IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FLEMING BERGIN, of Fair View Avenue, in the City of Dublin, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourth day of March, in the fifth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Fleming Bergin, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas Fleming Bergin, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Fleming Bergin, my exors,
adiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Thomas Fleming Bergin, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two.
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Fleming Bergin, do hereby declare the nature of my Inven
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, refe-
rence being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to improvements on the apparatus called the "buffing
apparatus" used in railway carriages for the purpose of preventing or lessening
concussions to such carriages consequent on starting or stopping a train. On the
Liverpool and some other railways, an apparatus called the buffing apparatus
has been had recourse to, which apparatus consists of a series of rods and
levers acting on semi-eliptical springs, the springs being similarly constructed
to the eliptical carriage springs. The construction of this apparatus is well
known, and I have only mentioned it in order to explain the meaning of the
words "buffing apparatus." The apparatus above noticed, though it has in
some degree accomplished the objects for which it was assigned, is exceedingly
complex, and consequently expensive, in addition to which there are other
objections which render this apparatus in some degree inefficient. Amongst
other objections, it will be found that since applying the buffing apparatus to
the Liverpool railway carriages, they no longer proceed. with a steady motion
in the direction of the railway, but in travelling at high velocities they acquire
considerable lateral motion, all which is consequent on the peculiar arrange-
ment and manner of action of the various parts of the present buffing
apparatus.
Now, the object of my Invention is to apply arrangements or combinations
of coiled springs with rods proceeding from end to end of the carriage which
shall at once offer a most advantageous apparatus for receiving and transmitting
the motion from one carriage to another, and also prevent any prejudical
effects of concussion in starting or stopping a train of carriages, and also be
highly suitable for preventing any prejudicial effects taking place in the event
of two trains coming in contact.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a railway carriage; Figure 2 is a plan of
the under part of the same, the body being removed; and Figure 3 is a section
through the dotted line p, p, p, Fig. 2. [In these three Figures the several parts,
when visible, are distinguished by the same letters.] A slight frame A, A, A,
Figure 1, consisting of two similar plates of iron, each about of an inch thick.
secured to each other about three inches apart by suitable rivets, rests on turned

page_text: bearings on the centres of the axles; a single bar B, B, (I have used a welded iron
tube of of an inch thick and three inches diameter, as being the stiffest) the
entire length of the carriage, and extending about two feet beyond each end, is
supported on this frame by rollers C, C, C, Figure 3, allowing it to be moved
lengthways with great facility; on this tube or bar B, B, B, is placed at either
end (within the framing of the carriage) about four feet of spiral or coiled springs
D, D, D, of graduated strengths; one end of each of those sets of springs rests
against a strong collar or boss E, fixed to the bar or tube B, and the other end
against a small box of iron F, attached to the frame A. and furnished with one
of the rollers C, also the two friction rollers G, G, projecting a little beyond its
surface, and resting against the inner side of the carriage frame end. To each
extremity of the tube B, B, is attached a buffer head I, by means of a bar of
iron K, Figure 3, passing through B, B, and furnished with a screw and dent
at each end; immediately within each buffer head, and resting against it, is a
bar of iron L, with chains and hooks for attaching the carriages together. It
will be observed that this apparatus lying loosely on the axles is perfectly
independent of the framework of the carriage, which is supported in the usual
manner on bearing springs M, M, and by means of the oblong holes in each
end of the framing (H. H. Figure 3), through which the buffing tube or bar
B passes, rises, or falls, according to the load, without affecting the height of
the buffing apparatus above the road. The action of the apparatus is as
follows: The train being moved in the direction of the arrows, Figures 1, 2,
and 3, the locomotive power is applied at L, and draws forward the central
tube B, B, thereby compressing the springs D, D, between the boss E and
the friction roller box E, which rests against the end of the carriage frame
without moving the latter until the clastic force of the compressed springs
becomes sufficient to overcome the resistance presented by the friction of the
carriage and load. The carriage then begins to move forward so slowly as to
he almost imperceptable to persons seated therein. The second and each
succeeding carriage in the train is by similar means brought from a state of
rest into motion. In case of a concussion from behind, or of one carriage
running against another, it will be at once seen that the resistance is offered
by the furthest end, the effect being to drive the tube B, B, forward, com-
pressing the springs at the opposite end from where the concussion is given.
and the carriage will be but little affected by the blow until (as in drawing the
train) the elasticity communicated to the springs by compression overpowers
the resistance of the carriage, which then begins to move, actuated by a force
just sufficient to start it; any ordinary concussion might be thus resisted
without injurious strain or violence to the carriage receiving the blows. The

page_text: coiled springs are about four feet in length, allowing a range of action of about
two feet, beginning to be compressed by a force equal to about 20 lbs., and
presenting a gross resistance to entire compression of upwards of two tons (but
this strength of spring should be varied according to circumstances); that
stated has been found suitable for carriages weighing, when loaded, about four
tons. It will be observed that as the springs at either end of each carriage act
totally independant of those at the other end, and of all the carriages in the
train except that to which they are attached, each has but to bear its own
share of the resistance of the entire train, the sum of which is made up of the
separate resistances of all the springs acted on.
By the use of this apparatus various advantageous effects have been realized,
amongst others, perfectly steady forward motion in the trains, whereby very
much of the side friction of the flanges of the wheels against the rails is
avoided; and instead of that lateral motion heretofore generally experienced
on railways, all the carriages constituting the train move forward in a steady
path, and are rendered much less liable to go off the rails, and can be pushed
before the engine in case of necessity with far greater confidence and less
liability to accidents, as although the impulse is given to the bar from behind,
yet it is obvious the carriage is acted upon from the front, precisely as it would
be if drawn in the same direction.
In describing the Drawing I omitted to state that, as the entire resistance
to the action of the springs D, D, is on the ends of the carriage frame, the
centre of each is armed with a strong plate of iron, about fifteen inches
square, through which pass the tension rods N, N, Figure 2, to the outer
angles of the opposite ends of the frame, consequently these rods receive the
entire force of the springs.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
combining and applying the same, I would remark that it will be evident that
such apparatus is equally applicable to connecting of trains of carriages drawn
by locomotive carriages on common roads, which from the inequalities on such
roads, will more particularly require such means of preventing the prejudicial
effects of concussions; and I do therefore consider it to constitute part of my
Invention to apply such an apparatus to the purposes of connecting trains of
carriages drawn on common roads by means of locomotive carriages.
And I would have it understood that I lay no claim to the various parts
separately which are shown and described, nor in combination, other than is
hereafter distinctly claimed.
I do therefore hereby declare that my Invention consists of the combination.
of coiled springs D, D, and the bar or tube B, when applied as a buffing

page_text: apparatus to connect railway carriages as above described, and also when
applied to the further purposes of connecting carriages worked by locomotive
machinery on common roads, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fleming Bergin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
William Carpmael, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, maketh
oath that he is acquainted with the handwriting of T. F. Bergin, and has
received the Specification hereunto annexed from him. And this deponent
further saith that the signature therein is in the handwriting of the said T. F.
Bergin. And this deponent further saith that he is informed, and verily
believes, that the acknowledgment was made before Thos Goold, a Master in
Chancery, in Dublin, and that the signature of the said acknowledgement is in
the handwriting of the said Tho³ Goold, and that at the time of receiving such
acknowledgement he was a Master in Chancery.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the oath of William Carpmael the
Specification aforesaid was inrolled, word for word, as above written.
And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-five.