IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE COUPLINGS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
-
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE COUPLINGS."-
A communication from abroad by Eli Hamilton Janney, of
Alexandria Virginia United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 26th April 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
the International Patent Office," Southampton
HASELTINE,
of
"
Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE COUPLINGS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal

page_text: Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it
has been communicated to me from abroad by Eli Hamilton Janney,
of Alexandria, Virginia, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of
this Specification :-
:
This Invention consists mainly in the combination of a rotary hook
with an automatic catch and a guard arm, and in certain details of
construction which in connection with the foregoing will be herein-after
fully desonibod
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the said improved coupling;
Figures 2 and 3 are plans with the parts reversed; Figure 4 is a
transverse sectional clevation; Figure 5 is a side elevation partially in
section; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of the parts of the said
coupling.
A represents the drawhead which may be constructed of any proper
form. It is essentially provided however with the extension a and
guard arm a¹, and also with a recess a² and slot a³; B represents a rotary
hook consisting of the hook and arm b¹, the same being united to the
extension a by means of a pivot pin as shown; C represents a lever
resting in the slot a³ of the drawhead and suitably pivotted at its lower
end as shown; c represents a spring by means of which the lever is
pushed forward when undisturbed into position to lock the arm of the
rotary hook in the recess a².
The operation of this Invention is as follows, that is to say:-When it
is desired to couple the carriages one of the couplings should have its
rotary hook in about the position shown in the right hand coupling,
Figure 1. Then as the carriages come together the arm of the hook
will be necessarily struck by the head of the adjacent hook, and will
consequently be forced back into its recess, the spring lever yielding
sufficiently for this purpose, in which position it will be securely locked

page_text: by the return of the lever to its place, by the action of the spring c after
the arm has passed it. The carriages are thus securely coupled and
cannot be disconnected except by pulling back the lever.
The essential parts of this Invention are the rotary hook, the guard
arm which serves also as a guiding arm, and the catch lever for holding
the arm of the hook; but certain minor details of construction are also
deemed of importance. The arm of the hook is made to project at x;
Figure 3, for insuring its being forced back into the recess by the
entrance of the other hook if it does not approach in a straight line.
The edges of the hooks where they bear against each other are curved as
shown at x¹, Figure 5, to permit the parts to have the necessary play
upon each other, as the carriages rise and fall unequally, and also to
adapt the faces to each other when not in the same vertical plane.
The arm a is adapted for three different purposes, namely, first, for
guiding the adjacent coupling properly into place as the carriages come
together; second, for use as a buffer in connection with the heads of
arm a when the carriages come together with the parts closed, as shewn
in Figure 3; third, for preventing the parts from uncoupling upon
curves; the arm of one coupling pressing against the drawhead of the
other when curving to either the right or left, and thus holding the two
hooks together.
It will be observed that the line of curvature between the points y, y,
Figure 3, on the arm a, and guard a¹ is precisely the same as that of
the hook and end of drawhead; by this means the parts when they come
together are made to interlock closely, so that all lateral and longitudinal
play will be prevented. It will also be observed that the points of the
hooks upon which the coupling swings in turning on curves are curved
to adapt the parts to move more casily, as shown at x³ Figure 1.
The advantages of this Invention are numerous; it will couple readily
under all circumstances if one of the hooks is open, but will not couple
if both are closed; it is adapted for use upon carriages of different.
heights; it has no lateral or longitudinal play but moves freely
vertically; it is impossible for it to become uncoupled unless the
carriages leave the track. By means of the hole x² a link can be used
to connect it to the ordinary drawhead; it is uncoupled at any time
without the least difficulty by simply pulling back the aforesaid lever.
If desired a key or wedge may be placed in the slot before or behind this

page_text: lever to hold it either out of contact with the arm of the hook or to lock
the latter in place.
For freight or luggage waggons the drawhead is preferably made of
cast metal; but for passenger carriages I prefer wrought metal plates
bolted together.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me from abroad by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim, the novel
combination of parts herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)