AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BUFFER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Baird Handyside, of Glasgow, in the
Kingdom of Scotland, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BUFFER."
Sealed the 10th December 1867, and dated the 5th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Baird Handyside
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
* 5th September 1867.
I, JAMES BAIRD HANDYSIDE, of Glasgow, in the Kingdom of Scotland,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BUFFER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of end buffer in which a
floating piston for transmitting and distributing the pressure of the coiled
springs is used in combination with a telescopic arrangement of case. The
outer or fixed tube is formed with a shoulder on its inner periphery, against
which a flange on the inner end of the sliding telescopic tube bears when the
buffer is extended. The telescopic case of the buffer is provided at its opposite
ends with cast-iron discs, which carry on their inner face recesses to receive.
the ends of the coiled buffer springs. These springs (which are by preference
fitted with a core of wool) are placed on either side of a piston, which is cast
of a suitable form to receive them, and sustain them in position and out of
contact with each other; and the better to ensure this the piston is cast with a
core (projecting from its opposite sides) suitably shaped to fill the space

page_text: between the groups of coiled springs, and it is also provided with recesses to
receive the ends of the springs. The closed end of the sliding tube forms the
buffer head, and the fixed tube is cast with a flange or lugs to receive the
screw bolts for securing the buffer to the carriage frame. In order to retain
all the parts of the buffer together and in position ready for attaching to a
carriage the inner or larger disc is cast with two lateral projections which form
with inclined recesses cast in the fixed tube a kind of bayonet joint. When,
therefore, the parts composing the buffer are put together, and this disc is
inserted in its place, and secured by a slight axial movement, the buffer will
be ready for transport, and will admit of being attached to a carriage by any
ordinary workman.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Baird Handyside in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th March 1868.
I, JAMES
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE, PRESENTS SHALL COME,
BAIRD HANDYSIDE, of Glasgow, in the Kingdom of Scotland, Engineer, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, 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 James Baird Handyside, Her special licence, that I, the said James Baird
Handyside, my executors, administrators, and, assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Baird Handyside, 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 "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY BUFFER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Baird Handyside, my executors or adminis
trators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Baird Handyside,, 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 bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say): ft.
This Invention relates, to a novel arrangement of, buffer, in which a floating,
piston for transmitting and distributing the pressure of the coiled springs is
used in combination with a telescopic arrangement of case.
In the accompanying Drawings, I have shewn various views of a buffer
constructed according to my Invention.
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a buffer composed,
of four pairs of springs. Figures 2, 3, and 4 are cross sections taken,
respectively in the lines A, B, C, D, and E, F, of Fig. 1. ¡¡
C,
"
The outer or fixed tube a is formed with a shoulder a¹ on its inner periphery,
against which a flange on the inner end of the sliding telescopic tube b. bears
when the buffer is extended. This sliding tube 6 carries the buffer head b'.
The telescopic case of the buffer is provided at its opposite ends with cast-
iron' discs c, which carry on their inner. face recesses c³, cl, as shewn, in:
Figures 3 and 4, to receive the ends of the coiled buffer springs d, d. These
springs (which are fitted with a core of wool to increase their resisting power),
are placed on either side of a piston e (shewn in plan at Fig. 2). This piston
is cast of a suitable form to receive the springs and sustain them in position
and out of contact with each other. The better to ensure this the piston e is
cast with a core e¹ projecting from its opposite sides, and shaped transversely
to correspond to the form of the space between the groups of coiled springs d, d.
The piston is also provided with recesses e³ to receive the ends of the
springs d. The elastic cores of wool for increasing the sustaining power of
the springs d, are shewn at d¹. The closed and overlapping end 6 of the
sliding tube forms the buffer head, and the fixed tube is cast with a flange
or lugs a to receive the screw bolts for securing the buffer to the carriage
frame. In order to retain all the parts of the buffer together and in position
ready for attaching to a carriage the inner or larger disc c is cast with two
lateral projections c³, Fig. 1, which form, with inclined recesses cast in the
fixed tube a, a kind of bayonet joint. When, therefore, the parts composing
the buffer are put together, and the disc c is inserted in its place and secured
by a slight axial movement, the buffer will be ready for transport, and will
admit of being attached to a carriage by any ordinary workman.
In Fig. 1 I have shewn the piston connected to the discs c, c*, by means of
bolts or tie rods f, f. To allow of this connection the core of the piston is

page_text: cast hollow and slotted laterally (see Fig. 2) to admit the heads of the bolts
or tie rods, and allow of the piston sliding freely over them, and the outer
faces of the discs are recessed at their centres to receive the nuts on the
screwed ends of the bolts or tie rods. These tie rods serve to retain the
piston in a central position when the buffer is not in action, and they to some
extent facilitate the insertion of the springs in the telescope tubing. Their
presence is not however essential or important in the buffer, but they may be
used or not as thought most convenient.
In Sheet II. I bave shown my improved buffer with a solid piston and
core, the bolts or tie rods being dispensed with, and three pairs of springs
only being used, in other respects the construction is precisely like that
described with reference to Sheet I. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the
buffer with the solid piston, and Fig. 6 is a cross section with the springs
removed. The letters on these Figures refer to like parts described with
reference to Sheet I.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Con-
struction of Railway Buffer," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim, the arrangement of parts above described constituting
my improved railway buffer.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Baird Handyside, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
D
JAMES B. HANDYSIDE. (L.S.)