IMPROVED COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Brimelow, of Accrington, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanic, for the. Invention of "IMPROVED COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES."
Sealed the 10th February 1871, and dated the 12th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Brimelow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th August 1870.
0
I, PETER BRIMELOW, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
" IMPROVED COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is the construction of self-acting couplings
so that when railway carriages or vehicles are brought in contact they
will at once become coupled or attached to each other, and that when
required such couplings may be detached instantly without the danger
or necessity of the attendant passing between the rails and ends of the
carriages for such purposes. This object I accomplish by the employment

page_text: of mechanism constructed as follows:- Under each end of each carriage
I support, by means of a strong stud or bolt, a horizontal bar, the ends
of which are cranked downwards and support a cross shaft, on which
is a double eccentric projecting (but within the line of the buffers) are
couplings one formed with a V or spear-shaped end, the opposite coupling
being formed by two bars secured on a stud the projecting ends being
barbed, and the barbs facing inwards so as to receive the spear or
V-shaped bar opposite thereto. When carriages are brought together the
barbed bars, which are kept in close contact with each other by springs
or weights, are forced apart by the spear or V-shaped bar which enters
between the barbed bars; as soon as the spear or V is passed beyond the
barbs the bars are by spring or weight closed on the shoulders of the
spear or Vend, and the carriages are securely coupled or attached to
each other. When desired to uncouple the carriages the shafts herein-
before referred to are turned, and the double eccentric thereon acts on
two pins attached to the barbed bars which are thus forced apart, and
the spear or V-ended coupling is thus free to be withdrawn. The hori
zontal bar herein first mentioned as being secured on a strong stud has.
formed therein a quadrant or semicircular slot hole in which is a second
stud as an additional security in case of fracture or damage to the stud,
the said bar is free to move vertically or laterally to provide for the
oscillation of the carriages, and the barbed ends of the couplings are
inclined to provide for varying heights of the carriages or couplings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Brimelow in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
BRIMELOW, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Peter Brimelow, Her special licence that I,
the said Peter Brimelow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or 3

page_text: (the eccentric working inside the fork). S denotes a horizontal shaft
which rests on the bearings M, M; to this shaft the eccentric Q is keyed
fast, and the catches Y, Y, and the levers N, N, (with ends formed as
shown) are screwed fast. X, X, are two pins which the catches Y, Y,
rest upon when the levers N, N,. are thrown over the centre; by this
action the catches E, E, will be pressed back or opened, and will remain
in that position either for shunting or any other necessary purpose. R
is a hook for the purpose of allowing the carriages, waggons, or vehicles
to be coupled in the ordinary way, when two carriages are brought
together one of which is not provided with my improved couplings.
T is a plate which answers two purposes, in the first place it is provided
for unequal heights of waggons by being made with an incline under-
neath as represented in Fig. 3 at i; in the second place it prevents the
couplings from coming undone even when the impact be sudden. The
receiver coupler U is also made with an incline on the top as represented
in Fig. 2 at L, so that the inclines being equally divided it frees them
from that stiffness which would be the case if the inclines were all
placed on one. Underneath the received coupler A is rivetted a thin
plate rather broader than the part J (not shown in the Drawing). This
plate is to prevent the receiver coupler of the lowest waggon dropping
if breakage of the received coupler of the same coupling should occur.
The couplings are secured to the draw bar by two pivots, one passes
through the hole in the centre of a plate, the other through the
quadrant. The couplings working freely on the first pivot, and the
pivot in the quadrant preventing them from passing too far in their
lateral motion, so that the point of the received coupler A never passes
beyond the area of the receiver coupler U, the pivot in the quadrant also
answers as a pivot of security in case the first pivot breaks; their
vertical motion being obtained by two taper bosses being welded on the
plate P, P, or in the head of the draw bar as represented in Fig. 4 at
h, this would give them a greater vertical rise than fall, but if sufficient
vertical motion cannot be obtained by this method it can be obtained
by a double joint. Their oscillating motion is obtained from the draw
bar, the draw bar being made of round iron and allowed to oscillate
freely in its bearings. The couplings are kept in their right position
by a short rod with a weight at one end, the same to be fastened to
the draw bar as represented in Fig. 4 at a. Fig. 5 represents one of
the catches E, the part at p passes underneath the receiver as repre-

page_text: sented in Fig. at c, by which means the pulling stress will be equally
divided between it and the pivot I. Instead of adopting exactly the
same arrangements as those shown by the Drawings above described I
can use a modification thereof (see diagram, Fig. 6,) wherein I dispense
with the parts I, I, O, O, L, L, H, H, Y, Y, Q, F, and X, and I then
instead of rivetting fast the receiver couplers (E, E,) to the plate P, P,
make them all in one piece and swivel them to the said plate, say at
the points marked *, *, the same being able to be opened and closed by
means of a projecting piece. on the shaft S, which has an eccentric at
each end acting against studs on the receiver couplers, see diagram, a
spiral spring being connected to pins near the points where the letters
L, L, are placed in the Drawings. Such an arrangement however as
the modification last described would be subject to the objection that
the receiver coupler and received coupler might get entangled when
shunting, though this could to a considerable extent be avoided by
having projecting pieces 1, 2, rivetted to the plate P, P, as shown in
the diagram Fig. 6, such pieces being fixed in a line with the points of
the catches of the receiver couplers when opened, (as shown in the
said diagram), and leaving sufficient space for catching the received
coupler between the ends of the projecting pieces 1, 2, and points of
the catches.
It will be evident to the practical man that by bringing two carriages,
waggons, or vehicles provided with my couplings end to end, that then
the received coupler may be pressed between the receiver couplers when
the same will be locked fast, and by turning the shaft S by means of
suitable lever handles at the ends on either side, the same may be
uncoupled without going between the carriages. The inside of the
received coupler must be made large enough to allow the head of the
received coupler to move to and fro, so that the buffers may be driven
home without the couplings offering any resistance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put
in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the Invention of "Improved
Couplings for Railway Carriages and Vehicles," wherein the important
characteristic is the use of received and receiver couplers of construc-
tion and arrangement substantially as herein-before described or any
arrangement merely varying as to the details thereof; it being under-
stood that whilst I do not limit myself to such details I do not claim

page_text: them separately considered and apart from the objects and purposes of
my said Invention..
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Brimelow, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
PETER BRIMELOW. (L.S.)
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross.