Improvements in or in connection with Buffers and Draw-bars for Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Buffers and Draw-bars for
Railway and similar Vehicles.
We, WILLIAM RICHARD SUMPTION JONES, of 3 Whitehall Court, Westminster,
in the County of London, Engineer, and EVERARD RICHARD CALTHROP, of
56 Naylor Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention of improvements in or in connection with buffers and draw-bars
of railway and other vehicles has for object to enable either of a pair of connected
buffer or draw-bar rods, or combined buffer and draw-bar rods on adjacent vehicles,
to turn laterally relatively to the body of the vehicle upon which it is mounted,
without putting as has heretofore been usual when passing around curves of short
radius, undue stress on the buffer spring or draw-bar spring or both, as the case
may be, and so that the displaced rod shall be automatically brought back to its
normal position in a simple and ready manner.
For this purpose the head-stock or other part of a vehicle body against which
the buffer spring, or draw-bar spring, or each such spring, acts, is formed or
provided with a cam or inclined surface upon which the socket or holder or
equivalent part carried by the adjacent end of the spring is arranged to turn
laterally and through which the buffer or draw-bar rod or combined buffer and
draw-bar rod extends, the arrangement being such that when the said rod is turned
or displaced sideways in either direction, relatively to the vehicle on which it is
mounted, in order that it may remain, when passing around a curve, in line with
the buffer or an adjacent vehicle draw-bar rod to which it is connected, the spring
socket or holder or equivalent part will be caused to travel on the said cam or
inclined surface to permit such movement to readily take place and will, by such
movement further compress the spring on one side or the other, according to the
direction of movement, the energy thereby stored in the spring serving to
automatically return the rod to its normal position at the right time. In this way
undue stress on the spring is avoided, and the rod is returned to its normal position
in a simple manner.
The invention can advantageously be applied in connection with central buffers
Euch for example as described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 8355
of 1892 granted to one of us, viz. the said William Richard Sumption Jones.
In an arrangement of this kind provided with combined draw and push springs,
the end of each spring adjacent to the headstock of the vehicle to which the central
buffer is applied, is provided with a spring socket having a vertically arranged
concave bearing surface mounted to bear against a convex bearing surface or
surfaces formed on a perforated plate that is fixed to the headstock and through
which the combined buffer and draw-rod extends, the convex surface at each side
of the said rod, being eccentric to the centre about which the rod curves in a
horizontal direction.

page_text: If desired one or more auxiliary springs arranged to be acted upon by the spring
socket or holder or by each such socket or holder when there are two, may be used
to assist in returning the displaced rod to its normal position.
Dated this 29th day of October 1895.
Improvements in or in connection with Buffers and Draw-bars for
Railway and similar Vehicles.
We, WILLIAM RICHARD SUMPTION JONES, of 3 Whitehall Court, Westminster,
in the County of London, Engineer, and EvERARD RICHARD CALTHROP, of
56 Naylor Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention of improvements in or in connection with buffers and draw-bars
of railway and other similar vehicles, has for object to enable one or the other of
a pair of connected central buffer or draw-bar rods, or combined buffer and draw-
bar rods, on adjacent vehicles, to turn in a lateral direction relatively to the
underframe of the vehicle upon which it is mounted, without putting, as has
heretofore been usual when passing around curves of short radius, undue stress on
the buffer rod, the buffer spring or draw-bar spring, or all of these parts, as the
case may be, and so that the displaced rod shall be automatically brought back to
its central or normal position in a simple and ready manner.
For this purpose the head-stock or other part of a vehicle underframe against
which the buffer spring, or drawbar spring, or each such spring, acts is formed or
provided with a cam or inclined surface upon which the socket or holder or
equivalent part carried by the adjacent end of the spring is arranged to turn
laterally, and through which the buffer or draw-bar rod or combined buffer and
draw-bar rod extends, the arrangement being such that when the said rod is turned
or displaced side-ways in either direction, relatively to the vehicle on which it is
mounted, in order that it may remain, when passing around a curve, in line with
the buffer or draw bar rod on an adjacent vehicle to which it is connected, the
spring socket or holder or equivalent part will be caused to travel on or mount the
said cam or inclined surface sideways to any required extent, and will by such
movement further compress the spring on one side or the other, according to the
direction of movement, the energy thereby stored in the spring assisting to
automatically return the rod to its central or normal position at the right time. In
this way undue stress on the spring and connected parts is avoided, and the rod is
returned to its central or normal position in a simple manner.
The invention can advantageously be applied in connection with central buffers,
such for example as described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 8355
of 1892 granted to William Lloyd Wise on a communication from oue of us, viz. :
the said William Richard Sumption Jones.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a part sectional plan showing so much
of a central buffer with combined buffer and draw springs as is necessary to
illustrate the nature of this invention, part of the buffer and rod being shown
turned to one side as would be the case when connected vehicles take a curve.
Fig. 2 is a sectional end view with the buffer head and part of the buffer spring
and its socket removed.

page_text: 1 is a central buffer carried by a combined buffer and draw-bar rod 2 provided
with buffer and draw springs 3 and 4 respectively.
The end of each spring 3 and 4 adjacent to the headstock 5 of the vehicle to
which the central buffer is applied, is provided with a spring socket 6 having a
vertically arranged concave bearing surface 6ª mounted to bear against a convex
bearing surface 7ª formed on a plate 7 that is fixed to the headstock and through a
hole 7 in which the combined buffer and draw-bar rod 2 extends, the convex.
surface 7 at each side of the said rod, being struck from a centre 8 eccentric to
the centre 9 about which the rod 2 can turn in a horizontal direction.
By this arrangement it will be seen that when the buffer and rod 1 and 2 are
turned into the position shown for example by the line a xor x¹ x', the sockets or
holders 6 will be caused to travel on the eccentric or cam surfaces 7ª and as each
of these surfaces gradually recedes from the centre of motion 9 as it proceeds from.
the longitudinal axis y y, the buffer and draw springs will be further compressed
on one side, viz. that to which they turn, than at the opposite side, with the result
that the additionally compressed side of each spring acts to retain the buffer and
rod to their central position when permitted to do so as when the connected vehicles.
pass onto a straight portion of line.
When it is desired that a greater deviation of the buffer from the longitudinal
axis y y shall be possible say to the line 2 or 3 whilst at the same time.
ensuring that the buffer and rod shall automatically return at the right time to the
central or normal position, auxiliary controlling springs may be arranged in
connection with each socket in such a way as to be compressed by lateral movement.
of the socket in either direction. In one arrangement shown by way of example
in the drawings, auxiliary springs 10 10ª are arranged between the base of the
sockets 6 and the plates 7, but they may be otherwise arranged. By this means.
when the buffer and rod are displaced laterally the sockets will first slide or mount
on the eccentric or cam surfaces and the springs 3 and 4 will be further compressed
on one side or the other as in the arrangement herein before described and on
further deviation of the buffer and rod say to the line ³ ³ or³ ³, one or other
of each of the auxiliary springs on each side of the headstock will be compressed,
the energy thereby stored in such auxiliary springs serving to ensure the automatic
return of the buffer and rod to their central position at the right time. The buffer
head 1 is carried by and secured to the outer end of the spring 3 which is secured
at the opposite end to the socket 6 which is constrained to move in a horizontal
direction by the top and bottom flanges 7d 7° of the plate 7 the arrangement being
such that the buffer head 1 and its shank or rod 2 cannot turn relatively to the
spring and the spring cannot turn about its axis relatively to the part of the vehicle
to which it is applied, as in the construction of central buffer described in the said
former specification.
Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive are similar views to Fig. 1 showing slightly modified
arrangements. In Fig. 3 the bearing surfaces 7 of the plates 7 instead of being
convex are made inclined at each side of the longitudinal axis the adjacent
bearing surface 6ª of the sockets 6 being made to correspond. Fig. 4 shows an
arrangement similar to that shown in Fig. 3, but the inclined surfaces 7" are made
flatter and connected by an intervening flat or plain portion 7. Fig. 5 shows an
arrangement in which the bearing surfaces 6 and 7" are made the converse of those
shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 shows an arrangement in which the said surfaces are
made the converse of those shown in Fig. 3.
The dotted lines in Fig. 6 show how auxiliary india rubber springs 10 or coiled
metal springs 10* may be arranged between the adjacent sockets 6, and plates 7 for
the purpose herein before mentioned.
The eccentric or cam like bearing surfaces 6° 7° instead of being arranged to
extend vertically the depth of the plate 7, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, may
be shortened so that an auxiliary spring in the form of a ring may be arranged
between each plate 7 and the corresponding socket 6 and surrounding the bearing

page_text: surfaces. The construction and arrangement of the auxiliary springs may however
be variously modified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A central buffer for railway and other similar vehicles in which the end of
the buffer spring or draw bar spring, or of each such spring adjacent to the head-
stock of the vehicle upon which the buffer is mounted, is carried by a socket or
holder, or equivalent part mounted to turn laterally upon a cam or inclined surface
provided on the headstock or other part of the underframe of the vehicle, and
through which the buffer or draw bar rod or combined buffer and draw bar rod
extends, the arrangement being such that when the said buffer and rod are turned
or displaced sideways in either direction relatively to the vehicle, the spring socket
or holder or equivalent part will be caused to travel on or mount the said cam or
inclined surface sideways and will by such movement further compress the spring
on one side or the other, the energy thereby stored in the spring, acting to auto-
matically return the buffer and rod to their central or normal position at the right
time; substantially as described.
2. In a central buffer constructed and arranged as specified in the preceding
claim providing auxiliary springs in connection with the sockets or holders or
equivalent parts carrying the buffer and drawbar springs substantially as hereinbefore
described for the purpose specified.
3. Central buffers for railway and other vehicles having the sockets carrying the
buffer and draw springs and the parts against which they bear constructed arranged
and operating and provided with auxiliary controlling springs, substantially as
herein before described with reference to and shown in the several examples
illustrated in the drowing annexed
Dated this 29th day of July 1896.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.