Improvements in Slack Gathering Draw Gear and Buffers for Close Coupled Railway Rolling Stock.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 23rd July, 1900-Accepted. 22nd Sept.. 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Slack Gathering Draw Gear and Buffers for Close
Coupled Railway Rolling Stock.
I, ALFRED EVAN MORGAN, of The Oldbury Railway Carriage and Wagon Works,
Oldbury, in the County of Worcester, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to slack gathering draw gear and buffers for
close coupled railway rolling stock. In the kind of draw gear to which the
first part of my invention is applicable the draw bars are tightened or slackened
by turning a right and left hand screw threaded connector situated underneath
the carriage or truck and at somewhere about the centre of the same.
This part
of my invention is particularly applicable to narrow gauge rolling stock where
it is difficult for a man to get underneath the carriage or truck to turn the
connector to tighten or to slacken the draw bars.
The object of the first part of my invention is to provide means whereby the
draw bars can readily be tightened up or slackened from either side of the
carriage or truck so as to render it unnecessary for a man to get underneath as
at present. According to one arrangement of this part of my invention I mount
a worm wheel on the outside of the right and left hand screw threaded connector
or nut which is screwed on to the ends of the draw bars or parts connected there-
with the said worm wheel being mounted on a feather or key or otherwise
arranged so as to turn the connector but remain stationary whilst the nut or
connector can move longitudinally therein by the pull on the draw bars.
Gearing with the said worm wheel is a worm fixed on a shaft which I call the
hand wheel shaft and which extends across the underside of the carriage or
truck from side to side the ends of this shaft being provided with hand wheels
or handles for turning the same. A few turns of the hand wheel shaft by
either of the hand wheels in one direction will turn the worm wheel and the right
and left hand connector in the direction to slacken the draw bars and by turning
the hand wheel shaft in the opposite direction the worm wheel and connector are
turned in the direction to tighten up the draw bars.
Instead of the worm and worm wheel bevelled wheels or other gear may be
employed for transmitting the rotary motion of the hand wheel shaft to the
right and left hand screw threaded connector
In a further modification of this part of my invention I provide on the said
right and left hand connector a ratchet wheel, instead of the worm wheel, and to
operate this ratchet wheel I provide a short ratchet lever carrying a double pawl.
This ratchet lever is connected to an operating bar which takes the place of the
handle shaft above described and extends across the carriage or truck from side
to side and is made with a handle at each end so that the operating bar can be
moved to and fro through a short distance. These is also a rod connected to
the pawl and carried from side to side of the carriage or truck adjacent to the
operating bar and by which the pawl can be thrown into gear at either side of
077

page_text: the ratchet lever so that the reciprocating movement of the operating bar will
turn the ratchet wheel in the one or the other direction according to whether the
draw bars are to be tightened up or slackened out.
The kind of buffers to which the second part of my invention refers are used
with the said draw gear, that is to say, there is a central buffer at each end of
the carriage or truck through which the coupling link of the draw bar protrudes.
These buffers are somewhat of a semi-cheese shape rounded at the front and flat
at the top and bottom and fixed to the end beam of the underframe and they
have heretofore usually been built up of plates and angle irons rivetted together.
According to this part of my invention I increase the strength and reduce the
cost of manufacture of the said buffers by stamping or pressing each buffer in
one piece from a ductile steel or iron plate of suitable thickness parts of the
stamping being turned outwardly at each side to form flanges to take against
the end beam and the flat top and bottom of the buffer also forming flanges to
clip between them the end beam and be rivetted thereto. The usual holes are
made in the top of the buffer for access to the coupling pin and also in front of
the buffer for the coupling links to pass through.
Dated this 20th day of October 1800.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Slack Gathering Draw Gear and Buffers for Close
Coupled Railway Rolling Stock.
I, ALFRED EVAN MORGAN, of The Oldbury Railway Carriage and Wagon Works,
Oldbury, in the County of Worcester, Draughtsman, 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:-
This invention has reference to slack gathering draw gear and buffers for
close coupled railway rolling stock. In the kind of draw gear to which the
first part of my invention is applicable the draw bars are tightened or slackened
by turning a right and left hand screw threaded connector situated underneath
the carriage or truck and at somewhere about the centre of the same.
This part
of my invention is particularly applicable to narrow gauge rolling stock where
it is difficult for a man to get underneath the carriage or truck to turn the
connector to tighten or to slacken the draw bars.
The object of the first part of my invention is to provide means whereby the
draw bars can readily be tightened up or slackened from either side of the
carriage or truck so as to render it unnecessary for a man to get underneath as
at present.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation and Fig. 2
is a plan of the underframe of a close coupled railway carriage or wagon with
my invention applied; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a part of the same; Fig. 4
is a sectional side elevation and Fig. 5 is a plan of another kind of close coupled
railway carriage or wagon underframe provided with side buffers and with my
slack gathering draw gear applied; Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation and Fig. 7
is a plan of a railway carriage or wagon underframe provided with central buffers
and with my improved slack gathering draw gear combined therewith; Fig. 8
is a cross sectional elevation and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified arrange-
ment of my slack gathering draw gear; Fig. 10 is a front elevation; Fig. 11 is a

page_text: cross sectional elevation and Fig. 12 is a plan of a central buffer made according
to this invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures.
According to one arrangement of the first part of my invention illustrated by
Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I mount a worm wheel A on the outside of the right and left
hand screwed connector or nut B which is screwed on to the ends of the right
and left hand screwed parts CD connected respectively to the central draw
bars EF said worm wheel A being mounted on a feather or key working in a
key way b in the right and left hand screwed connector B or otherwise arranged
thereon so that the worm wheel will turn the connector B but remain stationary
whilst the latter is moved longitudinally therein by the pull of the draw bars E F.
The worm wheel A is situated between the two cross bearings G G2 in which the
nut or connector turns and which are fixed to the longitudinal girders H¹ H²
of the underframe. Gearing with the worm wheel A and underneath the same
there is a worm I fixed on a shaft J and which I call the hand wheel shaft and
which extends across the underside of the carriage or truck from side to side the
ends of this shaft J being provided with hand wheels K¹ K2 or handles at the
sides of the truck for turning the shaft and worm. The shaft J is carried by
suitable bearings fixed to the underframe of the carriage or truck. A few turns
of the hand wheel shaft J by either of the hand wheels K' K³ in one direction
will turn the worm wheel A and the right and left hand connector B in one
direction to slacken the draw bars E F and by turning the hand wheel shaft J in
the opposite direction the worm wheel A and connector B are turned in the
direction to tighten up the draw bars so as to gather up the slack and bring the
trucks or carriages together buffer to buffer. I have not described the construc-
tion of the carriage underframe nor the springs or connections from the draw
bars to the right and left hand screwed draw bar ends CD as these are all
of the kind well known and form no part of my invention.
The arrangement of my invention illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5 is the same as
that shewn by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 but Figs. 4 and 5 shew my slack gathering gear
applied to a railway truck or carriage made with two side buffers instead of the
central buffer shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Figs. 6 and 7 also shew the same kind of worm and worm wheel slack gathering
gear as in the previous figures but in this arrangement the draw bars E F are
arranged to pass through central spring buffers L L and the outer ends el f¹ of
the draw bars EF are made forked and enclosed in the buffer heads and through
each of these forked ends passes a coupling pin M which also pass through the
buffers and have on them the coupling links N to couple on to the next truck
or carriage. The holes in the buffers L1 L2 and the holes ef in the
ends el fi of the draw bars E F are slotted as shewn so as to permit of the
movement of the draw bars, and when the slack is gathered up by turning the
hand wheel shaft J to operate the worm and worm wheel the coupling pins M
are drawn closely against the ends of the slots and the adjacent buffers are
coupled up tightly together and any shaking or movement of the coupling pins M
in the buffers is effectually prevented.
Instead of employing the worm I and the worm wheel A for transmitting the
rotary motion of the hand wheel shaft J to the right and left hand screwed
connector B as above described, bevel wheels or other gearing may be employed
as will readily be understood, but I prefer to use worm and worm wheel gearing
as it is self-locking and gives a greater ratio of power in a small space than can
be obtained by any other gearing.
In a modification of the first part of my invention (see Figs. 8 and 9) I provide
on the right and left hand connector B a ratchet wheel O instead of the worm
wheel and to operate this ratchet wheel there is on the said connector a short
forked ratchet lever P carrying two pawls g' q² mounted on a tail piece Q
which is situated between the sides of the lever P and turns on a cross pin

page_text: passing therethrough. The ratchet lever P is connected by collars ¹ p² to the
operating bar R preferably made tubular as shewn which takes the place of the
handle shaft J above described and extends across the carriage or truck from
side to side and is mounted to slide endwise in bearings on the carriage
underframe and is made with a handle s 2 at each end by which the operating
bar R can be moved to and fro through a short distance to operate the ratchet
wheel O as hereinafter described. There is also a rod X connected to the tail
piece Q of the double pawl q¹ q² and carried from side to side of the carriage or
truck and adjacent to (preferably inside) the tubular operating bar R. The
rod X is screwed at a where it is connected to the tail piece Q and made with a
handle at each end so that by turning the rod X the tail piece Qwill be
turned about its fulcrum q³ and bring either one or other of the pawls q¹ q2 into
gear with the ratchet wheel O and then the reciprocating movement of the
operating bar will turn the ratchet wheel in the one or the other direction
according to whether the draw bars are to be tightened up or slackened out.
The kind of buffers to which the second part of my invention refers are more
particularly for use with the said draw gear, that is to say, there is a central
buffer at each end of the carriage or truck through which the coupling link of
the draw bar protrudes. These buffers are of a semi-cheese shape rounded at
the front and flat at the top and bottom and fixed to the end beam of the under-
frame and they have heretofore been built up of plates and angle irons rivetted
together. According to the second part of my invention I increase the strength
and reduce the cost of production of these buffers by stamping or pressing each
buffer in one piece from a ductile steel or iron plate of suitable thickness. The
underframe shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with two central buffers U U
constructed according to this part of my invention and one of the said buffers
with a part of one of the end beams T is shewn separately by Figs. 10, 11 and 12.
The buffer stamping is made of the shape substantially as shewn by these figures,
that is to say, it is of a semi-cheese shape rounded at the front u and flat at the
top and at the bottom 3, the top u² and bottom u³ being just at the proper
distance apart so as to form flanges to receive between them the end beam T of
the carriage or truck and to which the top and bottom are rivetted. The parts
marked at each side of the buffer are turned outwardly to form flanges to
take against the said end beam T and to be rivetted thereto. The usual hole v
is made in the top of the buffer for the coupling pin and also the usual hole w
in the front of the buffer for the coupling link to pass through.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In slack gathering draw gear for close coupled railway rolling stock the
combination, with the right and left hand screw threaded draw bar ends and
connector connecting said ends together, of a cross shaft extending from side to
side of the carriage or truck, gearing mounted on said connector and cross shaft
for transmitting rotary motion from the cross shaft to the connector and means
for turning said cross shaft so as to tighten up or slacken the draw bars from
either side of the carriage or truck, substantially as set forth.
2. In slack gathering draw gear for close coupled railway rolling stock the
combination with the right and left hand screw threaded draw bar ends and
connector connecting said ends together, of a worm wheel mounted on said
connector so as to turn the same and permit of the connector moving endwise
therethrough, bearings for the connector which prevent endwise movement of
the worm wheel, a worm gearing with said worm wheel and mounted on a cross
shaft extending across the carriage or wagon underframe from side to side and
means for turning said shaft so as to tighten up or slacken the draw bars from
either side of the carriage or truck substantially as set forth.
3. In slack gathering draw gear for close coupled railway rolling stock the

page_text: combination with the right and left hand screw threaded draw bar ends and
connector connecting said ends together, of a ratchet wheel mounted on said
connector so as to turn the same a ratchet lever with double pawls for operating
said ratchet wheel, an operating bar extending across the carriage or truck
underframe from side to side and connected to said ratchet lever and means for
bringing either of the two pawls into gear with the ratchet wheel so as to turn
the same in either direction and tighten up or slacken the draw bars from either
side of the carriage or truck, substantially as set forth.
4. The improved central buffer for close coupled railway rolling stock stamped
from one plate of iron or steel to the shape and substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by Figs. 10, 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of July 1900.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.