Improvements in Coupling Devices for Railway Carriages or Waggons.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coupling Devices for Railway Carriages or
Waggons.
A communication from abroad by FRIEDRICH WILHELM PROKOW, of Charlotten-
burg, near Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
I, GEORGE CECIL DYMOND M. Inst. M.E. of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6, Lord Street Liverpool and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex
Patent Agent, 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, reference being had to the accompanying sheets of
drawings and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon:-
In this coupling for railway carriages only one buffer is placed in the middle of
each carriage end and the same also forms part of the coupling. In addition to this
buffer each carriage end is provided with a draw ring or lug which is also placed in
the centre of the carriage and is combined with the carriage.
The coupling of the carriages is effected by the draw loop of one carriage entering
the buffer of the next carriage and there being fastened by a bolt passing between
the loop and the discs of the buffer. The coupling is therefore a double one and
is so secure that guard chains are superfluous. The coupling of the carriages takes
place automatically, whilst the uncoupling must be effected by hand.
This coupling is shown on the annexed drawing in Figures 1, 2 and 3 when
opened and in Figures 4, 5 and 6 when closed;
Figures 1 and 4 in vertical longitudinal section,
Figures 2 and 5 in horizontal section and
Figures 3 and 6 in vertical cross section.
The buffer arranged in the middle of each carriage end consists of a disc a which
is connected by means of four arms b with a plate 6 situated at the front end of the
buffer bar c. The draw-bar e is placed beside the buffer bar c, passes freely through
the plate 6', and is shaped at its front end into a longitudinal lug or loop e².
Both bars e and e run in a common guide block d attached to the carriage; the rear
end of the buffer bar c is connected with the buffer spring, and the rear end of the
draw-bar e is connected with the draw-bar spring, neither of which is shown on the
drawings.
C
C
The buffer disc a is provided with two vertical slots a¹ and a². The draw loop e²
passes through a¹ and projects somewhat beyond the buffer disc; on the other
hand the draw loop of the next carriage enters into the slot a² when the carriages
are coupled. On the left rear side of the buffer disc a, a guide plate g is fastened,
in which a slide piece m made of strong sheet iron can travel up and down. This
slide piece is retained in its upper position, which it assumes when the coupling is
released, by means of a sheet spring ¹ fixed on the buffer disc a, which by means
of a pin engages in a hole in the slide piece m, see Figure 3. The upper arm k²
of a suitably curved off round iron rod k³, Figure 3, pivotted on the upper right
hand buffer arm band the lower arm k¹ of which rod lies behind the buffer slot a²,
engages in front of the free end of the spring i. The slide piece m is provided
with a horizontal contact arm m' which is directed towards the middle of the buffer,
and has in its lower part a horizontally adjustable bar 3 of the shape of a flat
bolt. Between this bolt and the outer rectangularly bent end of the slide piece, a
screw spring n is arranged which has a tendency to push forward the bolt 2 over
the buffer slot a³. In its drawn back position Figure 3 the bolt h³ is retained by a

page_text: pawl o pivotted on the slide piece m engaging in a notch in the same, on the pivot o
of which a lever o² is fastened, the loose end of which stands somewhat lower than
the arm m' of the slide piece.
On the carriages coming in contact the draw loop e² of each carriage is forced
into the slot a² of the buffer of the next carriage and turns the lower arm k' of the
rod to one side so that the upper arm k² of the same presses back the spring i
and thereby releases the slide piece m. The latter then falls with the bolt 2 so far
down until the contact arm m¹ strikes on the inserted draw loop e², which is the
case when the bolt 2 is situated just close to the opening of this loop. The lever o
however strikes just before the arm m¹ on the loop and is thereby turned by the
further descent of the sliding piece so far that as soon as the arm m' strikes on the
loop, the pawl o is disengaged from the notch of the bar h² and thereby the latter
is released. The bolt is then pushed forward in the loop e² by the spring n, and
thereby the coupling of the two carriages is brought about see Figure 6.
The bolts 2 are firmly secured by the strength of the buffer springs between the
buffer discs a and the draw loops e², so that they cannot become displaced of them-
selves, or by reason of vibration, shocks, etcetera, and they cannot also be drawn back
by hand except by aid of further devices.
The coupling is preferably released by means of nuts p which are screwed on a
screw thread cut on a suitably strengthened part of each draw-bar e and press on
the plates b' of the buffers when the coupling is closed. These nuts are turned by
means of a pin or the like inserted in holes p¹ in the same, in a suitable direction,
whereby the draw-bars e are pushed forward against the buffers in the direction of
the arrow Figure 5 so that the loops e² release the bolts h². The latter can
then be drawn back by hand for which purpose they are provided with lips or
handles h³..
A somewhat altered arrangement of the separate coupling parts is shown in
Figures 8 and 9. The arrangement for holding up and releasing the slide piece m
may also in this case be simplified by the flat spring being omitted and the upper
arm k² of the rod k³ engaging directly into the hole of the slide piece m.
On the separation of the carriages the rod k³ is then drawn back against the
buffer disc by a spiral draw spring 9 arranged between the arm k and the buffer
disc a, and is kept in contact with the slide piece m.
In order to effect the release of the slide piece m when the draw loop has slightly
penetrated the buffer slot a², that is to say when the lower arm k¹ of the rod k³ is
slightly pushed forward the rod may be placed in the middle of the buffer disc a
and fastened above and below for greater security.
In order to insure in any mutual position of the two halves of the coupling, the
contact of the draw loop, which penetrates into the buffer slot a², with the lower
rod arm k, this latter is preferably widened to a suitable extent, as will be seen
from Figure 8.
Further, the slide piece m may also fit into a dove-tail groover Figures 8 and 9,
made in the buffer disc instead of into a sheet metal guide piece g attached to
the buffer disc, so that in its lowest position it may have a secure hold.
In order, during the period of transition from the screw coupling hitherto in use
to the above described safety coupling, to be able to couple carriages having the
old and the new forms of coupling, it is only necessary to provide the carriages
fitted with the new coupling during the transition period provisionally with side
buffers and form the loop in the shape of a snap hook, Figure 7, so that the
present screw coupling may be hooked without further trouble into the loop thus
formed.
It will be understood that the invention has been previously described in con-
nection with railway carriages, because it is mainly intended for use in connection
with the carriages, it is not however to be supposed therefrom that it is applicable.
for the carriages only, as in some cases it may be found advantageous to use it in
connection with railway waggons.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A coupling in which the draw loops or lugs which project through the buffers,
on the carriages coming in contact engage through slots in the opposite buffer
discs, and thereby by means of a U shaped rod k³, release a slide piece m which is
held up by a snap spring and carries a horizontally adjustable bolt 2 which
(slide piece) drops until the bolt 2 lies close to the opening of the draw loop and
in this position is retained by means of an arm m¹ attached thereto and which
strikes on the loop, whilst a lever o², which just previously strikes the loop and is
thereby turned in a suitable direction, releases a pawl o holding the bolt drawn
back, whereupon a spring n fixed on the slide piece m pushes the bolt between the
link and the buffer disc and thereby produces the coupling.
2. In the coupling described in Claim 1, the arrangement, for releasing the same,
of nuts p screwed on the draw-bars e lying close when the coupling is closed to
the rear frame of the buffer, which (nuts) when suitably turned, press the draw-
bars against the buffers in such a way that the bolts h² firmly gripped between
loops and buffer discs a, are released.
Dated this 29th day of July 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.