IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BUFFERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Nicholson and Thomas Brown Nicholson;
both of Newburn, in the County of Northumberland, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BUFFERS."
A
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Nicholson and
Thomas Brown Nicholson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th February 1873.
We, JOHN NICHOLSON and THOMAS BROWN NICHOLSON, both of
Nowburn, in the County of Northumberland, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN Railway Buffers," to
bo as follows :—
The chief object of our Invention is to construct railway buffers in
such manner that they will accommodate themselves to the varying
distances and angles which the ends of adjoining carriages or wagons
occupy when passing round curves, and to avoid all fear of the springs
becoming locked or jammed when in uso or of the coupling chains
breaking.
✔

page_text: In carrying out our Invention we provide the buffer rod with a
universal joint, preferably in the form of a semi-spherical block fixed
thereon, between which block and the buffer head we place a volute or
other suitable spring. The semi-spherical block has its bearing in a
corresponding cavity in the outer end of a box fixed to the end of the
carriage or wagon. Upon the inner end of the buffer rod, and within
the said box, is a nut or collar secured by a check-nut. The interior of
the box which receives the said nut or collar is of conical form, that is
to say, it becomes gradually wider internally from the outer to the inner
end thereof. The result of this construction of the buffer is that while
any direct pressure upon the buffer head pushes the buffer head and rod
inwards and compresses the spring in the ordinary manner, any pressure
acting upon the buffer head more to one side than to the other thereof,
as is the case in passing round a curve, will cause the semi-spherical
block to move in the corresponding cavity, so that the buffer head, rod,
and spring accommodate themselves to the angle between their own
carriage and that adjoining, while the conical form of the box guides the
nut or collar at the inner end of the rod in a corresponding movement
and permits the parts to return readily to their normal position when the
train reaches a straight portion of the line. In some cases we place the
spring within the box.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Nicholson and Thomas Brown Nicholson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN 2
NICHOLSON and THOMAS BROWN NICHOLSON, both of Newburn, in the
County of Northumberland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty- 3
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Nicholson and Thomas Brown .
Nicholson, Her special licence that we, the said John Nicholson and
Thomas Brown Nicholson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said John Nicholson and Thomas Brown Nichol- 3

page_text: son, 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 RAILWAY BUFFERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said John Nicholson and Thomas Brown Nicholson, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
one of our, or their, or one of their 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 John Nicholson and Thomas
Brown Nicholson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention;
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The chief object of our Invention is to construct railway buffers in
such manner that they will accommodato themselves to the varying
distances and angles which the ends of adjoining carriages or wagons
occupy when passing round curves, and to avoid all fear of the springs
becoming locked or jammed when in use or of the coupling chains
breaking.
In carrying out our Invention wo provide the buffer rod with a
universal joint, preferably in the form of a semi-spherical block fixed
thereon, between which block and the buffer head wo place a volute or
other suitable spring. The semi-spherical block has its bearing in
the outer and of a box fixed to the end of the carriage or wagon.
Upon the inner end of the buffer rod, and within the said box, is a nut
or collar secured by a check nut. The interior of the box which receives
the said nut or collar is of conical form, that is to say, it becomes
gradually wider internally from the outer to the inner end thereof.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a buffer constructed
according to our Invention. This figure shows the parts of the buffer

page_text: -
a is the buffer head, and 6 the buffer rod; o is a semi-spherical block
on the buffer rod. This block has its bearing in a corresponding cavity
d in the outer end of a box e, which is fixed to the end of the carriago
or wagon. The block c and cavity d form a description of universal or
ball and socket joint, which allows of the buffer head accommodating
itself to various angles, f is a spring placed between the head a and
block c; g is a collar or nut on the inner end of the rod b; this collar is
kept in place by a nut h; and is a pin to secure the nut. It will be
seen that the interior of the box e is conical, so as to act as a sort of
guide to the collar 9 and rod b. The result of this construction of the
buffer is that while any direct pressure upon the buffer head a pushes
the buffer head and rod 6 inwards in a direct lino and compresses the
spring in the ordinary manner, any pressure acting upon the buffer
head more to one side than to the other thereof, as is the case in passing
round a curve, will cause the semi-spherical block a to move in the
cavity d, so that the buffer head rod and spring accommodate them-
selves to the angle between their own carriage and that adjoining, as
represented in Figure 2, while the conical form of the box e guides the
collar g at the inner end of the rod in a corresponding movement, and
permits the parts to return readily to their normal position. When tho
train reaches a straight portion of the line the spring may be protected
by a cap k.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim,
constructing railway buffers in such manner that they will accommodate
themselves to various angles between the ends of adjoining carriages or
wagons substantially as and for the purposes hercin-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Nicholson and Thomas
Brown Nicholson, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this
Twentieth day of. August One thousand eight hundred and
Seventy three