Year: 1898

page_text: We, ALFRED RUSCHER, BERNHARD WETZLER, and CARL LITTMANN, Manufacturers,
all of Bruck-Ujfalu, in Austria, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the class of screw couplings for railway cars and its
purpose is to enable the coupling and disengaging of the main and safety
coupling to be done from outside the buffers, and to enable the main coupling
to act automatically. Besides the advantages of an automatic coupling the advan-
tage is also obtained that already existing couplings of this class can be converted
into the new coupling with slight alteration only which essentially diminishes
the cost of fitting cars with the new coupling.
The further advantages of this coupling is that it can be arranged on all kinds
of cars, that it couples with already existing couplings, that cach coupling, as
well main as also safety coupling can be coupled or disengaged by itself without
interfering with the other and also it is only in connection with the draw rod,
so that, if the coupling is accidently torn off no other part of the car would be
injured.
The coupling is of the nature of an ordinary screw coupling but at the pivotal
bolt it can only be foldable downward, and its bow is turnable only within small
limits.
It comprises disengaging noses, also a lifting device for these noses, consisting
of a shaft, to be operated from outside the buffers with lifting arms and a stop
tooth and a second shaft with a click and disengaging levers, finally a device for
lifting the D hook, consisting of a rod connected with the same and guided on the
ear, this rod being connected with draw rods guided to both sides of the car.
With the usual draw rod having spring bearing in the car frame and provided
with draw hooks there are connected bars by means of bolts arranged in the
drawing hook which bars are provided with noses for effecting the disengagement
of the main coupling.
At their outer ends the bars are connected in such a manner with a nut that
the whole coupling at this place is only foldable downwards, but forms upwardly
a rigid joint. This is obtained by a projection of the nut which presses against
the bars.
This nut is connected with the second nut by the known right and left coupling
screw. This screw serves for tightening the main coupling, for the turning of
which there was arranged hitherto a lever. This lever is now replaced by a hand
wheel which allows the turning of the spindle also from outside by simple means (for
instance a lever reaching into the spokes). A guiding rod is displaceable in one
or both nuts and bent bow like round the hand wheel to prevent the nuts from
turning. With the second or outer nut there is connected the coupling bow by

page_text: means of pins and the nut is provided in such a manner with lateral projections,
that the bow can move freely only through a small angle.
The lifting device for the screw coupling consists of a shaft journalled trans-
verselv of the car and adapted to be operated on both sides of the cars from outside
the buffers by means of levers and carrying lifting arms which seize the screw
coupling according to the position of the same either at the one or other nut or
at both, for which purpose their under parts project laterally and are curved.
This shaft carries further an arresting tooth, the purpose of which is described
hereinafter.
To the lifting device there belongs also a second shaft journalled transversely
of the car and carrying on one side a click and on the other side lever arms,
which project within the reach of the buffer rods. This shaft has balance weights
and hand levers with which latter the same can be operated from both sides of the
car and outside the buffers. On the draw hook there is further pivoted the usual D
hook of the safety coupling, which hook can be lifted or lowered by a rod guided
longitudinally and provided with two draw rods diverging one to each side of the
bar.
Instead of this drawing device there can be arranged on the car a third shaft
with lifting arms, which serves only for raising and lowering the D hook.
The action of this coupling is as follows;-
When the main coupling is to act automatically by pushing the car together,
the levers of the shaft on one car must be previously raised in the direction of
the arrow so that the lifting arms and with these the screw coupling come into
a raised position and are fixed in this position by the click falling into the arrest-
ing tooth. When the carriages meet the buffer rods push the disengaging levers
whereby the other shaft is turned and the click is lifted from the arresting tooth.
The lifting arms then return into their normal position and the bow of the
coupling falls into the draw hook of the other car.
For the secure engagement of the coupling bow with the draw hook there is
fitted a hood which may have a spring within it; this hood is fixed above the draw
hook and in the form of a case, or is composed of rods and renders an escaping
of the bow impossible in all directions and is therefore important especially when
coupling on curves with small radius. Where a disengagement of the shaft by
the carriages knocking together is not desired, this is effected in a simple manner
by means of one of the levers, as the same is moved, in the direction of disengage-
ment at the right moment that is to say, when the bow is just above the draw
hook. The coupling screw is screwed up either before or after the coupling;
in the latter case by turning the wheel thereon by means of an appropriate tool
from outside the buffers.
For the purpose of connecting the safety coupling from outside the buffers
the hanging screw coupling is lifted by means of the lifting lever on the shaft and
the D hook of the other carriages is lifted by means of the drawing device before
described and the two are connected together.
The couplings are disengaged in the following manner.
When disengaging the safety coupling the drawing devices of both cars that is,
also, of both D hooks are drawn, whereby the one coupled D hook is lifted from
the bow and the screw coupling of the safety coupling is extended, but both return
into their normal position.
When disengaging the main coupling the uncoupled screw coupling is lifted
either by turning the levers or the D hook upwards whereby the noses on the
side bars of the loose coupling lift the bow of the other coupling from the draw
hook and the latter coupling is folded and falls down.
Dated this 19th day of March 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.

page_text: We, ALFRED RUSCHER, BERNHARD WETZLER, and CARL LITTMANN, all of Bruck-
Ujfalu, in the Empire of Austria, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the class of screw couplings for railway cars and its
purpose is to enable the coupling and disengaging of the main and safety
coupling to be done from outside the buffers, and to enable the main coupling
to act automatically. Besides the advantages of an automatic coupling the advan-
tage is also obtained that already existing couplings of this class can be converted
into the new coupling with slight alteration only which essentially diminishes
the cost of fitting cars with the new coupling.
The further advantages of this coupling are that it can be arranged on all kinds
of cars, that it couples with already existing couplings, that each coupling, as
well main as also safety coupling can be coupled or disengaged by itself without
interfering with the other and also it is only in connection with the draw rod,
so that, if the coupling is accidently torn off no other part of the car would be
injured.
The coupling is of the nature of an ordinary screw coupling but at the pivotal
bolt it can only be foldable downward, and its bow is turnable only within small
limits.
It comprises disengaging noses, also a lifting device for these noses, consisting
of a shaft, to be operated from outside the buffers with lifting arms and a stop
tooth and a second shaft with a click and disengaging levers, finally a device for
lifting the hook, consisting of a rod connected with the same and guided on the
car, this rod being connected with draw rods guided to both sides of the car.
In the annexed drawing:-Fig. 1 shows an example of construction of this
coupling in the state of engagement in side view and partial section. Fig. 2 is a
plan view corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the main coupling in
operation and the safety coupling at the moment of engaging.
With the usual draw rod a having spring bearing in the car frame and provided
with draw hooks b there are connected bars d by means of bolts arranged in the
drawing hook b which bars are provided with noses e for effecting the disengage-
ment of the main coupling.
At their outer ends the bars d are connected in such a manner with a nut i
that the whole coupling at this place is only foldable downwards, but forms up-
wardly a rigid joint. This is obtained by a projection of the nut i which presses
against the bars d.
This nut is connected with the second nut k by the known right and left
coupling screw m. This screw m serves for tightening the main coupling, for
the turning of which there was arranged hitherto a lever. This lever is now
replaced by a hand wheel ; which allows the turning of the spindle m also from
outside by simple means (for instance a lever reaching into the spokes). A guid-
ing rod is displaceable in one or both nuts and bent bow like round the hand
wheel to prevent the nuts from turning. With the second or outer nut k there
is connected the coupling bow f by means of pins h and the nut k is provided in
such a manner with lateral projections k¹, that the bow can move freely only
through a small angle.
The lifting device for the screw coupling consists of a shaft q journalled trans-
versely of the car and adapted to be onerated on both sides of the cars from outside

page_text: the buffers by means of levers s and carrying lifting arms r, which seize the screw
coupling dmf according to the position of the same either at the one or other
nut kor i or at both, for which purpose their under parts project laterally and
are curved. This shaft carries further an arresting tooth p the purpose of which
is described hereinafter.
To the lifting device there belongs also a second shaft o journalled transversely
of the car and carrying on one side a click o¹ and on the other side lever arms w,
which project within the reach of the buffer rods (Fig. 1 at the right). This
shaft has balance weights and hand levers y with which latter the same can be
operated from both sides of the car and outside the buffers.
On the draw hook 6 there is further pivoted the usual ☐ hook n of the safety
coupling, which hook can be lifted or lowered by a rod guided longitudinally
and provided with two draw rods n²² diverging one to each side of the car.
Instead of this drawing device there can be arranged on the car a third shaft
with lifting arms, which serves only for raising and lowering the D hook.
The action of this coupling is as follows:-
When the main coupling is to act automatically by pushing the cars together,
the levers s of the shaft q on one car must be previously raised so that the lifting
arms and with these the screw coupling dmf come into a raised position shown
in Fig. 1, and are fixed in this position by the click o' falling into the arresting
tooth 2.
When the carriages meet, the buffer rods push the disengaging
levers w whereby the other shaft is turned and the click is lifted from the
arresting tooth. The lifting arms then return into their normal position and
the bow of the coupling falls into the draw hook b of the other car.
For the secure engagement of the coupling bow with the draw hook there is
fitted a hood z which may have a spring within it; this hood is fixed above the
draw hook and in the form of a case or is composed of rods and renders an escap-
ing of the bow impossible in all directions and is therefore important especially
when coupling on curves with small radius. Where a disengagement of the
shaft by the carriages knocking together is not desired, this is effected in a
simple manner by means of one of the levers y, as the same is moved, in the direc-
tion of disengagement at the right moment that is to say, when the bow f is
just above the draw hook. The coupling screw m is screwed up either before or
after the coupling; in the latter case by turning the wheel j thereon by means
of an appropriate tool from outside the buffers.
For the purpose of connecting the safety coupling from outside the buffers
(Fig. 3) the hanging screw coupling is lifted by means of the lever r on the
shaft q and the D hook n of the other carriage is lifted by means of the drawing
dovice n¹n before described and the two are connected together.
The couplings are disengaged in the following manner.
When disengaging the safety coupling the drawing devices n¹n of both cars,
that is, al-o, of both D hooks are drawn, whereby the one coupled D hook is lifted
from the bow and the screw coupling of the safety coupling is extended, but both
return into their normal position.
When disengaging the main coupling the uncoupled screw coupling is lifted
either by turning the levers or the D hook n upwards whereby the noses e on
the side bars d of the loose coupling lift the bow f of the other coupling from the
draw hook 6 and the latter coupling is folded and falls down.
The difference of height of the carriages has no injurious influence on the
operation of the coupling.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
: 1. An improved railway coupling comprising a screw coupling link con-
sisting of bars having disengaging noses the nut i foldable downwardly,
screw m, nut and the coupling bow f turnable on its nut k only within small

page_text: limits, in combination with a lifting device for the screw coupling link con-
sisting of a shaft q journalled transversely of the car having means for operation
outside the buffers, lifting arms r and an arresting tooth pon said shaft q a second
shaft o a click o' thereon disengaging levers w thereon and buffers having rods
adapted on receiving end thrust to move said levers w for the purpose set forth.
2. An improved railway coupling comprising a screw coupling link consisting
of bars d having disengaging noses e, the nut i foldable downwardly, screw m
nut k and the coupling bow f turnable on its nut k only within small limits, in
combination with a lifting device for the screw coupling link consisting of a
shaft g journalled transversely of the car having means for operation outside the
buffers, lifting arms r and an arresting tooth p on said shaft a second shaft o
a click o' thereon disengaging levers to thereon and buffers having rods adapted
on receiving end thrust to move said levers w for the purpose set forth, and a
1) hook n suspended from said hook b and a device for lifting the D hook n
consisting of a rod n¹ connected thereto guides on the carriage for said rod n¹ and
draw rod n² attached to rod n' and passing to both sides of the carriage.
20
3. An improved railway coupling comprising a screw coupling link consisting
of bars d having disengaging noses e, the nut i foldable downwardly, screw m
nut k and the coupling bow f turnable on its nut k only within small limits, in
combination with a lifting device for the screw coupling link consisting of a
shaft journalled transversely of the car having means for operation outside the
buffers, lifting arms r and an arresting tooth on said shaft q a second shaft
a click o' thereon disengaging levers thereon and buffers having rods a adapted
on receiving end thrust to move said levers w for the purpose set forth and a
connecting rod between the two nuts ik of the screw coupling, for the purpose
of securing the same against turning.
4. An improved railway coupling comprising a screw coupling link consisting
of bars d having disengaging noses e, the nut i foldable downwardly, screw m
nut and the coupling bow f turnable on its nut k only within small limits, in
combination with a lifting device for the screw coupling link consisting of a
shaft g journalled transversely of the car having means for operation outside the
buffers, lifting arms r and an arresting tooth pon said shaft y a second shaft o
a click o¹ thereon disengaging levers w thereon and buffers having rods adapted
on receiving end thrust to move said levers w for the purpose set forth and a hood
adapted to receive the bow f of the screw coupling.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicants, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.