Adjustable cushioning arrangement for railroad cars

Claim 1

A LONG TRAVEL HYDRAULIC CUSHION DEVICE FOR ABSORBING RAILROAD CAR COUPLER IMPACTS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: A CYLINDER HAVING A CLOSURE MEANS AT ONE END, A PISTON HAVING A HEAD DISPOSED IN THE CYLINDER TO DEFINE FIRST AND SECOND VARIABLE MEMBERS AND HAVING A PISTON ROD IN THE FIRST CHAMBER, SAID PISTON ROD HAVING A FLUID PASSAGE, A METERING PIN MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE CLOSURE MEANS AND PROJECTING INTO THE SECOND CHAMBER AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF CONCENTRIC RELATIVELY MOVABLE FIRST AND SECOND TUBULAR MEMBERS RECIPROCABLY EXTENDIBLE THROUGH THE PISTON HEAD INTO SAID PASSAGE AND DEFINING A BORE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PASSAGE, EACH TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING PORT MENS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER, THE PORT MEANS OF ONE TUBULAR MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE OTHER IN A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS IN DEFINING THE FORCE TRAVEL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CUSHION DEVICE, MEANS FOR VARYING THE RELATIVE POSITON OF ONE TUBULAR MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, A FLEXIBLE DISTENSIBLE HYDRAULIC FLUID-IMPERVIOUS MEMBER CONNECTING WITH THE PISTON ROD AND THE CYLINDER FOR SEALING THE FIRST CHAMBER, THE FIRST CHAMBER HAVING A LOW PRESSURE UPON CONTRACTION OF THE CUSHION DEVICE AND HAVING ORIFICE MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID FIRST CHAMBER AND THE FLEXIBLE MEMBER, AND SAID SECOND CHAMBER HAVING A HIGHER PRESSURE UPON CONTRACTION OF THE CUSHION MEANS, SAND THE PORT MEANS OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS PROVIDING FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BORE OF THE METERING PIN MEANS AND THE SECOND CHAMBER, SAID PISTON ROD HAVING PORT MEANS FOR PROVIDING FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PISTON ROD PASSAGE AND THE FLEXIBLE MEMBER, AND BIASING MEANS FOR EXTENDING THE CUSHION UNIT TO AND EXPANDED POSITION.