Improvements in Draw-gear for Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, -20th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar.. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Draw-gear for Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM BOUCHER, of Bullo Pill, near Newnham, in the County of
Gloucester, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a form of draw-gear for railway and
tramway vehicles, the use of which shall afford greater safety than that now
in use.
The drawbars of rolling stock at present in use are made as follows:-
(1) With a hook and screw end, there being a steel or india-rubber spring box
attached to the middle or cross bearer of the vehicle, against which the screw end
of drawbar pulls. Should the screw end break which is often the case, there is no
other check for the drawbar, which therefore pulls out, and a portion of the train
becomes detached, generally with very serious results.
(2) The drawbars are made with hook and screw ends or with hook and cotter
ends and are connected in the centre of vehicle by means of a socket or cradle.
Should either the screw end or cotter or cotter end break, the drawbar becomes
detached from the vehicle and a portion of the train is broken away.
According to my invention I effectually prevent such accidents by adopting the
following construction:-
:-
My drawbar has a hook and screw end in the ordinary way, but in addition to
this form a swell or shoulder of rectangular or other convenient shape a suitable
distance from the hook or screw end, or from hook and screw end. I make a spring
of suitable design with an oblong aperture, and a wrought or cast-iron box of
suitable shape with an oblong aperture in which the said spring is contained. This
box and spring is then passed over the swell or shoulder of drawbar, and turned
round, so that the aperture in spring and box and shoulder or swell of drawbar
stand at right angles to one another. The spring box is then secured to the head-
stock or cross bearer of the wagon or vehicle which forms an effectual check or
stop to the movement of the drawbar.
It will be seen that the shoulder of drawbar cannot pull through the cross bearer
but will act upon the spring and form a safe check in case of a broken drawbar end,
and the vehicle can then be worked or shunted as well as if the end had not been
broken.
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CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Draw-gear for Railway and Tramway Vehicles,
I, WILLIAM BOUCHER, of Bullo Pill, near Newnham, in the County of
Gloucester, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide a form of draw-gear for railway and
tramway vehicle the use of which shall afford greater safety than that now
in use.
The drawbars of rolling stock at present in use are made as follows:-
(1) With a hook and screw end, there being a steel or india-rubber spring box

page_text: attached to the middle or cross bearer of the vehicle, against which the screw end
of drawbar pulls. Should the screw end break which is often the case, there is no
other check for the drawbar which therefore pulls out and a portion of the train
becomes detached, generally with very serious results.
(2) The drawbars are made with hook and screw ends or with hook and cotter
ends and are connected in the centre of vehicle by means of a socket or cradle.
Should either the screw end or cotter or cotter end break, the drawbar becomes
detached from the vehicles and a portion of the train is broken away.
According to my invention I effectually prevent such accidents by adopting the
following construction :-
My drawbar has a hook and screw end or hook and cotter end in the ordinary
way, but in addition to this I form a swell or shoulder of rectangular or other
convenient shape a suitable distance from the hook or screw end, or from hook and
screw end, or from cotter end. I make a spring of suitable design with an oblong
aperture, and a wrought or cast-iron box of suitable shape with an oblong aperture
in which the said spring is contained. This box and spring is then passed over the
swell or shoulder of drawbar, and turned round, so that the aperture in spring and
box and, shoulder or swell of drawbar stand at right angles to one another. The
spring box is then secured to the headstock or cross bearer of the wagon or vehicle
which forms an effectual check or stop to the withdrawal of the drawbar.
", It will be seen that the shoulder of drawbar cannot pull through the cross bearer
but will act upon the spring and form a safe check in case of a broken drawbar end
and the vehicle can then be worked or shunted as well as if the end had not been
broken.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom-
panying two sheets of drawings illustrative of my said invention, and of which
Figure 1 is a plan view of the underside of a wagon fitted with my improved
draw-gear and
Figures 2 to 12 are drawings showing the different parts of this draw-gear
detached and on an enlarged scale.
In all the figures the same reference-letters are employed to indicate the same
parts wherever they occur.
One end of each drawbar is provided with a hook as usual, the other c being
provided with a screw-thread or perforated for the reception of a key or cotter or
otherwise suitably formed to receive a fastening by means of which it may be
prevented from passing out of the cradle d shown separately at Figures 4, 5 and 6.
As shown at Figure 1 the inner ends of both drawbars lie within the said cradle
and are therein secured in the manner already described. The end of one of the
drawbars lies within a springe of any suitable form and material placed between
the end of the cradle d and the fastening of the drawbar a. It will be seen that on
a strain coming upon either of the drawbars this spring will be compressed and so
reduces the shock upon the draw-gear. If preferred such a spring may be placed
upon the end of each of the drawbars, but one spring arranged as shown is found to
be sufficient in practice.
At any suitable position on each drawbar I form a swell or shoulder fof rect-
angular or other convenient shape. This swell is situated within a short distance
of the cross bearer or head stock of the wagon against which is secured a spring
box having a central passage through which the drawbar passes. This spring
ģ
box is shown in detail at Figs. 1 to 12 and consists of a suitable hollow casing
secured to a back platej by rivets or other fastenings. Both the casingh and
plate; have a central rectangular opening k for the passage of the drawbar a and
its swellsf. Within this casing his arranged a suitable spring supporting a
rectangular washer m. The said spring and washer have oblong rectangular
openings through their centres and are so arranged within the casing / that their
longer diameters lie in a line with that of the opening k in the back platej so as to
permit of the passage of the swells of therethrough.

page_text: The opening in the casing his made square so that after its passage through
the casing the swell may be turned round at right angles and made to bear directly
upon the washer m lying behind the said opening. The swells fare placed at such
a distance from the spring boxes as to allow for the greater part of the play of the
drawbar due to the compression of the spring e before the swells f come in contact
with the washer m. In the drawings I have shown each drawbar provided with
two swells though in practice but one is found to be necessary. My purpose in
showing two is that the positions at which these may be placed may be fully under-
stood. It will of course be readily understood that but one of these swells with its
accompanying spring box need be used for each drawbar, though in some cases for
additional security the draw-gear may be constructed exactly as shown in the
drawings. I prefer to arrange the parts so that the reserve or safety springs g
come into use just before the centre or chief spring e is compressed quite home. It
will be seen that this form of draw-gear not only acts as a safe check in case of
breakage of the inner end of the drawbar or of the nut, cotter, or other fastening
by which it is secured, but it greatly minimises the chance of such breakages
by the springs g acting as reserve or auxiliary springs in the manner last
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
:-
In draw-gear for railway and tramway vehicles the arrangement of swells or
enlargements of the drawbars in combination with auxiliary springs carried upon
the underframe of the vehicle substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set
forth and described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of February 1893
66
CASTLE SMITH,
Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, F.C.,
Agent for the Applicant..