Improvements in Railway Buffers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Buffers.
I JAMES WALLACE of King Street Wigan in the County of Lancaster Colliery Stores
Factor do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 relates to an improved construction of Buffer for railway vehicles
and consists chiefly in a novel method of mounting and securing the plunger in the
case and in such a manner that the buffer may be quickly and easily taken to pieces
for repairs and may be as easily put together again by any ordinary workman without
the use of any special tools or appliances.
The improvements are equally applicable to buffers having either a large hollow
plunger or a spindle plunger, and are adapted for any description of spring either of
india rubber or steel coils whether of volute, conical or any other form.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. represents a side sectional view of a large
hollow plunger buffer constructed in accordance with my improvements and Fig. 2. is
a transverse section of Fig. 1. on the line a-b.
In this large hollow plunger buffer the box or outer casing a is formed of wrought
iron in the usual way but at a suitable distance from the base to give the requisite
length of stroke or traverse of the plunger b. The case is so swaged down as to form
a shoulder a¹ thus obviating the use of a special section of iron in the making of the
said cases the reduced internal diameter of the case to be made a size suitable to fit
the plunger and to act as a guide for the same. The plunger is also formed in the
usual way but a short distance from the end of the cylinder an annular groove or
recess c is cut in the outer surface of the said cylinder of any convenient shape to
receive a ring d formed in two half circular pieces of corresponding form to the
groove in cross section and which must project sufficiently above the body of the
cylinder bas to form a stop against the shoulder inside the case. To keep this stop
ring d in position a properly tempered steel band or ring e of suitable form (like
a piston ring) and made to a diameter slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the
stop ring is sprung on to a suitable recess formed on the outside of the said stop
ring and by its pressure securely holds the two parts of the stop ring in their
place.
Before the base plate f is put on the plunger is so pushed backwards that it will
project through the box to allow the stop ring d and securing spring e to be readily
put into position. The diameter of the outside of the securing ring is a sliding fit
in the recess a² formed in the buffer case a and so prevents any possibility of the ring
fastening getting out of place.
The base plate has a plain spindle h projecting from its inner face upon which
the india-rubber spring or springs ii may be mounted also inside the front end of
the plunger a block of wood or other suitable material is inserted having a central
hole in it corresponding with the diameter of the spindle in which a metal bush k
forms a guide for such spindle and thus increases the sliding surface of the
buffer.
The solid or spindle buffer illustrated in side sectional view Fig. 3. is formed in a
similar manner to the large buffer above described except that a small bush or
shoulder bis welded in the front end of the case m to act as a stop and the end
of the plunger is recessed exactly as described above to receive the stop ring o
and securing spring p.
The arrangement of central guide spindle y being also similar except that the block
in the lunger is dispensed with

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved arrangement and construction of hollow plunger or spindle plunger
buffer having a casing shouldered down to a smaller diameter to receive the plunger
and which is secured in position by a stop ring in two halves and by a surrounding
steel spring substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated.
Dated this 4th day of December 1889
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office, 55, Market Street, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.