IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFER AND DRAW GEARING FOR RAILWAY & TRAMWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Illius Augustus Timmis, of No. 17, Parliament Street,
Westminster, S.W., in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFER AND DRAW GEARING FOR RAILWAY
& TRAMWAY ROLLING STOCK."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Illius Augustus Timmis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th May 1881.
ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS, of No. 17, Parliament Street, Westminster, S.W., in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFER AND
DRAW GEARING FOR RAILWAY & TRAMWAY ROLLING STOCK."
The objects of this Invention are to lessen the friction and straining of buffer
and draw gearing in the running of vehicles that are coupled up together, and
especially when they are travelling round curves.
I take a boss, or case, or framework, hereinafter called a boss, of any suitable
shape, and made of any suitable material, and fit the same to any or in any
convenient part of the framework of the vehicle in such a way that it will revolve
or partially revolve on a perpendicular axis. And through this boss I put the
buffer rod or rods and draw bar or draw bars, all or any of them, and so arrange
them that they shall have a radial motion enabling the buffer head to travel to
the right or left and conform to the sinuosities of the road, and thus do away with
the strain on the buffer and draw gearing that now takes place when vehicles well
coupled up together travel round curves. It will be seen that when two buffers
coupled up together in going round curves radiate from their centres, there is a
tendency for these centres to come nearer to each other, in which case the buffer
springs allow for this.
There may be one or more buffer rods passing through the boss, and the draw
bars, whether one or more, may or may not go through the boss, as found most
convenient, but by preference I put all the buffer and draw bars through the boss.
There are cases where it is not convenient or even practicable. By preference I

page_text: fit the boss so that the buffer spring or springs are fitted between it and the head-
stock of the vehicle, and the draw spring or springs are put on the opposite side of
it and pull against it. Or I make, as the simplest arrangement, one spring in front
of the boss to do duty as buffer and draw spring, in which case the draw pressure is
taken by the headstock, and the ultimate shock of the buffer is also taken by the
head stock. I prefer that the ultimate buffer shock should always be taken in
this way.
The slack between the buffer heads I take up with, by preference, a
cam on the drawhook pin, but two or more cams may be used, or screws may be
used, and it will be seen that my radial system enables the drawspring or springs
to take up the slack effectually. I keep the radial gearing in a line with the central
line lengthways of the vehicle by means of side check springs which may be fixed
to any convenient part of the same.
By preference I put one coiled spring on each side of the radial gearing in front
of the headstock, or in it, with a connecting rod or plunger which passes through
the spring, or the side-check springs may be fitted after the manner of side-check
springs on bogies, or as radial axle springs, or in any convenient way.
Coiled steel springs, or plate springs, or india rubber, or any suitable springs may
be used. Instead of springs it is practicable to use levers or weights with the
necessary gearing to keep the buffer and draw gearing in its central position. Of
course the buffer gearing may be made to radiate by itself and the draw gearing
by itself, but by preference I make the two systems of buffer and draw gearing to
radiate from one centre and as one system. When convenient I make the buffer rod
in two or more parts and put a hinge or radial joint between the front part containing
the head and the after part, so that the head may radiate from the radial joint.
Side check springs are used to keep the head straight with the centre line
lengthways of the vehicle, as before described. Of course in this case no boss is
required.
Instead of using a radial boss I use sometimes a fixed one for the buffer and
drawgearing to radiate from, and in the centre of it I put a movable ball of any
suitable shape, through which the central bar of the gearing passes, and from which
it radiates; in this case I prefer to make the front and rear of the boss and all radial
wearing surfaces to describe a circle or part of a circle whose centre is the centre of
the radial system. It is practicable to do without the central moveable part in the
fixed boss by making suitable grooves in the boss for the lateral play of the bars
passing through or into it. The buffer and draw springs may be arranged on both
sides of the boss, or on either side of it, and the boss may be fitted to or in the
headstock, or any other convenient part of the framework of the vehicle.
Another mode of working the buffer and draw gearing from a centre is to put
one or more springs between the buffer head and the radial centre in a cradle or
otherwise, and swinging from a hinged joint, side-check springs being used, as
before described. One great feature of my Invention is that with the radial
motion I can make one spring serve the treble purpose of buffing, drawing, and
taking up the slack.
Of course there may be one or more bosses, and the variations of fitting may be
varied to almost any extent without interfering with the principle of my Invention
which is a radial buffer and draw system, either or both, in connection with a
system of side check springs, or levers, or weights, and a cam or screw arrangement
to take up the slack in the coupling, as herein before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Illius Augustus Timmis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th November 1881.
ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS, of No. 17, Great George Street (late of No. 17, Parlia-
ment St.), Westminster, S.W., in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFER AND DRAW GEARING FOR RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY
ROLLING STOCK."
The objects of this Invention are to lessen the friction and straining of buffer
and draw gearing in the running of vehicles that are coupled up together, and
especially when they are travelling round curves. I take a boss, or case, or
framework, hereinafter called a boss, of any suitable shape and made of any suitable
material, and fit the same to any or in any convenient part of the framework of
the vehicle in such a way that it will revolve or partially revolve on a perpendicular
axis, and through this boss I put the buffer rod or rods and draw bar or draw bars,
any or all of them, and so arrange them that they shall have a radial motion
enabling the buffer head to travel to the right or left and conform to the sinuosities
of the road, and thus do away with the strain on the buffer and draw gearing
that now takes place when vehicles well coupled up together travel round curves. It
will be seen that when two buffers coupled up together in going round curves
radiate from their centres, there is a tendency for these centres to come nearer to
each other, in which case the buffer springs allow for this, provided the two buffer
rods are kept in a line one with the other by means of the radial system, and the
buffer cheeks are neither strained or broken. There may be one or more buffer
rods passing through the boss, and the draw bars, whether one or more, may or
may not go through the boss as found most convenient, but by preference I put
all the buffer and draw bars through the boss. There may be cases where it is not
convenient or even practicable. By preference I put or fit the boss so that the
buffer spring or springs are fitted between it and the head stock of the vehicle, and
the draw spring or springs are put on the opposite side of it and pull against it.
Or I make, as the simplest arrangement, one spring in front of the boss to do duty
as buffer and draw spring, in which case the draw pressure is taken by the head-
stock, and the ultimate shock of the buffer is also taken by the headstock. I prefer
that the ultimate buffer shock should always be taken in this way; where the
buffing and draw pressure are taken by one spring it is advisable sometimes to have
the spring made conical spiral, as explained hereafter.
The slack between the buffer heads I take up with, by preference, a cam on the
draw hook pin, but two or more cams may be used, and it will be seen that my
radial system enables the draw spring or springs to take up the slack effectually.
I take the following means to keep the radial gearing in a line with the central
line (lengthways) of the vehicle by means of side check springs, which may be
fixed to any convenient part of the same. By preference I put one coiled spring
on each side of the radial gearing in front of the head stock, or in it, or at the rear
of it with connecting rods and plungers. I use any kind of springs that I find
available and suitable, and instead of springs, levers and weights with the necessary
gearing may be used. Of course the buffer gearing may be made to radiate by
itself and the draw gearing by itself, and by making the buffer and draw springs,
either or both of them of a conical spiral shape, they will be self acting as radial
check springs as well as buffer and draw springs.
It may be convenient to make the buffer rod in two or more parts, and put a
hinge or radiating joint between the front part containing the head and the after

page_text: part, so that the head may radiate from the radiating joint; side check springs are
used to keep the head straight with the central line, lengthways of the vehicle, as
before described. Of course in this case no boss is required.
Instead of using a radial boss I use sometimes a fixed one for the buffer and
draw gearing to radiate from, and in the centre of it I put a moveable ball, of any
suitable shape, through which the central bar of the gearing passes, and from
which it radiates. In this case I prefer to make the front and rear of the boss and
all radial wearing surfaces to describe a circle or part of a circle, whose centre is
the centre of the radial system. It is practicable to do without the central ball in
the fixed boss by making suitable grooves in the boss for the lateral play of bars
through or into it, and when the buffer and, or, draw springs are made conical
spiral and act as radial check springs, the boss is of necessity made stationary and
the front and rear of it are not curved. The buffer and draw springs may be
arranged on both sides of the boss, or on either side of it, and the boss may be
fitted to or in the headstock, or any other convenient part of the framework of the
vehicle.
Another mode of working the buffer and draw gearing from a centre is to put
one or more springs between the buffer head and the radiating centre, in a cradle
or otherwise, and swinging from a hinged joint.
Side check springs may be used, as before described.
One great feature of my Invention is that with the radial motion I can make
one spring or two springs act as buffing, draw, and radial check springs, and also
for taking up the slack.
Of course there may be one or more bosses, and the variations of fitting may be
varied to almost any extent without interfering with the principle of my Invention,
which is a radial buffer and draw system with side check springs, or levers, or
weights, and a cam or screw arrangement to take up the slack couplings, as
hereinbefore described.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed
to explain the various modes of effecting the same, and in order that they may be
clearly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings with explanatory
Figures and letters corresponding to those in the following description:-Fig. 1
represents the central boss B & framework F, & through the former the draw
rods R and plunger rod P work; D is the draw spring, and c the buffer spring;
8, 8, are the side check springs. Fig. 4 represents a similar arrangement in principle,
but the draw rod R works inside the buffer plunger P; there are other minor,
variations of detail. Fig. 6 shows the buffer and draw rod as one and the same,
and the side check springs placed behind the headstock. Fig. 10 is another
representation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the side check springs being
differently placed, while Fig. 7 is a modification of Fig. 10, and shows the washer W
grooved so that the buffer and drawrod can radiate without the washer being
turned out of its position at right angles to the central line of the side check
springs. Fig. 5 shows the boss B stationary and the buffer rod has to radiate in
the lateral grooves g, g.. This stationary boss B and lateral grooves g, g, are also
seen in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 8 shows the side check springs s, s, applied as buffer
springs. Fig. 9 is a small détail Drawing showing a means of using one spring
for drawing and buffing purposes. Fig. 2 represents the buffer springs c, c, placed
so that they shall act as side check springs and cause the buffer gearing to return
to its central position on the release of side pressure, and Fig. 3 is another
arrangement whereby the buffer spring C and drawspring D act as side check
springs, as will be evident to any one on reflection. Figures 1, 4, 6, 8, and 10
show the radial surfaces r, 7, 1, against which the buffer head may be pressed on
one side of the headstock and the buffer washer on the other side.
These surfaces are parts of circles whose centres are the centre of the central
boss.
It is evident that thero are almost an endless number of ways to arrange the

page_text: buffer and draw springs, and the side check springs, and the washers, and draw and
buffer rods, but I wish it to be understood that I claim,-
First. The use of radial or side check springs, substantially as and for the
purposes bereinbefore described.
Second. The use of levers, weights, &c., in lieu of, or in conjunction with, side
check springs, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Illius Augustus Timmis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty one.
ILLIUS A. TIMMIS. (L.S.)