Improvements in and relating to Buffers for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Buffers for Railway Vehicles.
We, WILLIAM BOUCHER and CHARLES WILLIAM STAFFORD BOUCHER, both of
Newnham, Glostershire, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to buffers for railway
vehicles and consists in certain improvements in the construction and arrange-
ment of the same which enables buffers constructed according to our invention
to be readily employed upon vehicles to which ordinary buffers could not be so
readily attached.
In carrying out our invention we form the buffer case in the required number of
sections, so shaped that at the part or position through which the buffer piston or
rod passes, slots are so arranged as to allow studs upon the buffer piston or rod to
pass to the interior of the casing when putting the parts together, but cannot
become free or pass out again after the sections are in position. Any convenient
form of spring may be employed to act upon the buffer piston.
The case of the buffer is attached to a back plate in any convenient manner
such as by means of rivetting, welding or the like such back plate being made
with either plain or bent edges or sides as may be most convenient for attach-
ment to the vehicle for which they are intended, which back plate is secured to any
suitable part of the vehicle.
The sections forming the buffer case may be of any suitable shape and number
according to the shape of buffer required.
The sections forming the case may be secured together in any convenient manner
such as by rivetting, bolting, dovetailing or the like.
By this construction and arrangement of buffers, greater safety and reliability
in working is ensured and the manufacture is also greatly simplified and
cheapened thereby.
Ordinary buffer pistons are connected to the case by means of a pin and key
which often get out of order and the piston becomes detached from the case and
vehicle, falls upon the permanent way, and accidents have been known to result
therefrom.
By our method of locking the buffer piston in the casing, the ordinary connect-
ing pin and key which are so apt to get out of order are dispensed with and it is
impossible for the piston to become disconnected from the casing while the vehicle
is in work.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Buffers for Railway Vehicles.
We, WILLIAM BOUCHER and CHARLES WILLIAM STAFFORD BOUCHER, both of
Newnham, Gloucestershire, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to buffers for railway
vehicles, and consists in certain improvements in the construction and arrange-
ment of the same, which enables buffers constructed according to our invention
to be readily employed upon vehicles to which ordinary buffers could not be so
readily attached.
In carrying out our invention we form the buffer case in the required number of
sections, so shaped that at the part or position through which the buffer piston or
rod passes, slots are so arranged as to allow studs upon the buffer piston or rod to
pass to the interior of the casing when putting the parts together, but cannot
become free or pass out again after the sections are in position. Any convenient
form of spring may be employed to act upon the buffer piston.
The case of the buffer is attached to a back plate in any convenient manner
such as by means of rivetting, welding or the like, such back plate being made
with either plain or bent edges or sides as may be most convenient for attach-
ment to the vehicle for which they are intended, which back plate is secured to any
suitable part of the vehicle.
The sections forming the buffer case may be of any suitable shape and number
according to the shape of the buffer required.
The sections forming the case may be secured together in any convenient manner
such as by rivetting, bolting, dovetailing or the like.
By this construction and arrangement of buffers greater safety and reliability
in working is ensured and the manufacture is also greatly simplified and
cheapened thereby.
Ordinary buffer pistons are connected to the case by means of a pin and key
which often get out of order, and the piston becomes detached from the case and
vehicle, falls upon the permanent way, and accidents have been known to result
therefrom.
By our method of locking the buffer piston in the casing the ordinary connect-
ing pin and key, which are so apt to get out of order are dispensed with and it is
impossible for the piston to become disconnected from the casing while the vehicle
is in work.
In order to illustrate the manner in which our invention may be carried out, we
will now refer to the annexed drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation shewing our invention.
Figure 2, elevation of modified arrangement for attaching the buffer to the
ends of the truck or carriage.
Figure 3, further modification.
Figure 4, further modification.
Figure 5, view of modified form of section of buffer.
Referring to Figure 1, the casing is formed of two sections a and a¹, the casing
being bolted at b and c to the truck or carriage. The piston d carrying the
buffer e is provided with projecting pins or studs f. g is a collar or disc through
which the piston passes and which takes its bearing against the spring, h this
spring also bearing upon the plate i. In the section a of the buffer the aper-
tures are for the passage of the pins or studs f to the interior of the casing, these
pins or studs passing through apertures k in the casing a², and it will be seen that

page_text: when the parts are in position as shewn, the pins or studs cannot again pass out-
wards through either of these apertures. We find it convenient to shape the
piston d to a square or other rectangular shape at or about 7, which passes through
the plate m having an aperture, the configuration of which corresponds with the
section of the piston, thus preventing rotation.
In Figure 2 it will be seen that the casing is bolted at n to a plate o which is in
turn bolted at to the carriage or truck.
In Figure 3, the casing is again bolted as shewn at q and a bent guard or carry-
ing plate r is provided.
In Figure 4 a bent plate s is provided which is bolted to the framing of the
truck or carriage.
Referring to Figure 5, in this case the casing containing the buffers is formed
in three sections t, u and u¹. The parts u and u are shaped as shewn and provided
with projections which engage in apertures w in the bent plate t which forms
part of the casing, and when these sections are in position it will be readily seen
that the buffer cannot be disengaged; that is to say the pins or studs cannot pass
through the apertures in which they have been inserted.
Although for purposes of illustration we have referred to the annexed drawings,
it will be readily understood that modifications might be made in the arrange-
ment of the various parts without departing from the principle of our invention,
as the essential feature is to provide buffers which may be adapted to be employed
upon trucks or carriages, such for instance as those having the solid buffer, as by
the employment of our invention, the solid buffer may be removed and the sur-
face upon which the buffer is to be applied adapted to receive same without
necessitating the disintegration or alteration of the frame of the car or truck,
except in so far as the parts which are removed are concerned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In buffers for railway vehicles: the combined construction and arrangement
of the various parts substantially as described and illustrated herein and for the
purpose set forth.
2. In buffers for railway vehicles: the casing formed in two or more sections
and arranged so that when the buffer has been placed in position and the sections
forming the casing secured, the buffer is prevented from leaving the casing through
the medium of studs or projections: said studs, or projections passing through
apertures or slots in the casing when the parts are being fixed in position.
3. In buffers for railway vehicles: a casing formed in two or more sections carry-
ing a buffer controlled by a spring, said casing being attached to the frame of the
truck or vehicle by means of plates or suchlike, substantially as described and
illustrated herein.
4. In buffers for railway vehicles; a back or base plate with bent or cranked
edges forming guide or bearing plates for the purpose of protecting the frame-
work of vehicle and firmly securing the casing thereto.
Dated this 7th day of January 1800