USRE8095E - Edward l - Google Patents

Description

, E. L. GAUM.. Draft and Buffing Apparatus for Railroad-Cars.

No. 8,095. Reis sued Feb. l9,1878.

Int/012101:

Winesses. %za. M-

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE,

ED\VARD L. cnun, ornnnnisnune, ASSIGNQR 0F SEVEN-EIGHTHS or HIS RIGHT TO CAROLINE J. DOUGHERTY, OF SAME PLACE, 1). MOORE, OF, I \YILKESBARRE,HENRY LEVIS, FREDERICK J. KIMBALL, AND J. SNOVVDEN BELL, or, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

.IMPROVEMENT m DRAFT AND BUFFI'NG APPARATUS FOR RAILROAD-ms. I-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7I,5 BQ, dated December 3,1867 Reissue No.8,095, dated @February 19,1878; application filed December 19, 1877. I

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, vEnwAanL. GAUM,f01- merlyof Patterson, in the county of J uniata and State of Pennsylvania, but now of Harrisburg, in the count-y of Dauphin and State aforesaid, have invented certain new and use-.

ful Improvements in Draft and Bufiing Apparatus forRailroad-Gars, of which improvements the following is a specification v The object of my invention is to relieve the frames of railroad-cars from the injurious ac-I tion of the shocks and strains to which they are subjected under the common modes of construction, by providing a draft and buffing apparatus in the operation of which the tractive force of the engine in drawing a train forward is separately applied to each car of the train,

so that the frame thereof shall not receive or sustain any portion of the strain due to the weight of the remaining cars of the train, and in which the draft-rods shall not be subjected to any strains of compression in backing the train, or by the contact of one car with an-' more fully set forth. Y In the accompanying drawings,"Figure l is an inverted plan view of a car-frame having my invention applied; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section through the same at the line as an of Fig. 1; Fig.3, a similar section at the line yy of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a vertical transverse section at the line 2 z of Fig. 2.

The frame A of the car is composed of longitudinal and transverse sills, arranged as is usual in American practice, and having two transverse bolsters, A A, to each of which a center-plate, a, to receive the king-b0] t or center-pin of a truck, is firmly secured. The tractive orvpushing force employed in moving the car is applied to the frame through one or the other of two yielding draw-heads or bumpers, B B, the outer ends of which are, suitably formed to receive a coupling link and pin, and which are arranged to slide in guides beneath and in the longitudinal center line of the frame, the draw-heads having a limited degree of longitudinal movement upon the frame, governed by bumper-springs B, which, encircle pins 1) projecting centrally from the inner ends of the draw-heads. r j' 1 In order that the tractive force applied to the draw-head at one end of the frame shall be transmitted to that atthe other end through an independent rigid connection, and not through the sills or timbers of the car-frame, thetwo draw-heads or bumpers B B are united, by draft-rods O O, which are situated at either side of the center-plates a, and may pass through apertures in the frame-bolsters A, and thus be guided in rectilinear paths during the longitudinal sliding'motion which they.

receive in the application of tractive force to the movement of the car; They may also be supported and prevented from sagging at thecenter by a hanger depending from or a staple inserted intothe under side of the frame; and,

for convenience in applyingthem to the car, each draft rod may be made in two parts, to be attached together at the center of the car by a bolt-and-j aw connection, or otherwise.

The draft-rods 0G areconn'ected by transverse coupling plates 0 0, having holes through which the rods pass, so as to move freely therein, and the coupling-plates are held upon the draft-rods by heads 0 at one end of the same, and by nuts 0 engaging screwthreads out upon the opposite end, so that the longitudinal distances apart of the couplingplates may be diminished but cannot be increased in the operation of the apparatus, as

presently to be described.

The pin b of each draw-headB passes freely through a central opening in the adjacent coupling-plate O, and similarly through an opening ina spring-plate, D, within which it is held by a head, nut, or key, as may be con-- venient.

Each spring-plate is free to move upon the pin of its adjacent draw-head, in the direction I v is permitted by. the tension of the bumperor rods independent of the car-frame are not of this character are either liable to the objecor expose the draft-rods to constant liability 'moved by a pushing action, or, in other words, impelled from the rear, which entirely obviend, as is commonly practiced.

which are coupled with and strung'behind the forward car are drawnentirely by the draft of the outer. or coupling end thereof, as far. as

spring B of said draw-head, which spring bears at one end against the spring-plate D, and' at the other against the coupling-plate 0'. Motion of the spring-plates Din the opposite direction-that is, toward the bolster Ais prevented by the fixed abutments 11, against which said spring'plates bear, and which are secured-to the bottom of the frame, and extend from the spring-plates to the outside of the bolsters A.

The application of springs to the draft apparatus to avoid shocks and-the uniting of two coupling or bumper heads by a draft rod regarded by'me as new at the date of my invention; but so far as 'my knowledge information, and belief extend, antecedent? evices tion that they subject the frame-work to injurious strain in the act of drawing the cars,

to jamming and bending by compressive strains, when the cars come together, or they involve those injurious characteristics jointly.

With my improved draft and buffing apparatus it will be perceived that inits use the frame is not subjected to strain by applying at or near the leading end of the ear the draft or drawing power required to move the car, nor is the strain due to the weight of the following cars sustained by the frame-timbers of the leading car; and, further, that the draftrods are not liable to be bentor jammed by force applied at their opposite ends, as in backing a train, or when two or more cars come together, for the reason that under no circumstances are they subject to strains of compression. Thus, when the car is drawn in either direction, the power of traction is not applied to the frame at its leading end, but the draw-head B at the leading end, being drawn forward, as permitted by the compression of the bumper-springs-B, carries with it the adjacent spring-plate D and coupling-plate C, the latter, in' turn, carrying with it the draftrods 0, by which the power of traction is applied to-the frame-bolster A, adjacent to the 4 following end of the car, through the bumper spring B, spring -'plate D, and fixed abutments d at that end. In this way the. car is ates the dismemberment or injury which the frame undergoes when pulled at the forward In backing the same advantage arises, from the fact that the cars are pushed or impelled from the end nearest to the engine. The cars apparatus, and none of the weight or strain involved'in drawing them is apprec1ated'by\,

connected by a rigid bar or rod independent of the car-frame, termed a continuous draw bar, have been known prior to my invention,

and-that cars embodying such device were used at an early period in the history of railroads in the United States. An illustration of this principle may be seen in Brees Rail- ;vgay Practice, fourth series, Plate 4: London,

47. o I am further aware'that in the patent of H. J. Lombaert, No. 31,670, dated March 12, 1861, bufiers or coupling-heads connected by rigid draft-rods were combined with springs, by

which the tractive force of the engine was applied to both the front and rear bolsters of the car. In neither of these cases, however, was the tractive power applied solely at the rear end of the frameiu drawinga car or train forward, andin each of them direct compressive strain was applied to the draft-rod in backing and bufling.

. I do not, therefore, broadly claim either a continuous draw-bar or the combination of draft and bufling springs therewith.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent I 1. The combination, with the frame of a railroad-car, of two yielding draw-heads or bumpers and an intermediate rigid bouncetion, upon which,said draw-heads have a sliding movement, whereby strains of draft are transmittedto the car-frame through the rigid connection, and strains of pushing and bufiin g imparted directly to the frame without acting upon or through said rigid connectiom'substantially as herein set forth. a

2. The combination, with the frame of a railroad-car, of two yielding draw headsor bumpers, having a free movementupon an intermediate rigid connection, and bumpersp'rings interposed between said draw-heads and stationary abutments, which transmitthe strains of draft and bufiing to the frame-bol sters, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. v

'3. The combination, with the frame of-a railroad-car, of two yielding draw-heads or bumpers and. an intermediate rigid connection composed of two longitudinal draft-rods, passing through apertures in the frame on each side of the king-bolts or center-pins, and united at their ;endsby'transverse couplingplates having freedom of movement toward each other upon said draft-rods, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

1 EDW. L. CAUM. Witnesses: W. E. DOUGH'ERTY,

,WM. A. BOYDEN.

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