Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1900-Accepted, 11th Aug., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
DAVID MORGAN MURROW, 2, Finsbury Square, E.C., Estate Agent, do hereby.
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists of a gravity catch or hook attached to end of truck or carriage and
to couple, engages a suitable catch plate. It couples automatically. For un-
coupling a rod or bar is attached to end of vehicle with iron arm so fixed on
rod as to engage the back part of hook and raise the hook to any required height
this action is accomplished by levers either end of rod-a small arm is also
fixed on rod for forcing the hook or catch back to its former coupling position.
For shunting purposes a suitable catch or hook is provided to hold levers in
desired position.
Th
L
r
1
1000
COMIDDIE DIEUITICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
I, DAVID MORGAN MURROW, Estate Agent, of 2, Finsbury Square, in the
County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in automatic couplings for railways
and like vehicles, its object being the construction of a coupling which, while
efficient and safe, is also simple in construction and operation and cheap to
manufacture.
In couplings according to this invention a hook is arranged upon the end of
the vehicle so that it engages automatically with a catch plate or striking-plate
upon the adjacent end of the next vehicle. The couplings are double, that is
each vehicle has at cach end a hook and a striking-plate so arranged that any
vehicle can be coupled to any other similarly fitted vehicle placed end to end
with it.
In order to uncouple a rod or bar is placed across each end of the vehiclo
carrying a projecting arm or lever so that when the rod is turned by levers pro-
vided for the purpose at the sides of the vehicle, the arm acts upon the hook
and disengages it from the striking-plate.
The hooks may be retained in their uncoupled position when desired, as in
shunting operations, by means of a pivotted locking-bar which can be caused to
engage with the side levers attached to the cross-bar or rod.
In another construction of coupling the projecting arm or lever attached to
the cross-bar and the adjacent portion of the coupling hook are so arranged
that the projecting arm or lever can be used to retain the hook in its uncoupled
position without the employment of the above-mentioned pivotted locking-bar.

page_text: 111 me accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing portions of two vehicles provided with
one construction of coupling according to this invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing one of the coupling hooks raised and
retained in its uncoupled position; and
Figure 3 is a side elevation showing another form of hook according to this
invention also retained in its uncoupled position.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to Figure 1 each of the vehicles A is provided with a
hook B pivotted as at C to a bracket C attached to the end of the vehicle. A
striking-plate D having an opening D¹ is also attached to the vehicle in such a
position that the hook B on the end of one vehicle is in line with the open-
ing D¹ in the striking-plate upon the other vehicle. The projecting end of
each striking-plate D is curved or bent so that the nose of the corresponding
hook B shall slide up on it when brought into contact therewith. The under-
side of the hook B is rounded or bellied as at B2 so that should the vehicle
approach too near together this belly B2 engaging with the striking plate D
will lift the hook so high that its end will not reach and damage the end frame
of the opposite vehicle which otherwise it might do.
Supported in bearings El at the bottom of the vehicle is a cross bar E fur-
nished with a side lever E2 at each end. This rod E carries an arm F rigidly
attached to it at a point below the hook B. By moving either of the side
levers E² as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, the shaft E is rotated and the
arm F, acting upon the downwardly extending portion B at the back of the
hook B raises the latter and disengages it from the striking-plate D upon the
other vehicle. This position is clearly shown in Figure 2. The unbalanced
overhang of the hook B causes the arm F to return and replaces the arms E2
in their normal position.
Extending across the end of the vehicle above the coupling hook and striking-
plate is a bar G pivotted as at G and having at each end a handle G2 so that
it may be operated from either side. If it be desired to retain the hook B in its
uncoupled position, the pivotted bar G is moved so that one or other of its ends
comes behind the adjacent side lever E2 after that lever has been turned so as
to raise the hook. This action as shown in Figure 2 has the effect of preventing
the return of the side lever E2 and consequently the hook is held in its un-
coupled position.
In a modified form of coupling according to this invention illustrated in
Figure 3 the pivotted bar G is dispensed with. In this construction part of
the hook adjacent to the arm F is made in the form of a recess curved as at B³
and this curved recess and the axis about which the arm F and the hook B
turn are so arranged that the arm F may be forced, through the action of the
side lever E2 and rod E, slightly beyond the position of a straight line joining
the two axes. The weight and leverage of the hook B will not be sufficient
to overcome the friction due to this jamming action between the arm F and the
hook B, and consequently the hook will remain in its uncoupled position until
the arm F is released by turning the side lever E².
By arranging the hooks B and striking-plates 1) at opposite sides of the
centre lines of the vehicles, space may be left to accommodate the ordinary
form of screw or other coupling.
Either the hooks or the striking plates or both may be fitted with spring
connections to the vehicles, care being taken that these do not interfere with
the proper automatic action of the parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles the combination

page_text: with the slotted striking-plate D D¹ and hook B B of the cross-bar E and
arms F and E2 and pivotted locking-bar G G all substantially as described and
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles the combination
of hook B B cross-bar E and arm F so arranged that the unbalanced overhang
of the hook causes the tail B acting upon the arm to automatically return
the handles E2 of the rod E into their normal position so that they are ready
for their function of raising the hook B out of engagement with the striking
plate of the other vehicle.
3. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles the combination
of two sets of striking plates D and hooks B B₁ oppositely arranged upon the
adjacent ends of two vehicles and spaced at opposite sides of the centre line
of those vehicles, whereby space is provided for the ordinary screw coupling
and the latter is not interfered with.
4. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles, the combination
with the hook B B and curved recess 133 of cross-bar E and arm F so'arranged
that when the hook is in its raised position, the arm F has passed a straight
line between the pivotted centres of the hook and arm and holds the hook in its
raised position against the effects of jolting or the weight of the hook substan-
tially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles, a hook such
as B having its underside bellied as at B2 for the purpose described.
6. In an automatic coupling for railway and similar vehicles the combination
with a striking plate such as 1) of a hook such as B B* substantially as and
for the purpose described.
7. The complete automatic coupling device for railway and similar vehicles
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or in Figure 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of June 1900.
D. M. MURROW.
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicant.