A METHOD OF ATTENUATING THE EFFECT OF SHOCKS OR CONCUSSIONS BETWEEN ENGINESRIAGES WAGGONS COMPOSING A RAILWAY TRAIN
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul de Bavay, Ironmaster, of the City of Brussels,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, for the Invention of "A METHOD OF
ATTENUATING THE EFFECT OF SHOCKS OR CONCUSSIONS BETWEEN ENGINES,
Sealed the 12th May 1868, and dated the 14th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul de Bavay at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1867.
I, PAUL DE BAVAY, Ironmaster, of the City of Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A METHOD
OF ATTENUATING THE EFFECT OF SHOCKS OR CONCUSSIONS BETWEEN ENGINES,
CARRIAGES, OR WAGGONS COMPOSING A RAILWAY TRAIN," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate as much as possible the results of
railway collisions. It is not intended thereby to arrest at once and on the
spot the motion of two trains meeting each other, but to produce the same
effect as an ordinary break waggon but much more powerfully.
A strong iron framework is arranged so as to enclose the locomotive and
the tender, such framework being supported by guides in which it works

page_text: freely. It is composed of two rods placed longitudinally, the same being
divided at the space between the engine and tender. The ends of the rods
are furnished at those parts with buffer heads, and the longitudinal rods are
connected at the extremities thereof by two cross pieces having also buffer
beads in the centre. Each carriage of which the train is composed is
furnished with a strong iron rod, which rod is placed horizontally somewhat
above the axles in the axis of the carriage. The rods are provided at both
ends with buffer heads, and are supported in guides in which they move freely.
The position of the rod of the last carriage is regulated by a screw working in
a thread cut in a strong piece of iron firmly fixed to the carriage. All the
buffer heads should touch each other. The apparatus having been thus
arranged and the train started, if the buffer head on the cross piece of the
before-mentioned framework which is in front of the engine meets with any
resistance which it cannot overcome, the frame will be forced back as well as
all the rods of the carriages, and the last carriage of the train will conse-
quently be the first to stop. The remainder of the train will by its impetus
continue to pull at the last carriage by means of the draw springs and rods.
which connect the whole train, and the intermediate carriages with the tender
and locomotive will be successively and not simultaneously stopped, thus
preventing the shock which ordinarily occurs when the motion of a train is
suddenly arrested. The springs placed upon the bars which couple the
carriages contribute in a great degree to deaden the shock. In the case of
two trains meeting each other the results will be exactly similar, only if one
train has acquired a greater impetus than the other the difference between the
two momenta cannot be annihilated but will produce a corresponding effect
upon the weaker train. Should either of the trains, be divided by the
breaking of a coupling one of the guides attached to the carriages will come
in contact with the buffer head of one of the rods and the apparatus will
continue to act upon the trains.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Paul Bavay, Her special licence that I, the said Paul de Bavay,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Paul de Bavay, my 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 "A METHOD OF
ATTENUATING THE EFFECT OF SHOCKS OR CONCUSSIONS BETWEEN ENGINES, CARRIAGES,
OR WAGGONS COMPOSING A RAILWAY TRAIN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Paul de Bavay, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Paul de Bavay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
The objects of my said Invention are to enable railway carriages to be
stopped within the shortest possible distance, and to prevent as far as possible
when a collision between two trains occurs, or when a single train comes into
contact with a fixed obstacle, the hinder portion of the train crushing the
forward portion. It is not intended by my arrangements to arrest at once
and on the spot the motion of the train or trains, but to produce the same
effect as an ordinary system of breaks, but much more powerfully.
A strong iron framework is arranged so as to enclose the locomotive and
tender, such framework being supported by guides in which it works freely.
It is composed of two rods placed longitudinally, the same being divided at the
space between the engine and tender. The ends of the rods are furnished at
those parts with buffer heads, and the longitudinal rods are connected at the
extremities thereof by two cross pieces having also buffer heads in the centre.
Each carriage of which the train is composed is furnished with a strong iron

page_text: rod, which rod is placed horizontally somewhat above the axles in the axis of
the carriage. The rods are provided at both ends with buffer heads, and are
supported in guides in which they move freely. The position of the rod of
the last carriage is regulated by a screw working in a thread cut in a strong
piece of iron firmly fixed to the carriage; all the buffer heads should be so
arranged as to touch each other. The apparatus having been thus arranged
and the train started, if the buffer head on the cross piece of the before-men-
tioned framework which is in front of the engine, meets with any resistance
which cannot be overcome, the frame will be forced back as well as all the rods
of the carriages, and the last carriage of the train will consequently be the first
to stop; the remainder of the train will by its impetus continue to pull at the
last carriage by means of the draw springs and rods which connect the whole
train, and the intermediate carriages with the tender and locomotive will be
successively and not simultaneously stopped, thus preventing the shock which
ordinarily occurs when the motion of a train is suddenly arrested. Springs
are placed upon the bars which couple the carriages, and contribute in a great
degree to deaden the shock. In the case of two trains meeting each other the
results will be exactly similar, only if one train has acquired a greater impetus
than the other the difference between the two momenta cannot be annihilated;
but will produce a corresponding effect upon the weaker train. Should either
of the trains be divided by the breaking of a coupling, one of the guides
attached to the carriages will come in contact with the buffer head of one of
the rods, and the apparatus will continue to act upon the other.
The last-described arrangements are shewn in Sheet 1 of the annexed
Drawings. Figure 1 represents a side view of a train, and Figure 2 a plan
view of the same; the same letters and figures referring to similar parts in
both of the Figures.
The iron framework enclosing the locomotive and the tender is shewn at
A, B, C, D, the same being supported by the guides a, a, a, a. The frame-
work is composed of the two rods A, B, and C, D, divided at b, b, and
furnished at those points with buffer heads, and of two cross pieces A, C, and
B, D, having also buffer heads in the centre. E, F, is the iron rod, also
furnished at both ends with buffer heads, with which each carriage is provided,
the same being supported by the two guides G, G; H is the screw by which
the position of the rod of the last carriage is regulated. The train having
started in the direction shewn by the arrow N, the buffer J on the framework
of the locomotive meets at the point K with some resistance which it cannot
overcome when the frame A, B, C, D, will be stopped, as well as all the rods

page_text: of the carriages connected with it, and the carriage No. 5 will consequently
be the first to stop; the remainder of the train will by its impetus continue to
pull at the carriage No. 5 by means of the draw springs and rods, and the
carriages Nos. 4, 3, 2, 1, with the tender and locomotive will be successively
stopped, as before mentioned. The strength of the iron rods E, F, must be
calculated upon the amount of strain they have to bear, and the distance
L, M, between the front of the locomotive and the cross piece A, C, should
be as great as it can be made without impairing the strength of the apparatus
in order that the train may extend itself as much as possible along the rods.
I will now proceed to describe a modification of my said Invention, in which
the same principles are brought into requisition. In the following description
I will refer throughout to Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings, from which the
nature of the said modification will be clearly understood, the same letters of
reference being used for similar parts in the different Figures.
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 a top or plan view, and Figure 8 an end
view of the frame or bed of any description of railway carriage for the con-
veyance of goods or passengers. With the exception of the new apparatus
tinted blue, which forms the subject of this part of my said Invention, the
frame or bed has no peculiarity in its construction. It must be understood as
furnished with buffers and draw springs for connecting the carriages with each
other and with the locomotive of the kind in general use, although such parts
are not shewn in the Drawings.
A, B, is a strong iron bar having at each end plates similar to buffer plates.
It is carried by or in guides d, d, d, strongly bolted to the frame, with the excep-
tion of the four shoulder plates C, C, D, D, the diameter of the bar is the
same from end to end. It works freely in the guides, so that it slides longi-
tudinally with ease; it extends beyond both ends of the frame about half the
distance that is left between the carriages or trucks composing the train.
Each pair of wheels in the train is furnished with two breaks E, which are
formed of a strong piece of flat iron suspended from a point or axis above and
carry the shoe or skid. On the opposite side to that on which the shoe is
placed they have a flat eyelet hole. These brakes are connected two and two
together by strong transverse pieces of flat iron C', C, D', D', carried or
suspended in the eyelet holes and which clasp the bar A, B, without however
being in contact with it. Each carriage in the train must be fitted up with the
apparatus just described, and moreover the tender must be fitted behind with
a buffer plate corresponding with those on the bar A, B, and projecting from
its frame or bed the same distance as the bar A, B, projects from the frames

page_text: of the carriages or trucks composing the train. The bar of the last carriage
in the train instead of being free to move on its guides, and having an easy
longitudinal sliding motion must be firmly fixed. Everything being thus
arranged it will be obvious that when the carriages are connected with each
other ready to start all the plates of the bars A, B, will be in contact, and the
bars will form a continuation throughout the length of the train from the
tender to the last carriage. The distance between the last carriage and
the tender may be extended, but it must never be less than it was at the time
of starting, as the last carriage bears or presses upon the tender through the
medium of the series of rigid bars A, B.
I will now describe what would take place in the case of the speed of the
locomotive drawing the train suddenly slackening. Each and all of the
carriages would in consequence of the momentum acquired have a tendency
to approach the tender, and would do so as far as their buffers and draw
springs would allow, but the last one would be prevented from approaching it
becomes the point of resistance to the others, and gradually or successively
and not simultaneously or suddenly the speed of the whole of the carriages in
the train would be brought to correspond with the reduced speed of the loco-
motive, commencing with the last and ending with the first, a result which is
the very opposite to what has previously occurred in such cases.
In the case
of a locomotive slackening speed a considerable assistance is derived from the
sliding motion of the carriages on the bars towards the tender, as I use it to
bring into play the self-acting breaks above described. The train going in the
direction of the arrow and the abatement in speed of the engine being con-
siderable, the transverse pieces C¹, C¹, would come in contact with the
shoulder pieces C, C, and the breaks these cross pieces carry would imme-
diately exert a strong pressure on the wheels. If the train were proceeding
in an opposite direction the cross pieces D¹, D¹, would come against the
shoulder pieces D, D. It follows that by this self-acting system the breaks
are applied to all the wheels of the carriages composing the train simulta-
neously with the slackening of the speed of the locomotive and thus avoid
collisions, which cannot be done at present by bringing the train to a stand
still within a smaller distance than can now be effected. Should however the
collision take place the action of my apparatus will be found extremely
efficacious in alleviating the effects which ordinarily result..
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which it is to be performed, I would observe in conclusion that
what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as constituting the

page_text: Invention secured to me by the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the combination and arrangement of parts and mechanism herein-
before described and set forth, as and for the purposes aforesaid, or any mere
modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul de Bavay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
A. CROOŸ.
P. DE BAVAY. (L.S.)