Improvements in Coupling Apparatus for Railway Wagons and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 10th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
Improvements in Coupling Apparatus for Railway Wagons and
similar Vehicles.
I, THOMAS ATTWOOD BROCKELBANK, of 32, Queen Victoria Street, in the City
of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows.
This invention has reference to improvements in coupling apparatus for rail-
way wagons and similar vehicles.
According thereto the coupling apparatus at each end of a vehicle comprises
a coupling hook that is formed with a rearward extension, preferably in the
form of a pair of tail pieces, and is suspended from the draw hook of the vehicle
by a slotted link o pau of pivoted bais, the hook proper being so
ai ranged that it hangs in a plane inclined to a longitudinal veitical plane so
that when two such hooks at the adjacent ends of two vehicles are engaged with
one another, they are in planes inclined to each other, say at an angle of
about 90° For disengaging such a coupling hook from an adjacent similar
coupling hook and for maintaining it in its raised or coupling position, there
are provided in conjunction therewith a bracket or bearing fixed to the corres-
ponding end of the vehicle and a vertically adjustable abutment, these being of the
kind described in the Specification of another application for Letters Patent filed
by me No 20819 of 1897, the parts of the bearing, coupling hook, suspending
link or equivalent and adjustable abutment that come in contact with one another
being so ielatively formed and arranged that upon the abutment being lowered
it will act upon the rearward extension of the coupling device so as to raise the
hook portion thereof into the coupling position and will finally come to rest against
the biacket or bearing so as to serve as a support for holding the said device
in position to allow of its automatically engaging with a similarly constructed
and supported hook on an adjacent vehicle, and upon the abutment being
suddenly raised it will cause the coupling hook to move both in a forward direc-
tion and in an upwardly inclined lateral direction so as to become disengaged
from the adjacent coupling hook with which it may have been engaged.
The abutment may advantageously be a plate formed with a slot to accommodate
the daw hook and with grooves or recesses to accommodate the sides of the
suspending link, the said plate bemg aanged to be operated from the cranked
portion of a transveise 1ock shaft mounted in bearings at the end of the vehicle
and provided with aims by which it can be partly rotated from either side thereof
as described in my said former specification. For causing the peculiar uncoupling
movement of the coupling hook, one of the vertical sides of the link, or one of
the pairs of bars, by which the coupling hook 18 suspended, may be provided
with a real waid extension or protuberance against which the adjustable abutment,
when raised, will act in a one sided manner
The adjustable abutment and its operating means may be of such a weight

page_text: relatively to that of the coupling hook that when it is fully raised it will be held
in the raised position by the weight of the lowered coupling hook acting through
its tail preces, the hook then hanging in a more or less vertical and inoperative
position Or the adjustable abutment or its attached parts may be so weighted
that after being raised for uncoupling and then released, it will fall automati-
cally into its lower position and, by acting upon the tail pieces of the coupling
device, will raise and hold the latter in the coupling attitude
Coupling hooks constructed and arranged as described, are not liable to become
accidentally disengaged from each other when subjected to shock whilst hang-
ing more or less loosely between the ends of vehicles that have been moved
together To assist this action, and also the coupling action, the projecting
end portion of each hook may be variously bent or shaped. Thus the said end
portion may be provided on its inner side with a convex extension, and the
outer side may be formed with a concave recess. Also the said end portion of
the hook may be slightly bent relatively to the remaining portion of the hook
and out of the general plane thereof
As will be readily understood, coupling apparatus of the kind hereinbofore
described can be readily applied to existing railway wagons in substitution for
the coupling chains ordinarily suspended from open slotted or perforated parts
of the draw hooks of such wagons.
Improvements in Coupling Apparatus for Railway Wagons and
similar Vehicles.
I, THOMAS ATTWOOD BROCKELBANK, of 32, Queen Victoria Street, in the City
of London, Engineer, 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 has reference to improvements in coupling apparatus for rail-
way wagons and similar vehicles.
According thereto the coupling apparatus at each end of a vehicle comprises
a coupling hook that is formed with a rearward extension, preferably in the
form of a pair of tail pieces, and is suspended from the draw hook of the vehicle
by a slotted link, or it may be a pair of pivoted bars, the hook proper being so
arranged that it hangs in a plane inclined to a longitudinal vertical plane so
that when two such hooks at the adjacent ends of two vehicles are engaged with
one another, they are in planes inclined to each other, Bay at an angle of
about 90° For disengaging such a coupling hook from an adjacent similar
coupling hook and for maintaining it in its raised or coupling position, there
are provided in conjunction therewith a pair of brackets or bearings fixed to
the corresponding end of the vehicle, and a vertically adjustable abutment, these
being of the kind described in the Specification of another Patent granted to me
No 20849 of 1897, the parts of the bearings, coupling hook, suspending link
(or equivalent) and adjustable abutment that come in contact with one another
being so relatively formed and arranged that upon the said abutment being lowered
it will act upon the rearward extension of the coupling hook so as to raise the

page_text: hook portion thereof into the coupling position and will finally come to rest against
the brackets or bearings so as to serve as a support for holding the said coupling
hook in position to allow of its automatically engaging with a similarly constructed
and supported coupling hook on an adjacent vehicle, and upon the ahutment
being suddenly raised it will cause the coupling hook to move both in a forward
or outward direction from the vehicle and in an upwardly inclined and lateral
direction so as to become disengaged from the adjacent coupling hook with which
it may have been engaged
Fige 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other showing part of a
vehicle provided with coupling apparatus according to this invention Fig 3
shows the end portions of two adjacent vehicles provided with such coupling
apparatus, the coupling hooks being inclined in opposite directions and engaged
with one another and in the positions they would occupy when the one is pulling
on the other. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig 3 but shows the vehicles moved
together and the hooks in positions preparatory to being disengaged from one
another by the action of the adjustable abutment as hereinafter described
1 is a coupling hook of the kind herembefore referred to having a pair of rear-
wardly extending tail pieces 1^ and its hooked or forward end portion 1b bent to
one side so that when the hook is suspended in place on a vehicle, such end por-
tion 1b is approximately in a plane inclined at an angle of about 45° to a vertical
plane 2 is the ordinary draw hook from which the coupling hook is suspended
by a link 3. 4 is a vertically adjustable abutment of the kind refered to for
moving the coupling hook into its operative and inoperative positions, and 5 are
brackets or hearings fixed to the end of the vehicle and against which the adjust-
able abutment bears when in its lowered position in which it supports the coup-
ling hook in the coupling or uncoupling position shown in Fig 4
The abutment 4 may advantageously be a plate formed with a slot 6 to accom-
modate the draw hook 2 and with grooves or recesses 6 to accommodate the sides
of the suspending link 3, the said plate being arranged to be operated from the
cranked portion 7 of a transverse rock shaft 8 mounted in side bearings at the
end of the vehicle and provided with hand levers 9 on either side of the vehicle
by which it can be partly rotated as described in my said former specification,
the upper end of the plate being connected to the end of the vehicle by chains 10,
and to the cranked portion 7 of the rock shaft by eve portions 4^
For causing the lateral movement necessary for the uncoupling of the coupling
hook as hereinbefore referred to, one of the vertical sides of the suspension link 3
(or one of the pairs of bars when such are used in lien of a link) may be provided
with a rearward extension or cam like protuberance 3 against which the adjust-
able abutment 4, when raised, will act so as to give a one sided movement to the
link and thus cause the coupling hook to move both in a forward or outward
direction from the vehicle and in the desired upwardly mclined lateral direction
necessary for disengaging it from the coupling hook of an adjacent vehicle with
which it may be engaged
In the majority of cases I have found that when the coupling hook herem-
before described is quickly raised, it will become disengaged from an adjacent
similar coupling hook but that there are some circumstances under which it 19
possible that the disengagement cannot be so readily effected and in
which it might become necessary to otherwise push the raised coupling
hook clear of the adjacent coupling hook to ensure complete disengagement of
the two To insure complete disengagement under practically all circum-
stances I find it preferable to construct and arrange each coupling hook as I will
now describe with reference to Figs. 5 to 12 of the accompanying illustrative draw-
ings wherein Figs 5, 6, 7 and 8 are similar views to Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4 respec-
tively, showing the improved coupling apparatus, and Figs 9 10 and 11 show the
improved coupling hook alone in side elevation, end elevation and plan respec-
tively. Fig. 12 being a section of the hook on the line of Fig 9
In this arrangement the coupling hook 1 is so shaped as to ensure the lateral

page_text: movement necessary to uncoupling adjacent hooks and with that object has the
shank portion thereof, that is to say the portion between the hook proper 1b and
the suspension eye 1°, made deeper than in the example shown in Figs. 1 to 4
inclusive and slightly curved in the direction of its length as shown in Fig. 11
Its cross sectional area gradually decreases in width from its rounded bottom edge
to the top where it terminates in a narrow rounded edge as shown in Fig. 12, one
of its two sides, that 1 which is opposite to the side from which the hook
proper 1b projects, being inclined to the vertical and it may be of more or less
convex or concave shape, and the other side 1º being either vertical, or inclined
so as to form a twisted or screw like feathered ridge on the upper surface of the
shank thereof.
The improved coupling hook is suspended from the draw hook 2 by a link 3
which is adapted to be moved in a forward or outward direction from the vehicle
and upward by the action thereon of the vertically movable abutment 4 when
the same 18 moved upward, the auangement being such that when the said abut-
ment is suddenly raised and the link thereby moved forward and upward, the
coupling hook carried thereby will be also moved forward and upward but will
at the same time be forced in a lateral direction by reason of its inclined laterally
bent hook portion 1b sliding against the rounded lower surface of the feather or
screw like ridge on the shank portion of the adjacent coupling hook with which
it was engaged, the result being that after the free end of the hook portion 1b of
the hook that is being raised passes from under the adjacent hook, it will slide
up the side sui face 1 of the screw like udge on such hook until it reaches the
top edge thereof over which it will mount and be automatically forced by reason
of its tendency to assume a direct longitudinal position, whereupon it will fal!
down at the opposite side 1d of the said adjacent hook and thus become completely
disengaged therefiom By this means I am able to dispense with the cam like
protuberance on one of the vertical sides of the suspension link as before described
and thus secure the requisite lateral movement from the shape of the hooks them-
selves as well as ensuring certainty of action
In this arrangement, when operating the suspension link 3 and coupling hook 1,
as 'escribed, each side member of the suspension link will be similarly acted upon
by the abutment plate 4 To prevent undue lateral movement of the suspensión
link when the same is being taised by the plate 4, and also to prevent the said
link being caught by the slotted part 6 of the said plate, the sides of the link are
or may he provided with lugs 3* to take between lateral guides 4 on the outer side
of the plate 4 The two lateral guides 4* on the plate 4 also serve to prevent
undue lateral movement of the pair of rearwardly extending tail pieces 1" of the
coupling hook when the same are beating against the plate
At its ends the abutment plate 4 may advantageously be formed with hook-
like parts 4 adapted, when the plate is lowered, to take over and engage with
lugs 5º, or pins 5* (Fig 5), on the outer sides of the brackets or bearings 5 so
as to support the plate in its lowered position To prevent lateral movement
of the said abutment plate, the side portions thereof may be formed with grooves 4°
into which the fixed biackets or bearings 5 take Or the abutment plate 4
may, as shown in end and side view in Figs 13 and 14 respectively, he made
practically flat and be provided with flanges 4 at its two sides between which
the brackets or hearings 5 take The said plate 4 is connected at its upper end
to the end of the vehicle by flexible connections, such as chains 10, as in the
herein previously described arrangement, for the purpose of directing and con-
trolling its action and for preventing its being accidentally displaced when
being operated by the cranked portion 7 of a transverse rock shaft 8 Each
bracket or beaung 5 18 or may be formed with a slot 5b open at one end to allow
of the ready insertion therethrough of the rock shaft 8, and has its uprer end
recessed to admit of its being readily fitted to the headstock of the vehicle to
which it can be secured by bolts on screws passed through its flanged portions 5°
I do not herein claim the construction of coupling apparatus shown in Figs 5

page_text: to 14 inclusive in so far as the same differs from that shown in Figs 1 to 4
inclusive, as I intend to obtain separate Letters Patent in respect thereof and
have only described and illustrated the same here in order to explain the best
way now known to me of carrying out my invention.
The adjustable abutment 4 herein before described and its operating means
may be of such a weight relatively to that of the coupling hook with which it
18 used that when it is fully raised it will be held in the raised position by the
weight of the lowered coupling hook, the coupling hook then hanging in a
more or less vertical and mopeiative position as shown in full lines in Figs. 1
and 2 Or the adjustable abutment 4, or its attached parts, may be so weighted
that after the abutment has been raised for uncoupling, and then released, it
will fall automatically into its lower position (Fig 4), and, by acting upon the
tail pieces 1 of the coupling hook, will raise and hold the latter in the coupling
attitude.
Coupling hooks constructed and arranged as descubed are not liable to become
accidentally disengaged from each other when subjected to shock whilst hanging
more or less loosely between the ends of vehicles that have been moved together
To further assist in preventing accidental disengagement and also to assist the
coupling action, the free end of each hook portion 1 may be variously bent or
shaped
As will be readily understood, coupling apparatus of the kind herein before
described can be readily applied to existing railway wagons in substitution for
the coupling chains ordinarily suspended from open slotted or perforated parts
of the draw hooks of such wagons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained tlie nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim 18:―
1. Coupling apparatus for railway wagons and similar vehicles having coup-
ling hooks constructed and arranged substantially as herein before described with
reference to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the diawings annexed so that upward tuin-
ing movement of the suspension device by which either hook is suspended from
the draw hook of its vehicle will cause such hook to move in a forward or out-
ward direction from the vehicle to which it is attached and also in an upward
and lateral duection and thereby become disengaged from the coupling hook
on an adjacent vehicle with which it may have been engaged, as set forth
2 In coupling apparatus for railway wagons and similar vehicles, the con-
bination with a vertically adjustable abutment, means for supporting and
operating the same, and a link or equivalent device adapted to be suspended
from the draw hook of a vehicle and adapted to be operated by the said abut-
ment, of a coupling hook suspended from the link or equivalent and having its
hook portion proper 1b arranged in a plane inclined to a longitudinal vertical
plane so that when two such hooks at the adjacent ends of two vehicles are
engaged with one another, they are in planes inclined to each other, substan-
tially as descubed
3. Coupling apparatus for railway wagons and simular vehicles, constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described with reference to
Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the diawings annexed.
Dated this 10th day of April 1688
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC, Chartered Patent Agent