Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
I ALBERT EBENEZER SCHURR of Harold Hill Farm Romford in the County of
Essex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention refers to improvements in automatic central buffer couplings
whereby the slack is automatically gathered and at saine time the couplings are
released from a clutch holding them in central position and allowed then to radiate to
suit the curves on the railway.
This I accomplish by means of an auxiliary buffer or buffers fitted to the coupling
which after the coupling links or hooks have engaged the detents, the said buffer or
buffers come in contact, are driven back, and carry with them the said detents, thus
gathering the slack.
The detents are held in position after the slack is gathered by means of a cam or
similar device which is automatically released when the auxiliary buffers meet. The
cams are released by the link striking a projection on the detent head beyond the
detent, in which case the auxiliary buffers may be dispensed with, or the cams may
be released by the auxiliary buffers forcing the detent backwards. The cam or
similar device thus falls into position thereby effectually preventing the return of
detents, and at the same time withdrawing the auxiliary buffers allowing the main
heads to meet. The driving in of the auxiliary buffers at same time withdraws a clutch
securing the draw bar in central position the said cam preventing, until raised, the
clutch from again gripping the draw-bar and bringing it to, and securing it in, a
central position.
Dated thie 19th day of Fahrrow 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
I ALBERT EBENEZER SCHURR of Harold Hill Farm Romford in the County of
Essex Engineer 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 refers to improvements in automatic central buffer couplings whereby
the slack is automatically gathered and at same time the couplings are released from
a clutch holding them in central position and allowed then to radiate to suit the curves
on the railway.
My invention will be best understood by describing same with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
:
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a central buffer coupling where auxiliary
buffers are used for operating the detent.
Figure 2 is a similar arrangement in which the auxiliary buffer is dispensed
with and the coupling link is utilized for operating the detent to take up the
slack and
Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of a central buffer coupling where the
auxiliary buffers are also dispensed with and the coupling link is utilized for operating
the detent.

page_text: Referring to Figure 1 B is the auxiliary buffer (or buffers) fitted to the coupling
and the buffer carries at the rear the detent in vertical slides B: formed with the said
buffer head B; after the coupling links or hooks C have engaged the detents D, (by
the lifting and falling of the said detents in the slides B¹), the said buffer or buffers B
come in contact, are driven back and carry with them the said detents D thus
gathering the slack.
Each detent is held in position after the slack is gathered by means of a cam,
pawl or similar device H with lever, I, which device H falls into position in toothed
part G,.formed on buffer head A, thereby effectually preventing the return of the
detent D, and at the same time the auxiliary buffer is held withdrawn, thus allowing
the main heads A to meet. The driving in of the auxiliary buffers at same time
causes the dog P to withdraw a clutch N by striking its lever arm O which clutch has
hitherto secured the draw-bar K and buffer head A in axial line with each other and
the said dog P prevents the clutch N, from again gripping the draw bar and thus
bringing it to, and securing it in, a central position.
At Figure 2 the auxiliary buffer B is dispensed with and the link C is utilized for
operating the detent. A is the buffer head, is the link, D is the detent with back-
ward projection I; P is a dog on the detent acting against a clutch lever O when
the slack is taken up throwing out the clutch N from its seat.
Referring to Figure 3 A is the buffer head or "bull nose." C is the coupling
link D is the detent. E is the detent link fulcrummed at F F¹. G is a ratchet device
with rack along which the tail end D¹ of the detent lever D is free to slide except
when the pawl H on the hand lever I takes into a tooth in the ratchet G ; K is the
draw bar, and L is the joint in same of the buffer A. N is a clutch fulcrummed at N¹
and O¹ is the clutch lever; P is a dog on the detent arm D', for acting on the clutch
lever all as hereafter more fully described. Q is a spring on pawl or lever I
bearing on lug D² for keeping the pawl in position.
The action is as follows when the buffers come together and the link C is advanced
to the coupling in the usual manner in couplings of this class, the link C strikes the
detent D and lifts it about the fulcrums FF while the tail end D' lifts and slides
back along the arm G or ratchet, the link C is then held by the hook of the detent D
and as the buffers come together so the detent correspondingly travels backwards, and
the dog P comes in contact with the clutch lever O and thereby throwing the clutch N
out of gear (in between the draw-bar K and the end M of the buffer A) whereby the
buffer head A is then free to radiate on the pin I. to suit the curves of the road and
this takes place so long as the buffer of one car is against the buffer of the adjacent
car so that the whole buffer head is allowed to radiate on the fulcrum L of the buffer
head to suit the line. The detent D with its tail D¹ cannot go forward until the
pawl H is removed by its lever I from the notch in which it is engaged in the arm G.
To uncouple it is only necessary to lift the lever I and with it the detent D moving
about the fulcrums F F and the coupling link C is free.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 2 the clutch N is operated by the dog Pat
top of the detent while at Figure 3 it is operated by the corresponding dog P, on the
detent arm D¹ the result in each case being similar, that is the buffer head is released
from its fixed central position and is free to radiate on the pin L to suit the curves of
the road whereby the whole buffer head is allowed to radiate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
1 claim is :-
First. In central buffer couplings the mode and means whereby the travel of the
coupling link is utilized to gather up the slack substantially as set forth.
Second. In central buffer couplings the clutch arrangement for fixing and releasing
the buffer head whereby the whole buffer head is allowed to radiate when the cars are
coupled and the slack is gathered and the buffer heads are held fixed centrally when
the cars are uncoupled all substantially as set forth.
Third. In central buffer couplings the mode and means whereby the action of. the

page_text: buffers coming together is caused to automatically gather up the slack and at the
same time to release the buffer rod and draw bar from central positions substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In central buffer couplings the suspended detent D D¹ link E ratchet G
lever I and pawl H dog P, clutch N, clutch lever 0 combined with the link C and
buffer head A jointed by pin L to the draw bar K all substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying
drawings and particularly with reference to Figures 2 and 3 thereof.
Fifth. In central buffer couplings the construction arrangement and action of the
several parts substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 12th day of November 1890.
A. E. SCHURR.