APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS ON RAILWAYS, CALLED PARACHOC
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Mathew Fitzpatrick at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
October 1859.
I, MATHEW FITZPATRICK, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, Civil En-
gineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "APPARATUS
TO BE APPLIED TO THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS ON RAILWAYS, CALLED PARACHOC,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus for preventing or mitigating the inju-
rious effects of the collisions of trains on railways. In this apparatus I make
use of the impelling power caused by the collision in order to lift up the car
and place it on a sort of skid which is brought in frictional contact with
the rail.
In the annexed Drawing, a represents a car, provided at each end with two
sets of stoppers or apparatus for the purpose I will describe; b, collision pad,
consisting of a cushion c, formed of spiral or other springs d; of another
cushion e, a sheet-iron perforated plate f, and a chambered frame g. The
whole is covered over and kept in position externally by leather or other
equivalent substance. h is a valve, for letting out the air contained in the
cushion in case a collision takes place; i, valve, for letting the air in again
after the collision has ceased; j, two inclined planes provided with friction
rollers; they are fitted to the frame g, and made to slide into a chamber con-
trived on the car; k, movable frame, supporting the two skid holders l, which
are to rest on the rail to break or mitigate the collision; this frame, which is
shouldered to the car, is connected to it by means of a piece m. In case of

page_text: collision, this apparatus, which occupies the whole width of the car, draws, as
it is compressed, its inclined planes towards it; these meet the frame k, which
is thereby caused to lower its position, at the same time lifting the car, still
held however on the rails by the roller skids l, which soon deaden by their
gliding friction the impelling power of the train. n, block, for allowing the
backward traction when there is no collision; on this block the stopper is
shouldered. In case of collision, the resisting power of the block is not suffi-
cient to hinder the lifting up of the car; hence the former will yield and the
latter be lifted; connecting chains prevent the inclined plane stopper from being
thrown out of gear by the traction; a spring o draws up the frame again when
the danger is over. 1 is another skid frame, fitted at the back of the car by
means of screws as the first-mentioned skid is lifting the car at one end, the
other lowers & causes the skid 1 also to rest on the rail after the collision is
In order to start the car again, the skid holder is unscrewed, and the
car made to drop again on its wheels.
over.
A second system of stoppers may be applied to locomotives; this stopper is
exactly the same as the above described; it is jointed to an iron brace p, round
which it describes an arc; q, a piece jointed to bent levers 7, oscillating round
the points; t, coupling rods, jointed at one side to the levers r and to the car
frame; u, u, spring, drawing the skid and stopper, which the levers keep at a
distance from the car; v, blocks, on which the stopper strikes; x, arbor of
the stopper, worked by a lever having variable balance weights actuated by
hand. When danger is apparent, the fore stopper is drawn towards the
vehicle. If the collision is unexpected, the stopper is so arranged as to be
made to strike the blocks. For this purpose the arbor and stopper are con-
nected by chains, ropes, or other parts to skids, similar to that represented at
letter k. I have placed on the same vehicle the stopper applicable to each
car, & also that for the locomotive, but it is evident they may be separated.
The skids 1, 1, & 2, are provided with spiral friction springs, and their
gliding surface is such as to allow the car to pass easily over curved lines of
small radii; for this purpose they are to be cast askew. The skids are provided
with rollers, so that they can pass over the junctions of the rails.
With some forms of cars, where the car door is placed at one end, I can
divide the stopper into two parts forming a double stopper.