Improvements in Automatic Central Buffers and Couplings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Central Buffers and Couplings.
I, GEORGE JOHNSTON at present at 65 Eastbourne Street, Liverpool but
ordinarily of Durban, Natal, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement of central buffer and coupling
in one, which shall automatically couple up.
I take the ordinary central buffer as used in America, and the Colonies, and
place a casting therein. This casting is provided with a stirrup and spring catch
or its equivalent, whereby when the link is pressed in, the stirrup shall guide it,
and the catch shall be drawn back allowing the coupling pin to fall down through
the link, and through holes in the casting and the buffer box above and below.
The coupling pin passes through a casting applied to the outside of the buffer
box. It has a projecting arm over which a slide link passes which prevents the
pin being drawn entirely out, and keeps the pin from turning. Other modes
may be used for preventing the pin from being drawn out or turning, such as a
feather key on the pin itself, or a projection in a groove coming against an
abutment. I prefer however the arrangement above described. A pin passing
through both casting and buffer box and also through the subsidiary casting on
top of the buffer box holds all together. The coupling pin is raised when
required by means of a chain from an eye bolt on a horizontal cross bar worked
from each side of the carriage. This bar has feathers upon it working on its
bearings or guides, and so arranged that by turning the bar the feathers do not
lock, and the bar can be pulled out of either side. By turning the bar with the
crank handle downwards however the feather locks it in the position in which it
happens to be. Thus by pulling or pushing the bar in either direction and
turning it with handles down the pin is withdrawn from the link so that the link
is free. The mode of action of the link itself is as follows:-The link enters the
bull mouth of the central buffer and is guided by the sloping sides and by the
stirrup into exact position for the pin to fall. The link pushing back the spring
catch on the carriages coming together leaves the pin free to fall through the
link, and thus fastens the buffer, the moment however by means of the horizontal
bar the pin is withdrawn from the link, and the two carriages are separated, the
spring catch flies into position and prevents the pin from again falling into position
until this or another link is again inserted, when the weight of the pin on the
pushing back of the catch by the link causes it the said pin, to fall and locks the
coupling. The buffer shank, the buffer spring, draw link, etc., etc., are of the usual
kind and therefore need not be herein described.
Dated the 21th dow of June 1895
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant..

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Central Buffers and Couplings.
I, GEORGE JOHNSTON at present at 65 Eastbourne Street, Liverpool but
ordinarily of Durban, Natal, Engineer, 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 for its object an arrangement of central buffer and coupling
in one, which shall automatically couple up.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my invention as applied to an ordinary
central buffer, such as are used in America and the Colonies, showing the buffer
uncoupled from the draw link;
Figure 2 a front clevation of the same, with the castings B and G separated
from the buffer box ;
Figure 3 an end elevation of the casting B, showing the stirrup C in position;
Figure 4 a plan of the top casting G being a section on the line a-b.of
Figure 1;
Figure 5 a detail view of the slide link H;
Figure 6 a sectional elevation of a buffer of my own design with my invention
applied thereto, showing the coupling link of an adjacent buffer ready to enter the
bell mouth;
Figure 7 the same coupled up to the draw link ;
Figure 8 a detail plan view of the stirrup C.
Referring first more especially to Figures 1-5 inclusive, I take the ordinary
central buffer A as used in America, and the Colonies, and place a casting B
therein. This casting is provided with a stirrup C and catch c or its equivalent,
controlled by a spring D, whereby when the draw link is pressed in between the
stirrup C and the casting B, the draw link pressing against the stirrup will draw
or push back the catch c, allowing the coupling pin E to fall down through the
link, and through holes F in the casting B and the buffer box A above and below.
The coupling pin E passes through a casting G applied to the outside of the
buffer box A. It has a projecting arm e over which a slide link H passes, which
prevents the pin E being drawn entirely out, and keeps the pin from turning, the
back of the casting having a slot g' which enables the arm to slide down to the
bottom into the position shown in Figure 7. Other modes may be used for
preventing the pin from being drawn out or turning, such as a feather key on the
pin itself, or a projection in a groove coming against an abutment. I prefer
however the arrangement above described. A pin I, passing through both
casting B and buffer box A and also through the flange g on the subsidiary
casting G on top of the buffer box, holds all together. The coupling pin E is
raised when required by means of a chain in any suitable manner, such for example
from an eye bolt on a horizontal cross bar worked from each side of the carriage.
This bar might have feathers upon it working on its bearings or guides, and be so
arranged that by turning the bar, the feathers do not lock, and the bar can be
pulled out of either side. By turning the bar with the crank handle downwards
however the feather locks it in the position in which it happens to be. Thus by
pulling or pushing the bar in either direction and turning it with handles down,
the pin E is withdrawn from the draw link so that the link is free.
In Figures 6, 7 and 8, the arrangement is practically identical, with this exception,
that instead of the invention being applied to an ordinary central buffer as
commonly used in America and the Colonies, it is applied to a buffer of my own

page_text: special design, the hollow in the buffer box being partly filled up so as to dispense
with the casting B; and, moreover, the coupling pin may pass through a sleeve G
cast in one with the buffer A instead of through a separate casting. The slide
link H which passes over the arm e enters the guide g', the flange g of which is
let into the top of the buffer A so as to lie preferably approximately flush there-
with, shoulders h being provided on the slide link Has in the other example to
prevent the pin E being drawn entirely out. The remaining letters of reference
on these Figures 6, 7 and 8 will be fully understood by reference to the
preceding description, corresponding letters referring to like parts in all the
figures.
The mode of action of the coupling link J itself is as follows :--
When two vehicles come together, the draw link J automatically enters
the bell month of the central buffer (this bell mouth being formed either by the
casting B as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, or by the buffer box itself as shown in
Figures 6 and 7) and is guided by the sloping sides and by the stirrup C in to the
exact position for the pin E to fall. The link pushing back the stirrup C, which,
in its turn pushes back the spring catch c from engagement with the shoulder ei
on the carriages coming together, leaves the pin E free to fall through the link J
and thus fastens the buffers. The moment, however, the pin E is raised from the
link and the two carriages are separated, the spring catch c flies into position,
engaging the shoulder on the pin, and prevents the pin E from again falling into
position until this or another link is again inserted, when the weight of the pin E
on the pushing back of the catch e by the link causes the said pin E to fall and
lock the coupling link. The buffer shank, buffer spring, draw link, etcetera, are of
the usual kind and therefore need not be herein described. The apparatus is by
preference so arranged that the coupling link is held in a horizontal line, so that
when two buffers are brought together, the coupling link of one buffer will
approach the bell mouth of other buffer horizontally as depicted in Figure 6, and
furthermore the buffer being bell-mouthed, ensures a link entering it, even if one
buffer is on a lower plane than the adjacent buffer, due to the vehicles being
unequally loaded.
It must be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to any special
arrangement for lifting the pin E, as any suitable mechanism may be coupled to
the eye e for this purpose and the arrangement hereinbefore described for lifting
it is merely set forth as an example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of ny said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The improvement in central buffers and couplings, of that kind in which
coupling pins are used for engaging the draw link, namely, providing the buffer
with a spring catch or its equivalent for engaging the coupling pin, the said spring
catch or its equivalent being so arranged, that when a draw link is pressed into
the bell mouth of the buffer, it will press back the catch, allowing the coupling
pin to fall down through the link, and thus automatically engage it, substantially
as described.
2. In central buffing and drawing apparatus of that kind in which coupling
pins are used for engaging the draw links on two buffers coming together, forming
or providing the buffers with a stirrup or its equivalent and a spring catch or its
equivalent for engaging the coupling pin, the said stirrup and spring catch being
so combined and arranged in the bell mouth of the buffer, that when a draw link
is pressed against the stirrup, the latter will draw or press back the spring catch
out of engagement with the coupling pin, allowing the latter to fall down and
engage the link, thus fastening two buffers together, while the moment the
coupling pin is withdrawn from the link and the two buffers separated, the spring
catch will fly into position, and prevent the coupling pin from again falling down
until the same or another link is again inserted, substantially as described.

page_text: 3. In central buffers or couplings of the kind described for railway rolling stock
or the like, the arrangement for keeping the coupling pin from rotating and
preventing it being drawn entirely out, substantially as set forth.
4. A central buffer and coupling having a coupling pin for engaging the draw
link and a bell mouth for automatically putting the link into the exact position
for the pin to fall, in combination with a stirrup and spring catch for engaging and
releasing the coupling pin, the said stirrup being so arranged in the bell mouth
that on two vehicles coming together, the coupling link, automatically pushing
back the stirrup, will throw the spring catch out of engagement with the coupling
pin leaving the pin free to fall through the link and thus fasten two buffers
together automatically.
5. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
improved automatic central buffers and couplings, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of March 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.