Improvements in Draw Gear for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Draw Gear for Railway and like Vehicles.
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In some draw gear for railway vehicles there is a rectangular frame or cradle
(sometimes there are two) provided with holes in the end portions through which,
pass the inner ends of draw bars integral with or attached to the draw hooks of the
vehicle, those ends of the draw bars that have been passed through the said holes
into the cradle being fitted with nuts or cotters between which or one of which, and
the ends or one end of the cradle springs or a spring is or are introduced, provided
with plates of suitable size at either end; or sometimes the ends of the rectangular
frames are made wide enough to enable the plates to be dispensed with. The
constructions above indicated are heavy, costly, and sometimes difficult of applica-
tion, as is the case for example when the available width between longitudinal
members of an underframe is so limited as to involve the placing of the cradle in
an oblique attitude (as seen in end elevation) a position which is not satisfactory.
Now my invention has for its object to simplify the construction of the draw
gear and to obviate the objections above referred to. For this purpose I dispense
with the cradle and connect the inner ends of the two draw bars by means of a tube
in such a manner as to permit of relative endwise movement of the draw bars to an
extent limited by suitable stops and in connection with such an arrangement of
draw bar and tube I provide a spring or springs that will be brought into operation
when there is a sufficient pull upon one or both of the draw bars. According to
one arrangement to the inner end of one of the draw bars I attach by suitable
means, for instance a cotter, a tube which at its free end is outwardly flanged; and
into this end of the tube I pass one end.of the other draw bar so that there can be
relative longitudinal movement of the two draw bars, but limited by suitable means,
for which purpose in one modification I provide the draw bar that enters the
flanged end of the tube with a long cotter whose ends pass freely through oblong
slots formed through the wall of the tube but so as to permit of a limited relative
end wise movement between the bar and the tube. On the tube between its flanged
end and a plate located next the cotter of the enclosed bar a spring or springs is or
are placed which will be compressed when there is a pull upon either or both of
the draw hooks. The tube flange is made of sufficient diameter to bear suitably
on the spring; or if the flange be small, a plate is provided between it and
the spring. The flange or flange and plate may be replaced by a nut and plate
suitably fixed.
The spring may be of any suitable description used in cradle draw gears but I
prefer india rubber springs as being more suited to the work.
Dated this 18th day of September 1896.

page_text: Improvements in Draw Gear for Railway and like Vehicles.
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
In some draw gear for railway vehicles there is a rectangular frame or cradle
(sometimes there are two) provided with holes in the end portions through which
pass the inner ends of draw bars integral with or attached to the draw hooks of
the vehicle, those ends of the draw bars that have been passed through the said
holes into the cradle being fitted with nuts or cotters between which or one of
which, and the ends or one end of the cradle a spring or springs is or are introduced,
provided with plates of suitable size at either end; or sometimes the ends of the
rectangular frames are made wide enough to enable the plates to be dispensed
with. The constructions above indicated are heavy, costly, and sometimes difficult
of application, as is the case for example when the available width between
longitudinal members of an underframe is so limited as to involve the placing of
the cradle in an oblique attitude (as seen in end elevation) a position which is not
satisfactory.
Now my invention has for its object to simplify the construction of the draw
gear and to obviate the objections above referred to. For this purpose I dispense
with the cradle and connect the inner ends of the two draw bars by means of a tube
in such a manner as to permit of relative end wise movement of the draw bars to an
extent limited as hereinafter explained and in connection with such an arrangement
of draw bar and tube I provide a spring or springs that will be brought into
operation when there is a sufficient pull upon one or both of the draw bare.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying illustrative drawings shows partly in central
longitudinal section and partly in elevation so much of the draw gear of a vehicle
as is needful to illustrate the application of my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is an
end elevation.
In this arrangement to the inner end of the one draw bar a I attach by means of
a cotter b, a tube c which at its free end is outwardly flanged as at d, and into this
end of the tube c I pass one end of the other draw bar e so that there can be
relative longitudinal movement of the two draw bars suitably limited as follows:-
fis a long cotter carried by the draw bar e; the ends of this cotter pass freely
through oblong slots g formed through the wall of the tube c, these slots being
sufficiently long to permit of the required relative end wise movement between the
bar and the tube. On the tube c between its flanged end and a plate h located
next the cotter f of the enclosed bar, a spring or springs (not shewn) is or are
placed, which will be compressed when there is a pull upon either or both of the
draw hooks.
The spring may be of any suitable description used in cradle draw gears, but
I prefer india rubber springs as being more suited to the work. They may
advantageously be of the kind known commercially as "George Spencer's Patent"
or "Spencer Moulton & Co.'s."
The tube flange is shewn made of sufficient diameter to bear suitably on the
spring; but the flange might be smaller a plate being in that case provided
between it and the spring (see Fig. 3). Fig. 4 shows a modification in which the
flange is dispensed with, there being substituted a plate i kept in place by a nut K
screwed on to a correspondingly threaded part of the tube c.
Fig. 5 shows a inodification in which the tube c is adjustable on the draw bar a
that carries it. To this end there is a male screw thread a' on the draw bar, and

page_text: the tube o is made with a corresponding female screw c¹. c c are holes through
the wall of tube c to admit of seeing whether the draw bar a is well within the tube.
In other respects the construction resembles that represented in Fig. 1 but the
arrangement might be modified as described with reference to Fig. 3 or to Fig. 4.
Figs. 6 and 7 show a modification according to which the tube is or may
advantageously he of pressed steel and is screwed on to a screw threaded portion
of the draw bar a. The tube is represented as being made with a small flange
and the spring (which is of the Spencer type with supplementary spring at m m,
but might be of any other suitable kind) is located between two plates and i.
In other respects the construction is similar to that represented in Fig. 5, and
the like parts are correspondingly lettered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In draw gear for railway and like vebicles, the combination of two draw
bars, a tube connecting their inner ends in such a manner as to permit of relative
end wise movement of the said draw bars, and a spring or springs arranged so
as to be brought into operation when there is a sufficient pull upon one or both
of the draw bars, as set forth.
2. My improved draw gear for railway and like vehicles, constructed, arranged
and operating as hereinabove described with reference respectively to, and
illustrated in, Figs. 1 and 2, in Fig. 4, in Fig. 5, and in Figs. 6 and 7 of the.
accompanying illustrative dreminge
Dated this 24th day of February 1897.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.