Shock absorbing system

Claim 1

IN A RAILWAY CAR HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING STATIONARY CENTER SILL WITH AN OPEN OUTER END, THE COMBINATION OF A DRAFT GEAR POCKET ADJACENT THE OUTER END OF SAID CENTER SILL AND DEFINED BY LONGITUDINALLY SPACED INNER AND OUTER STOP MEMBERS, A FRICTION DRAFT GEAR HAVING AN OVERALL LENGTH APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID POCKET AND MOUNTED THEREIN FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID STATIONARY CENTER SILL, SAID FRICTION DRAFT GEAR BEING CHARACTERIZED BY AN OPEN-ENDED CASING POSITIONED IN SAID POCKET WITH ITS CLOSED END DISPOSED OUTWARDLY AND DEFINING AN OUTER END FOLLOWER AND WITH ITS OPEN END OPENING INWARDLY OF SAID CENTER SILL AND HAVING A FRICTION CLUTCH PORTION NORMALLY PROJECTING THEREFROM, BY A SEPARATE INNER END FOLLOWER WHICH IS DISPOSED INWARDLY OF SAID CASING AND WHICH IS ADAPTED FOR ACTUATING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FRICTION CLUTCH PORTION UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID INNER END FOLLOWER TOWARD SAID OUTER END FOLLOWER, AND BY RIGID RADIAL FLANGE MEANS ON SAID CASING AT SAID INNER OPEN END THEREOF DEFINING AN INTERMEDIATE FOLLOWER WHICH IS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER END FOLLOWERS, WHICH INTERMEDIATE FOLLOWER IN NORMALLY SPACED FROM SAID INNER END FOLLOWER A DISTANCE WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE SAID FRICTION CLUTCH PORTION NORMALLY PROJECTS FROM THE INNER END OF SAID CASING AND WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID DRAFT GEAR POCKET, SAID DRAFT GEAR BEING NORMALLY DISPOSED IN ITS OUTERMOST POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID POCKET WITH SAID INTERMEDIATE FOLLOWER IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OUTER STOP MEMBERS, COUPLER MEANS AT THE OUTER END OF SAID CENTER SILL FOR IMPARTING BUFF FORCES TO SAID OUTER END FOLLOWER, SAID DRAFT GEAR CASING BEING BODILY MOVABLE INWARDLY OF SAID CENTER SILL A DISTANCE WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID DRAFT GEAR POCKET DURING FULL CLOSURE OF SAID FRICTION DRAFT GEAR WHEN BUFF FORCES ARE APPLIED TO SAID OUTER END FOLLOWER BY SAID COUPLER MEANS WITH SAID INNER END FOLLOWERS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID INNER STOP MEMBERS TO LIMIT FURTHER INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAFT GEAR CASING, A COUPLER CARRIER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON THE OUTER END OF SAID CENTER SILL FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO AND HAVING A PORTION DISPOSED OUTWARDLY OF THE OUTER END OF SAID CENTER SILL FOR SUPPORTING SAID COUPLER MEANS, A MOTION-TRANSMITTING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID COUPLER MEANS AND SAID COUPLER CARRIER, A HYDRAULIC PISTON-AND-CYLINDER CUSHION UNIT MOUNTED IN SAID CENTER SILL INWARDLY OF SAID DRAFT GEAR POCKET, AND FORCE-TRANSMITTING MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE INNER END OF SAID YOKE AND THE PISTON OF SAID HYDRAULIV CUSHION UNIT WHEREBY THE LATTER IS ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID FRICTION DRAFT GEAR IN CUSHIONING BUFF FORCES APPLIED TO SAID COUPLER MEANS DURING SAID INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAFT GEAR CASING.