IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING OR REGULATING THE RECOIL OF SPRINGS USED IN RAILWAY ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND STATION BUFFERS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Rapsey Hodge, of Chalcot Crescent, Regent's
Park, and George Spencer, of No. 6, Cannon Street West, London,
Civil Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF
PREVENTING OR REGULATING THE RECOIL OF SPRINGS USED IN RAILWAY
ENGINES, CARRIAGES, AND STATION BUFFERS."
Sealed the 31st December 1858, and dated the 2nd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge
and George Spencer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd July 1858.
We, PAUL RAPSEY HODGE, of No. 16, Chalcot Crescent, Regent's Park,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and GEORGE SPENCER, of No. 6,
Cannon Street West, London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PREVENTING OR
REGULATING THE RECOIL OF SPRINGS USED IN RAILWAY ENGINES, CARRIAGES,
AND STATION BUPPERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in using, in conjunction with any kind of buffer
spring or springs, whether compound or single when used for railway engines,
carriages, or station buffers, an apparatus composed of a cylinder or cylinders.
provided with pistons or plungers working in a fluid contained in such cylinder
or cylinders, which piston or pistons when receiving their motion from the

page_text: deflection or compression of the springs, displace the fluid from one side of the
piston or pistons to the other side along a channel or channels formed in the
sides of the cylinders, or by openings or valves in the piston itself, so that
when the whole of the concussion is taken up by the spring or springs, in
either case the piston, which is connected with the spring or springs by the
piston rod, having traversed a like distance in the cylinder, and displaced the
fluid to the opposite side of the piston, by the means mentioned above, the
valve or valves formed in the channel or piston for that purpose, closes and
retains the fluid, thus preventing recoil altogether; if desired, or if required,
by providing proper valves or openings, which may be regulated to any required
area, to allow the fluid to be passed to the other side of the piston, by means
of the force accumulated in the spring or springs. The fluid to be used may
be either water or any combination of alcohol and water, or any of the hydro-
carbon or other fluids, or any of the animal or vegetable oils.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge and George Spencer in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PAUL
RAPSEY HODGE, of Chalcot Crescent, Regent's Park, and GEORGE SPENCER, of
No. 6, Cannon Street West, London, Civil Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Paul Rapsey Hodge and George Spencer, Her special licence that we, the
said Paul Rapsey Hodge and George Spencer, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge and George
Spencer, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF
PREVENTING OR REGULATING THE RECOIL OF SPRINGS USED IN RAILWAY ENGINES,
CARRIAGES, AND STATION BUFFERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge and George Spencer, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their

page_text: hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be 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 we, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge and George
Spencer, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
Our Invention consists in using, in conjunction with any kind of buffer
spring or springs, whether compound or single, when used for railway engines,
carriages, or station buffers, an apparatus composed of a cylinder or cylinders
provided with a piston or plunger, working in a fluid contained in such
cylinder or cylinders, which piston when receiving its motion from the deflec-
tion or compression of the springs, displaces the fluid from one side of the
piston to the other along a channel formed in the side of the cylinder, or by
openings or valves in the piston itself, so that when the whole of the con-
cussion is taken up by the spring or springs, in either case, the piston, which
is connected with the spring or springs by the piston rod, having traversed a
like distance in the cylinder, and displaced the fluid to the opposite side of the
piston, by the means mentioned above, the valve or valves formed in the
channel or channels, or piston for that purpose, closes and retains the fluid,
thus preventing recoil altogether, if desired, or allowing it gradually, if required,
by providing proper valves or openings, which may be regulated to any
required area, to allow the fluid to be passed to the other side of the piston by
means of the force accumulated in the spring or springs. The fluid to be used
may be either water, or any combination of alcohol and water, or any of the
hydrocarbon or other fluids, or any of the animal or vegetable oils.
One form of station buffer is shown in the Drawing to explain more fully
the principle of this Invention. Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through
one spring; Fig. 2, cross section through the recoil cylinder; Fig. 3, cross
section through the spring, which in this case is of india-rubber; Fig. 4 is a
plan, showing one of the recoil cylinders in section, the other in full; the
similar letters of reference in each Figure refer to similar parts. Either
india-rubber or steel springs are used for the buffer as usual. A rod R
attached to the buffer head passes through the centre of the spring and through
the framing, and is connected with a piston P, working in the cylinder B.
Two side channels C are furnished, through which the fluid contained in the
cylinder flows to the opposite side of the piston, when, by the pressure on the
spring, the piston traverses the cylinder. To prevent or regulate the return

page_text: of the piston, valves are placed at the end of the channels C at A, in which
valves holes are made, the size and number of which are regulated by the
speed at which the recoil is intended to take place. Thus, no catches or
machinery liable to get out of order are required. The fluid we prefer to be
used' is linseed oil, as it does not freeze at any temperature known in this
.climate.
It will be easy to arrange the recoil apparatus so as to use one recoil
cylinder only, by connecting the rods R to a cross head, and attaching the
piston rod to the centre of cross head.
The mode of connecting the anti-recoil apparatus to the ordinary laminated
.spring would be similar, and either one or more recoil cylinders may be used.
The application to trucks or carriage buffers is of course similar, and does not
require any description.
Having thus described our Invention, and the manner in which it is to be
performed, we wish to state that we lay no claim to the spring shown or
-described in this Specification, but only to the recoil apparatus, one form of
which is fully described herein, when applied to railway truck or carriage and
.station buffers.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Spencer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of January, in the year of our Lord
1859. For myself and Paul Rapsey Hodge,
GEORGE SPENCER. (L.s.)

page_text: The object of this Invention is to prevent, by simple and effective means, the
dangerous effect of recoil in Station Buffers. In the Drawing one plan is shown as
applied to an ordinary Station Buffer for Railways. India rubber or steel springs are
used for the Buffer as usual. A rod attached to the Buffer Head passes through the
centre of the spring and through the framing, and is connected with a piston working
in the cylinder. Two side channels are furnished, through which the fluid contained
in the cylinder flows to the opposite side of the piston, when, by the pressure on the
spring, the piston traverses the cylinder. To prevent or regulate the return of the
piston, valves are placed at the end of the channels at A, in which valves, holes are
made, the size of which is regulated by the speed at which the recoil is intended to
take place. Thus no catches or machinery liable to get out of order are required.
The best fluid to be used will be linseed oil, as it does not freeze at any temperature
known in this climate.