AN IMPROVED SAFETY COMPLING BAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES AND OTHER RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Victor Fournier de Berville, of No. 72,
Rue Blanclie, Paris, France, for the Invention. of "AN IMPROVED SAFETY
COMPLING BAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES AND OTHER RAILWAY CARRIAGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. Charles Victor Fournier
de Berville at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents,. with. his
Petition, on. the 7th May 1862.
I, CHARLES VICTOR FOURNIER DE BERVILLE, of No. 72, Rue Blanche, Paris,
France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
SAFETY COUPLING BAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES AND OTHER RAILWAY CARRIAGES," to be aз
follows:-
This Invention has for its object the pevention of accidents to railway
passengers and carriages by a self-acting means of severing locomotives
from trains in case of accidental deviations of locomotives from the rail.
The means used are the fixing of two strong iron bars, with braces for
strengthening the same, one to each carriage, which bars are connected by:
strong iron conical sockets fitting one into the other at the extremity of each
bar, there to be united by a strong iron plug of a form to fit the sockets.
The plug is locked in the sockets by a strong iron bolt, which by a deviation
of the locomotive from the rail will lose its influence over the plug. The plug
by means of a powerful spring attached théreto-will be. instantaneously with.

page_text: drawn from the sockets, when a separation must inevitably and immediately
take place. The separation taking place upon a deviation (that being impos-
sible upon a direct line) the train cannot be carried away by the engine,
neither over an embankment, nor to the sides of a cutting. These advantages
are most incontestably attained by means of this Invention, an Invention of
great simplicity, and not more expensive than the couplings now in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
VICTOR FOURNIER DE BERVILLE, of No. 72, Rue Blanche, Paris, France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hér Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our. Lord
One thousand eight. hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville, Her special licence that
1, the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Victor Fournier
de Berville, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SAFETY
COUPLING BAR FOR LOCOMOTIVES AND OTHER RAILWAY CARRIAGES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was, to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great. Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in aud by the following statement:-
%

page_text: My improvement in the manufacture of safety coupling bars for the pre-
vention of fearful railway accidents, and consequent loss of life and property,
consists of a self-acting apparatus for the prevention of a train following a
locomotive. in the event of a locomotive deviating from the right line of rail;
also that in case of need the carriages, by my Invention, niay be detached
instantaneously by the engine driver.
. In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn such improved constructions
of coupling bars as constitute the subject of my Invention, the particular
features of which I will now describe. Figure 1 represents one of my
coupling bars properly arranged for the starting of the train; it consists of a
strong piece of iron proceeding from locomotive a, also from waggon b
proceeds another piece of iron d, the same pieces of iron being also shewn as
seen vertically in Figures 3 & 4. At the extremity of piece c there is a
strong cylinder of iron o, with a conical hole in it c, the widest opening of
which is at the top; a dotted line shews the same in Figures 1 & 2. On this
cylinder two horizontal-notches are made, 9 & m, as shewn in Figure 2, which
reach only to the middle of the cylinder o; at the lower part of which cylinder
there is an elongation i, with a key k fixed on it by means of a pivot, with a
head; around this pivot the key k can move horizontally, and penetrate by the
notch into about a quarter of the hole in the cylinder; piece d bas on its
extremity a ring a bevil'd on its outer edge, fitting cylinder o, being the
thickness of notch g; it has a hole through its centre coinciding with the
conical hole e of piece c, into which it penetrates by notch g. On piece c there
is a plug f of the size of the conical hole.e, into which it descends. This plug is
fixed to a powerful spring p, capable of raising it instantaneously above the
notch g. On piece c there is placed a pressure screw h, causing the plug
to come down at the time of hitching. Plugf has a notch n, into which
enters the extremity of the key k, which will prevent its rising, although acted
upon by the spring p. The piece d has near its centre a square hole, through
which passes a shank, acted upon by the lever and fulcrum t & q, so can be
raised or lowered at will. This shank has at right angles with its lower
extremity a piece, see also Figure 5, placed horizontally, with the open side
turned towards the ring ; the function of this piece is, when it is left down, to
hold the head of the key k. For hitching locomotive a to waggon b, shank z
must be raised raised; the key k made to turn round on point 7, so that its
extremity s leaves free the passage of the conical hole e; bring the locomotive to
the waggon untill the ring a of the bar d penetrates into the notch g; let down
the plugf by means of the pressure screw & spring p, till notch n of the plug
has reach'd the notch m in the cylinder o, and let it so remain until the ends of
h

page_text: the safety key is turned round into the notches m & n; the plug f being then
held down by the key k, the pressure screw must be raised, so as to leave the
spring at liberty; the shank. is then let. down, which holds the pin. of key k
between the two, branches, of the horseshoe z, see. Figures 1 & 5. So long
as the locomotive runs well on the road the two coupling bars.c & d and
the safety key are on the same line and parallel with the rails, but if from
whatsoever accident the locomotive deviates from the rail, this line is broken at
the point e &.f, forming an angle, naturally causing a portion of a circle to be
described at the point.i. On this point, as has been before remarked, there
is the safety key k, the head of the pin on key k being held in position by the
horseshoe or crescent . The parts of the key k, which was fast in the notch
n of the plug, will by this movement come out of the notch.. Then no obstacle
interfering with the action of the spring. p.the plug is drawn up above the
notch g.. The ring aceasing to be held by the plug f, the train is no longer
tied to the locomotive, neither can be drawn by it; thus all fatal results are
avoided. The seperation. taking place at the moment of a deviation, which is
impossible whilst in a direct line, the train cannot be carried away in the
course of the deviating locomotive, run over embankment, nor against the
sides of cuttings, or upon the opposite line of rail. This apparatus, altho
self-acting, may be equally under the influence of the engine drivers by means.
of a line v, or light iron rod, with a crank connected from the end y. of the
lever t, and one at either end y of the T-piece k, Figure 3, and carried to the
tender, by drawing both the lever raising the horseshoe, the other line with--
drawing the key k, the same result will arise by instantly detaching the train
as if the locomotive had left the rail.. The key k beginning to act as soon
as the coupling bars are not on the same line, circumstances might arise to
make it undesirable that this should be the case. In order to prevent such
effect the engineer has only to put the pressure screw down on spring p, when
the action of the plug f will be neutralized, and remain fast in the conical
hole, and the train continue to be moved on. When this precaution shall be
no longer necessary, the action of the spring must be no longer hindered; and
the severing again become possible.
This description demonstrates that the object of my Invention in cases. of
accidental deviations is to achieve the instantaneous severing a locomotive
from the train it is drawing, which end is most incontestably attained. by
means of my Invention, an apparatus. of great simplicity,. and not more
expensive than the coupling chain ordinarily used. This description I make,
in reserving the right of making such additions to .my Patent, for. further
improvements, as I may from time to time deem necessary. I. furthermore

page_text: reserve the right of my principle and apparatus modified to its being applied to
any vehicle whatsoever on common roads.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Victor Fournier de Berville
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
FOURNIER DE BERVILLE. (L.S.)