AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF RESISTING. SHOCKS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND TRAINS, ALSO IN THE MODE OF CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, ALSO IN THE APPLICATION OF. SPRINGS TO CARRIAGES
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY SMITH, late of York Road, Lambeth, but now residing at No. 20,
Rockingham Row West, New Kent Road, both in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give, and grant unto me, the
said William Henry Smith, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Henry. Smith, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Henry
Smith, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agrcé
with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my.
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF RESISTING.
SHOCKS TO RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND TRAINS, ALSO IN THE MODE OF CONNECTING AND
DISCONNECTING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, ALSO IN THE APPLICATION OF. SPRINGS TO
CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me,
the said William Henry Smith, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said.Invention,.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to: cause the same to be:

page_text: inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "An Improvement or Improvements in the mode of
resisting Shocks to Railway Carriages and Trains, also in the mode of connecting
and disconnecting Railway Carriages, also in the application of Springs to
Carriages," consists, in the first place, in applying to the carriages certain
combinations of machinery or apparatus, affording an increased length of
elastic resisting power with a consolidated action of the same, calculated to
obviate the present liability to danger. My Invention consists, secondly, in
a peculiar mode of connecting the engines or carriages, whereby they may be
more readily attached to each other, or instantly detached, thus placing them
more completely under the control of the engine-driver or conductor, by
whom the connection may be broken (without his leaving the foot plate), in
case of the engine getting off the rails, or meeting with any other accident,
or a solid connection may by this means be formed between the carriages,
causing a simultaneous action of the whole train upon one point of resistance,
thereby lessening the amount of spring or other elastic resistance required,
and at the same time ensuring greater safety and efficiency of action. And
in the third place, my Invention refers to a certain application of the vertical
or side springs, by which is obtained in a greater degree an universal action of
the carriage, presenting an increased elastic resistance in the direction of the
shock, whether lateral or vertical. I proceed now to set forth more fully the
objects designed by these my several improvements, referring to the Drawings
accompanying these presents in illustration thereof. Fig. 1 represents in plan,
and Fig. 2 in elevation, a train of carriages with one of my improved modes
of resisting shocks applied thereto, consisting of an elastic resisting medium
placed underneath one of the carriages, against which what I would call
the buffing bar acts when it has received a shock either from behind or in
front, and upon which the whole force of the shock would be spent before it
had arrived at its extreme of action. The first mode which I shall explain
consists of a set of hèlical or other description of springs (those for instance

page_text: in general use might be employed by placing their ends together) acted upon
by a buffer bar, as will be herein-after described; this part of my improvements
is shewn in plan at Fig. 3, and in elevation at Fig. 4. The carriage under
which the springs are placed, is exhibited at A; B is the buffing bar, extending
the whole length of the train and projecting a certain distance (say five feet)
beyond the carriage at each extremity; this bar terminates in a buffer C,
which on receiving a shock transmits it through the bar B to the cross piece or
frame-work D; this cross piece is thus made to press against the set of helical
springs E, which will present an elastic resistance to such pressure. An inspec-
tion of the Drawing will show that the springs F would be acted upon by
a shock in either direction, so that, should a collision occur between two
trains, from one overtaking the other, supposing each one to be furnished with
my improved apparatus, the consolidated elastic resistance contained in each
would be brought into exercise simultaneously, and prevent injury to cither.
The bar B, it will be observed, has to be jointed at each carriage for the
convenience of attaching and detaching them when desired, the detail
Drawings of which connection are shown in plan and elevation at Figures 5
and 6; Fig. 7 is an end view of the springs, as they appear underneath the
carriages, and Fig. 8 shows one of the cross pieces D, which act upon the
springs. I would here remark that the springs might be arranged under
the two end carriages in such a way that a shock occurring at either extremity
would be immediately transmitted through the buffing bar B, to the carriage
at the reverse end of the train, in which case the carriage nearest the striking
body would (with the others) be drawn away from it, instead of being the
first to receive the blow.
Having thus described one of my improved modes of resisting shocks to
railway carriages and trains, I proceed to set forth a second, consisting of a
screw, which I propose to make of such a pitch as to be capable of running
down by its own gravity, working through a collar, with a female screw in
it fixed under the buffing carriage. Figures 9 and 10 are side and end
elevations of this apparatus, in which the buffing carriage is represented at A;
B is the screw working through the collar C, firmly fixed (as shewn) to the
bottom of the buffing carriage; any shock would be transmitted through the
collar in a much less degree (proportioned to the angle of its thread), and acts
upon a verge spring D, which increases the resistance in the collar as it is
wound up, so as eventually to overcome the shock. The precise angle of
the screw thread is uncertain, but must be such that the immediate effect of
a blow would be to wind up the spring. The verge spring works between
two circular plates E, E, which protect it from lateral strain, and has one

page_text: end keyed to the screw, the other being attached to a pulley F, which traverses
the groove
G formed in the carriage. The screw B is acted upon by the shock
through the buffing bar, the resistance at first consisting only of the friction
occasioned by the inertia of the apparatus, but increasing rapidly as the
spring is wound up. The main value of this part of my Invention is that
the spring is affected but in a small degree by the amount of shock induced,
its principal portion being received in the collar, and the resistance not
increasing in the same proportion against the spring as against the internal
thread; (that is to say) a shock equal (we will say) to a ton acts with a ton
pressure against the spring in the ordinary methods; but, by the screw's appli-
cation, I calculate five-sixths of the effect of the concussion will be received
by the collar, and the same proportion to any extent. In concluding the
description of this apparatus, I would observe that, although reference has
been made to a quick angle of the screw, and also to a verge spring, yet I
have no intention to confine myself to such angle or description of spring,
but regard my Invention as embodying the principle of applying one or more
screws as a resisting medium.
I now proceed to explain another of my methods of resisting shocks.
Figures 11 and 12 are transverse and longitudinal sections of a hydraulic
apparatus which works under the tender. The space A is filled with water
let in from above, and the shock is transmitted through the rod B and piston
C against the water, which has any extent of egress through the channel and
slide cock D, and thus round to the opposite side of the piston, the course of
which it follows. There is a space E round the piston which prevents its
touching the cylinder, and allows a small passage for the water.
F is a
connector from the piston rod to the cock D, which closes with the advance
of the piston, and thus causes a gradual increase of resistance to the water
until it is shut, when by that time the piston will have arrived near the end of
the cylinder, and the only passage for the water will be round the piston. It
will be evident that the piston is capable of working either way according to
the end of the train from which the shock is received, and owing to the piston
not fitting tightly there will be no liability of it or the cylinder sustaining any
injury. There is a reacting spring at G for drawing back the piston.
I proceed now to explain the second part of my improvements, viz, a mode
of connecting and disconnecting railway carriages. Figures 13, 14, and 15 are
longitudinal and transverse sections and plan of the same as they should be
affixed between an engine and its tender. A is the connecting bar attached to
the engine by a pin joint B at one end, while at the other there is a projection
C; at D there is a staple fastened to the foot plate E; which is to prevent the

page_text: bar from falling or moving much out of its position. Let into the frame F of
tender there is a bell-mouthed aperture G, which guides the pin or bar A into
the recess in case of any variation of the relative positions of the connector and
socket. On the engine and tender being forced together, the bar enters the
aperture and forces down the spring H, which it slides over until it arrives at
the slot or cavity I, into which it is forced, and thus is formed the connection.
In order to disconnect them it will only be necessary to insert a small rod (as
that shewn at-Fig. 13), and press upon the spring H and bar A, which will
release that bar from the hold of the projection C, and thus immediately break
the connection. K is the usual strap round the tender.
I now come to describe the third head of my Invention, viz, my improve-
ment in the application of springs to carriages (of every description). Fig. 17
is a plan, and Fig. 18 an elevation, of the frame-work of a railway carriage, on
which are fixed at A, A, A, A, four coils of helical springs working obliquely
upon the frame of the carriage B, between it and the axles C of the wheels D.
My object in this arrangement is to receive the jerk in whatever direction it may
come, either from the wheels or through the buffing apparatus, and transfer it
to the opposite springs, which together (the one by compression and the other
by expansion) present an additional resistance to the action of the shock,
whether coming from the side or front; these springs have also a double
vertical action, resisting a shock either from above or below.
Having thus described my several improvements, as they relate first to the
modes of resisting shocks to railway carriages and trains; secondly, to a mode
of connecting and disconnecting railway carriages; and, thirdly, to the applica-
tion of springs to carriages (railway or otherwise);-I would remark, in con-
clusion, that the various modes of resisting shocks, herein-before specified, are
susceptible of considerable modification, as, for instance, owing to the uncertainty
in the number of carriages comprising a train, and in order that they may be
suited for any emergency, my apparatus might be placed in different proportions
of power at any interval in the train, taking care that the power (whether
diffused or concentrated) be duly augmented for every additional carriage. I
would also observe that my improvements might be adapted wholly or in part,
as desired, to existing carriages, as they would very well consist either with the
old system of buffing, and connecting by way of affording additional security
against the effects of shocks, or as shewn and described in combination with
my improved mode of connecting. Moreover, they might be employed unitedly,
as together constituting a buffing apparatus; what, however, I desire to claim
as secured to me by the above in part recited Letters Patent is, in the first
place, an increased length of action in, and a consolidation of the power of the

page_text: elastic resisting medium, and the several apparatus above described for effecting
the same, but not confining myself to the exact form and arrangement shown,
as they might be considerably varied without departing from the principles set
forth. Secondly, a solid connector combining a more ready attachment with
the power of instant detachment; and, thirdly, an improved application of the
vertical or side springs, so as more effectually to secure to the carriage a kind
of universal elastic support.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
WILLIAM HENRY (Ls.) SMITH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of November,
in the fourth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said
William Henry Smith came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written: And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-eighth day of November, One thousand eight hundred