Improvements in Centre-coupling Buffers for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Centre-coupling Buffers for Railway and like
Vehicles.
JOHN ALFRED CRAVEN, Secretary to a Company, Penrhyn House, Broomhall
Sheffield, and THOMAS FOSTER Draughtsman, of 58 Station Road Darnall do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an improvement in centre coupling buffers so that
when vehicles are coupled together they are locked and without slack or play in
the coupling.
This we accomplish by introducing a moveable vertical coupling pin guide with
side slot holes to receive the carrying pin which said guide is secured to the lower
part of the centre buffer by a pin to lugs formed on the buffer; for this purpose,
the buffer having also an opening provided in it for the coupling pin guide to work
in, the top part of the coupling pin and guide are held together by the said carrying
pin so that they can after the vehicles are coupled be both moved in the direction
required, that is towards the headstock of the vehicle (to which the buffer is fixed)
to take up the slack or play in the coupling link.
In order to actuate the coupling pin and guide we use two screws, one of which
has one end secured by a pin between lugs directly behind and on the buffer head;
the other one being secured by the said carrying pin passing through it and the
guide. These screws are formed, one with right hand thread and the other with
left hand thread and are connected together by a nut threaded to work on these
screws. To this nut we fix a lever for the use of the person in charge, who, after
the vehicles are coupled, can by this lever turn the nut, thus pushing the coupling
pin and guide in the direction required and making the coupling tight and without
slack or play.
The coupling when tight as explained is also locked by means of a bridge
shaped opening which we form on the back part of the buffer and under which
a tongue which is formed on this end of one of the screws passes when the person
in charge tightens the coupling. By this means we prevent the coupling from
becoming unfastened except at the will of the operator.
Dated this 8th day of May 1893.
THOMAS FOSTER.
JNO. ALFD. CRAVEN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Centre-coupling Buffers for Railway and like
Vehicles.
We JOHN ALFRED CRAVEN Secretary to a Company, Penrbyn House
Broomhall Park Sheffield and THOMAS FOSTER, Draughtsman of 98 late 58 Station
Road, Darnall, Sheffield in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing and on
reference to the accompanying drawings:
Our invention consists of an improvement in centre coupling buffers so that
when vehicles are coupled together they are locked and without slack or play in
the counling.

page_text: In order that the said invention shall be completely understood, it is illustrated
on the accompanying drawing which is marked with letters of reference corre-
sponding with those in the following description, like reference letters indicating
the same parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 on drawing is "longitudinal section" showing general arrangement of
centre coupling buffer.
Figure 2 is plan of the same.
The drawing shows the centre coupling buffer slack coupled; to enable the
operator to take up the slack, we have introduced a movable vertical coupling
pin guide a. with side slot holes b. to receive the carrying pin d. Said coupling
pin guide a. is secured to the lower part of the centre buffer E. by a pin F. which
passes through lugs formed on the buffer for this purpose, the buffer E. also
having an opening provided in it for the coupling pin guide a. to work in. The
coupling pin G and the coupling pin guide a. are held together by the said
carrying pin d. so that they can after vehicles are coupled be both moved in the
direction required, that is towards the vehicle (to which the buffer is fixed) to
take up the slack or play in the coupling link h. In order to actuate the coupling
pin G. and coupling pin guide a. two screws J. & K are used. J. has one end
secured by a pin between lugs directly behind and on the buffer head E. the
screw K being secured by the aforesaid carrying pin d passing through it and the
coupling pin guide a, the screws J. and K. are formed, one with right hand thread
and the other with left hand thread and are connected together by the nut m.
which is threaded to work on the screws J. & K. Formed on the nut m. is a lever
for the use of the person in charge who after the vehicles are coupled can by
means of this lever turn the nut thus pushing the coupling pin G. and the coupling
pin guide a. in the direction required and making the coupling tight and without
slack or play. The operator then drops the pin n. into the hole Č. formed in the
nut m. to act as a wedge between the screws J. K and prevent the possibility of
the nut m. turning from sudden jerks. The coupling when tight as explained is
also locked by means of a bridge shaped opening E' which can be made part of
the buffer E. or separate and under which a tongue formed on the end of the
screw K. passes when the person in charge tightens the coupling, by this means
we prevent the coupling from becoming unfastened except at the will of the
operator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be, or can be performed, we declare
that what we claim is
The general construction, combination and arrangement of parts together
constituting an improved centre coupling buffer for railway & like vehicles and
being so conveniently arranged that a person is enabled to couple vehicles and
leave no slack or play between the buffers the one operation making the coupling
tight and locked substantially as described and shown on the drawing.
Dated this 8th day of February 1894.
JOHN ALFRED CRAVEN.
THOMAS FOSTER.