on both sides of the coupler to protect the freight cars from damaging each other during shipment. Many employees lost their lives, caught between the “dead woods” trying to couple cars. • Over 700 patents were issued to presumably replace the link and pin system. • The best model before the Janney Coupler was the Miller Hook, a sliding, self coupling device. It often didn’t function well, especially around sharp turns. • Eli Janney, a former Confederate soldier, whilst tending a dry-goods store in Richmond, Virginia, whittled the best alternative coupler.

11. JANNEY COUPLER PATENTED IN 1874 IMPLEMENTED IN 1893 IN MOST ALL PASSENGER & FREIGHT CARS IN THE UNITED STATES.

12. READ THE MACHINE U.S. PATENT 156,024 OCTOBER 20, 1874COLORIZING FOR ENHANCEMENT

13. READ THIS PHOTO

14. What do you think the yellowcolored segments serve to do? U.S. PATENT 156,024 OCTOBER 20, 1874COLORIZING FOR ENHANCEMENT

15. READ THIS PHOTO Do you think the yellow tintedarea serves the same purpose as the previous slide?

16. FINAL EXAM!

17. SOURCES • WABCO locomotive photograph- Westinghouse Airbrake Corporation • Photograph of triple valve, reservoir, and cylinder- Air Brakes for Freight Trains: Technological Innovation in the American Railroad Industry, 1869-1900 Steven W. Usselman The Business History Review, Vol 58, No. 1 Transportation (Spring, 1984), p. 37 • Photo of George Westinghouse from People collection at Rutger’s University. • Westinghouse biographical information from www.ideafinder.com/hnistory/inventors/westinghouse.htm • Letter to the Editor from The New York Times, June 1, 1873 • Schematic sketch of air brake system from: www.railway-technical.com/air-brakes.html • Air Brakes and Railway Signals, Proud Creations of George Westinghouse’s Brilliant Genius by A.N. Williams, The Newcomen Society in North America 1949 28 pages. • Brakeman engraving and accompanying quote- Harper’s Weekly- March 10, 1877 • Southern Pacific Engine courtesy of the Smithsomian, Washington, D.C.