Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing the Damaging Effects of Two or More Railway Cars Running Against Each Other.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1891-Accepted, 18th Apr.. 1891
GUMI LINIE DIMCICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Preventing the Damaging Effects of
Two or More Railway Cars Running Against Each Other.
I, JULIUS WÜSTENHÖFER, of Arnsberg, in Westfalia, Germany, Merchant, 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:―
My invention relates to such improved devices which, when fitted to railway cars
will prevent that the shock caused by two trains running against each other on the
same line shall have a damaging effect or at any rate will assist in reducing the
effects of the collision so much that no real damage will be caused.
The device consists in the main in a punching apparatus which is so fixed to
the carriage that the stroke given to the buffer bars in consequence of one carriage
pushing against the other will set in motion, either direct or by means of inter-
mediate mechanisms a punch which will punch through in succession a series of
plates, thus consuming the power or is civa of the car. My invention may be
shortly described as a punching machine of peculiar design, erected between the
framework of a railway carriage and being set in motion by another carriage or any
obstacle meeting with the buffers of said carriage.
According to the system of the carriage as American and European system,
passenger car and goods waggon, the apparatus may require alterations in details,
but the principle upon which it is based and its manner of working will always be
the same.
It may be fixed to a carriage so as to be in a permanent position or so, that it
may be set out of gear" when found desirable. This also may cause modifications
of construction of minor parts.
On the annexed drawings I have shown my invention in 4 different manners of
execution for railway carriages of the European system and for such of the
American system.
I. CONSTRUCTION.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the buffer punch in normal position & for
ordinary cars;
Fig. 2 is a similar view the buffer punch driven through the plates as after a
collision;
Fig. 3 is a section along line II of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a section along line III III of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a section along line II II the buffer punch locked;
Fig. 6 is a section along line II II, the buffer punch free to fall;
Fig. 7 is a section along line IV IV;
Fig. 8 shows the punch box for itself;
Fig. 9 is a detailed sectional view of the arrangement of the plates & matrices
in the punch box.
II. CONSTRUCTION.
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of a varied arrangement of the buffer punch in
normal position;
Fig. 11 is a similar view after a collision, having taken place;
100
1'
11 II II f
10

page_text: Fig. 21 is a similar section of a varied arrangement for cars of this system along
line III of Fig. 22;
Fig. 22 is a vertical longitudinal section of a varied arrangement for cars of the
American system:
Fig. 23 is a horizontal section of this arrangement.
I. CONSTRUCTION, FIGS. 1-9.
Behind or inside of the girder 1 of the car frame and centrally to the buffer bar 2
1 place the punch box 3, 3". This box is made of two pieces jointed together by
means of the ears and bolts 6 & 7 respectively; the piece 3 is provided with a
narrow boring, into which is placed the punch 12 end allowing also the buffer bar 2
to enter when it is pushed back, the girder 1 having cut a hole. into it for that
purpose. Directly behind the part 3 of the punch box is firmly fixed to the long
girder 4 of the carriage frame the counterfort 5, being also bored through, the
hole having the same diameter or a little wider than the punch 12, and containing
the counter matrice Sª of hardened steel.
The part 3 of the punch box is bored wider than the part 3", it contains the
punch plates 9 and the matrice rings 10 (see detail Figure 9) and at the back the
matrice 8 projecting out of its bottom and abutting exactly against the counter
matrice 8ª.
The buffer box 11ª contains the buffer spring 11 against which the collar of the
buffer bar 2 is pressed.
From the description given so far, it will now be understood that when the buffer
is forced back into the carriage it will first compress the spring 11, the thin end 2" of
the bar will enter into the boring 12 of the punch 12 and when the spring has been
compressed so much that the end of the buffer bar bears against the end of the
punch this will receive the pressure and check the force of the shock, or if the
pressure is strong enough the punch will perforate the first plate and so one after
the other in succession, as shown by Fig. 2, until the spring is quite pressed down
or until the force of the shock is quite consumed or so much reduced that the
resistance of the plate is greater than the pressing power of the punch and it will
be understood that, since the same operation takes place four times for cach carriage
and is repeated in every carriage, the total sum of these resistances counteracting
the force of the shock of the two trains, will, if not consume it wholly, at least
check it so much that no real damage will be caused.
Now in order to prevent useless wear and tear of the punch, the matrices and
punching plates when the carriages are not on the road and when they are being
ranged about in a railway or goods station, where no severe collision is likely to
happen, erect the punch box on the carriage and fix it to it in such a manner that
it can be conveniently turned out of its ordinary place, that it can be "set out of
gear," as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It is therefore provided with the ears 13
by means of which it is fixed upon a bar 14 running across underneath the car-
frame so as to be able to support also the box on the opposite side; the bar 14 rests

page_text: in suitable bearings fixed to the frame of the carriage. To the box 3" 3b is also
fixed a lever 16 and a hand lever 15 is keyed fast upon the bar 14. The lever 16
serves for locking the punch box in its normal position as follows: At its outer end
it is provided with an eye 17, which is partly slotted through, the width of the slot
being however narrower than the thickness of the bar 18, passing through the eye 17;
that bar is supported on both sides of the carriage by brackets 19 and a spring at
one end draws it always towards one side, but allowing it a certain play so that it
can be pulled towards the other side. At two places which, by pulling the bar 18
towards one side, may be brought exactly opposite the slots in the eye 17 of the
bar 16, the round bar 18 is reduced in thickness to the width of that slot in the
eye 17 and it will be understood that when these reduced parts come opposite
the slots, the bar 16 and with it the punch box can be lowered and brought into
the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
.
In order that it may be securely held in that position and to prevent its swinging
about, the lever 15 is made to spring into the catch of a hand-lever 22 fixed to the
side of the buffer-box and held in position by a spring as shown by Fig. 7.
This arrangement is distinguished from the preceding one by the different manner
how the buffer bar is made to act upon the punch, by the different manner of
mounting the punch box in the carriage and by a somewhat modified device for
pushing back the punch.
Behind the cross girder of the frame 26 is placed a block 27 in which the bar 29
is guided; at its outer end this bar is provided with a disc 30 and it is partly
bored through. The disc serves as abutment for the buffer spring 31 and the hole
in 29 takes up the reduced end 34 of the buffer bar 32 with the collar 33 bearing
upon the outer end of the spring 31.
The punch box 35 contains the punch 41, the matrices 42 and the plates 40.
These plates differ so far from those used in the former arrangement, that they are
perforated in the middle, so that the reduced prolongation 41" of the punch can
pass through them. This prolongation bears against the piece 41° forming the front.
part of a piston 36, placed in the counterfort 39, which also contains the
matrice 37; behind the piston 36 is placed a spring 31 in the counterfort which
pushes the punch forward again when it has been pressed back in consequence of a
collision.
The arrangement for holding this punch box in its place and of turning it down
is as follows: The punch box 35 is held by means of the ears 43 upon the bar 44
which goes from one side of the carriage to the other and carrying the punch boxes
on opposite sides as it is the case with the bar 14 of the first arrangement. By
means of a lever 45 the punch box 35 can be turned down as shown in dotted lines
in Fig. 10, when the catch lever 46 by means of the levers 47 and 48 and the
bolt 49 has before withdrawn the latch bolt 50 from the recess 60° in the block 27.
The punch box can then be lowered until the check bolt 50', at its top side, being
pressed forward by a spring, falls into the recess 50* and secures it in that
position. The check bólt here takes the place of the hand lever 22 in the
preceding case.
The manner of working of this arrangement is as follows: For ordinary cases
and at the beginning of a collision the buffer bar 32 by its collar 33 will only
press together the spring 31 resting against the disc 30 of the bar 29, but when
the spring has been completely compressed and the force of the shock is strong
enough the buffer will be further pressed forward together with the punch 41 and
this will now punch through the plates 40 as shown in Fig. 11 at the same time
the elongation of the punch 41ª presses upon the piston 36 and this compresses the
spring 31. When the pressure upon the punch and upon the bar 29 & the buffer
is released the spring 31 pushes the parts 36, 41 & 29 back into their normal
position.

page_text: III. CONSTRUCTION, FIGS. 14-18.
This variation of my invention consist in the combination of two separate punch
boxes with their counterforts into one double acting apparatus for each pair of
buffers of the same side of a carriage in its longitudinal direction, that is with
regard to the back and front side of the same. In order to be able to do this the
one double acting device for both opposite buffers had to be placed in the middle
of the carriage, the two counterforts formerly necessary are combined in one piece
having at its front and its back side a punch box of either of the two known
designs whilst the manner of arranging the buffer spring might also be arranged
according to one or the other of the two preceding constructions. In the figures
shown an arrangement corresponding to the second construction has been chosen
for illustration. The disengaging of the punch boxes instead of being done in an
axial direction is here carried out by turning them sideways and all (four) at the
same time.
The buffer spring 51 stands upon the disc 52 of the bar 53, which is bored out
centrally, so as to allow the thin end of the buffer bar 54 to enter therein; 55 is
a collar bearing against the buffer spring. The long bar 53 is carried along the
girder 56 of the carriage frame and is guided in brackets 57. At its end it is
provided with a head 58 of hardened steel and this stands against the punch 59
which projects from the end of the punch box 61.
Between the first bracket 57 and the shoulder, formed upon the bar 53 by
reducing the same, I place a spring 60 which has for its object to push the bar
back after a shock, same as the spring 31" in the preceding case.
In
The punch 59 is placed in the box 61 and bears against the first plate 63;
after which follows a matrice and so on; the last plate in the box stands against
the matrice 64, 64" respectively, which is held in the double counterfort 65.
this counterfort is a bottom opening 66 through which the punched out pieces can
fall out.
In order to be able to turn the punch boxes out of reach of the buffer. bar or
its prolongation, they are mounted in the following manner: By means of the
ears or hinges 67 they are keyed to the bar 68, carried in the brackets 69; which
are fixed to the girder 56. Before this girder is fixed a hand lever 70 to the
lower end of which is jointed a connecting rod 71 and the other end of this rod
takes hold of a lever 72 keyed to the bar 68. A similar arrangement is on the
other side of the carriage, but there a further lever 73 is fixed to the bar 68 and
this lever 73 is connected to the lever 72 by means of a connecting bar 74 and
from the Figures 16 & 17 it will now be readily understood that in pulling forwards
the levers 70 at either side of the car the punch boxes can be turned inwards out
of reach of the bar 53 as shown in Fig. 17.
In all other respects the action of this construction in arranging my punch box
in connection with a buffer is exactly the same as before described and the buffer
may be arranged according to the first construction or according to the second
design.
IV. CONSTRUCTION, FIGS. 19-23.
This variation of my invention is based upon the two first designs with such
additions as will be required to adapt it to railway cars of the American system
having a central passage through the middle of the carriage & doors and a plat-
form 80 at each end and steps 80° at each side of the platform, underneath of which,
the buffers are arranged.
In Fig. 19 the upper part shows a horizontal section with the buffer arrangement
according to the second construction and as in normal position; the lower part
having the buffer arranged according to the first design and shown, in. the
position after a collision, the buffer spring compressed and the plates, punched
through.

page_text: The buffer bars go through holes in the cross girder 77 and bear against a
traverse 76 carried in slots of the longitudinal beams 79.
This traverse stands against the punches 81 & 81° of the punch boxes 78 & 78
which are arranged in the now well known manner with the counterfort behind them.
Instead of the punch boxes and counterforts shown, the variation of the second
arrangement might be employed. Springs 94 carried in brackets 93 which are fixed
to the cross girder 77 serve for pushing the traverse back in its normal position after
a collision having taken place.
The Figures 20 & 21 indicate that these punch boxes can be turned out of reach
of the action of the buffer bar, that is in this case, out of reach of the traverse 76
by means of a similar arrangement as the one employed in the third construction:
namely by pushing the bar 81 at either side of the carriage inwards, the levers 82,
83, 85, which are connected by means of the rod 84, are turned and these being
keyed fast upon the bars 86, which are carried in brackets 90, these bars turn also
the punch boxes which are keyed upon them by means of the ears 91.
In the Figures 21, 22 & 23 the traverse 76 employed in the Figures 19 & 20 is
dispensed with and the punch 92 is brought in direct contact with the bar 87 by
bending this downwards, as will be best seen from Fig. 22. The counterfort 89
and the punch box 88 are fitted out like the same pieces of the second arrangement,
that is with a little piston and spring and with perforated plates for pushing back
the punch after a collision. In order to be able to turn on one side the punch
box, part of the bottom flange of the girder 79 is cut out as shown in Fig. 23.
The manner of working of this arrangement similar to the others: the buffer
being pushed back and the buffer spring having been completely compressed, presses
forward the bent bar 87 and this communicates the pressure to the punch 92 which
punches through the plates in the punch box 88 and thus consumes or reduces the
force of the shock.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1). An apparatus having for its object to reduce or to consume totally the force
caused by the shock of two trains or of two cars running together on the same line
by causing this force to set in motion either directly by the buffer bar itself or
indirectly by the use of an intermediate mechanism, as the disc bar 29 (Fig. 10) or
the traverse 76 (Fig. 19), a punch lodged in a punch box containing alternately
plates and ring matrices (Fig. 9) and being combined with a counterfort which is
secured firmly to the frame of the carriage and capable of taking up the whole force
of the shock so that the plates are punched through by the advancing punch, thus
reducing or consuming totally the vis vira exerted by the collision.
2). In an apparatus for reducing or consuming the vis viva exerted by the collision
of two trains as described before the combination of the punch box (3ª 3b) and its
accessories with a lever 16 being keyed upon a bar 14 and having a slotted eye for
fixing or releasing it from a bar 18 being carried in brackets 19 and running across
the carriage underneath the frame and also with a lever 15 and a hand lever 22 for
the sake of turning the punch box out of reach of the buffer bar and for securing it
in either position (Fig. 1-10).
3). In an apparatus as characterised above under 1 the combination of the punch
box and its accessories with a disc bar 29, the buffer bar & spring 31, 32, 33 & 34
and with the counterfort containing a spring 31° and piston 36 and being secured
to a bar 44 to which is keyed a lever 45 in combination with a locking
mechanism 46, 47, 48-50 and with the reserve lock 50b in connection with the
block 27 for the sake of securing the punch box in its normal position and for
turning it out of reach of the buffer bar or its prolongation 29 respectively,-
Figs. 10-13.
4) The combination of two single punch boxes of the description given with
one central double counterfort 65 common to both, having matrices 64 & 64° and a

page_text: central opening 66 for letting out the punched out pieces; the punch boxes being
fixed by means of ears 67 upon a bar 68 supported in brackets 69 and being
capable of being turned sideways (inwards) from either side by means of the
levers 70, 71, 72, 73 & 74 (Figs. 14-18).
5). In combination with punch boxes of either of the designs described before,
the traverse 76 and the springs 90 in brackets 91, together with the releasing
levers 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85 (Figs. 19 & 20).
6). The combination of the punch box 88 and counterfort 89 with the bent buffer
bar 87 Figures 22 & 23.
The whole as set forth and described.
Dated this 10th day of February 1891