AN IMPROVED COMBINED COUPLING AND BUFFER FOR TRAMWAY AND RAILWAY CARS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN SEPTIMUS AYTON of The North Staffordshire Tramways Depôt, Bowstead
Street Stoke on Trent in the County of Stafford, Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for AN IMPROVED COMBINED COUPLING AND BUFFER FOR
TRAMWAY AND RAILWAY CARS AND SIMILAR PURPOSES, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to Coupling and Buffers combined for Tramway Engines
and Cars Railway Engines and Carriages and analagous purposes the object being to
provide a Coupling and Buffer combined which shall be self acting; also that the
uncoupling shall be performed by means of an attachment either from the Engine
or Car or Carriage and thereby obviate the necessity of any one going in between
the Engine and Car or Carriage at the same time providing a secure connection
between both the Engine and Car or Carriage.
My Invention consists of a cast iron or steel casing with a spring buffer and a
pawl capable of rising and falling; the entrance to the portion where the pawl and
buffer are fitted is made of a dish or bell form being large at the orifice, and smaller
next to the pawl; this pawl, as before stated, rises and falls; the working edge
being placed at such an angle to the entrance that it always has a tendency to face
the entrance to the casing besides which there are attached to the shaft of the
pawl, at each side of the casing weights; and as extra precaution these weights
are clasped together by means of a strap which forms a handle for releasing the
coupling when necessary-The action of the above arrangement is as follows:-
The drawbar on the Car or Carriage on being caused to enter the casing lifts
the pawl, compresses the spring buffers and allows the pawl to drop behind the
shoulder of the drawbar, completely connecting the same; and as the drawbar is
constructed with a circular shaped shoulder, it allows the bar to move at any angle,
and, at the same time, to be held or buffed, as the case may be--As the angle of
the pawl is opposite the angle of the entrance to the casing the greater the tractive
force the tighter will be the grip, and by reason of the central buffer being com-
pressed, the pawl can be raised and the coupling released.

page_text: I JOHN SEPTIMUS AYTON of Stoke on Trent in the County of Stafford, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "AN IMPROVED COMBINED,
COUPLING AND BUFFER FOR TRAMWAY AND RAILWAY CARS AND SIMILAR
PURPOSES" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My Invention relates to a Coupling and Buffer combined, for Tramway Engines
and Cars, Railway Engines and Carriages and analogous purposes; the object being
to provide a Coupling and Buffer combined, which shall be self acting; also that the
uncoupling shall be performed by means of an attachment either from the Engine
or Car or Carriage and thereby obviate the necessity of any one going in between
the Engine and Car or Carriage, at the same time providing a secure connection
between both the Engine and Car or Carriage.
My Invention consists of a cast iron or steel casing with a spring Buffer and n
pawl capable of rising and falling, the entrance to the portion where the pawl and
buffer are fitted is made of a dish or bell form, being large at the orifice, and smaller
next to the pawl, this pawl, as before stated, rises and falls, the working edge
being placed at such an angle to the entrance that it always has a tendency to face
the entrance to the casing, besides which there are attached to the shaft of the
pawl, at each side of the casing, weights, and as an extra precaution, these weights
are clasped together by means of a strap which forms a handle for releasing the
coupling when necessary.
The action of the above arrangement is as follows:-
The draw bar on the car or carriage on being caused to enter the casing, lifts
the pawl, compresses the spring buffer and allows the pawl to drop behind the
shoulder of the draw bar, completely connecting the same, and as the draw bar is
constructed with a circular shaped shoulder, it allows the bar to move at any angle,
and at the same time, to be held or buffed, as the case may be; as the angle of the
pawl is opposite the angle of the entrance to the casing the greater the tractive
force, the tighter will be the grip; and by reason of the central buffer being
compressed, the pawl can be raised and the coupling released.
The nature of my Invention may be better understood on reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings in which
Fig 1. Is a side elevation.
Fig 2. Is a front elevation.
Fig. 3, Is a sectional elevation on the centre line A B and
Fig 4. Is a plan.
Fig 5. Is a view of the pawl pin.
Figs 6 and 7. Are two views of the draw pin.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

page_text: c is the metallic casing, d is a spring buffer, e, is the pawl, f, the pin of the pawl,
g, is a strap forming a handle for releasing the coupling which is attached to the
pawl pin, by the levers, h, which may also serve the purposes of weights, or to
which weights may be attached, i is part of a draw bar, and j, is the circular or
oval shaped shoulder or end of the draw bar which compensates for any angle at
which the draw bar may enter the case of the Coupling, k, is the flange or base by
which the casing is bolted or otherwise fastened to the frame work of the Engine,
Motor, or Vehicle, and, l, is a rib or shoulder inside the Coupling case forming the
summit of the incline, m, by which the draw bar is raised and held into the
required position to be coupled and secured.
The action of this apparatus is automatic in the process of coupling but the
uncoupling or releasing is effected by a manual act, which may be performed by, or
under the control of the driver or conductor, or other person as the case may be,
either from the vehicle, or motor or both.
But in ordinary cases where the coupling and buffer casing are attached to the
engine or motor (for which purpose it is more particularly designed) the uncoupling
would be effected from the driving platform of such engine or motor, by chains,
straps, levers or other convenient connections, by which the handle 7, may be
lifted, and the pawl thereby raised above the shoulder j, of the draw bar, i, which
would be then released, and when the engine or motor, and vehicle or vehicles as
the case may be, are moved apart from each other, the draw bar would leave the
coupling case, the pawl would fall back of its own accord ready for recoupling, so
that when the engine or motor, and vehicle or vehicles, as the case may be are
brought together, the draw bar with its rounded end and shoulder would enter the
bell mouthed opening of the coupling and buffer case, and being directed by the
inclined plane m in an upward direction and having entered far enough would
raise the pawl and compress the buffer, d, until the head of the draw bar has
passed sufficiently far inwards to allow the pawl, e, to drop into its place, (as
shewn in the sectional elevation in Fig, 3,) the act of coupling being thus
complete.
When the force which directed the drawbar into the coupling and buffing caso
has been arrested or reversed, the reaction of the spring buffer, d, keeps the draw-
bar and pawl in close contact, until tractive force is exerted, when and during
which the draw bar and the pawl become more tightly locked, such tightening
and locking increasing in a corresponding degree with the tractive force employed.
In the event of two motors or vehicles or a motor and a vehicle being brought
together with their coupling ends towards each other instead of the coupling end
of one being opposite to the draw bar end of the other, provision may be made for
removing the draw bar from one end and connecting it to the coupling at the other
end as follows.
A hole or holes, n, are provided in the coupling case, into which the draw pin as
shewn in Figs, 6, and, 7, is fitted, the draw bar is then removed from one end of
the vehicle and connected by the draw pin, o, being passed through the holes, n,
and through the back end of the draw bar, the draw pin o, when not in use is
placed in a hole, p, provided in the under side of the coupling case as shewn in
Figs 1 and, 3, where it may always be found when required, or an ordinary
coupling link may be employed in conjunction with the two draw pins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I claim is
(1) An improved combined coupling and buffer for Tramway and Railway cars
and similar purposes, comprising a metallic bell mouthed case, a pawl or pawls,
and attachments, a spring buffer and a draw bar, or draw bar end forming an
apparatus which allows the free action of the drawbar either radially, or vertically
as the case may be without back lash and by which the process of coupling may be

page_text: automatically performed, the uncoupling and releasing effected by a manual act
without the necessity, in either operation, of a person or persons going between
the vehicles to be so coupled or uncoupled, and by the combined mechanism of
which the shocks caused by coupling and uncoupling, stopping, and starting of the
engine or motor, vehicle or vehicles may be lessened if not entirely obviated,
substantially as herein described and set forth.