﻿MECHANICAL 
  TEANSPOET 
  MITMAN 
  543 
  

  

  sprawled 
  between 
  the 
  tracks, 
  and 
  the 
  engineer 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  helping 
  the 
  

   man 
  to 
  his 
  feet, 
  unhurt. 
  Westinghouse 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  toped 
  tor 
  a 
  

   more 
  convincing 
  demonstration 
  than 
  this, 
  and 
  was 
  elated. 
  Alter 
  a 
  

   subsequent 
  demonstration 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  Pennsylvama 
  Raiboad 
  tram, 
  

   which 
  traveled 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  East 
  and 
  Middle 
  West, 
  Westmghouse 
  was 
  

   granted 
  his 
  first 
  patent 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  brake 
  on 
  April 
  13, 
  1869^ 
  Shortly 
  

   thereafter 
  he 
  organized 
  a 
  company 
  in 
  Pittsburgh 
  and 
  began 
  the 
  

  

  manufacture 
  of 
  his 
  brake. 
  , 
  . 
  .i 
  i 
  i 
  y^ 
  

  

  Soon 
  on 
  many 
  trains 
  compressed 
  air 
  did 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  brakeman 
  s 
  

   muscles, 
  the 
  air 
  flowing 
  through 
  a 
  pipe 
  from 
  a 
  tank 
  on 
  the 
  locomotive, 
  

   going 
  to 
  a 
  httle 
  cyhnder 
  on 
  each 
  car, 
  and 
  moving 
  a 
  piston 
  m 
  and 
  out 
  to 
  

   applv 
  or 
  release 
  the 
  brakes. 
  Troubles 
  developed, 
  however. 
  The 
  

   brakes 
  on 
  the 
  last 
  cars 
  of 
  a 
  train 
  did 
  not 
  work 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  those 
  nearer 
  the 
  

   locomotive 
  because 
  it 
  took 
  longer 
  for 
  the 
  air 
  to 
  reach 
  them; 
  and 
  again 
  

   when 
  the 
  air 
  pipe 
  line 
  was 
  accidently 
  uncoupled, 
  the 
  air 
  supply 
  to 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  cars 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  uncoupled 
  point 
  was 
  cut 
  off 
  and 
  the 
  brakes 
  

   would 
  not 
  operate 
  at 
  all. 
  Westinghouse 
  corrected 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  with 
  his 
  

   clever 
  invention 
  of 
  the 
  'triple 
  valve" 
  which 
  he 
  patented 
  March 
  5, 
  

   1872 
  With 
  this 
  httle 
  device, 
  and 
  an 
  air 
  tank 
  added 
  to 
  each 
  car, 
  

   Westinghouse 
  made 
  the 
  httle 
  cylinder 
  and 
  piston 
  apply 
  the 
  brakes 
  

   when 
  the 
  air 
  supply 
  from 
  the 
  locomotive 
  was 
  cut 
  off. 
  No 
  matter 
  how 
  

   it 
  happened-whether 
  the 
  engineer 
  reduced 
  the 
  air 
  mtentionally 
  or 
  

   there 
  was 
  an 
  air 
  leak 
  in 
  the 
  pipe 
  Ime, 
  or 
  cars 
  broke 
  apart-the 
  mstant 
  

   the 
  air 
  pressure 
  was 
  reduced 
  the 
  brakes 
  were 
  applied 
  on 
  every 
  car. 
  

   A 
  10-car 
  passenger 
  train 
  could 
  now 
  be 
  stopped 
  when 
  gomg 
  at 
  a 
  speed 
  

   of 
  20 
  miles 
  an 
  hour 
  in 
  166 
  feet, 
  whereas 
  the 
  same 
  tram 
  with 
  hand 
  

  

  brakes 
  required 
  764 
  feet. 
  . 
  , 
  -, 
  .- 
  r^ 
  w^.f^r^n- 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  so 
  much 
  better 
  than 
  the 
  straight 
  air 
  brake 
  which 
  Westmg- 
  

   house 
  first 
  perfected 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  long 
  before 
  passenger 
  trams 
  were 
  

   all 
  equipped. 
  Not 
  so 
  with 
  freight 
  trains, 
  however. 
  They 
  were 
  o 
  

   much 
  greater 
  length 
  and 
  of 
  very 
  much 
  greater 
  rolling 
  weight 
  and 
  it 
  

   was 
  15 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  "triple 
  valve" 
  was 
  invented 
  before 
  the 
  auto- 
  

   matic 
  air 
  brake 
  was 
  generally 
  recommended 
  and 
  adopted 
  for 
  freight 
  

   cars 
  This 
  came 
  about 
  only 
  after 
  Westinghouse 
  with 
  his 
  impiwed 
  

   automatic 
  air 
  brake, 
  still 
  with 
  the 
  triple 
  valve, 
  succeeded 
  m 
  applymg 
  

   the 
  brakes 
  throughout 
  a 
  50-car 
  train 
  in 
  two 
  seconds. 
  This 
  same 
  

   system, 
  improved 
  in 
  detail 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  heavy 
  locomo- 
  

   tive 
  and 
  rollmg 
  stock, 
  is 
  m 
  use 
  to-day. 
  „^^^tpH 
  

   Westmghouse 
  had 
  passed 
  40 
  when 
  the 
  air 
  brake 
  was 
  finally 
  adopted 
  

   for 
  all 
  raHroads. 
  He 
  had 
  devoted 
  fully 
  20 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  life 
  to 
  bring 
  

   this 
  about, 
  perfectmg 
  and 
  patenting 
  many 
  of 
  tl^<^ 
  f^P^^f^^?*^^^^' 
  

   self 
  The 
  Patent 
  Office 
  model 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these, 
  made 
  m 
  1879, 
  forms 
  an 
  

   interesting 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  collections 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  

   About 
  1890 
  he 
  added 
  electric-power 
  equipment 
  manufacture 
  to 
  tne 
  

   activities 
  of 
  his 
  weU-established 
  organization, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  succeedmg 
  

  

  