IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING COUPLINGS AND THEIR ATTACHMENTS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stableford of Oldbury in the County of
Worcester for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING COUPLINGS
AND THEIR ATTACHMENTS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stableford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1883.
WILLIAM STABLEFORD of Oldbury in the County of Worcester
" IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-ACTING COUPLINGS AND THEIR ATTACHMENTS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES,"
This invention relates to certain detail arrangements of self-acting couplings and
their attachments for railway purposes said couplings being preferably in con-
nection with central drawbar and central buffing appliances to enable the vehicles
to be acted upon from the centre if desired.
According to the first part of my invention I form a buffer head on the outer
end of the drawbar, the face of the buffer head is composed of a central hook and
two side wings between which at a fixed level the shackle can rest when in a
downward position. The shackle is loosely pinned to the draw bar just behind
the buffer head and can be lifted to be put into a nearly vertical position as to be
clear of same. The outer end of the shackle has an inclined lip set at an angle to
ride against the face of a hook should it ie the shackle be down when a coupling
up takes place. Each buffer drawbar is similarly fitted so that when two vehicles
are put together one or other of the shackles engages with the hook of the
neighbouring bead the other being also free to fall to rest upon the lip end of the
first one.
According to another arrangement I pin a hook to the outer end of the draw bar
which passes through the buffer and I slot the head of the buffer that the stem or
shank of the hook may rise and fall therein, the hook portion projecting as to
engage over the cross pin of the next adjoining buffer of the same kind. I fit a
drop bolt and shackle to the outside of the buffer in such a manner that the bolt
can fall and lock the hook in a closed condition. The hook is readily released by
a striking action against a pin arranged in the lower portion of the buffer stem for

page_text: the purpose. The draw bar. may have its inner end threaded in which case I
purpose fitting a threaded collar on it, the collar being part of or having attached
to it a pinion for engaging into a spur wheel capable of being turned from the
ends of the vehicle for tightening up purposes.
In some cases I attach to the inside of the floor timbers a bracket or strap and
arrange rubber block or other equivalent springs between and also loose fitting
collars to act in conjunction whereby the draw bar is returned to its normal
condition. The brackets or straps are firmly bolted to the under framing and are
strengthened by longitudinal tie rods the ends of which pass through to the
outside of the end frames and are fastened by nuts which bear against face plates
within which the draw bars are guided to and fro.
The slotted buffer head before
referred to is of hollow cylindrical. form and is held to the end frames by half
rings bolted thereto.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Stableford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th July 1883.
WILLIAM STABLEFORD of Oldbury in the County of Worcester IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-ACTING COUPLINGS AND THEIR ATTACHMENTS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES.
This invention relates to certain detail arrangements of self acting couplings and
their attachments for railway and other purposes said couplings being preferably
in connection with central draw bar and central buffing appliances to enable the
vehicles to be acted upon from the centre if desired.
According to the first part of my invention as seen at Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of
the annexed drawings I form a buffer head A on the outer end of the draw bar B.
The face of the buffer head A is composed of a central hook C and two side wings
DD forming cradles within which a shackle E can rest when in a downward
position. The shackle E is loosely pinned at F to the draw bar B just behind the
buffer head A and can be lifted to be put into a nearly vertical position by hand
or by the lifting mechanism E' Figure 3 as to be clear of same. The outer end
of the shackle E has an inclined or curved lip G set at an angle to ride against the
face H of the hook C should it ie the shackle be down when a coupling up takes
place. Each buffer draw bar B is similarly fitted so that when two vehicles are
put together one or other of the shackles E engages with the hook of the
neighbouring head the opposite one being also free to fall, to rest upon the other.
Figures 5 and 6 show elevation and plan views of buffer headed draw rods each
provided with a wedge a working loosely within a slot b and having at its lower
end a hinged bolt c capable of being caught and locked, out of action by the catch
hook d when the vehicles are uncoupled but which when the concussion of self
coupling takes place causes the catch hook d to disengage itself from the hinged
bolt c and the bolt and wedge to drop. In this action the wedge presses against a
sliding block e to which the shackle is hinged and pushes it backwards in the
slot f. By this means the shackle becomes drawn under the hook C of the buffer
head A and is locked therein. When the wedge a is lifted by a striking action
against the hinged bolt c it is kept up by the catch hook d the shackle E being
then free to slide for the easy disconnection of the coupling.
According to another arrangement which I show at Figures 7 and 8 of the
annexed drawings I pin a hook C to the outer end of the draw bar B which
passes through the buffer A and I slot the head of the buffer A that the stem or
shank I of the hook C may rise and fall therein the hook portion projecting as to
engage over the cross pin J of the next adjoining buffer of the same kind.
I fit a
drop bolt K and shackle E to the outside of the buffer in such a manner that the
bolt K can fall and lock the hook C in a closed condition.
The hook is readily released by a striking action against a pin L arranged in
the lower portion of the buffer stem A for the purpose
The draw bar B may have its inner end threaded in which case I purpose fitting
a threaded collar M on it the collar M being part of or having attached, a pinion N
for engaging into a spur wheel P as at Figures 9 and 10 capable of being turned
from the end of the vehicle by the hand wheel Q for tightening up purposes.
Instead of the collar M being worked by the pinion and spur wheel before
mentioned it may have a sprocket or chain wheel N and endless chain M¹ running
over another sprocket or chain wheel P' and be worked from either the end or the
side of the vehicle by the hand wheels Q'R' as at Figures 11 and 12.
In some cases I attach to the inside of the end beams R or under framing a
washer plate S as shown at Figure 13 and arrange rubber block or other

page_text: equivalent springs T between and also loose fitting washer plate U arranged
between the distance tubes to receive the thrust of both buffing and drawing and
to act in conjunction whereby the draw bar B is returned to its normal condition.
The washer plate S is strengthened by longitudinal tie rods V the ends of which
pass through to the outside of the end frames and are fastened by nuts which bear
against face or draw bar plates V₁ within which the draw bar is guided to and fro.
The slotted buffer head before referred to is of hollow cylindrical form and is held
to the end frames by half rings X bolted thereto.
Figure 10 represents a modification of my coupling attachments. In this view
the framing is of channel iron the headstock being filled with wood when in use.
The buffer A acts upon the first three rubber springs and the traction of the draw
bar B acts upon the second three from the headstock.
The tightening wheel Q as shown in Figure 14 is held by a bracket W attached
to the headstock the shaft of this wheel having at its other end the spur wheel P
for engaging into the pinion N before referred to; in this view the tightening
wheel is directly in the centre, but it may be moved to the right or left as shown
in dotted lines.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim
First The combination of draw bar and buffer head in the head of which two side
wings and a central hook are formed and with recesses (cradles) for the
shackle of the opposite appliance to fit or rest in as and for the purpose
described and as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the annexed
drawings
Secondly I claim In connection with my cradle shaped buffer head and draw bar
combined the means or appliances by which a sliding action of the hinged
shackle can be obtained for locking purposes as described with reference
to Figures 5 and 6 of the annexed drawings.
Thirdly I claim The rotating internal threaded collar worked by. hand for
tightening up the draw bar when said, bar has an independent movement
within a hollow buffer and provided with a hook for engaging purposes
as described and substantially as shown in Figures 8. 9. 11. 13 and 14.
Fourthly I claim The striking bolt L shown in Figures 7 and 8. by means of
which by a striking action the hook can be released or disengaged as
'described
In witness whereof I the said William Stableford have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty seventh day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
WM CUTADT GEORD