IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUFFER AND COUPLING APPARATUS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRUCKS, AND OTHER ROLLING Srock
Year: 1873

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by William Hutchinson Skidmore
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 26th August 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HUTCHINSON SKIDMORE, of the City and County of Philadelphia, in
the State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUFFER AND
COUPLING APPARATUS OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES, TRUCKS, AND OTHER ROLLING
Srock," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the true
and first Inventor thereof.
.
ن.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hutchinson Skidmore,
do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under
my hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming part of this Specification, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to improve the means of connecting
together the several cars of a railroad train, so that while they shall
be capable of automatically coupling as they approach each other yet
the coupling shall be effected without any violent shock or concussion
of the car, and so that when once coupled they shall be held securely
together, and the coupling hooks shall not be in danger of becoming
detached from the shoulder or other detents with whicht hey engage.
To these ends my Invention consists in certain improved means
designed to accomplish the following results, viz.,―
1st. To enable the cars to automatically connect with each other by
means of hook couplings.
2d. To press the cars from each other when thus hooked so as to
cause the hooks always to remain in firm contact with the shoulders
or detents over which they engage.
And, 3d. To enable the attendants to disengage the cars readily
whenever desirable.
My Invention also relates to and includes the use of the old fashioned
link and pin coupling in combination with the parts which effect the
above results, so as to enable a car provided with my improvements to
be coupled with the old fashioned cars, without which provision the
introduction of any automatic car coupling upon existing railroads is
to all intents and purposes impracticable.
Having thus stated in general terms the nature and objects of my
Invention I will now proceed to set forth in detail one form of
mechanical means by which I carry the Invention into practical effect,
and which, with suitable references to the accompanying Drawing, may
be described as follows in said Drawing :—
Figure 1 is a side elevation representing a car platform provided
with my Invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

page_text: Figure 4 is a perspective view of the locking lever, and Figuro 5 is
a top plan view of the buffer with its covering plate removed.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever
they may occur.
A represents the platform of one of one of the cars composing the train;
B represents the old fashioned draw bar and draw head adapted to
the use of the well known link and pin coupling, such as has been
in common use on railroads for many years. In connection with this
old fashioned draw head and coupling I now propose to use an
automatic hook coupling, and construct it so that it can be thrown
into position for use when necessary or drawn back out of the way
when not necessary. To this end I cast upon or weld to or otherwise
suitably connect to the side of the draw head B a flanged inclined
hook guide and holder C. On the opposite side of the draw bar B
I attach a hook bar D, pivoting the same to the side of the draw bar
by means of a pin or projection e, and providing for the longitudinal
movement of the hook bar upon its support and fulcrum by means of
a slot d made in the bar, as shown. Any construction however which
would be the mechanical equivalent of the pin and slot for the purpose
intended may be employed in their stead, such for example as slotting
the draw bar itself and attaching the pin or projection to the side of
the hook bar, so that said pin will enter and slide in the slot, or
providing two projecting pins or lugs, or a strap on the side of the
draw bar, between which pins or lugs, or within which strap, the hook
bar is held and slides longitudinally, &c., &c. The hook bar having
been thus constructed so as to be capable of sliding backward and
forward longitudinally on its fulcrum, in order to cause its front or
hook end to project beyond the draw head B, as shown in Figure 1,
when the automatic coupling is to be used, ought to be withdrawn
behind the face of the draw head B, out of the way%3B when the
automatic coupling is not to be used it is of course necessary to provide
some means of locking it when thrown forward, and thereby preventing
it from sliding backward so long as the automatic coupling is to be
used. Any suitable kind of lock or stop may be employed for this
purpose, but I have found the following an admirable device, to

page_text: wit, the arrangement upon the pin e outside of the hook bar of a
lever F having a segmental flanged rim f, constructed as shown.
When the hook bar is thrust forward the arm of the lever F can
drop, bringing the segmental flange directly behind the end of the
hook bar, so as to prevent its retraction, but not to interfere with the 5
perfect freedom of its oscillatory movement upon its fulcrum. By
raising the end of the lever F to a horizontal position the hook bar is
again disengaged, and can be slidden back out of the way with great
ease, in fact will slide back of itself whenever the cars come together.
Both the hook bar and the lever may be secured on the pine or other. 1
projection by a nut or other suitable means, and the lever may be
arranged between the hook bar and the draw bar if preferred.
As thus constructed whenever two cars provided with my improve-
ments come together the hook end of the bar B of each car will strike
and slide upon the incline C of the opposite car until the barb. or 1
shoulder of the hook passes over the upper edge of the incline, when
cach hook will drop into place by its own weight, and thereby securely
couple the two cars together by a double hook connection.
It is now necessary that means should be provided to hold the hooks
firmly engaged with the shoulders or detents over which they have 2
locked, as above described, so that they will not accidentally jump out
of place and uncouple the cars during the rapid movement of the train,
and to this end I provide means for pressing the cars apart when
coupled, so as to cause the hooks to hold firmly at all times against
said shoulders. The means to which I refer consist in a buffer plate M, 2
of any suitable width, constructed of a flat horizontal part m, the rear
edge of which is semicircular, and which is provided with an opening n,.
and constructed also with a front vertical flange m², having if preferred
a slight backward turned flange m³ at the lateral ond and under the
edges of the part m². This plate is set into a suitable recess a, c, in 3
the platform A, wherein it is secured by one, two, or more pins t, t,
so as to be capable of turning horizontally to a sufficient extend to
enable the faces of the buffer plates upon the two adjacent cars to
remain in fair contact, however the cars may sway on their springs or
trucks, and whatever may be the curvature of the roadway upon which 3
they are moving. A strong spring 8, of any suitable form, construction,
and material, is inserted and caused by any suitable means to be

page_text: When the projecting
sliding buffer plate
beneath the plate,
securely held between the front flange m¹ of the buffer plate and the front
edge of the platform. The front edge of the platform may be shod or
protected with metal. Preferably I apply to it a stout projecting
metallic block P, which not only protects the wooden platform and
serves as a support of the spring, but also forms a stop for the
sliding plate M to limit the backward movement of the latter as the
cars come together, and thereby to prevent the crushing of the foot if
any person happened incautiously to be standing on the buffer plate,
or with one foot on the buffer plate at such time.
plate or block P is not thus employed to stop the
the springs may be easily arranged as a stop
although in such case there is danger of injuring the spring. The
bottom of the recess a, c, may be lined with sheet or plate metal, and
instead of pins t, t, projecting lugs may be employed, the same being
cast or formed on the upper side of such plate lining, or on the under
side of a covering plate H, which fits over the recess ; and the parts
accommodated therein, covering and protecting them from the accumula-
tion of dirt and from injury, and at the same time protecting the
passengers or employes of the railroad company from injury by the said
parts. The effect of this construction is that when two cars, provided
with the automatic coupling above described, come together the two
buffer plates come in contact with each other while the hooks are
sliding up the incline C, and the spring s yield, allowing the hooks to
pass over and engage as aforesaid, when the spring pry the cars apart
and hold each hook firmly against the shoulder or upper edge of the
part C beneath it, thereby preventing the hooks from being accidentally
disengaged during the rapid movement of the train over rough roads.
It is necessary however that while the hooks should not accidentally
disengage yet they should be capable of readily uncoupling whenever
it be desired. To this end I extend a rocking plate G across under
each draw bar, directly behind the draw head, and arrange it so that
its front edge can be caused to rise and lift both hooks at the same
time far enough to detach them from the draw heads with which they
respectively engage. Each rocking plate G passes under nearly the
middle of the hook bar of the car to which it belongs, and serves at all
times to limit the downward inclination of the front end of said bar.

page_text: Eighthly. The projecting plate P or its equivalent in combination
with the buffer plate M and springs 8, substantially as described for
the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hutchinson Skidmore,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eigth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
WILLIAM HUTCHINSON SKIDMORE. (L.S.)