IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUNTERACTING THE EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George White at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th July
1859.
I, GEORGE WHITE, of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, School-
master, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUNTERACTING THE EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS IN RAILWAY
TRAINS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in apparatus for counteracting the effects
of collisions in railway trains relates, first, to a means whereby the weight of
the carriage bodies is exerted in resisting the force of such shocks. For this
purpose I mount levers on fulcra fixed to the bearing springs of the carriages,
and incline them at an angle of 45°; when in position for action, I connect the
lever by a short link to the frame of the carriage, the link being jointed
thereto & to the lever at some little distance from the fulcrum, so as to form
a kind of toggle. The free end of the lever is in position, and the buffer rod
so furnished that the buffer rod when driven in to a certain distance takes
effect on it, and so carries it to nearly an upright position, by which move-
ment the toggle or lever and link assume a greater angle, or a straight line,
thereby raising. the carriage frame and body from the, bearing springs to a
greater or lesser extent, and thus causing the weight to offer resistance to the
compression of the buffers, and this before they come home and in contact
with the framework. The buffers and lever are so arranged that with
ordinary pressures they take no effect thereon. This apparatus may, of course,

page_text: be modified to suit the different constructions of carriages. In order to
prevent the sudden reaction of the resisting force, I attach to each buffer and
coupling rod the piston rod of a piston working in a cylinder enclosing water
or other fluid, which moves easily in one direction, by reason of large valve
passages permitting the fluid to pass easily in one direction; but in the
opposite direction slow motion only is permitted, by reason of the smallness of
the return passage of the fluid. The cylinders are so connected that the fluid
restricts the reaction of the buffer springs and the weight of the carriages,
which are permitted to resume their normal positions only at the uniform and
regulated rate determined by the resistance of the fluid.
Another means of counteracting the collisions in railway trains consists in
constructing a collapsible carriage, which is fitted with one or more cylinders
containing fluid, which acts in resisting the compression of the collapsible
carriage. These cylinders are fitted with pistons having valves or escape holes,
restricting to a certain extent the passage of the fluid, as before mentioned,
and thereby limiting the rate of traverse of the piston in the cylinder. The
piston is connected with one sliding part of the collapsible carriage, and the
cylinder with the other, so that the resistance offered to the traverse of the
piston by the restricted opening for the passage of the fluid is opposed in the
collapsing of the carriage. This carriage being placed in the rear or front of
a train, the effect of a collision would be to drive up and compress this
carriage, which would offer a uniform yielding resistance thereto. Instead of
a piston containing fluid, friction surfaces may be used, with springs to
regulate the amount of friction, and whereby to exert the necessary resistance
to the collapse of the carriage. A similar carriage may be constructed to offer
resistance in expanding, which may be useful when the hinder part of a train
is retarded from any cause, the expansion of the carriage takes place before
any great strain can come on the couplings. The sudden reaction of the
buffer or coupling rods may be prevented by applying clicks to catch them
whenever they have passed a certain point, and they may be relieved by the
stroke of a hammer, or other similar means.