End of car cushioning device

Claim 2

An end of car hydraulic cushioning device for a railway car, including fixed and movable assemblies and a return spring assembly, said fixed assembly being adapted to be secured to said railway car, and said movable assembly being slidable relative to said fixed assembly and being adapted to have a coupler secured to the front end of said movable assembly, said return spring assembly cooperating with said assemblies to force said movable assembly toward a normal position relative to said fixed assembly, said return spring assembly comprising an elongated rod having its rear end operatively connected to the rear end of said movable assembly and extending forwardly, said elongated rod having a spring stop adjacent its forward end, an abutment fixed relative to the fixed assembly and located intermediate the front and rear ends of said elongated rod, and a spring mounted on said rod between said spring stop and said abutment to be compressed therebetween in response to a buff impact on the coupler and thereafter to force said movable assembly forward toward its normal position relative to said fixed assembly.

Claim 3

An end of car device as in claim 1, wherein said fixed assembly includes a cylinder and said movable assembly includes a piston, said piston having a piston rod extending through the front and rear ends of said cylinder, said elongated rod being operatively connected to the rear of said piston rod.

Claim 4

An end of car device as in claim 1, wherein a pair of said return spring assemblies are mounted one on each side of said movable assembly.

Claim 5

An end of car device as in claim 3, wherein said return spring assemblies further include a cross key connected at its ends respEctively to the rear ends of said elongated rods of said return spring assemblies, said cross key being operatively connected at its center to said movable assembly.

Claim 6

An end of car device as in claim 4, wherein said return spring assemblies further include guide means for guiding the forward ends of said elongated rods, the rear ends of said elongated rods being guided by said cross key.

Claim 7

An end of car device as in claim 5, wherein each of said elongated rods is tubular shaped at its forward end, said guide means comprising a pair of rods extending telescopically into said tubular forward end of said elongated rods.

Claim 8

An end of car device as in claim 1, wherein said return spring assembly further includes guide means for guiding the forward end of said elongated rod.

Claim 9

An end of car device as in claim 7, wherein said elongated rod is tubular shaped at its forward end, said guide means comprising a rod extending telescopically into said tubular forward end of said elongated rod.

Claim 10

An end of car device as in claim 8, wherein said fixed assembly includes a cylinder and said movable assembly includes a piston, said piston having a piston rod extending through the front and rear ends of said cylinder, said elongated rod being operatively connected to the rear of said piston rod.

Claim 11

An end of car device as in claim 1, wherein said movable member includes a yoke portion adapted to have a pivotable coupler secured thereto, said yoke portion having a coupler pin opening in a coupler cavity, and a wear pad being located at the rear of said coupler cavity and being removably secured to said yoke, said wear pad having a spherical surface adapted to be abutted by said coupler, whereby said wear pad can be removed from said yoke portion and replaced should it wear.

Claim 12

An end of car hydraulic cushioning device for a railway car, comprising fixed and movable assemblies, said fixed assembly being adapted to be secured to said railway car and said movable assembly being slidable relative to said fixed assembly, and return means cooperating between said fixed assembly and said movable assembly for returning said movable assembly to a normal position, said movable assembly having a forward cavity for receiving a pivotable coupler, said forward cavity terminating in a rear wall, said rear wall having a pair of shoulders thereon extending across said movable assembly, said shoulders reducing the size of said forward cavity, said shoulders having an access opening therebetween extending across said movable assembly and being accessible from the side thereof, a wear pad contained in said forward cavity and immovably fixed by welding against said shoulders of said rear wall, the rear surface of said wear pad being adjacent said access opening between said shoulders, said wear pad having a forward spherical surface adapted to be abutted by a rear spherical surface of the pivotable coupler during buff impact for transmission to buff impact from said coupler to said wear pad to said shoulders of said movable assembly and to said return means, said access opening being adapted to receive a tool or lever for assisting in removing said wear pad from said movable assembly, whereby when desired removal of said wear pad can be assisted by placing the tool in said access opening and prying said wear pad out of said cavity of said movable assembly.

Claim 13

An end of car hydraulic cushioning device for a railway car, comprising fixed and movable assemblies, said fixed assembly being adapted to be secured to said railway car and said movable assembly being slidable relative to said fixed assembly, and return means cooperating between said fixed assembly and said movable assembly for returning said movable assembly to a normal position, said movable assembly having a forward cavity for receiving a pivotable coupler, said forward cavity terminating in a rear wall, said rear wall having a pair of shoulders thereon extending across said movable assembly, said shoulders reducing the size of said forward cavity, said shoulders having an access opening therebetween extending across said movable assembly and being accessible from the side thereof, a wear pad contained in said forward cavity and immovably fixed by welding against said shoulders of said rear wall, the rear surface of said wear pad being adjacent said access opening between said shoulders, said wear pad having a forward spherical surface adapted to be abutted by a rear spherical surface of the pivotable coupler during buff impact for transmission to buff impact from said coupler to said wear pad to said shoulders of said movable assembly and to said return means, said access opening being adapted to receive a tool or lever for assisting in removing said wear pad from said movable assembly, whereby when desired removal of said wear pad can be assisted by placing the tool in said access opening and prying said wear pad out of said cavity of said movable assembly.

Claim 14

An end of car device as in claim 11, wherein said movable assembly includes a piston having a piston rod and a yoke portion, said fixed assembly includes a cylinder, the rear of said yoke portion being connected to the forward end of said piston rod, said yoke portion having said forward cavity, said wear pad being welded in said yoke portion.

Claim 15

An end of car device as in claim 11, wherein said wear pad is made of a harder material than that of said rear wall.

Claim 16

An end of car device as in claim 11, wherein said wear pad has said vertical side edges shaped to provide clearance to permit said pivotable couplEr to pivot.

Claim 17

An end of car hydraulic cushioning device for a railway car having a fixed assembly including a clinder, a movable assembly including a piston having a piston rod extending through the front and rear ends of said cylinder and a yoke receiving a pivotable coupler, and a return spring assembly cooperable with said movable assembly to return said movable assembly to its normal position, said yoke having a replaceable wear pad at its forward end, said wear pad having a spherical surface adapted to be abutted by a corresponding surface on the rear of the pivotable coupler, said yoke being connected at its rear to the forward end of said piston rod, said return spring assembly including an elongated rod having its rear end connected to the rear end of said piston rod, said elongated rod having a spring stop at its forward end, an abutment located intermediate the forward and rear ends of said elongated rod and secured to said fixed assembly, and a spring operating between said spring stop and said abutment to return said movable member to its normal position, whereby a buff impact may be transmitted from the coupler to said wear pad, to said yoke, to said piston rod, and to said return spring assembly, and upon expansion said return spring returns the coupler to a normal position.

Claim 18

An end of car hydraulic cushioning device for a railway car having a fixed assembly including a clinder, a movable assembly including a piston having a piston rod extending through the front and rear ends of said cylinder and a yoke receiving a pivotable coupler, and a return spring assembly cooperable with said movable assembly to return said movable assembly to its normal position, said yoke having a replaceable wear pad at its forward end, said wear pad having a spherical surface adapted to be abutted by a corresponding surface on the rear of the pivotable coupler, said yoke being connected at its rear to the forward end of said piston rod, said return spring assembly including an elongated rod having its rear end connected to the rear end of said piston rod, said elongated rod having a spring stop at its forward end, an abutment located intermediate the forward and rear ends of said elongated rod and secured to said fixed assembly, and a spring operating between said spring stop and said abutment to return said movable member to its normal position, whereby a buff impact may be transmitted from the coupler to said wear pad, to said yoke, to said piston rod, and to said return spring assembly, and upon expansion said return spring returns the coupler to a normal position.

Claim 19

An end of car device as in claim 15, wherein a pair of said return spring assemblies are located one on each side of said movable assembly, and further comprising a cross key operatively connecting the rear of said piston rod to the rear ends of said elongated rods, said cross key guiding the rear ends of said elongated rods, and front guide rods for guiding the forward ends of said elongated rods, said guided rods being secured to said fixed assembly.